Meet The Team / Jenn Garbee

While many of us awaited the fate of the Hendrix wives on last Sunday night's final episode of "Big Love," Sheldon Wiley was on his own high-octane multiples mission. The New York City-based mixologist whipped up 1,003 cocktails to break the Guinness World Record for the most cocktails made in an hour. The previous record of 937 cocktails was held by German mixologist Matthias Knorr. "I wanted this record to be about more than just speed," Wiley said via a press release. "I wanted to exemplify the integrity and craft of cocktails."

In what we can only politely presume was a blatant Rambo reference, Wiley wore a bandage cloth wrapped around his head as he double-fisted bottles of flavored vodka and mixers in – where else? -- the Empire State Building's Empire Room. He used four ingredients in each cocktail (three is the minimum Guinness World Records requirement), including dozens of fresh fruit juices and several Monin Gourmet flavored syrups, as well as eight flavors of 360 Vodkas. That schizophrenic selection of ingredients may seem like unnecessary sensory overload, at least until you realize which two corporations were the event's sponsors. Hint: It wasn't an orange juice company.

In Lidia Bastianich's latest starring role, the queen of Italian restaurants, cookbooks and television programming plays herself in a short documentary, released this week, as part of Liberty Mutual's Responsibility Project. The insurance company is producing an ongoing series of documentaries featuring artists who, according to the website, strive to make us "think about -- and discuss -- what it means to do the right thing." As self-serving as that may sound (flashback to your little white lie about that prom night fender-bender), the film's storyline is not buried beneath product pitches. It's actually rather moving. In our interview, Bastianich talks about what she views as her public responsibility, the state of food television today, and why we should stop letting corporations drown us in sugary cereal.

What drew you to the Responsibility Project?
Lidia Bastianich: I need to be given a forum where I can feel responsible and committed to my viewers, give them the quality they want. That's why I have stayed with PBS so long, done my cooking shows there rather than elsewhere. This documentary also gave me that opportunity. They really put together such a top team for this film, like the cinematographer, who also did "The Wrestler". So you know it's going to be a magnificent piece.

Everyone city seems to want a little authentic Brooklyn hipster edge these days – including Dubai. Or as authentic as a Brooklyn Diner can be (the original is located in the middle of Manhattan, after all). According to the Insatiable Critic, the Intercontinental Hotel will open the first outpost of Shelly Fireman's successful chain diners abroad on February 15, complete with the restaurant's signature maitre d' attire -- a tux and sneakers. (Americans excel at making a classy first impression.)