Owner: Dishn' Dat URL:http://dis-ndat.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sun, 03 Dec 2006 19:39:05 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: My views about today's culture, including Project Runway, Top Chef, design shows, fashion, travel, cooking, podcasts, entertainment, books, art, and working for a living are described from my female perspecive in a light, frothy, and satirical voice. Drop Site statistics:Click here
Museum of Depressionist Art 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Sometimes a good find is hard to share, but not in this instance. I have never entered this museum without being humbled. And so, gentle reader, here is a sample of its great works of art:"Fog"Halcyon Le BrumeOne of the Depressionist landscape masters of the 19th century, Le Brume's work challenges the viewer as much as it must have challenged the artist. This huge canvas (5' x 12') (1.5 m x 3.6 m) is believed to represent the winter Breton coastline, home of some of the world's great fogs. Le Brume labored from sunrise to sunset for most of February, 1859 to capture the luminous opacity of his subject, oftentimes despairing of capturing the proper nuances of light and shade...To read more of this critique and see a detail of this special painting, click here. Read more:Museum
Eye Candy 1970-01-01 00:59:59 If Raoul Bova is not exactly a household name in the U.S. it's not because this handsome Italian actor isn't drop dead gorgeous.What hot blooded woman could resist those remarkable eyes?Or that stunning male body?If he seems slightly familiar, you might have seen him briefly as Diane Lane's Italian lover in Under the Tuscan Sun. I found him simply unforgettable in that short role. Talk about eye candy! There's enough sugar in Raoul to last a lifetime. Read more:Candy
, Eye Candy
In honor of Sinterklaas on December 5th 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Speculaas RecipeButtery Almond CookiesFrom Maison Dore Trifles"Like marzipan, speculaas (or speculaasjes as the individual cookies are called) is a cookie highly connected with the feast of Sinterklaas
in Holland. The name speculaas has to do with the wooden molds the cookies are made in (we call it a speculaasplank, speculaas comes from the word speculum (mirror). One of the more famous shapes is a windmill of course!" For the recipe, click here.Note: Conversions for the European measuring system are explained in the comment section of Maison Dore Trifles. Read more:December
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Project Runway One: All Mixed Up 1970-01-01 00:59:59 As I watched this PR1 episode (5) for the second time, I wondered: Did our marvelously talented Austin Scarlett confuse the design challenge from one week to the next?This shiny green creation would have suited Sarah Hudson -- the one-hit wonder from Episode four--far better than the frilly white Marie Antoinette gown she rejected. Did Austin really think that this, er, dress (for want of a better word) with the bulky bird tail bustle was a serious contender for the wedding gown competition? Did he not notice the divine gowns Kara and Jay were making? Even lackadaisical Robert was stepping up to the plate and taking the competition seriously for once. And La Pepper (oh, please stop me from gagging) also sewed a better gown.Austin, who eventually went on to design this creation for the Kenneth Pool bridal collection, should have known better!I'm convinced he got his weekly challenges mixed up and that he meant to submit this frilly frou frou confection for the wedding challenge instead Read more:Project
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Mark Your Calendar: Sinterklaas is Coming! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I'm counting the days!Sinterklaas
and Swarte Piet are arriving in the Netherlands from Spain on December 5th. Visions of taai taai, speculaas, marzipan, and chocolate letters are already dancing in my little Dutch head.The question is, of course, have I been a good girl and will I be judged as such? Only time will tell. The eve before December 5th I shall fill my wooden shoe with straw and a lump of sugar, and place it with a bowl of water by the fireplace for Sinterklaas' white steed. If I've been bad, Swarte Piet will leave me a lump of coal or a switch the following morning.But if I've been good, well, these are the sweets that await me. My mouth is watering already, because as we all know naughty doesn't necessarily exclude nice.Marzipan Speculaas (Buttery spice almond cookies)Chocolate LetterTaai Taai (Tough Tough- chewy and spicy) & Peper Noten (ginger snaps) Read more:Calendar
Top Chef 2 Withdrawal Symptoms 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Wed, Nov, 2910:05 PM ESTI keep channel surfing to Bravo, restless to see my friends Marcel, Mickey, Sam, and Elia cook and interact again, but I can't find them.10:08 PM ESTI'm even craving a sight of Betty's big mouth. I want, nay, I NEED to see what dreadful outfits Padman and Gail are wearing.10:09 PM ESTMia. Cliff, Ilan, Frank. WHERE ARE YOU?10:10 PM ESTAm beginning to pace back and forth from my television to my kitchen, itching to turn on my stove's burners and place pots of water on them. Wait, my stove is brand new. It's only there for show. Damn you, Bravo! Sweat is starting to form on my brow. I need my TC2 fix. WAAAAH!10:15 PM ESTHave been visiting my favorite TC2 blogs and am feeling some relief. Eric 3000 is still silent but Amuse-Biatch wrote something new. Thanks Miss XaXa and Charlus.10:18 PM ESTAm flicking channels again. Food channel is not staving off TC2 cravings and Hell's Kitchen won't return to the air waves for months.10:20 PM ESTSheez, now I'm hungering Read more:Top Chef
Seriously Speaking: Lost Boys of the Sudan 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Two Lost Boys live with me. One is 22 years old; the other is 25. They escaped the horrors of the Sudan
when they were tiny children. Both survived such unspeakable tragedies that they rarely talk of them. Nightmares of watching their parents and siblings die and villages burn, and of barely surviving a 2,000 mile trek first to Ethiopia and then to Kenya in bare feet without food or water haunt them. Years of living in refugee camps have sapped their strength, their teeth, their bones, and their overall health.Manyang and Ayuen came to me through Catholic Charities two years ago. They arrived in America as teenagers thinking they were coming to the land of freedom and dreams, only to find that when they came of age and had to leave their foster homes, life in the U.S. became so much tougher than they ever anticipated. All I can really give them is a small shelter from the storm that rages around them.To all who observe them they are grown men. But when you get to know them, they are li Read more:Seriously
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Kinda Like an Insane Asylum: Project Runway One, Episode Four 1970-01-01 00:59:59 This post is dedicated to the Project
RunGay Guys, Tom & Lorenzo, for managing to entertain us with witty recaps of Project Runway
and other sundry topics day after day. How they and Eric Three Thousand manage to do it, I haven't a clue. Thanks, Guys. Once upon a time in the Happy Kingdom of Parson's in the era of Project Runway
Season One, all was right with the world. Birds sang, bees buzzed, and all the designers got along, sometimes even frolicking with each other. But then in Episode
Four, bad witch Sarah Hudson, singer of Girl on the Verge, chose only three designers to create her new rock concert gown, causing strife in the Kingdom.The first chosen designer was Jay, who tra-la-lahed with glee and boasted that the bad witch had the hots for him 'cause "She picked his ass!"The second chosen designer was Austin, who, overcome by the opportunity to provide a little "frou-frou Bo-pee pee edge" to the witch's outfit, squeezed his pecs with delight.The third chosen designer was Ke Read more:Kinda
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Top Chef Two: Ten Reasons for Watching 1970-01-01 00:59:59 1. We Bravo addicts are always watching SOMETHING. Project Runway Three is over and Top Design hasn't started yet, and rehashing Project Runway One with the Project Rungay guys is not quite as much fun as we thought it would be. Not that T&L aren't absolutely hilarious, but we already know the outcome to this story and the suspense is missing. So Top Chef
Two it is.2. We couldn't get enough of dishy Harold last season and we find that Sam Talbot is more than an adequate HUNK substitute, with Ilan running a close second in a librarian sort of way. Both these chefs are capable and talented, and have managed to acquit themselves well. 3. We're still sitting on the fence with Padma. Will she start to warm the cockles of our collective hearts? Only time will tell. She and Katie Lee have at least one thing in common: They are both child brides of two much older, hugely successful men. However, Padma is able to stretch her facial muscles into a semblance of a lively expression, a feat the Read more:Reasons
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Eye Candy 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Our choice this week is Clive Owen. . . Because we loved him as a con in Greenfingers, a movie few people saw but that he made worth seeing. He's rough on the outside, tender on the inside, and totally cravable.Because as King Arthur he became the epitome of what a man should look like in leather. Switch his horse to a Harley and he'd still look studly.Because all the houseguests and their actions in Gosford Park revolved around his character, and he held his own against such consummate actors as Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Alan Bates, and Jeremy Northam.Because he made a fabulous villain in the Bourne Identity. Even those nerdy glasses could not hide his hunkiness.Because he's the thinking female's hunk. And we love his ugly handsomeness, or handsome ugliness. Let's face it: He's just plain talented. And if we met him at a bar, well, no holds barred. Read more:Candy
, Eye Candy
And the Coppertone Whitest Woman Award Goes To... 1970-01-01 00:59:59 In 1994, I lay for an hour under an umbrella by the pool on top of a hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka, my body slathered with 60 SFP sunblock lotion and my head covered with a wide brimmed hat. My pale Dutch skin aged a decade during that hour, and I've not sunbathed since. The spots that appeared on my arms and hands that day are still visible. And I count myself lucky for having thoroughly covered my face.Some women are already aware of the dangers of ultra violet rays to their skin and I salute them. In fact, these three celebrities are so white they must glow in the dark. Thus, the Coppertone Whitest Woman Award
goes to...Nicole Kidman:Whitest woman bar none. She is notorious for always wearing sunblock, even on ordinary days.It was a close contest, as you can see by the honorable mentions:Bernadette Peters: She's past fifty but looks at least two decades younger.Julianne Moore: A pale redhead with freckles, I cannot imagine her with a tan.Special recognition to the women of Iceland
Eiffel Tower at Sunset from Ponte Alexandre III 1970-01-01 00:59:59 On my last evening in Paris I walked the left and right banks of the Seine, keeping the EiffelTower
in view at all times and strolling without much direction. When the sun began to set, I positioned myself on the right side of Pont Alexandre
III, the most ornate bridge that crosses the Seine. Three of us and several pigeons watched in silence as the sun slipped behind the horizon.Without warning and just before daylight disappeared the Eiffel Tower
lit up. It was an awesome and moving experience, yet somehow festive at the same time. I took in the sight of the sparkling tower for 20 minutes, noting the scent of the Seine, the slight tremors of the tour boats and barges passing underneath the bridge, and the whooshing sound of Parisian traffic as it rushed by. When the light show ended I meandered to the Latin Quarter for an evening meal. This time the image of Notre Dame Cathedral kept me company, completing a perfect night.Click on the You Tube link to see an 8-second video of the Read more:Sunset
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Podcast Junkie: Grey's Anatomy 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Download Frequency: Once a week, seven days after the last television airing of a new Grey's Anatomy. Podcast
s are free. Subscribe at Grey's Anatomy.Content:Executive Producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers talk and chat about their favorite t.v. show like two girlfriends over a glass of Pinot Noir in their living room. Very cozy. Quite personal. You can even hear phones ringing in the background.You don't have to download a podcast into your MP3 player in order to hear it. Select an episode, double click on the words, and listen while you work on your computer. This is my rating system:Two ear buds: Highly RecommendedOne ear bud: Ok, but needs improvementNo ear bud : Don't bother downloadingMy Critique: Shonda and Betsy discuss Grey's Anatomy like nobody's business, giving us depth, color, and background. I have grown to like this podcast, which reminds me of water cooler conversations at work. Because Shonda and Betsy produce the show, they know the plot and characters intimat Read more:Junkie
First Super Model 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Janice Dickinson likes to claim she is the world's first supermodel. To me this statement has always seemed a bit laughable. While La Dickinson WAS striking in her time and quite exotic looking, there were other models during her era who made equal or larger impressions on the world stage.Cheryl Tiegs. Lauren Hutton. Veruschka. Penelope Tree.Twiggy, who preceded Janice and is regarded the first waif model, arrived on the scene decades before Kate Moss made waifs fashionable again. Twiggy's image still crops up everywhere in 60's culture coffee table books and, as we all know, she replaced Janice as a judge on America's Next Top Model. But the first super model, in my opinion, has been largely forgotten. Her name was Suzi Parker and she died in 2003. She was famed photographer Richard Avedon's muse, and apppeared on numerous Vogue covers during the 1950's. According to legend the movie Funny Face was inspired by her professional relationship with Avedon, though the link I've prov Read more:First
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Is Naughty Nice? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Lieve Sinterklaas,Tomorrow is December 5th! You and Swarte Piet will be arriving in Nederland, fresh off the boat from Spain. We will all be standing by the wharf to greet you, waving our little red,white, and blue Dutch flags.You intend to judge us, giving gifts to good children, and switches to the naughty ones. I've already placed my wooden shoe by the fireplace. I've also left a bowl of water for your horse and a few carrots.However, what's a sweet girl like me to do when her values change as she matures?I mean, can't one be naughty AND nice at the same time?Consider my good side:I give to the poor.I work for nonprofits.I am on good terms with every one of my former boyfriends.I'd still be speaking to my ex if he hadn't married that BITCH!I have opened my house to two orphans.I adopted two rescue dogs.Then consider my naughty side:I adore scandalous undies and wear them under even the most austere clothes. (Britney Spears take a leaf from my book. Stop showing your pun tang t
Time Out 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Altogether now, say "Ahhwwww......"
Lisa Fonssagrives IS the First Supermodel 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Time Magazine Cover, Sept 19, 1949Several weeks ago, a reader gently reminded me that Suzi Parker was NOT the world's first supermodel. She wondered if I'd heard about Lisa Fonssagrives.Yes I had. How could I have forgotten her, I asked myself? As these photographs attest, she presented an arresting image. Reigning as queen of the modeling world during the 30's, 40's, and 50's, this striking Swedish beauty with the 18" waist thought of herself as a "just a good clothes hanger." (Can you imagine Janice Dickinson thinking this?)Born in 1911, Lisa arrived in Paris in the 30's to become a ballet dancer, but her 5 ft. 7 made her too tall for ballet. She became a model by accident. A photographer asked her to pose for him and the results were history. Lisa wound up posing for a record number of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar covers.The Supermodels Website includes this description: "Once, she appeared 103 times in a single issue of a magazine, scarcely looking like the same girl in two pic Read more:First
Eye Candy 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Up to now my Eye Candy
posts haven't showcased the usual hunky male suspects, and they probably never will. When it comes to appreciating the male form, I tend to trod down the path less traveled.So, for those of you who are wondering about my female sensibilities in regard to the accepted male standard, I have devised the bow tie rating system.Two bows: A deliciously mouthwatering man.One bow: Can take him or leave him. No bow: Not in my radarscope.Hang Down His Head George Clooney Towards the end of his tenure at E.R. I could barely watch this former mullet wearer. He was always hanging his head while talking or angling it crookedly, as if he had a crick in his neck. This habit so irked me that I still shudder when I think of it. A man who can't look me straight in the eye is no man for me.No BowHot To Trot Brad PittOk, so his first marriage was for practice. What do lifelong vows really mean these days anyway? But to go sniffing after a woman who has a NOTORIOUS penchant for stea Read more:Eye Candy
Nice 1970-01-01 00:59:59 That divine but saintly man, Sinterklaas, gave me chocolate - dark chocolate. My day is complete.Here's my gift to you, gentle reader. A fantastic machine from YouTube. Click here.Think it's for real? You decide.
Top Chefs Throw Sinterklaas Party 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Newsflash! In honor of December 5th and after a week's rest with nothing to do but quibble, we find our remaining chefs restless and rearing to return to the competition. "Why not throw a Sinterklaas
and Swarte Piet party for poor Dutch orphans?" said Mikey, he of the boundless cheerful nature. "I'll bring the Heineken and make some cheese balls. My cheese tray kept me from being booted at Thanksgiving, so I must know cheese!""Enough with your cheese balls already," said Betty, getting crabbier by the minute. First Marcel ticked her off. And now it was Mikey. And where the hell were they going to find poor Dutch orphans in California? Under a knuckle head tree?"Hey not fair," said Elia, puckering her ample but well-shaped brows. "I don't know a theeeng about this Sinterklaas you speeek of.""But you know chocolate," Marcel said in an unctious tone. "You melted it so beautifully before smearing it all over your pretty face. Why not make a chocolate letter for each of the judges?""L Read more:Chefs
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Fashion on Desperate Housewives 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I loved watching Sex in the City for the fashion more than the plots. It's the same with DesperateHousewives
, though I can't imagine wearing half the stuff those ladies on Wysteria Lane put on. Still, it's fun to see Bree in her perfect up tight outfits and Lynnette dressed for work.Cate Adair, costume designer for DH, discusses the fashions on Wysteria Lane in this blog. Click here to view them and her rationale for making certain choices. I crave the bag in this week's post. It's called a Venus Medium Shoulderbag (in camel) and retails for $525. (Ouch!) Read more:Fashion
, Desperate Housewives
Think You Know Geography? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Gentle readers, my how the world has changed since I graduated from college! I've gone from knowing my world geography backwards and forwards to being a neophyte again.Try this simple test. The best that the best of us could do at the office in the allotted time is 61. Click here to start. Read more:Geography
Trick for Peeling Garlic 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Peeling garlic is not one of my favorite tasks. But fresh garlic is so much more flavorful than dried flakes or even the pre-chopped garlic bought in small glass bottles and stashed in tje frig.Here's a swift and easy way to peel garlic cloves, a trick I learned from my mother. Separate the cloves from the garlic bud and place them in a single layer on a tray. Heat for 10 seconds in the microwave. The skins will slit open and you can just slip them off the cloves.If your microwave isn't as strong as mine, stick the garlic cloves in increments of 10 seconds. Cook until the skins split. Just make sure not to overcook them. Simple, no? Read more:Trick
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Project Runway One: Nora, dear, what were you thinking? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 (A group of us are watching ProjectRunway
One with Tom & Lorenzo, the Project Rungay Guys. Here is one of my takes on Episode Five.)Nora,Can we talk? You are so young and talented, and you made it all the way to Project Runway
One, Episode Five. That's something to be proud of! In fact, looking at your website, you've got taste and talent! I'd buy some of your stuff if I ran across it.However, you should NOT have lost that bridal competition. Austin was trying as hard as he possibly could to lose it all by himself. C'mon. Fess up. You must have thought (like we did) that those nasty purply artificial rose thingies attached to the hem of Melissa's gown were hideous. Why didn't you stick up for what you believed in and say no to Melissa? She's six years younger than you, for crying out loud, and was still playing with her Barbies when you attended design school. You should have had one of your diva moments when it counted, like now.And, girlfriend, what were you thinking
whe
Glam: A Web Portal for Fashionistas 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I learned about this huge web portal on a news podcast on technology. Checking it out, I found it to be a one-stop shop for fashion ideas. So convenient just before Christmas! Certain fashions and new trends are featured in articles that are linked to one of 200 member sites.One of my favorite columns on this site is Designer Q&A (Under Fashion), featuring Zach Posen, Diane Von Furstenberg, Cynthia Rowley, Angela Missoni, and more.Click here, dahlings. Read more:Portal
, Fashionistas
Closet Musings: Or What I Wear at the Office 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Most days my favored mode of dress resembles Uli Herzner's, the runner up of Project Runway 3: no makeup, straight blond hair, and casual relaxed clothes. In fact, I look forward to casual Fridays, because this outfit echoes just what I would wear to work that day.But there are times when I have to look spot on at the office and represent my company in front of the managers I oversee, or when I travel, which is frequently, or at meetings and conferences. I share Laura Bennett's philosophy: It is better to own a few good pieces than a lot of ill made clothes.And then there's the problem of finding age-appropriate outfits. I am a tweenie: neither young nor old. However, I am not ready to join Pepto Bismol land. Here's an example of the sack suit that so many of my colleagues deem appropriate after they've had a few children. I don't want to look like my grandmother: I want to look like a vibrant woman who is at her peak of power and femininity, while maintaining a certain authorita Read more:Closet
, Musings
Closet Musings: Doncaster's Last Sample Sale 1970-01-01 00:59:59 I wore my new Doncaster outfit today, which I bought it at 60% off the retail price. The belt alone retailed for half a week's salary.My elegant friend Marcie sells these beautiful outfits as a sideline. She is a walking Doncaster catalogue and always looks impeccable and beautiful. I've been purchasing an investment item here and there, but last night I went nuts as this was the last privately held sample sale. From now on, all the samples will be sold in Doncaster's flagship store in Rutherfordton, S.C. Aaargh! I will need to travel with a troupe of girlfriends to recoup the cost of travel alone.Had I bought last night's outfits at retail, I would shelled out close to 5% of my salary. Well, dahlings, I'm a single girl. Ain't no way I can afford those prices. This was a special situation, however. In reaction to the sale, which was to be the last offered by my friend, I stashed up on some Doncaster classics: a skirt trimmed with silk piping, tweed pants, boiled wool jacket, swea Read more:Closet
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Oh, Oscar, How Could You? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Is it not a designer's responsibility, Mr. Oscar
De La Renta, to make the First Lady look stunning? Would it not be your first priority to ensure that the gown she wore for the 2006 Christmas Card and for the 2006 Kennedy Center Honors was not duplicated by others? Cripes, Oscar, that darned dress cost $8,500. Not a small sum!Granted that she looked so much better than her competitors. (Laura, darling, your exercise regimen and diet are working. You look stunning, girlfriend. Now pay attention to that gun toting cowboy husband of yours and beat some sense into him.)Here's a view of Laura, her hubby, and honorees.I don't know who these three upstarts are, but Laura looked so much better than them! (Yes, gentle reader, though ladies one and two are not related, they wore the same hairdo!) Laura did the only thing she could in this situation. She went upstairs and changed into a black gown.
Coming this Weekend 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Bravo's Bikini Beach Blanket Bingo Party Revue:Gidget, Marianne, Ginger, Frankie, Annette, and the Big Kahuna have already r.s.v.p.'d and plan to attend.Stay tuned to this dial, beach combers, for the full flavorful reports on the latest episodes of:Top Chef 2: Beach Barbeque Splish SplashProject Runway One: Bikini Orgy Under a Moon Doggie Sky Read more:Weekend
Project Runway One Recap: How Could They? 1970-01-01 00:59:59 For those of us watching ProjectRunway
One reruns with the Project Rungay guys, Jay Mc Caroll wuz robbed in the Banana Republic challenge. Completely! What WERE the judges thinking to give it to Lolly Pepper?She of the misapplied Bette-Davis-in-Whatever-Happened-to-Baby-Jane makeup?Did ANYONE purchase her Little Miss Batgirl in Training outfit? If so, please step forward. I dare you to admit it.Now look closely at Jay's design and drool. Do you know why Jay lost? Economics! Banana Republic would have lost its shirt if it had to mass produce such a beautiful creation for a sum that Ms. Average American could afford. (Photos of the intricate quilted detailing in the bodice sit on the Project Rungay blog. ) Jay's dress echoes Art Deco and its inspiration the Chrysler Building perfectly and fit in with the overall Banana Republic theme of that season. But boy-o-boy, not even a troop of legal Mexican seamstresses with green cards in their pockets could have made this creation under budg Read more:Project Runway
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