February 2008 Archives

Apparantly the people at CNN have decided to use the "Daily Show" as it's model for quality news presentation.

That's right, the "real news" (a term applied loosely to CNN) is ripping off the fake news in order to appeal to viewers.

I know, my head hurts, too.

That is the only possible explination as to why the people at the "Morning Express" took this picture of Roger Clemens speaking under oath to Congress and doctored it to make it look like
he was giving a Vulcan greeting ala "Star Trek."

Hello: Celebrate the leap year with FlipSide Friday night at Tailgaters Grille & Drafthouse, 204 Saint Charles Way in York Township. Come out from 6 to 8 p.m. and enter to win Best Buy gift certificates. See you there.
Check out this video of the York JCC Battle of the Bands and start your weekend out with rock.

"No Country For Old Men" dominated the 80th Annual Academy Awards Sunday night. It won a slew of Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture. Early ratings show the telecast had the smallest audience ever. What a shame.
I finally got to the Smalls this weekend to see York rockers The Underwater. Good times. The bar is the closest thing York has to an underground punk/rock scene.
It's not technically the weekend anymore, but the prime time version of "A Raisin in the Sun" airs at 8 p.m. Monday on ABC. The famous play is adapted to a must-see made-for-TV movie starring Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad and John Stamos. I can't wait to see Diddy's acting chops.

Daniel Day-Lewis won the Oscar for Best Actor. There was no question that he was going to win. He deserved it.
Best Director went to the Coen brothers for "No Country For Old Men" and Best Picture also went to "No Country." No suprise on those awards either. With three wins, the Coens cleaned up at the 80th Annual Academy Awards. Nice show.

"There Will Be Blood" nabbed the Oscar for Best Cinematography. After a look back at Academy members who passed away, troops from Baghdad announced the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film. Hmmm.
The Oscar for Best Original Screenplay went to former stripper Diablo Cody for "Juno." This is an upset, but "Juno" had to win something, right?

After seeing all 79 films that won Best Picture over the years, 98-year-old Robert Boyle was given an honorary Oscar for his seven decades of work in art production. Than there was another song from "Enchanted," but Best Song went to "Falling Slowly" from "Once." In a touching moment, John Stewart brought back the winner who didn't get to say her thank you.

Marion Cotillard won the Oscar for Best Actress. In her teary-eyed, French-accented speech, she said a line that will most likely go down in history: "It is true that there are some angels in this city."
"The Bourne Ultimatum" won a lot of sound awards. By the way, it seems like people are being obedient this year and yeidling to the exit music.

"No Country for Old Men" won Best Adapted Screenplay. It's probably not the only Oscar the movie will win tonight. Then another best song nominee from "Enchanted" was performed by a woman in ridiculously high heels.
A lot of this year's nominees are also presenters. Is that normal? Anyway, the nods to history seem to be well-placed and appropriate. I was afraid the whole show would be weighed down with look backs, but so far, that's not the case.

Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Everyone thought Amy Ryan would win. This is certainly not the last upset of the evening. Swinton's acceptance speech was funny, though. On a related note, there's been a lot of French and Spanish heard in acceptance speeches this year. It's pretty refreshing.

Javier Bardem takes the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. No surprise there.
Earlier, Amy Adams was cute as a button while performing "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted." "The Golden Compass" won best visual effects and "Sweeney Todd" won best art direction. One question remains: Does John Stewart have a crush on Cate Blanchett?

After a super-cheesy cut-and-paste opening montage, comedian John Stewart took the stage for his monologue. It was on-point, not too long, got several laughs and was easy to swallow. He talked about the writer's strike, the best movie and actor nominees and, of course, politics. George Clooney appropriately introduced a tribute to 80 years of Oscars.
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" won best costume design. Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway announced that "Ratatouille" won Best Animated Feature.

Everyone always arrives in droves about ten minutes before the event begins. Katherine Heigl looks amazing, even if she's also wearing red. Johnny Depp is sporting his signature look with glasses and bow-tie. Cate Blanchett looks great in a royal purple dress. The fashion police will break down who was the best-dressed and worst-dressed Monday night on E! Switch to ABC now to watch the red carpet coverage followed by the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Some actresses are keeping it light and wearing muted neutrals and pastels. Kerry Russell and Cameron Diaz are sporting gray and blush tones. Jennifer Hudson looks cute in a white gown. Marion Cotillard looks like a best actress winner in a long, light Jean Paul Gaultier creation complete with scales. I love, love, love front-runner for best actor Daniel Day-Lewis, but I hate the ear bling he's rocking.

Red seems to be the color of the night. Ruby Dee, Miley Cyrus and Jillian Fink (Patrick Dempsey’s wife) are matching the carpet as well.
I enjoy the other colors on display. Amy Ryan is wearing a deep emerald satin Proenza Schouler gown. Kelly Preston is wearing flowing yellow/orange number. A pregnant Jessica Alba is wearing a dark plum. Laura Linney and Jennifer Garner (in a very awkward red carpet moment featuring Gary Busey) are wearing classy dark dresses.

The red carpet is rolled out and the stars are beginning to show up for the 80th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood. The weather on the West Coast is windy and cool with scattered showers, which is not good news for updos. Here are a few of the questions I'm pondering right now:
Why would you ever wear a red dress on the red carpet? (Ask Heidi Klum and Anne Hathaway.)
Is that Cary Grant? (Nope. It's George Clooney looking fabulous in a classic tux.)
Why is Miley Cyrus going to be a presenter at the Academy Awards? (The world may never know.)
For live coverage of the red carpet, check out www.eonline.com.

Only a few more days until the glitz and glamour of the 80th Annual Academy Awards. Log onto the FlipSide blog Sunday for red carpet commentary and reaction to who wins the gold statues.

I'm not proud of it, but I've started watching a lot more Vh1 (blame it on the writer's strike). I've been sucked into the world of celebreality with shows like "Celebrity Rehab," which chronicles a bunch of B-list celebrities recovering from various drug and alcohol addictions under the careful watch of Dr. Drew Pinsky (of syndicated radio show "Love Line").

Maybe it's that I've watched some of my own family deal with these demons before, but the show is surprisingly poignant.

What I'm more ashamed of is my recent obsession with "Rock of Love II" (9 p.m. Sundays) where Poison singer Bret Michaels must, once again, find a large-chested groupie Barbie to rock his world.

NBC is doing away with its TV seasons and switching to a schedule with staggered program debuts throughout the year.
Lindsay Lohan's racy pictorial in New York Magazine is causing quite a ruckus. I'm not sure if being dubbed the new Marilyn Monroe (a star with substance abuse issues who killed herself) is a compliment, though.
"Project Runway" guru Tim Gunn and Vogue editor Anna Wintour serve up some harsh criticism on Hillary Clinton's fashion choices. Fierce.

This weekend marked a lull in the whirlwind season of award shows. Next weekend is the big one. Get your picks in now for the York Daily Record 2008 Oscar Predictions Contest. For now though, the new action flick "Jumper" is No. 1 in the box office. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell have all signed on take over Heath Ledger's last role in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus." "American Idol" songs and videos will now be available on iTunes.

Okay, so now we know what shows are returning, but when? Click here to find out when your favorite series will be back on the air. The bad news is that most don't start up again until April.

Wondering which series will be back on the air soon and which will be postponed until the summer and fall? Click here to see that fate of several network TV shows.

I am obsessed with Sheetz lattes. Despite being cheaper than specialty coffee shop beverages, they still put a little dent in my weekly budget at about $3 a pop. Being the thrifty girl that I am, I decided to seek a way to make them at home.

The little print out at Sheetz says four pumps of espresso, three flavor pumps and skim milk. So, I bought the vanilla flavor syrup at Wegmans (they also sell it at Wal-Mart) for $6.99. I have skim milk, but pumps of espresso? Do they sell that? Oh man, do I have to buy an espresso machine?

I look at Wal-mart for an inexpensive espresso machine to complete my stash of goods, but they didn't really have a cheap one. So, I headed to the food section in search of espresso in liquid form.

What I found was Nescafe Mocha Ice Java. It's like a chocolate syrup only it's coffee flavored. It was only $2.99 and it makes 20 servings. Wow, that would save me a lot of money.

I have to report that it's awesome. I poured milk over ice and stirred in the Mocha Java. Voila, I had an awesome at-home iced coffee for a fraction of the cost! I can't wait to make more.

The writers strike is 99 percent over. Little Ivory Blues Band won top prize at the Sixth Annual Battle of the Bands at the York Jewish Community Center Saturday night. I saw the trailer for the next Batman movie, "The Dark Knight," starring the late Heath Ledger when I went to see Oscar-nominated film, "There Will Be Blood." The preview and the movie were both strange, but Daniel Day-Lewis gave a powerful performance in "Blood." At the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, Amy Winehouse and Kanye West won multiple awards. The Album of the Year suprisingly went to Herbie Hancock.

Andre Bocelli and Josh Grobin performed a soaring tribute to opera great Luciano Pavarotti and other artists who passed away in 2007.
Bonnie Raitt then introduced a rock 'n' roll tribute featuring John Fogerty, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Finally, to wrap up the night, Will.i.am busted a custom-made Grammy rhyme before introducing Usher and Quincy Jones.
The Grammy for Album of the Year was the biggest stunner of the evening. Herbie Hancock became the first jazz artist in 43 years to win the title for his CD "River: The Joni Letters." Congrats. I wonder what Kanye West thinks. I'm sure he'll have something to say about losing out...again. Hey, at least Winehouse didn't win.
For a complete list of Grammy winners, click here.

Cuba Gooding Jr. introduced Amy Winehouse live from London. Her performance was nothing special, but her dynamic presence and voice had flavor. I hope she's learned her lesson and will clean her act up.
Natalie Cole and Tony Bennett, who both looked amazing, announced Dorris Day as another Lifetime Achievement Award winner and that Winehouse won Record of the Year. Lifetime Achievement Award seem to be the words of the night.

Ringo Starr presented Vince Gill with the Grammy for Best Country Album. Then Herbie Hancock, who performed in York last fall, and piano virtuoso Long hit the keys with an abbreviated version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." It was so great to see a classic genre get some love. This performance is definitely one of the better ones of the evening.
Then Rihanna and Jay-Z won the Grammy for Best Rap Collaboration.

Carole King and Dierks Bentley announced that Earl Scruggs won a Lifetime Achievement Award and then introduced Feist, who performed a sleepy, acoustic version of "1 2 3 4." Then Kid Rock, who had an awkward chemistry with one of the first Grammy winners, announced that the Foo Fighters won the Best Rock Album.
Does anyone notice how much they're hyping the Amy Winehouse performance? It kind of ticks me off. It's her own fault that she couldn't be a the Grammys so I don't understand why people bent over backwards to make sure she got to perform.
Stevie Wonder then introduced Alicia Keys...again. We know the woman can sing. She got to start the show, why the second performance with John Mayer? It's clear who The Recording Academy's favorites are.

The show is about halfway over and I'm already tired. It's been a nonstop train of celebs and music. Comedian George Lopez introduced Brad Paisley and then Akon, Chris Brown and Solange Knowles presented Kanye West with the Best Rap Album.
I was on the edge of my seat as West took the mic. I knew he would have some choice words, but his speech was actually pretty tame. He even gave a shout out to Mark Ronson's talent. West got understandably mad when music started to play over him when he was thanking his mother, who recently passed away.
Ludacris looked dapper as he presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Cab Calloway and introduced Aretha Franklin, who performed a rousing gospel medley with a choir.

Cher, decked out in a black and silver getup, introduced Beyonce, who gave shout outs to her favorite female artists of the past. Her green booty shorts were not working for me. She then brought out Tina Turner, who still looks fabulous. The two divas shared the stage for a longer-than-necessary rendition of "Proud Mary."
Nelly Furtado and a former Grammy host presented Burt Bacharach with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Amy Winehouse with a Grammy for Song of the Year. Even though Winehouse was in London, she was certainly getting love in Los Angeles. The played-out fan contest didn't keep the Foo Fighters from bringing the noise and representing rock 'n' roll with a sweet performance of "The Pretender."

Last-minute addition Kanye West brought his A game to the stage. He performed "Stronger" in DayGlo glasses in front of what appeared to be chunks of the Aggro Crag. Glow-in-the-dark Daft Punk spun the beats in the background. West then broke into a heart-wrenching rendition of "Hey Mama." Fergie and John Legend were up next with a forgettable performance squeezed in before they presented the Grammy for best compilation to the Beatle's "Love." The awards are definitely taking a backseat to the performances. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

The Time kicked it old school and was then joined by Rihanna, who sang an "Umbrella" re-mix. Her feathers need to go. Tom Hanks presented The Band with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and introduced a freaky Cirque du Soleil performance of the Beatle's "A Day in the Life." Luckily, that was followed by a moving "Across The Universe"-inspired take on "Let it Be."
Miley Cyrus and adisheveled Cyndi Lauper presented the Grammy for Best New Artist to the absent Amy Winehouse. Just when things were looking up, the show sold out again. Jason Bateman announced that the Foo Fighters would be auctioned off to play with a fan outside the Staples Center. Yuck.

Alicia Keys kicked off the show by belting out "Learning The Blues" along with an image of Frank Sinatra. She then introduced Carrie Underwood, who performed "Before He Cheats." The girl can sing, but the background dancers were a little cheesy. Prince, sporting a tight read suit, presented Alicia Keys with a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

Fergie looks smashing in a long yellow Calvin Klein gown, but I'm not feeling Nelly Furtado's yellow locks. Her emerald strapless dress looks great, though. Beyonce is dazzling in a light blue and silver gown.
Rap royalty is pulling out all the stops. Jay-Z looks sharp in a Tom Ford tux, Ludacris is wearing a black Giorgio Armani suit and white tie and Ne-Yo looks fresh in a Ferragamo suit and sleek hat. Chris Brown, however, hits a sour note in a white and red suit. It looks like he's going to junior prom.

Jewel tones are all over the place at this year's Grammy Awards. Alicia Keys is wearing a bright blue Armani dress, but the curled mohawk on her head takes away from the frock's elegance. Rihanna is also wearing royal blue, but her Zac Posen dress has too many frills. Natasha Bedingfield is sporting a beautiful bright purple belted gown. Miley Cyrus is sticking with an age-appropriate short shimmery white number. I'm not feeling Carrie Underwood's Badgley Mischka flowered halter dress, though.
As for the gentlemen, Akon is sporting an all-black Prada suit and Seal is sticking with a classic white suit and narrow black tie. Punk/pop group Panic At The Disco, in true rock 'n' roll style, is sporting plaid blazers, vintage vests and longish hair. Foo Fighters look more polished than usual in casual suits. Best New Artist nominee band Paramore is also rocking the glam look. Chris Daughtry's black suit seems a little too shiny. Soulja Boy is sporting his signature glasses and a classic hip-hop track jacket. Crank that.

I'm sitting here on a windy Sunday night watching the Grammy's red carpet on E! praying that the power doesn't go out. Unlike other awards shows, the Grammys are notorious for flamboyant fashion. (Remember the green Jennifer Lopez dress?) Bring it on!

Eva Mendes, Kirsten Dunst and Velvet Revolver rocker Scott Weiland round out the latest batch of celebs to seek help in rehab. Maybe the Heath Ledger tragedy is scaring stars straight. Amy Winehouse (also in rehab) was denied a visa, but is scheduled to perform at the Grammy's via satellite. Kanye West was added to the Grammy lineup Friday. Maybe that's just in case Winehouse bails at the last second. Check out the FlipSide blog Sunday for running commentary during the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Don't hesitate to share your own comments about the show.

Chambersburg post-punk band The Shackeltons are featured as Rolling Stone's breaking artist. Represent. To listen to the band's tunes and to check out upcoming gigs visit its MySpace page. Unfortunately, people at magazine decided to put Britney Spears on the most recent cover.

The Giants handed the Patriots their first loss of the season at the Super Bowl. In case you missed any of the funny commercials, click here. Hannah Montana's concert movie topped the weekend box office. The writer's strike might be drawing to a close. Designers began showing their Fall 2008 looks as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kicked off.

Wednesday evening I ate at Prudhomme's Lost Cajun Kitchen, 50 Lancaster Ave., Columbia.

I have heard a lot about the restaurant and I'm always looking for something new, so my fiance and I went for dinner. We happened to have a $50 coupon, so we were able to go all out. I ordered iced tea, he ordered a coke. Then we ordered the combo sampler -- hot poppers, fried mushrooms, onions, gator, crawfish, and sweetsticks.

It was all fried, which isn't my favorite, but the onions were really good.

Nate ordered the seafood gumbo soup and he said it had a nice kick of spice. For our meals, I ordered the Heart of the Bayou Seafood Platter and added a salad (with awesome homemade croutons). He ordered the Alligator Platter.

Alligator is pretty good, but nothing special. We got a basket of bread with garlic spread. My meal came with shrimp and crawfish scampi, clam strips, huge hush puppies and blackened catfish. Somehow I managed to eat everything on my plate except for one hush puppy and the onion strings, which I passed on to him.
Our bill was nearly $54, but to be fair, we did get a ton of food.
If I were to go back, I would steer clear of the fried fare.
Check it out here.