Friday Boston Tidbits

Antoine Walker's suspension for Saturday night's game vs. Pacers could be the final blow to the Celtics' chances of beating Indiana and winning the series. His second technical foul was plain stupid for a seasoned veteran and, after having another bad playoff game, it's like things never change with him.

Bill Belichick's signing of local hero, Doug Flutie, as Tom Brady's backup for next year, is a win-win proposition for Doug, the fans and the Patriots. And if things go according to plan, he won't play once next year.

Celts-Pacers Observations

As the Celtics head back to Indiana for game 3 of their best of 7 series, all tied at 1, I couldn’t let it go by without a few observations from game 2.

Gary Payton reminded me of Dennis Johnson at the end of his career. Every time he was in the game he slowed the pace down to a crawl. Time for Marcus Banks and Delonte West to see more time.

As for Mark Blount; this guy got the big contract and literally has gone to sleep all year. Talk about someone just wasting space on the court. I say he stays out and Lafrenz or even Kendrick Perkins play center, at least they have a pulse.

Where was Al Jefferson in the second half? He’s arguably their best low post player and he didn’t see any time in the second half. Inexcusable!

And finally, watching Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker together as the rest of the team stood around and watched also, reminded me of the Celtic team of a few years back with these guys, which is a 2 on 5.

If the Celtics don’t get their act together from the coaching staff on down, they will lose this series very quickly to Indiana.

Sideways

Every new release that I force myself to rent becomes harder and harder to sit through. So, when I watched “Sideways” I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised.

It’s about two middle-aged guys, Paul Giamatti (a terrific and underrated actor), and Thomas Hayden Church, spending a week in wine country before Church gets married. While it does start off on the slower side, it turns into both of them experiencing a re-examination of their current lives that is loaded with excellent dialogue and some very funny moments.

This film is definitely worth watching. You will enjoy this underrated movie. Was it worth the Oscar nominations it received? Probably not. But then again, compared to “Saw,” “The Village,” and “The Forgotten,” it is an academy award winner. A strong thumbs up from me.

Where There’s a Will…There’s a Relative

Want a cute comedy DVD rental to fill your rainy Saturday? Rent “Greedy,” a 1994 comedy starring Michael J. Fox, Kirk Douglas, and Phil Hartman.

In a nutshell, Kirk Douglas plays this old rich man who entertains his money- grubbing, kiss-ass relatives led by Phil Hartman (I miss him). Michael J. Fox shows up and he ends up being roped into the money as well, competing against Kirk's young, sexy assistant, Olivia d'Abo. There are enough twists and turns to keep you laughing all the way through with good clean fun. Don’t get too greedy finding ponderous new releases; rent “Greedy” and enjoy yourself for two hours.

In Bill I Trust

When will local scribes ever learn to trust the greatest coach in NFL history - winner of three Super Bowls?

After completing the 2005 NFL draft, once again, Coach Belichick took a beating in the local press for drafting offensive guard/tackle, Logan Mankins out of Fresno State. Why? Because pigskin prognosticators had him going in the third round, but at least I know better.

As one football executive said to a local radio show here in Boston before the pick; "When the Patriots select number 32 in the first round you can be sure of two things. One, you've never heard of the guy and two, he'll be a huge contributor within 2 years." And that’s how I feel.

They needed depth on the front line with the departure of Joe Andruzzi, and Stephen Neal and Tom Ashworth entering the final year of their contracts. By drafting Mankins they picked up insurance on the line, a tenacious and "mean" lineman with great technique. And here’s the caveat: his college coach, Pat Hill, was Belichick’s line coach at Cleveland. It’s whom you know. And Belichick’s other college source, Coach Saban of LSU, is now running the Dolphins. I think it’s a win-win pick. Here’s Bill on his first selection, Logan Mankins: "He has played left tackle at Fresno. He played guard at the Senior Bowl. He definitely has some position flexibility. He is a smart guy that has been in a really good program. He has good fundamentals. He is a good technique player. He is pretty tough and that will give him some different options. We will see how it all works out for him." As for the other picks, they are all flexible athletes that Coach Belichick will give long looks too.

And, planning ahead to the 2006 draft, which is considered much deeper in talent than this year’s draft, Bill wheeled and dealed some of his picks this year and ended up accumulating 3 extra picks for next year. Again, when will people just go with what Coach Belichick does?

I don’t know about you, but three Super Bowls later, when Bill says this is the pick, then who am I to argue? In Bill I trust!

Cheng Du Can Do

Who doesn't know someone that will always profess that they know a place that serves the best Chinese food?! I hear the same thing with clams as well and you know, 9 out of 10 times the places they suggest usually range from nothing special to major letdown to downright awful. Okay, well here I go: if you're looking for a semi out of the way place that just makes Chinese food dishes and appetizers the way they should be made, then try Cheng Du in the heart of downtown Stoughton, MA.

It had been years since I ate in the restaurant with my better half and Saturday night we decided to do a large take-out order. Once again they delivered with outstanding Chinese cuisine. The fried chicken wings were crisp and tasty and a good size, not the pigeon size wings most places offer up (have you checked Rhode Island's Chinese food restaurants? You can see the pigeons from your seat). The fried shrimp had a light batter and were just right. The fried Szechwan dumplings were soft and melted in our mouths. The crab rangoons were generously filled with cream cheese and were crispy on the outside. And the shrimp fried rice had lots of nice huge pieces of shrimp in it, unlike most places where you have to play "Where's Waldo" with your shrimp. We were so full and content that we never even got to their specialty dishes that adorn their menu. And if you eat inside it still has a nice, quiet atmosphere minus the normal cheesiness of fish tanks and the like.

So if you are craving Chinese food on a Saturday night as most couples do, I suggest you take a visit to Cheng Du.

The Corner Deli, Stoughton, MA

Want a nice deli that is clean, has great service, and serves up some great Jewish cuisine? Well then you couldn’t do better than “The Corner Deli” located at 593 Washington Street in Stoughton, MA. This cozy little place offers up a complete menu of traditional Jewish cuisine; everything ranging from standard breakfast, lunch and dinner to matzahball soups, knishes, latkes, and blintzes.

I had two fried eggs with a healthy portion of sausages and hash browns with a bagel with cream cheese on the side and orange juice, all made to perfection. My partner had the Challah french toast, which was to die for, also quite the portion. As it was, we couldn’t eat it all. I was so tempted to wait around for lunch so I could go back in and get a chopped liver sandwich!

All in all it was a most pleasant experience. So, if you happen to be craving good Jewish cuisine in a nice, pleasant atmosphere, I strongly suggest “The Corner Deli.” I guarantee you’ll also want to stay for lunch!

The Chateau, Norwood, MA

Sometimes nothing beats an old pair of shoes. Well the same thing applies to a good, trustworthy restaurant where you know you can always go for a nice meal. For me, that place is “The Chateau,” a family owned (Nocera) restaurant. I like the Norwood location personally, as they do have 3 other locations. Saturday I took my other half there for the luncheon specials and for the most part we were not disappointed.

I had the fried clams which were fabulous though are still considered out of season. They had the large sweet clam bellies, my ultimate favorite, and I am a connoisseur of clam bellies. As a matter of fact, short of the Cape and "Cookes" for inland restaurants closer to Boston, they may have the best fried clams around. They are certainly better than “Legals,” the most overrated and overpriced tourist trap in Massachusetts. And they are a million times better than “Kelley's” on Revere Beach, yet another overrated, overpriced, shrinking portioned restaurant that had it's heyday like 30 years ago before clam belly fans discovered that farm raised clams with corn meal bellies are not that good. I find it funny that Rachel Ray, the self proclaimed queen of the “Food Network” and of the imaginary 30 Minute Meals, visited Massachusetts and went to “Kelley’s”, where she proclaimed it the best fried clams and seafood. One more reason to note for the Food Network's audience that she is such a fraud. How would she know what are the best clams in Massachusetts?! She asks someone if they know of any place and someone sends her to “Kelley's.” What a joke! How about all of Cape Cod?! Even the tiniest of clam shacks down there blows “Kelley's” away. The order came with a nice helping of fries and sweet, creamy coleslaw for sides. And lest I forget their homemade bread served first was fresh and soft. As for my other half, she had the fried haddock sandwich, which was a large piece of haddock, delicately fried with fresh lettuce and tomato on a bun. Her plate came with nice lightly battered onion rings. Her sandwich was quite packed and both of our meals, for luncheon specials, were quite filling and satisfying.

It’s too bad it couldn’t have ended on that note. With her last bite, my dinner companion noticed a fairly long hair buried deep into the fish batter; not what one wants to see! And the luncheon price on the menu for the clams was $13.99, but when the bill came, they were listed as $15.29. When I mentioned that to the waiter he apologized for not telling me sooner that they were a seasonal price. It would make sense to change the menu listing it as “seasonal” vs. a fixed price. Both of these moments made it a very disappointing ending to what was a great meal.

In conclusion, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt as they do always deliver, but more moments like that from them again and I may need to find a new pair of shoes.

The Amityville Horror (2005)

Not too much to say on this review, boys and girls. Quite honestly, I thought the original movie was awful and completely overrated, and this remake is even worse! No frills, no thrills, nothing to sustain any interest. It’s the one-millionth haunted house movie, and it’s about the worst one. The only thing worse was the “so-called” acting. It was the first movie my partner and I have ever walked out of. So, for the $14 admission (remember when matinees were $2?), and the $15 for 2 popcorns and a Pepsi, you could’ve taken your loved one out for a nice lunch. Stay away from this horror.

A New York Experience In Brookline, MA

Since I have never been to one, my fiancée has been promising for a while to take me to an authentic Jewish deli. He's mentioned a deli located in Brookline, MA, B&D Deli, located at Washington Square. We finally made plans to head on out there as I am beyond curious and need to know what the rave is all about. Of course, as luck would have it, it's one of the rainiest days this season, but that didn't stop us from taking the hour-long trip to indulge on these deli fares for brunch.

We arrived just in the nick of time as the hustling and bustling ensued with the flocking of what seemed to be longtime regulars and fans of this eatery. I couldn't believe how long the line behind us had grown in a matter of minutes with eager and hungry patrons with every seat in the house occupied. Our wait was minimal because of my fiancées impeccable timing. A table for two had just become available and we were seated immediately. The environment was casual and the décor modest, as I had expected of a deli.

Even though the place was hopping, the waiter made his way to our table quickly leaving behind a generous and varied menu with affordable prices. While I had no idea of what I fancied, I was comfortable choosing a selection because my companion was well aware and familiar with the offerings and recommended I try one of his favorites, the hot pastrami sandwich. He ordered the stuffed blintzes and potato latkes (crepes and pancakes). As usual, we always share our entrees, a benefit of being a couple.

I was quite surprised to see our order filled so quickly and was completely in awe when I saw the size of my hot pastrami sandwich! Humongous! Completely stuffed! I was almost embarrassed to be seen with it! The pastrami was hot and sweet and soft. The bulkie roll was fresh and soft. Excellent! It came along with a side order of potato salad and a kosher pickle, both to die for! The blintzes were large as well, a very generous portion, stuffed with a delicious sweet, creamy cheese and completely topped with fresh warm strawberries! Scrumptious! And the potato latke was beyond a treat; crunchy on the outside and soft inside. Perfect!

Of course, we couldn't eat it all and had no room for desert. Too bad, perhaps another time I can tap into it. We did end up purchasing a few items to go such as their chopped liver, which was out of this world, potato latkes and blintzes that were of the same quality and portion as we had earlier. The only disappointment was they had run out of Challah, which I was told is an egg-rich, yeast-leavened, braided bread traditionally eaten on Sabbath and holidays. My fiancée was steadfast on me trying Challah and ended up going to a local bakery and purchased a loaf and I have to say it was one of the best breads I have ever had!

So if you have the desire to enjoy an authentic Jewish cuisine along with the authentic New York style deli atmosphere, and oh by the way, have a most satisfying meal, then I highly recommend paying a visit to Brookline's B&D Deli. It'll be worth the trip.

Why Overweight IS In

You do realize, what's left of you in skinny nation, that you are losing the battle; not of the bulge but to society's acceptance of the bulge. I'm tired of what's left of skinny nation trying to shove low carbs and revealing outfits on television and current advertising. Sorry guys, it isn't happening any more. Let's look at the facts and statistics.

Eight out of ten Americans are anywhere from overweight to obese. That's a fact. Why??? How about we live in a decaying world filled with disease, poverty, drugs, war, and constant threats of terrorism. And if you can't leave your home for fear of being killed, or if you can but you can't afford $40 to take your loved one to a less than good movie, then the next best and safest thing to do is stay home and enjoy one of life's most wonderful and simplest pleasures: EATING! And even the poorest of the poor manage to do that in these times.

Do you know that the "New England Journal of Medicine" along with some big studies in Europe have determined that 4 out of 5 people over the age of 70 who are still alive are those people that are overweight versus being underweight? They are the healthier of the people in nursing homes as well. Again, why? Because if they do become ill, they have more body mass to work with in terms of fighting illness, disease, and cancer. Think about that. Sure, there are other side effects such as potential high blood pressure and diabetes, both things that can be controlled with medication. But in total, being heavier allows you to actually live longer and survive more illnesses. Go to any nursing home and the healthy ones are all either overweight to obese.

And by the way, if you smoke and drink to also have a distraction from the world we live in, the unemployment and eventual $3 a gallon gas prices, then does it matter if you're skinny? In the end, when your time is up, it's up! Any of those elements will kill you, right?! Does anyone remember the famous marathoner, Jim Fixx, who in the 70's made a living from running marathons, and is credited with starting the fitness craze in America and then started doing commercials running for Visa cards? What happened to him? He died while running in 1984!!!

And as for the appeal of the "extra weight," of course to each his own, but, let's face it, the most accepted sex symbol of the 20th Century and arguably of all time was Marilyn Monroe, who was an admitted size 20 when the corset was off! Study the portraits hanging in the museums of France and Italy, they're all of heavyset women who were considered the beauties of their day. Look at women from even earlier in the 20th Century, all shapely and bbw's in stature. Only in the 1960's with the onset of the drug culture and models like Twiggy, skinny began its run on American society. But those days are over people. Women today are having injections into their derrieres to make them look bigger. And again, just go into any restaurant or store at lunch time during a business day, or on any weekend in your local mall, 80% of the girls and women you see today are anywhere from overweight to obese; the good looking ones being bbws, big beautiful women. And, oh by the way, even 80% of all men in this country today are anywhere from overweight to obese. A recent study concluded that most professional football players, supposed athletes, are overweight!

So, as my grandmother would say, "live and let live and get used to the world we live in today." One last note, even according to the NY Times Best Seller, "The Fat Fallacy," it has been scientifically proven that heavier set people will dominate the population with their longevity.

So good-bye Twiggy, and hello Marilyn!

Opening Day 2005, Honoring The 2004 Red Sox

How was that for an opening day, Red Sox nation?! Yesterday’s 8-1 win over the Yanks was almost lost on the classy pre-game ceremonies honoring the 2004 Red Sox championship team. If you couldn’t afford baseball’s most expensive ticket, then the next best seat was in front of your television watching the proceedings. And if you’re a lifelong Red Sox fan, you even appreciated it more.

The festivities began with the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops playing as each World Series banner was unfurled over the Green Monster and culminating in the unfurling of the 2004 World Series banner. Then in the most emotional moment of the day, from beneath the Green Monster, the real heroes, American Veterans from the Iraq War, made their way across the field carrying the rings to be presented to the players accompanied by Boston’s own, James Taylor, performing “God Bless America”. There was not a dry eye in the house!

The players were brought up via their video on the Jumbotron, whereby they collected their rings. The most notable absence was Pedro Martinez. The most unexpected visitor with the largest ovation was ex-Sox, Dave Roberts. Derek Lowe also made the trip to a nice surprise ovation. Another kudo goes out to Yankee Manager, Joe Torre, who had his Yankees sit through the whole festivities and watch the whole proceedings. And when Sox Manager, Terry Francona, came out to collect his ring, he tipped his cap in respect to Yankee Manager, Joe Torre, who tipped his cap in respect...all so classy! Then some Red Sox old timers like Yaz, Fred Lynn, and Luis Tiant, heroes from my generation, came out and they all helped raise the 2004 Championship flag. Enough excitement for you yet? The old timers then surrounded the dugout as the Sox players were introduced after the Yankees were. By the way, how funny was it that Yankee closer, Mariano Rivera, who has blown 6 consecutive games to the Sox including the post-season , received a standing ovation from the Sox fans! And to his credit, after laughing, he tipped his cap to them. We then sat through a moment of silence for the Pope and the late ex-Sox reliever, Dick Radatz. And after the “Star Spangled Banner”, we had the ceremonial First Pitches thrown by Boston greats from each sport like Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, and the Patriots Richard Seymour (not quite a legend yet) and Tedi Bruschi, who is recovering from his small stroke and looked great.

And on to the game. Did I mention there was a game in which the Sox beat the Yankees 8-1 behind Tim Wakefield? But for one day, the rivalry took a back seat to something more special: a day to remember the 2004 Red Sox Championship Season one last time.

Kingdom Kome

It’s that time of the year again when all the seniors are preparing for their proms. And anyone who has a young lady graduating from high school can hear the cash registers going “ca-ching” and the money being sucked out of your wallet at lightning speed! Short of a wedding or a sweet 16, the prom can be one of the most costly and daunting events in your daughter’s (and one’s own) life.

One of the most difficult tasks is searching for the “perfect” dress. It’s like trying to find a needle in a haystack! From style to color to form to fabric to size to price, it all has to come together and click or everyone will be shedding tears, and these will not be tears of joy. It’s her day to look like a princess and she will not expect, nor accept anything less.

We started our search going to the local malls and checking out the usual stores, which I won’t even name and, of course, we came up empty. We are already going at it with the whole “whoa-is-me” routine. We headed out to the specialty bridal shops in our area. Again, we struck out. Now we are heading into a depression with low self-esteem and tempers are flaring up. Unless you are a size 2, don’t count on finding something neither unique nor special. You are lucky if you find something somewhat pretty. And if they do have larger sizes they fly off the racks, so, if you aren’t there when they are put out on display, you are simply out of luck. It is so unrealistic of these stores to carry such a limited size selection when we all know that this country has the highest obesity rate in the world! When did a size 10 become “large”? Actually, it’s more cruel than unrealistic.

We called it a day and headed back home. Someone is having a temper tantrum. Oh, it takes all I have not to say much because I know how fragile her state of mind is. I started surfing online and searched for prom dresses. It was amazing to see how many gorgeous dresses can be found on the Internet. And the sizes ranged from 0 all the way to a generous size 30! Wow! 0-30! I didn’t even know that the size 0, nor 30, actually existed. The Internet is a fountain of knowledge!

However, I had huge concerns about ordering a prom dress, an expensive item, over the Internet. Which style would most flatter her body type? How much in advance do you need to order? What are the return policies? Are we measuring accurately in order to ensure a proper fit? What if they send us the wrong dress style or the wrong size or the wrong color and the prom is upon us and now she has no dress? No. No. NO! I felt the risk was simply too enormous and decided against ordering online.

Much to my surprise, I found a prom dress website that listed stores that carried their line. Luckily, there was a store only an hour away that carried the dress style we were interested in. I contacted them via phone to ask what sizes they actually had in stock and which styles. The store clerk took my phone number, the size I was looking for and the style. She said she would call me within 30 minutes or so because she would need to go to floor and check. As promised, she returned the call within the time she allotted with information on what they had in stock. In addition, she indicated that they could take her measurements and place an order for the dress of our liking and they would receive it within 7 days at which time she would go in for a fitting. If alterations were needed, they would assist in that process as well, for a nominal fee.

We immediately made plans to head out to Kingdom Klothing in the Greendale Mall located in Worcester, MA. I thought that perhaps there was a dress there that the “princess” would love and if not, then we would order directly from them, though I still was hesitant about ordering a dress.

When we walked through that door, we were stunned at the beauties that were hanging on the racks. It was like going to a museum and looking at the masterpieces on the walls. We were blinded by the sparkling beads, rhinestones and sequences, and the colors that ran the gamut. Every style imaginable was under the same roof. And they did have sizes ranging from 0-30, but not in every style. Quite honestly, we felt a bit overwhelmed and I could already get the negative vibes my daughter was putting out.

The store manager, a very polite gentleman, approached us and started to assist us. At first we felt awkward being assisted by a man but that soon changed when he demonstrated his knowledge about clothing styles, colors and body types. He listened to what we wanted and immediately pulled a dress from the rack that matched the style we were looking for. He indicated he first wanted to match a size and to not pay attention to color at this point. My little princess was NOT happy with the color but agreed to try it on. The size was off by one but more importantly, we discovered that the dress style we wanted was NOT flattering on her body type at all! Good grief! That was it for her! She was ready to give up and not go to her prom at all! All of a sudden, the store manager comes back with another dress. Amazingly, it was the perfect size fitting her like a glove and the style had to be one of the most flattering ones for her. Absolutely beautiful! But, Princess didn’t care for the color. Again, the manager comes back with dress number 3 (by the way, he was doing this on his own; nobody asked him to do a thing) in the right size, a similar style, but in a different color. I don’t know for sure if he brought that one in to show Princess how beautiful she looked in the previous color, but that most certainly did the trick. Now she loved the second dress more and more. The store manager offered yet another option: knowing the size and the dress style, we could order it in a different color. This time I would have ordered the dress even though it is still a risk to order because there is always the possibility that the dress could be cut too small or too large. But, it was an option to consider. Finally, a decision was being made by Her Majesty: she was keeping the second dress which color she hated but now seemed to love more and more! Glory, Glory, Hallelujah! We bought the dress and it was well within our budget!

From the dress to the shoes to the dainty little handbag, I highly recommend Kingdom Klothing to all the parents of princesses in training! You will not regret it and your Royal Highness will never forget it. And trust me, everyone around you will appreciate it!

Now, roll out the red carpet!

Sci-fi or Cartoon Network?

Am I the only one that feels that the most frustrating channel on cable television is the Sci-fi Network? If you are a true sci-fi fan, how can you justify sifting through their programming and watching such sci-fi classics like "The Flintstones", "Liar Liar", and "Casper the Ghost? What's next, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, a cartoon about Don Knotts turning into a goldfish?!

Can you stand another "Battlestar Gallactica" marathon? How about another weekend filled with classics that would make Rod Serling jealous like "Alligator 8" and the shark/man/fish monster (the name isn't even worth noting!).

My suggestion: tap into the financial resources and invest in some true classic sci-fi programming. How about a daily run of shows such as "The Nightstalker", the original "Twilight Zone", "Outer Limits" and "Night Gallery", "Night Visions" hosted by H. Rollins, to name a few. The true sci-fi aficionado will never get sick of this scheduling.

How about airing, buying the rights to all the "Alien" movies, "The Planet of the Apes" (series and movies), the original and the remakes of "The Thing", "The Fly" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", to name a few.

And how about the cheesy sci-fi movies from the 50's such as "It Came From Outer Space" and "The Day The Earth Stood Still".

And finally, how about developing some "quality" shows and original movies of your own. No, not "Scare Tactics" and no, not "Mansquito".

Let's get potentially the best network back to what it should be, not what its turning into, which these days is the Cartoon Network!

Complacent

It's only two games into the Sox season, both with losses to the Yankees and minus their number one starter, Curt Schilling, but for some reason I have a feeling it's a foreboding of things to come with this 2005 edition of the Red Sox. The word you'll hear to describe this team this year will be complacent.

Is It Me? Or is Rachael Ray On Speed?

The host of Food Network’s “30 Minute Meals”, “$40 a Day” and “Inside Dish”, Rachael Ray, is going bonkers and is losing her marbles, quickly!

This once calm, svelte and softly spoken “celebrity” was actually interesting and easy to watch while hosting “30 Minute Meals” which focuses on providing tips, tricks and recipes that will assist the viewer/cook in preparing complete and healthy meals in less than 30 minutes. That’s a tall order and unless you have superb knife skills, don’t count on your meals being done in only 30 minutes unless you are preparing a sandwich. Or as Ms. Ray loves to call them, “sammies.” Maybe she thinks it’s samwich, who knows…Nor expect to create a sizeable spread for a party with more than 4 friends because if you believe what Rachael claims as far as portion size, you are going to be left ordering take out! I have tried a couple of her recipes and these were edible, however, I find that my palette differs from hers and I have made adjustments to the recipes to ensure there is enough to go around and to satisfy MY family’s taste buds. Try it and decide for yourself.

I wonder if during the Martha Stewart fiasco, if the Food Network needed a new “Queen” and if Ms. Ray seemed like the most likely candidate to them considering they replaced Martha’s slot with Rachael Ray’s “30 Minute Meals.”

Rachael Ray also started hosting a new show, “$40 a Day” where she tours the country in search of great food on a limited budget, hence, “$40 a Day.” She offers tips on how to enjoy “gourmet fare” on a “pauper's budget” no matter where your travels take you. And as if that wasn’t enough, she also started hosting the newest of her shows “Inside Dish” where she meets with celebrities and simply “interviews” them on their favorites foods and special diets and they share some of their recipes with her. I consider this show to be such a waste of airtime. Not to mention how obnoxious Rachael Ray has become! Naturally, both of these shows entail constantly being on the road and even worse, taste testing all the food from all featured locations and celebrities. Now, unless you suffer from bulimia or are anorexic or have a super fast metabolism, I would assume that you would start packing on the pounds and our dear little Rachael isn’t as little any longer.

I have tried to continue to tune into her “30 Minute Meals” show, but I find myself feeling quite uncomfortable and uneasy with her personality lately. Her facial expressions constantly remind me of The Joker in “Batman”; her hand movements remind me of someone shooing off a swarm of bees; her intonation on every single one of her words feel like nails scratching on a chalkboard and she won’t shut up at all for one second and she repeats herself over and over as if she can’t remember she just said it a couple of minutes earlier and she is loud; she is scattered about hurrying to get these meals done and is so out of breathe that I get too tired and out of breathe myself just watching her!

So, I wonder: She’s gained weight and that is obvious. Compare the older episodes with the new ones and you can see it for yourself. She is loud and boisterous and all over the place. Again, compare the older episodes with the new ones. Is she on diet pills to lose the weight? At least that would explain her behavior, no?

So if you feel like watching a high octane, low performance, an insincere food host giving the "dish" on her impossible 30 minute meals, I would then suggest Rachael Ray. Otherwise, for the real star, and most humble star, of the Food Network, you can do no better than tuning into Ina Garten, the host of “Barefoot Contessa.”

The Day After Tomorrow

Once again another movie to avoid, "The Day After Tomorrow."

With Dennis Quaid in the lead role, it's basically about the beginning of a new ice age that affects most of the world at the same time. Imagine Earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure, Twister and every other disaster coinciding all at the same time.

The result: 2 long hours of special effects and amazingly cheesy dialogue. There is one part where the artic air is chasing one of the characters through a hallway until they shut the door that stops the ice. Sound familiar? Can you say "Final Destination", the movie where the characters run from death, ie nothing of substance.

Anyways, it kept me watching for the first hour, which is more than I can say for the last few rentals, but by hour two I couldn't wait for it to end.

My advice, keep away.