Restaurant Week: Part 1

New York Restaurant Week is a two week event that occurs twice a year during which over 250 of the city's top restaurants offer 3 course prix-fixe meals at a highly discounted rate. This is obvi an amazing way for people who may not have otherwise been able to afford these restaurants to experience some of the city's amazing upscale culinary cuisine. Perfect for broke-ass wannabe-cultured entertainment professionals like myself. Prices for the prix-fixe meals are $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner.

Megan's personal Restaurant Week tip: Many restaurants have identical menus for lunch and dinner, so go for lunch to get an even better value.

I took my own advice to heart and took myself on a lunch date to Smith & Wollensky (49th Street and 3rd Avenue). I've been wanting to eat here ever since Andi threw Miranda Priestly's unwanted steak from S&W in the sink in The Devil Wears Prada movie. It looked so delicious, what a waste. I would have kept it for myself and savored every bite of that magnificent steak that I special ordered and picked up at 10:30am before the restaurant even opened, silently telling my job and my boss to go eff themselves... But oh yah, the real life food.

I opted to upgrade my lunch to include Smith & Wollensky's own Restaurant Week wine offering: $30 for the regular prix-fixe plus a glass of wine from a limited list. My chosen meal consisted of a glass of cabernet sauvignon, a caesar salad, filet mignon, and a slice of cheesecake. The wine portion was generous and with the Restaurant Week price significantly cheaper than normal at $6 (compared to S&W's cheapest wine by the glass at $11). The salad was refreshing with a delicious caesar dressing, and the bread basket included a variety of different breads and a flavorful whipped butter. The filet mignon was just as perfect as the steak in my daydreams. The 10 oz fillet was tender and cooked to a perfect medium-rare. I don't typically use steak sauce, but Smith & Wollensky's own sauce was a perfect compliment to the filet providing a subtle smokiness and great flavor. I'm also not much of a dessert person but do love a good cheesecake, and S&W's delivered with it's almost mousse-like creaminess. The waitstaff was extremely attentive and conversational without being overwhelming, and I left Smith & Wollensky feeling relaxed and gluttonously happy, the perfect sophisticated break from the workday.

The kids are back

Oh no...

Those were my exact words when I found out that the Babelgum kids (famous for their Jersey Shore re-make among others) had re-made The Real Housweives of New Jersey. Nothing good can come of this...except for everything good. Like is that seriously a boy playing Caroline? Good casting?



http://wwwbabelgum.com/5007094/kids-reenact-real-housewives-nj.html

More "Jersey Shore" musics

Expect this jam to be competing with "The Situation" rap for the top spot on itunes this week. Another Grammy worthy musical release from the Jersey Shore cast, DJ Pauly D's "Beat Da Beat Up (It's Time To)". There is nothing even resembling singing in this song, which is what makes it so amazing.

Best lyric: "When that beat hits you, you need to fight back. So what I need you to do right now is get down real low and tap that ground. Keep hittin it! Keep hittin it! Now wind your way up. Break that beat! Break that beat! Now pump! Your! Fist!"

Wise words. Good advice.

Asian-American groups, get ready to protest

There have been rumors of Jersey Shore spin-offs featuring basically every ethnic group under the sun (literally under the sun, remember GTL). Any Irish ones basically got eliminated because our "T" would have to be changed to "B" for "burn" which isn't a cute look, and thus ended my chances of trashy reality fame.

The one spin-off that seems to be coming to fruition is K-Town, which focuses on the famed Koreatown party section of LA. Tyrese is producing this series which stars eight sexy hard-partying Asian twenty-somethings, including one alleged porn star (Peter). They shot a pilot recently and made an amazing trailer, but I can't decide whether I'm going to really like this show or find it embarrassingly racist.

Pros: The cast clearly knows how to party, fight, and hook-up, and there's a parallel character to all of our favorite Guidos from Jersey Shore. Cons: Cheap cutesy mentions of karaoke, various Asian foods and drinks, and a Ke$ha song covered with a fake Asian accent. I know Jersey Shore went through a lot of crap for how they portrayed Italians, but the Italians in that cast portrayed themselves in that way. Not the editing, not a theme song, not a voice over.

K-Town producers, don't poke fun at a culture with gimmicks in post-production. It looks like the cast will willingly provide more than enough racial stereotypes to keep your viewers satiated and advertisers pissed off.

Bi-polar much, Danielle?

Wtf? Isn't this Danielle's good friend Danny who she needed so badly to protect her at the Brownstone? How quickly the tides turn in this crazy lady's head. To be fair they probably both have a bit of crazy in them, but to go from needing someone to protect you to calling them a "celebrity stalker" is juuuuust a bit of a 180. YOU kept inviting him out, crazy bitch!

It's a shame, I used to really like Danielle and just wanted to give her a big hug and tell her everything was going to be okay. Clearly I was wrong.

Update: This is NOT Danielle's Brownstone bodyguard, that's Danny Provenzano. HOW MANY EX-CON FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE?!?

Danielle Staub’s past has come back to
haunt her and now the police are involved, RadarOnline.com has
learned exclusively. Danny Aguilar, a convicted felon who was once charged as
Staub’s co-defendant, called the Real Housewives of New Jersey star on Sunday
night demanding $100,000 he says she still owes him for bailing her out years
ago with some big time drug dealers.

Aguilar told RadarOnline.com “My money got her out of trouble with these
drug dealers. They wanted her dead and I didn’t want them to kill her. I paid
for it. We all got popped, everyone went to jail and she snitched.” Staub was
arrested in Miami in 1986 along with Aguilar for extortion and intent to
distribute cocaine. Staub entered into a plea bargain with prosecutors and
agreed to testify against Aguilar and others in exchange for five years
probation and mandatory cocaine testing. Aguliar went to prison.

Aguilar told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview that his
conversation with Staub on Sunday night quickly turned ugly, with Staub calling
Aguilar a “celebrity stalker.” She threatened to sue him for defamation of
character. Aguilar says he told Staub “I’m the ‘Real McCoy, I’m the one that did
15 years in a federal penitentiary over you. I’m no stalker.”

Staub contacted police, RadarOnline.com learned. And 15 minutes after they
hung up the phone, Aguilar claims a detective from the Wayne, NJ police
department called him and told him stalking is a crime in New
Jersey.

Live Blogging: The Bachelorette

I miss Kirk... :*(

8:00pm - Tonight is slated to have yet another dose of scandal...can't wait!

8:03pm - Butttt first they're going to make us sit through introspective commentary and flashbacks of how all the guys are falling sooooo in love with Ali. I love watching the same clips for the thousandth time.

8:07pm - Frank admits he may still be in love with his ex, but is also falling in love with Ali. So he just has to confont Nicole the ex about his feelings. Cue the commercial, the drama has officially started!

8:11pm - Frank admits he hasn't talked to Nicole in months, but thinks she still may have feelings for him too. Who did the dumping in this situation? Oh the mystery!

8:15pm - Frank is talking to Nicole, who was apparently shattered when Frank left her. Frank admits he would think about Nicole and not Ali as he fell asleep at night. This conversation is intense and there are a lot of awkward silences.

8:18pm - Frank and Nicole are nuzzeling foreheads. Nicole says she can't live without Frank, and apparently he can't live without her either because he says she's the one he wants to be with forever. Now he just needs to fly to Tahiti and tell Ali. SO MUCH DRAMA! But seriously, Frank, that was a quick decision...

8:24pm - In all the Frank drama I almost forgot...this is fantasy suite week!! Thank you for reminding me, Ali. Let the Tahitian sexin begin!

8:26pm - Roberto has the first date, and they're going on a helicopter tour. Wtf is up with the abnormal amount of helicopters this season? This is seriously like the 4th or 5th heli-date. Lame.

8:29pm - Now they're having a picnic and frolicking on a heart-shaped island. Vomit. They're def gettin it on later.

8:40pm - They're at dinner and Roberto is having trouble expressing his emotions, but finally tells Ali that he's falling in love with her. The card from Chris Harrison arrived and Roberto acts all surprised to find a key inside. Well played, sir. Annnnnd they're off to the fantasy suite because Ali "doesn't want to lose a minute of time with him."

8:47pm - Next up is Chris L. And they're going on a boat motha fuckas.

8:51pm - Now they have to swim over to another island for the second part of their date? No thanks, I'd be staying on the motha fuckin boat.

8:52pm - Oh, by "swim" they meant "Ali straddles Chris while he walks over to the island".

8:54pm - Now they're finding pearls, which is actually pretty cool...until Ali uses the pearls as a metaphor for their relationship. Again, lame.

8:58pm - Ugh, Ali's tie dye tunic top is horrific. Fashion Fail!

9:02pm - Chris also opened up with his emotions during dinner. I mean, you pretty much have to at this point to stay in the game. And off to the fantasy suite they go!

9:04pm - Chris L said the L word! Not even just "falling in love", his direct quote was "God I love you!" He's def gettin laid now.

9:10pm - Frank arrives in Tahiti to tell Ali his decision. But first he's going to talk to Chris Harrison. This is going to be an intense 15-20 minutes. Lots of sighing and awkward silences.

9:13pm - You can so tell Chris Harrison wants to punch Frank in the face.

9:22pm - Now Frank and Ali are finally having their talk. This is super hard to watch.

9:27pm - They're both crying. Ali can't understand why Frank didn't bring up Nicole sooner. I mean, duh. It's obviously not a great situation for Ali, but I think Frank handled this as best as he could.

9:30pm - Ali is really upset. But I can't tell whether she's truly upset about losing a shot at love with Frank, or just upset that she got dumped.

9:34pm - Ali, stop mentioning how you gave up your freakin job to be here. No one cares. You say Frank is being selfish, but you're being just as selfish be holding the whole "quitting your job" thing over everyone's heads.

9:47pm - Nothing is really happening...except for my level of "like" for Ali going down and down...

9:56pm - So since Ali has two roses and two guys left they each get one, but she wants to make a big to-do about making sure they're accepting the roses with their whole hearts and fully committing to her. Foreverrrrrrrrr.

10:00pm - "The Men Tell All" next week. Always a good time. There were some serious crazies this season and I can't wait to hear what they have to say.

Genius marketing

Check out the newest Quiznos commercial...loves it! Those Toasty Torpedoes are damn tasty. But bring back the Sponge Monkeys!




http://perezhilton.com/2010-07-18-one-of-the-oddest-commercials-weve-ever-seen

Celebrity Rehab: Reality star edition!

The cast for season 4 of Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab is starting to take shape, and I'm giddy with excitement! Confirmed and unconfirmed castmates include Jeremy London and his wife (I think I was just barely too young to appreciate him in his heartthrob days) and one of the Pointer Sisters (pretty sure my parents listened to them). But then it starts to get really exciting with the inclusion of Tila Tequila, Jason "Gummy Bear" Davis, Jason Wahler, and most recently announced Janice Dickinson! Okay so Tila was in, then her rep announced she was out, but I haven't given up hope. Jason W is still major hotness, and Janice is one of my favorite hot messes in the world. I seriously love the woman, think she's entertaining as hell, and really respect her as a brand. I actually didn't realize she still had a substance abuse problem though...

I couldn't help but notice that over half the alleged cast has gained fame on a reality show (or two, or three...), so let's see how they stack up:

Jason "Gummy Bear" Davis - 1 (kinda, one episode of Millionaire Matchmaker)

Tila Tequila - 1 (A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, 2 seasons)

Jason Wahler - 3 (Laguna Beach, The Hills, Celebrity Rap Superstar)

Janice Dickinson - 5 (America's Next Top Model, The Surreal Life, The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, Abbey & Janice: Beauty and the Best, I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, ...AND she actually had a career!)

Hail Queen Janice! Celebrity Rehab will be her 6th reality show which is impressive/sad/inspiring. No premiere date is set for Celebrity Rehab 4, but filming is rumored to have started.

Sadly, I'd actually eat this...

Behold: the Candwich. The sandwich in a can. It took me quite awhile to figure out whether this was a food or a drink, but I'm pretty sure it is a solid sandwich that is packaged in a can so that it stays...fresh? Although a drink that tasted like peanut butter and jelly wouldn't be such a bad thing either. There's 3 varieties of Candwich: PB&J Grape, PB&J Strawberry, and BBQ Chicken. I don't know exactly where to buy the Candwich, but my guess is either the dollar store or Big Lots. Ya know, places that have little regard for expiration dates or oldness of their food products, and the Candwich "has a long shelf life that is perfect for emergency food storage needs in the event of natural disasters." Practical.

Sadly there's some legal dramz involving the investors and creators of the Candwich, but without this shadiness we probably would have never been introduced to this fine food product.

I need to stop watching teen shows

There's been quite a bit of buzz surrounding MTV's new scripted comedy The Hard Times of RJ Berger. The premise of the show is simple, genius, and yet juvenile at the same time: a teen nerd becomes famous for his huge penis. Well not "famous", but like "high school famous" which is almost more important than real fame. I'm really enjoying this show because they're pushing buttons about as much as a show geared toward teens can (in the most recent episode the mom masturbates on the clothes dryer), but I'm a little perplexed by the casting choice for RJ.

Paul Iacono does a fine job as the title character, but isn't he a little too hot to be playing one of the biggest dorks in school? I don't have a cougar crush on him or anything (for once) but Paul is fairly good looking and while small, not scrawny at all. Just take a moment to observe the pecks next time RJ wears a tight t-shirt. Warning: he does this a lot. They've also styled RJ more mis-matched hipster than clueless dork, which then puzzles me as to why he's such an outcast. Plus, why don't more girls wanna bang him now that they know what he's packing? To be continued...it looks like at some point in the season RJ is going to get some.

PS - MICKEY PARKE makes a cameo later in the season!! Mickey freakin Parke from 2ge+her! Okay, actually actor Alex Solowitz who played Mickey Park in the hit MTV movie and TV series 2ge+her...about an awesome fictional boyband. Mickey Parke has one ho, and one ho only, and that's Mickey Parke fool! Guess MTV still had contractual obligations with him after 2ge+her was abruptly cancelled. (RIP, QT...)