Top Chef Host Padma Lakshmi’s Food for Thought

Top Chef starts cookin’ tonight with the premiere of season five.

I caught up with the reality show’s sultry host Padma Lakshmi yesterday to talk hot dogs, the economy and her dreams of bringing the show to London.

Read on for all the—yeah, I’m gonna say it—dish…

Top Chef is in New York City this time around. How does that feel?
I was so excited to do it here. You know, every season I kept saying, “When are we going to do it in New York? When are we going to do it in New York?” And they kept saying, “Next season, next season.” Finally, next season is this season.

Why is the city so special?
I really think it’s the culinary capital of the world. I’m biased because I’m a New Yorker, but I think the greatest chefs are here and the best restaurants. And I’m not just talking only about the fine-dining restaurants. I’m talking about everything.

So, does that mean you eat hot dogs from hot-dog stands?
I do.

What do you like on them?
I like sauerkraut and mustard or relish and mustard.

What about Europe? When will Top Chef go overseas?
I’m dying to go to Europe. I don’t know if it’ll happen though…The airfares, the hotels and the dollar is so low against the pound and the euro.

What city would you pick?
Oh, gosh. It could be Rome. It could be Paris. But London’s a great city, too. It’s not that dissimilar from New York in that it’s got all these great chefs but it also has an interesting mix of different ethnicities and restaurants…Obviously, countries like France and Italy have their own food traditions, as do Morocco and Spain, but if you’re going to do a whole season in a city, I think the European city that I would go to first would be London.

Has the bad economy affected the tone of the show in terms of what the contestants are asked to prepare or how to prepare it?
That’s a great question. You know, I think we have addressed it without knowing how timely it would become because, if you notice, a lot of our challenges have a really tight budget. We do it by making parameters of, you have this much money, but you have to feed this many people. So that’s always a struggle. Every challenge is about balancing your food budget. Every single one.

Fake New York Times Declares Iraq War Over!

The Iraq War is over, according to the fake New York Times! This morning a cadre of volunteers has fanned out across New York City to pass out a remarkably good, faux-copy of the Times dated July 4, 2009. They’ve even set up an entire website with all of the liberal fantasy headlines. Universities to be free! Bike paths to be expanded! Thomas Friedman to resign, praise the Unitarian Jesus! It’s not funny like The Onion, but obviously a lot of work went into this. Now we play “Who did it?” We already know!:

We have done some sleuthing based on intelligence received yesterday. First of all, this stunt needed a lot of volunteers to distribute the papers. They were rallied online, via BecauseWeWantit.org.

This email went out to the collaborators last night:

TONIGHT – and especially, TOMORROW MORNING (WEDNESDAY) – a year of work
involving dozens of collaborators comes to a head. Here’s the schedule:

** TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY) MORNING, 7am-11am: **

Take a break in your commute to pick up materials, then distribute them
on the rest of your commute. (Or if you want to come back and refill,
fantastic.)

Look for the white UHaul vans near:

- UNION SQUARE: probably near the northwest corner of Union Square Park
- COLUMBUS CIRCLE: probably on 56th St. between 8th and 9th Ave.
- GRAND CENTRAL: probably on 43rd St. between Vanderbilt and Madison,
near west entrance of Grand Central Station.
- PENN STATION: probably on 33rd St. between 6th and 7th Ave., just NE of
Penn Station

Locations will be confirmed and updated by text alert (sign up at
http://becausewewantit.org) and email around 7am tomorrow.

** Also, TONIGHT, 5pm-8pm (if time is tight tomorrow or you just can’t wait): **

Look for a white UHaul van near the NORTHWEST CORNER OF UNION SQUARE
PARK. You’ll pick up the materials and KEEP THEM SECRET until TOMORROW
MORNING, when you can distribute them wherever you happen to be, or on
your commute.

WATCH TEXT ALERTS FOR ANY LOCATION CHANGES (sign up at
http://becausewewantit.org). We’ll also send another email around 5pm.

** THINGS TO BRING: **

- A bag that can hold a big bundle of printed matter – as much as you
can carry. Think big canvas bags, big backpacks, rolling carts, etc.
- Warm clothes
- Friends (or we will team you up)

What will happen:
Something cool! You’ll receive materials and instructions when you
arrive. NOTE: YOU DON’T KNOW WHO DID THIS. We want to maintain maximum
mystery around this, for as long as possible – at least for a couple of
days.

Tomorrow morning we’ll also have an online viral campaign – a quick
click before you take off for work can make a big difference!

Thank you again for volunteering your time and energy!

See you soon,
The many secret people YOU DO NOT KNOW

BUT: The email address that sent out this message was linked to the site of The Yes Men, longtime liberal prank group that has been doing things just as complex and finely tuned as this for years. The Yes Men run the Because We Want It site, through which they set up this prank. They wanted to be anonymous for a while allegedly, but too late.

Well done, sirs. We hope the Times doesn’t sue you for copyright violations.

Surgery addict says: I inject cooking oil in my face

DISFIGURED, scarred and miserable – that’s how plastic surgery addict Hang Mioku feels after injecting her face with cooking oil.

The haggard Korean woman had her first professional procedure as a radiant 28-year-old.

Photos from the time show Hang with a perfect smile, radiant skin and striking brown eyes.

But now at 48, after 20 years of professional work and further botched injections at home when docs refused to continue, hideous Hang looks like a horrifying Halloween mask.

A move to Japan allowed Hang’s obsession to take hold while she was away from her parents, who had no idea their daughter’s first operation would result in a full-blown addiction.

After continuous trips to a Japanese surgeon, and despite being left bloated and disfigured, Hang still thought she looked beautiful in the mirror.

When she returned to Korea her lumpy face had changed so much her parents didn’t recognise her.

They took her for psychological treatment, but it proved too expensive and she lapsed into her old ways.

Hang even found a doctor who would give her silicone injections, and who supplied the equipment necessary to carry out the procedure at home.

But when her supply of silicone ran out, Hang began injecting cheap cooking oil.

As her features grew, local kids called her ‘Standing Fan’ because of her large face and small body.

Eventually Hang’s plight was featured on Korean TV, and concerned viewers raised enough money for surgery to reverse the damage.

During the first procedure, surgeons removed 60g of foreign substance from Hang’s face, and a further 200g from her neck.

Now Hang’s ghastly face has reduced in size, but is still ravaged by the ill-effects of her addiction.

And the previously gorgeous Korean girl has admitted she longs for her original face back.

Help wanted at the Obama White House

An epidemic of layoffs is plaguing the country, but the Help Wanted sign is out in Washington: President-elect Obama’s new administration needs to fill 7,996 positions according to the Plum Book, the quadrennial list of jobs filled by presidential appointment.

The Plum Book also lists the pay schedules for each presidential appointment. According to the book, a member of Obama’s cabinet can make as much as $191,300.

But there are numerous positions whose salaries are not listed in the Plum Book, such as the president’s chief of staff and press secretary, where the pay is at the administration’s discretion, and can be much higher.

No administration official or presidential appointee can make more the president, who currently earns $400,000 a year.

The “Plum Book” — the name comes from the color of its cover — is published every four years immediately following the presidential election. The book was first released in 1952, when — after 22 years of a Democratically-controlled White House — Republican President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration needed to identify what government jobs they could fill. The Plum Book was again produced in 1960 for the Kennedy administration, and has been published every four years since.

Cindy McCain Caught Cheating With Another Man?

Sources at the ENQUIRER are claiming that John McCain’s wife Cindy McCain has been caught cheating and this time there is photo proof…well extremely grainy fake looking proof that could look like any blonde kissing another man. This is not the first time Cindy McCain has been accused of this by people searching to make money off her name.

There are supposedly several witnesses to Cindy McCain cheating on John by smooching with this supposed “washed up ’80s rock musician” according to the ENQUIRER. There are also reports that Cindy has been attending concerts and sporting events with this man. They supposedly act very loving with lots of kissing, groping, and hand holding.

John McCain and Cindy McCain have been married since 1980, John right now is 72 while Cindy is 54. About 18 years seperate them and many are saying that is playing a role in why she is cheating on him. The McCain family has a well known close family and this is just bizarre. Why would such a famous woman be out in public with a random mystery man?

The picture looks photoshopped with grain to make it very unclear who is in it.

Ex-Idol Paula Goodspeed found dead

A FORMER contestant on hit US television show American Idol has been found dead outside the Los Angeles home of Paula Abdul, the singer who stars as a judge on the series.

US news sites have reported the body of a woman discovered in a car parked near Abdul’s home in Sherman Oaks yesterday was Paula Goodspeed, who had appeared on American Idol, one of the highest rated shows on US television, in 2006.

Goodspeed, who was apparently infatuated with Abdul, had been mocked by the TV show’s judges when she performed Proud Mary in her audition.

Police said she may have died from a drug overdose and her death is being treated as a suicide, People.com reported.

“Ms Goodspeed’s mother had gone to (the sheriff’s department) to report her daughter missing, and advised them that she might be suicidal,” Los Angeles police captain James Miller said.

“The sheriffs determined that Ms Goodspeed may be up in the vicinity by Paula Abdul’s house. Our officers discovered her vehicle parked on the street, and found her inside. She was unresponsive to officers.”

Abdul released a statement saying she was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the news.

“My heart and prayers go out to her family,” Abdukl said, People.com reported.

Abdul’s spokesperson said Abdul and her staff had known about the woman for several years.

When she appeared on the show Goodspeed talked about her fondness for Abdul.

“I’m a really big fan, and I made life-sized drawings of Paula. I’ve been drawing ever since I was a little kid, and my first drawing was of Paula Abdul,” she said.

American Idol has emerged as a phenomenon since it debuted on US network Fox in 2002 as a spin-off from British television hit Pop Idol.

The series aims to unearth the best singer in the US through a series of nationwide auditions contested by thousands which are whittled down to around two dozen finalists, who are then gradually eliminated each week according to results from viewers voting at home.

Numerous winners and finalists of the show have gone to forge successful music industry careers, including Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson.

Insomnia Cookies available at insomniacookies.com

The history of the fantasy name “Insomnia cookies” was originally from a group of junior students in University of Pennsylvania, began in 2003.

It is universal truth and experience of college students that they tend to feel hungry at about the same time every night when it is really late to find food. The cause of hunger might be either because they study hard, they party hard, or both. Therefore their lives depend on late night food delivery when most of the shops and restaurants are all close and some might open but those food available are found to be too greasy and heavy to eat at night.

Therefore Insomnia Cookies was born out of dislike of heavy meals late at night and love of food delivery. It was firstly only intended to be given to friends but other students started calling, so they decided to begin delivering cookies and milk around campus. Now Insomnia Cookies has expanded to over four campuses.

As seen on the catering category on the website, menu shown at that page showing what is available and pricing such as cookies, brownies, milk and coffee. The price ranged from 90 cent-$ 4 per person with minimum order size of 8 people and the order can be customized as you wish.

Insomnia Headquarters is now located at 50 West Eighth Street. The chain, a fixture on many campuses, is expanding its service beyond New York University.

VReel lunches its beta-2 version

The new generation HD vdo site VReel lunched its closed beta-2 version earlier today. It is virtually the replacement of the stage6 HD video site, which was closed earlier this year. Vreel offers h264 quality video. I am a beta tester of that site.

A screen shot for now:

Lavar Arrington Calls Gibbs ‘Coward’

Lavar Arrington had a nice little career with the Redskins. And by “nice,” I mean he made three Pro Bowls (although his selection to two of them is questionable), and by “little,” I mean he only played six seasons with the team, three of them for a full 16 games. All-in-all, Arrington was a bust considering he was drafted No. 2 overall in 2000.

Despite that, most Skins fans — myself included — have a special spot in their hearts still for Lavar. He was an absolute physical freak who played all-out, every down. He was able to make plays that other linebackers, or human beings in general, couldn’t dream of doing. Plus, Lavar ended Troy Aikman’s career. For that, we’re forever grateful. In the end though, an injured knee and fractured relationship with the organization did him in. We always took his side though. Partially because we loved him for the reasons explained, and mostly because we’d never take Dan Snyder’s side. On anything.

However, I have to imagine it’s going to be difficult for some fans to look past this comment he made to The Washington Times recently:

“I called Joe Gibbs a coward for leaving,” Arrington said. “You came in, you made some money for your NASCAR team. No one else is going to say that. I’m sure more people thought I was a [jerk] for saying that. Joe wouldn’t call me because he knows. There are a lot of people who know the truth about what went down with me and the Redskins.”

I don’t know the finances of Joe Gibbs Racing, but I believe Gibbs returned to the Skins because he loves the team, football, coaching and wanted to return Washington to the glory he once knew. He gave it all he had for four years, and then knew it was time to walk away after last season. It was an admirable, two-playoff-berth effort that brought the team back to some level of respectability.

Aside from that, we’re talking about Joe Gibbs, Hall of Famer, Super Bowl champion thrice over and the next in line to Jesus himself. You do not say such things about that man while in the D.C.-area. Especially when you own a new sports bar in said area, which Arrington does in nearby Largo, MD. It’s not good for business.

RNC Launches Site: Repulican For A Reason

After the Democratic upset that was the last election, the Republican National Committee is, understandably, doing some soul searching.

While Obama’s team of Web designers busied themselves with the launch of Change.gov, the RNC was hard at work on Republican For A Reason, a site devoted to giving “users the opportunity to discuss their reasons for being a member of the Grand Old Party and what being a Republican means to them.”

“We are a party of principles and must regain our voice,” said RNC Chairman Mike Duncan. “We need to hear what our volunteers, activists, elected leaders, and party members think about the Republican Party as we rebuild, re-focus, and renew our bond with the American people.”

The site features a video intro with a lot of shots of Reagan and George H.W. Bush–surprisingly, it also features plenty of clips of W. giving speeches as well. The experience is a bit like Microsoft’s “I am a PC” ad campaign, only with more moving instrumental music.