"Star" news and stories

Lil' Jon, mastermind behind such eloquent, thoughtful diddies as "Crunk Juice" and whose major contributions to Usher's hit "Yeah" consisted of sporatically screaming, "Ye-eahhhh...." and then, "OH-KAY!" into the microphone, is going to be marketing his own wine.

The label? Little Jonathon Winery. "My full name is Jonathon," he told EW.com. (Gee, really? We thought it was Lloyd). "The wine is more nature: I wanted to not just have a direct connection, but make it just a little bit more upscale than regular 'Lil Jon.' ... This is not no ghetto Boone's Farm; this is some real wine." (Not sure if "nature" is a typo, and he meant mature, or if it's just part of his bizarre stream-of-consciousness speech).

Note the double-negative and the reference to Boone's Farm. Truly, this is not no ordinary wine. Fo sho.

No one would question the fact that the French Laundry deserves all three of its Michelin stars, but what about the rest of the ratings? Michael Bauer, restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, described the French Laundry as a ringer, a restaurant so good that no other establishment - on either coast - can really stand up to it. Bauer wonders whether the other area restaurants are being handicapped by the fact that the French Laundry sets an impossibly high standard for comparison that the 3-star restaurants in New York could not live up to, either.

He says "the list lacks many of the places that go to the heart of Bay Area dining and define who we are" and considering that the restaurant scene in the area has more high-quality restaurants than just about anywhere in the country, if not the world, it would seem that he has a point. While a great honor for Thomas Keller, the Guide's ratings do not seem sufficient for Bay Area restaurant scene. Does Chez Panisse only deserve 1 star? Does Manresa only deserve two? And how many were left off entirely?

We watched season two of the Next Food Network Star and saw Guy Fieri win, landing himself a new show on the network, and before him, Dan and Steve were a success. The Food Network is now casting for season three of the popular reality show, with another six-episode program up for grabs.

To apply, you have to meet the eligibility guidelines and submit a 3-minute tape (or DVD) showing that you have the things they are looking for: cooking ability, personality and teaching skills. The deadline for submissions is October 27th, 2006 and the show will film a few months later.

Now, I'm sure that they're going to do their best to choose the best candidate for the show out of all the contestants, but given the nature of reality TV and the fact that all of the previous winners have been men, it seems likely that a woman might have a slight advantage in this season's competition. Encourage your friends to apply - there's nothing to lose by doing so. And speaking of which, maybe I should make a video while I'm at it...

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Fruits and veggies, shellfish and such are best eaten in season. When it comes to bragging rights over who grows the best grapes, is privy to the best fishing banks, you will certainly have a food fight on your hands. In this case, I'm talking about peaches. Georgia, the peach state, grows a good peach. Alabama, too. But I'd like to turn you on to peaches grown in western Colorado, and the several varieties that have peaked or are at peak right now. Specifically, peaches grown around the rural town of Palisade, CO., are among the sweetest, if not the sweetest I've ever tasted (in particular the O'Henry and the Rising Star). Western and Southwestern Colorado also produce some of the finest cider and applesauce apples in the world.

As to peaches. Check out this recipe for Peach Delight that won grand prize at the Palisade Peach Festival a couple of weeks ago. I tried a variation that did not include the egg replacement (since it's not cooked, don't mess around with raw eggs these days: salmonella) and it was divine.

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The folks over at Details magazine have assembled a slideshow entitled "Orgasm or Excellent Marinara?" Each frame features a cropped photo of different person with a rather suggestive expression. Advancing to the next frame reveals whether or not that person is a Food Network host or a "porn star." The first frame of the show is included here, and the glasses are a bit of a giveaway. There are about 15 different faces in all. Bear in mind that while this is pretty funny, seeing people like George Duran (Ham on the Street) and Paula Deen in this ecstatic context can be a little strange. The real porn star faces are kind of unsettling as well. This might be NSFW. If you'd like a slightly more academic approach to pornography and the Food Network, there's this.

[Via del.icio.us]