Archive for TV Reviews

Take Home Chef is the Best

Thanks for the post, Arthur Lawrence

Baking shows are incredible.  There is really nothing else like them on the air.  These are truly entertaining shows that actually teach the viewers important skills.  I have learned so much by watching these programs.  Before I started watching cooking shows, I could not cook anything beyond simple pasta dishes.  Now, I am cooking succulent dishes that I would never have dreamed I could even afford to buy at a fine restaurant.  Now, I eat like a king every single night.  The only downside is that I am gaining weight like crazy.

Home-chef

My absolute favorite baking show is the Take Home Chef.  I love to watch this show on my Direct tv.  The Take Home Chef is a television program with a really fun premise.  The chef walks the aisles of the supermarket and forces himself into a person’s house to cook him or her a nice dinner.  Curtis Stone is the chef.  You may remember him from The Celebrity Apprentice.  He is very fond of picking attractive women to be on the show.  On this show, Mr. stone proves the point that it is entirely possible for anyone to learn how to cook.

The Take Home Chef is a great and uplifting show.  There is truly nothing like it on today’s television channels.  That is why I love it so much and cannot wait to see each and every new episode.

X Factor US announces $5 Million Award


X Factor US
has announced the largest award ever for a TV show. Simon Cowell the producer of X Factor announced they will be giving the winner of the X Factor a $5 million recording contract. Previously the largest TV awards were for Survivor and America’s Got Talent at $1 million each.  American Idol does not offer a set dollar award, but provide the winner with a recording contract. While a few like Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson have been very successful and may have made more than $5 million in their careers, most winners in American Idol have made average of $1 million in the year following their wins.

“We want someone that will be a global super star.” Said Simon Cowell. “If you win this competition I am gonna put my money where my mouth is.”

Cooking with Chef Ramsey

Special thanks to Aaron Parker for the guest post

Cooking is such great fun. Sometimes it’s fun to have friends over and just have a cooking party. Everybody bring a dish and all of you put it together. It’s nice to see what kind of meal you can come up with especially when you have no clue what the other person is going to bring.

I like to watch cooking shows. I love to learn new ways to cook my food and try new stuff. It’s nice to know you have a wide variety of cooking shows to choose from on Satellite TV. There are hundreds of channels to choose from as well as hundreds of people.

One of my all time favorites is Chef Ramsey. I not only love to hear this man talk, or yell, but I love to watch him tell the want to be chefs how to make something. His way of cooking is so much different from mine but the show is still a lot of fun to watch.

I have a lot of cook books but it’s still interesting to watch the cooking shows live on TV. You can actually see what is going on and if you like, make the dish right along with the chefs. There is really no better way to learn how to cook than watching it live on TV, or you can use a satellite tv dvr to record it so you can cook along with the chef and pause whenever necessary. Simple, easy, and fun.

A Quick fix for Lost-aholics?

“Lost” has left a gaping hole for the networks and everybody is scrambling to plug the hole. The current strongest contender for the role of the plug is “Persons Unknown”. The series is penned by Christopher McQuarrie of “Usual Suspects” fame and so far looks “pretty good”.

The plot is as follows: A young mother from San Francisco is kidnapped and wakes up to find herself locked up in a hotel. The Downtown Hotel is located in a deserted location surrounded by mountains. She suddenly finds herself in the company of six others who also have no clue of what is going on. At the beginning there appear to be no connections between the members of the group and there are suspicions that someone may know more than they are letting on. Add to this that one of them may be a mole, security cameras and the fact that none of them can leave the hotel and you’ve got yourself a nice juicy “Lost”-like mystery on your hands. Oh, a night manager for the hotel and some Chinese cooks also turn up for work in the middle of all this.

Hopefully, the writers have thought this thing through like the writers of “Lost” did. Otherwise this series could go down the tubes faster than Paris Hilton’s singing career. The series is nicely poised with a lot of weirdness, intrigue and foreboding. Hopefully with some good ratings, we can actually get some answers to the questions that have been so very interestingly set up.

American Idol Finale, Simon Says Goodbye

Last night was the Finale for season 9 of American Idol and also Simon Cowell’s last night on the show. Simon is is leaving the show to start his US version of X-Factor which is a music contest show similar to American Idol with him being one of the judges. The show has been a hit in the UK for several years. It is not known who the judges will be on the version of X-Factor, but it was rumored that Simon was in talks with Victoria Beckham.  It is also has not been decided who would be replacing Simon next year at American Idol.

On the Finale, Lee Dewyze was crowned the winner and Crystal Bowersox took 2nd place. It was a surprise to many that Crystal did not win as on the night before, the judges seemed to favor Crystal as the winner. Ryan Seacrest announced that the winner won with a difference of 2% in the votes.

Several artists performed at the final, including Alice Cooper, Bee Gees, Christina Aguilera, Alanis Morrissette, Hall & Oats, Joe Cocker, Brett Michaels, Chicago, Janet Jackson, Kris Allen and Carrie Underwood. In addition, several group performances included past American Idol winners and top 10 finalists.

Paula Abdul also was present at the show and came on stage to speak about Simon’s departure.

Marriage Ref – Seinfeld is Back!

Just when you thought the quirky and complaining Jerry Seinfeld was gone for good from TV, he’s back! But this time it’s not a sitcom at least not in theory. What transpires in the “Marriage Ref” does seem sitcom-ish and potentially scripted, but it is not.

The show does not pretend to be anything other than its shallow self and is about squabbling couples who come forward to present their issues to three celebrity judges, who in turn give their verdict on who is right or wrong. Throw in lots of comments from the judges along the way and you’ve got a recipe for a funny show.

The sneak peek so far has revealed a potentially funny show with Seinfeld, Kelly Ripa and Alec Baldwin as the initial judges. However, the judges will change as the show goes along and Larry David, Ricky Gervais and Madonna are all slated to appear on the show. The mediator will be Tom Papa.

Do not expect this show to be anything as enlightening as the Oprah show, as it only intends to provide a comic look at squabbling couples. Like, for instance, in the sneak peek a wife has a problem with her husband who has installed a stripper pole in the bedroom and another does not want their not-so-favorite dog to be stuffed and placed in their home.

So, as you can see this is not very intellectual stuff but merely some reality TV that will bring you some laughs.

Grammys stage 3-D tribute to Jackson

The “Avatar” 3-D trend is spreading everywhere, with the newest venture being a 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson during the Grammy awards. A specially transformed 3-D version of Jackson’s “Earthsong” will be the centerpiece of the Grammys when it airs on 31 January 2010.

First heard in 1995, “Earthsong” was also included in the “This is it” album as well. The story in the video was modified for the series of concerts Jackson was planning to do before his premature death. “There are these incredible images of the beauty of nature, and then they are seen through the eyes of a little girl, and that girl falls asleep and when she wakes up, she bears witness to the destruction of nature,” said Grammy’s co-executive producer Ken Ehrlich. “It is all about questioning what our values are.”

TV viewers do not need to worry about not being at the event, as CBS will broadcast the 3-D video. However, 3-D viewing glasses must be purchased and this can be done at any Target store as they are the exclusive suppliers.

In his glittering career, Michael Jackson won 13 Grammys’ and so it is fit that he will be honored in the special segment by other Grammy winners. They include Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson and Celine Dion. Every time he performed for the Grammys, Jackson did something that was never done before, so it is fitting that such a tribute is accorded to him. Jackson will also be honored with a Lifetime Achievement award at the ceremony.

‘Flash Forward’ sets winter hiatus

ABC has called a long hiatus for the thriller “Flash Forward”. The show will take a three month long break this winter. According to promos aired on the channel, the show will return on March 4. While the finale was broadcast on schedule, the original return date was to be in January.

There are several reasons behind the decision to delay the show’s return.
The American Idol juggernaut returns in January to be followed by the Winter Olympics in February, so it seems to be logical to keep the show out of the fracas till the appropriate time. Producers of “V” also made the same decision way before the premiere of the show. “V” returns in late March and will move into a post “Lost” slot at 10 p.m. The Alphabet is not the only network to freeze shows; Fox has also given time off to “Glee” (four months in fact) and “Lie to Me”.

The late call for “Flash Forward” may be due to the fall in ratings the show has experienced since its decent opening. The critics are growing in numbers due to the direction the show is taking. These critics are former fans of the show who are growing wary of the story. The decision to let go of Marc Guggenheim from “Flash Forward” and faltering production in November to tweak the story are some of the reasons why fans are up in arms.

But more importantly, the burning question right now is how the break will affect the show’s April 29 episode, a date which is crucial in the show’s mythology.