The Next Iron Chef Season 2

Oh Man, I lovvvvve 'Iron Chef'. Truly, I can't get enough of it. And I adored the first 'Next Iron Chef' competition, so of course I am SERIOUSLY pumped for Season 2 to premiere on October 4th.
So what can we expect for this season?
Well, Season 1 was comprised of 8 challenges;
1. Speed, 2. Artistry, 3. Simplicity, 4. Innovation, 5. Resourcefulness, 6. Creativity Under Pressure, 7. Lead & Inspire, and finally 8. Attain Greatness. I expect the format will remain the same; several elimination challenges and 1 final challenge at Kitchen Stadium to determine the NEXT IRON CHEF.

When Season 1 aired back in 2007, contestants included Traci Des Jardin, Jill Davie, Marou Ouattara, Gavin Kaysen, Aarón Sanchez, Chris Consentino, John Besh, and the winner Michael Symon. With the exceptions of Chef Davie and Chef Kaysen, all contestants had at one time competed on "Iron Chef America". Chefs Aarón Sanchez & Chris Consentino went on to get their own show on Food Network; "Chefs vs City". John Besh recently appeared on "Top Chef Masters". And Since winning, Iron Chef Symon has competed 11 times and also temporarily hosted "Dinner: Impossible".
Besh definitely was my choice for winner, of the 8 contestants, he was the only one to previously win in Kitchen Stadium during battle Andouille in Season 3 against Iron Chef Mario Batali. Symon, although he is a great chef and has character, is a little uninteresting for me to watch.

ANYHOW, this season will feature 10 NEW contestants...

Roberto Trevino, Executive Chef and Owner of 'Budatai'. From San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Lost to Iron Chef Batali in Season 1 Battle Catfish.
This episode re-aired 3 weeks ago, expect to see it again closer to the premiere of the show.



Jose Garces, Executive Chef and Owner of 'Amada', 'Tinto', 'Distrito', and 'Chifa. From Philadelphia, PA.
Defeated Iron Chef Flay in Season 6 Battle Melon/ Brain Freeze.
This episode re-aired last night and will be shown again Sept 10th at 8pm, 11th at 3am, and 12th at 5pm.



Amanda Freitag, Exective Chef of 'The Harrison'. From New York, NY.
Lost to Iron Chef Flay in Season 7 Battle King Crab.
This episode re-aired last week, you can probably still catch it playing at odd hours.




Nate Appleman, Chef and Butcher. From New York, NY.
Lost to Iron Chef Symon in Season 7 Battle Suckling Pig.
This episode is scheduled to re-air Sept. 10 and 11.




Brad Farmerie, Executive Chef at 'Double Crown', 'Madam Geneva', 'PUBLIC', and 'The Monday Room'. From New York, NY.
Defeated Iron Chef Cora in Season 7 Battle Maple Syrup.
This episode re-aired 3 weeks ago, expect to see it again closer to the show's premiere.



Jehangir Mehta, Executive Chef and Owner of 'Graffiti'. From New York, NY.
Lost to Iron Chef Morimoto in Season 7 Battle Coconut.
This episode aired 2 weeks ago and has been on repeatedly, you can probably catch it randomly this week.



Dominique Crenn, Chef De Cuisine of 'Luce' at 'InterContinental San Francisco'. From San Francisco, CA.





Eric Greenspan, Executive Chef and Owner of 'The Foundry on Melrose'. From Los Angeles, CA.





Holly Smith, Chef and Owner of 'Cafe Juanita' and 'Poco Carreto Gelato'. From Kirkland, WA.





Seamus Mullen, Executive Chef and Partner of 'Boqueria Flatiron' and 'Boqueria Soho'. From New York, NY.






Season 1 was hosted by Food Network's Alton Brown and the Iron Chef Chairman Mark Dacascos, who will return as hosts this season. Of the 3 judges from last season, only one will return; Donatella Arpaia. Replacing Michael Ruhlman and Andrew Knowlton will be Anya Fernald and the Iron Chef judge everyone loves to hate; Jeffrey Steingarten.

So there is your intro to "The Next Iron Chef". I absolutely can't wait. Catch the Premiere OCTOBER 4TH on Food Network, and if you need your fix now... catch "Iron Chef America" on Food Network and "Iron Chef Japan" on Fine Living Network :)

Let's talk movies...

Seen a lot of movies this summer, here's how some of them stack up.

DVDs


17 Again
Surprisingly good. I had heard a lot of good things about this movie, so I picked it up on Blu-ray. It's very similar to Freaky Friday. Very well written, and surprisingly well acted. Blu-ray quality was wasted, felt like watching a DVD. I give it a B+.



Race to Witch Mountain
I love the originals that this movie was based on, so I was reluctant to check this one out. But I am a fan of Dwayne Johnson, so I rented this one. Totally surprised me. Great story, awesome pacing, good acting, fantastic special effects. Perfect for fans of the originals (1975's "Escape To Witch Mountain", 1978's "Return From Witch Mountain, & the 1995 remake "Escape To Witch Mountain"), or for fans of action packed fantasies like "Jumanji". I give it an A-.



Mad Men Season 2
I know it's not a movie, but if u are a fan of 60's culture and awesome TV dramas, then you have to check this out. Even more drama then Season 1. A-.


Now Playing


Julie & Julia
Beautiful movie. Here's what I liked, EVERYTHING Meryl Streep did as Julia Child. I def found the Julia Child storyline and acting a lot more interesting then the Julie Powell storyline and acting. This was not Amy Adam's strongest performance. She is a great actress, but weak in this film. I also didn't care for the ending. I understand that it is based on the true story, but EVERYONE in that theater wanted Julie and Julia to meet at the end. That possibility is not even adressed by the film, which is dissapointing. All I got out of the movie was a desire to see a Julia Child movie starring Meryll Streep. All in all, a solid B.



G.I. Joe
I saw a preview screening of this film in July. I don't know if the theatrical release has been changed substantially, but here is how I felt. This movie ROCKED. The perfect summertime escape film. It is a FUN film. It never let's up. Not once did I feel bored, the pace is perfect. The acting is awesome, save for an akward cameo by Brendan Frasier that just kinda sneaks up on you. If you take the movie too seriously you won't enjoy it. This movie is ideal for families, fans of the old toys and cartoons, and those who just want a window into another fun and exciting world. I mean, at the end of the day, the film is from Hasbro, a toy company. The ultimate goal is to appeal to toy buyers, not necessarily film aficionados. Perfect for those who liked "Iron Man" or the first "Transformers". I gave it an A.



District 9
If you haven't seen District 9 yet, stop reading this blog, and go to your local theater immediately! Neill Blomkamp is a freakin genius. This film is absolutely brilliant. This movie isn't your typical action alien fight fest. If you are expecting "Independence Day", you'll be surely dissapointed. This is a beautifully crafted story about humanity and racial tension, that just happens to involve aliens. It was by far, my favorite film of the year. Can NOT wait for District 10. I give this film an A++.
Go see it... NOW!

Vinylmation Urban Series 2

Here's another weak set of these Vinylmation figures, but it does have a few gorgeous highlights. Shall we do a countdown? Sure...

12 & 11. UGLY tie
Cogs Urban Blue Bear and Urban Green Bear
I just don't understand why they made these. Disney related? No. Cute? No. Creative? No
On top of how useless these are to the collection, they plan on releasing more of them in future urban series. I hope they seriously reconsider this. So useless. Someone please try and justify these to me...


10. Paint By Numbers
This doesn't make sense. You can barely see the paint by number: numbers, so one is obviously not gonna paint this. It looks ugly close up, it looks ugly far away. Pointless, pointless.

9. Glass Half Full
This is a cute Urban vinyl idea. A glass that is half full with a cute straw in it. At least on paper it was a cute idea, because in person, the straw is not painted on the back. I don't get it. I doesn't make ANY sense!! Its sloppy, not exciting to look at. Yawn!

8. Patch Work
Kind of cute, but in person the colors are GROSS. His button eyes are too high up. If you are into steampunk-y type stuff, you'll think this one is cute. It fits the Urban bill. But I just don't like it.

7. Girlie
Um, I am not 6. What if you are a dude? This is dumbzilla. Period. Bleggh.

6. Chinese Writings
I don't know what this Mickey says. What if it says something innapropriate? Who knows? I wish that it translated to a chinese menu. It's BORING to look at. The only fun thing about it is that they used glossy paint. So far 6 weak figures...

5. Green Tea (Chaser)
By far, the UGLIEST, most uninteresting Chaser figure yet. I thought Pongo was a weak chaser... Compared to this hot green mess, Pongo looks like a masterpeice. I like that it looks like an actual Mickey while retaining the Urban art style, but still, it's just lame. The only reason to buy this is to sell it on eBay because it is the Chaser. AND the buttons on the stomach are so high, it looks like a pig face on his belly. Im serious. LOOK!

4. Chocolate Mickey Bar
FINALLY! A figure worth throwing in your collection! This one is painted up to look like the familiar Mickey Ice Cream Bars sold in Disney Theme Parks. Cute.
3. Cosmos
Not much here. Nice to look at. Fun stars and galaxies. Better than the rest.

2. Confetti
This is REALLY fun. It is a clear Yellow figure, decorated with Mickey confetti. Nice change of pace for the series.
1. Cartoon Mickey
This is one of the coolest figures of ANY series. Bright Yellow with classic Mickey cartoon credits on it. Awesome looking for fans of the vinyls as well as fans of classic Mickey cartoons. I absolutely love it. It is the only one I can say that about. Currently on display in my room... suckas.

Leven Thumps and The Ruins of Alder Cover Art

Found this tiny version of the cover art on Borders.com...

Can't wait for this book! Sadly it's the last in the series. Still pumped. Sept. 29th!

No, I'm not dead.

I know it has been basically a month since I blogged. I'm sorry. I haven't been overly busy, I just haven't seen anything worth blogging about. But, now I've got your back. Let's talk about nonsense. Let's engage. Let's have a good time with this...

Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

New Teaser

Leven Thumps and The Ruins of Alder

The last Leven Thumps book drops Sept. 29, 2009. Get stoked.

Wacky Tacky Wacko Jacko

The best of the worst in commemorative and collectible goodies.

Michael Jackson Cologne and Perfume



Thriller Air Freshner


Michael Jackson Dress Up Set


Michael's Pets

Jabar the Giraffe

Uncle Tookie the Frog

Cool Bear

Thriller Doll (this one comes in several different outfits)


MJ Doll


Michael Jackson Earrings


Moonwalker The Video Game



MJ Sunglasses


Vintage Pepsi Glass

and of course... there are tons of sequined gloves out there...

Michael Jackson Thriller Supras

Supra is releasing these sweet Thriller kicks, snag em here "Sole Brother shop" for $500.

Michael Jackson, baby

I did a blog about Cosbabys awhile ago and somehow I missed these little gems...

Michael Jackson Cosbaby figures from Hot Toys. So amazing. These bad boys came out in Dec 08/ Jan 09 and are insanely adorable. I just ordered the "History" MJ, but I am sure that I will order the "Thriller" and "Moonwalker" by the end of the week... I have ZERO self control.

This is the secret chase figure, Zombie MJ. And there is also an HPV website exclusive of Student MJ from the beginning of Thriller. Cool.

on a side note; Hot Toys also released a line of "Planet of The Apes" Cosbabys, that again, for some reason, I was oblivious to. They are pretty flippin cute...

Do I want Cornelius? or Dr. Zaius? Oh decisions, decisions...

RIP MJ. I ♥ You.

Kidrobot Futurama Vinyl Figures

Seems that this photo was leaked on the web this week that shows off concepts for a Kidrobot Futurama line of vinyl figures. Could this be the follow-up to the beloved Kidrobot Simpsons series? Probably. Peep this.Haven't got your hands on the Simpson series yet? Here is what you are missing out on...


The figures stand 3-inches tall, are blindboxed, come with removable accessories, and retail for $7.95 at Kidrobot stores. Released in August of 08; there are 24 in total, 3 of which are chase figures. A second series has yet to be announced.