"VH1" news and stories

Just in case you've been dreaming about eating in a restaurant that was launched by the likes of reality star Heidi Montag, former prostitute Ashley Dupre and Real Housewife of New Jersey Danielle Staub, this is your lucky day. VH1 is launching a new 10-episode reality show this fall, aptly named Famous Food. The show's title is also the name of the to-be-launched Los Angeles restaurant in which the television stars will work with Mike Malin and Lonnie Moore of the Dolce Group (Ketchup, Angels & Kings, Geisha House and Dolce) to open the joint and undergo challenges "related to renovation, concept, marketing, menu, staffing and opening."

TV Squad explains: "At the end of the eight-week process, the celeb who Malin and Moore think worked the hardest will win a partnership stake in the restaurant, while the rest will go on to ... other things. (Probably more reality shows.)"

Other contestants include The Bachelor's Jake Pavelka, Three 6 Mafia members DJ Paul and Juicy J, and former Sopranos star Vincent Pastore.

The other day I was in a consignment store when I saw something that smacked me right back into my childhood: the Snoopy Sno Cone Machine. When I was a kid I saved my allowance for about three weeks to order the snow cone maker from the Penny's catalog. Recently my children and I saw it featured on one of VH1's top 25 toy shows and I shared with them my love for the toy. So imagine the thrill when I found it still intact, with the original box and all for just $3. Well, I'm no fool. I scooped up that bad boy and headed home, proud as could be.

When the kids got home I showed off my prize for them. They were actually quite excited so I got out the ice trays for and they assembled the machine. To say machine is a bit of a stretch, it uses a noisy hand crank to move the grinder. The ice cube is inserted in a shaft and Snoopy, sitting on a long red rectangle, holds down the cube to be shaved. It is something akin to the Salad Shooter in concept. The kids shaved away for the better part of an hour, using up all the ice cubes and Kool-Aid in the process. I kept asking them to rate the fun factor for me, and the reports were positive as they licked powdered Kool-Aid from their mouths and fingers.

I was left with a wet, sticky table and no ice cubes, but for $3 dollars and some fun memories I'll call it a deal.

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