CherylKatz.org

I didn’t see this at the time it was shown, I actually only got to view it after we’d finished with McCain’s speech (had to pause it to put the wee one to bed.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDx80bnFrVs

I found the imagery beyond upsetting.  Appalling.  Not in and of itself, but because it was being shamelessly exploited to make people feel afraid, to garner support for Republican defense policies.

I was there on 9/11.  Not the only person I know who was there, and certainly one of a million people in the tip of lower manhattan that day.  Footage of the destruction, the dead and the dying, touch a tender spot that I tend to armor pretty well.  I don’t like it when those feelings and those memories are triggered; I especially dislike it when its purpose is to convince me to hate an enemy or vote a certain way.

Keith Olbermann’s reaction was dead on.  Republicans regularly decry the kind of graphic footage that was used, and yet found it appropriate to stuff their propaganda full of it.

I really am appalled.

That bit toward the end about having been an arrogant jerk and how he came to love America more than himself was actually good. Too bad he ended every sentence with a creepy, forced smile; it made almost everything he said seem insincere.

He actually seemed most natural, human and approachable in the moments after the protester was hauled off. His off the cuff comment made him seem for a brief moment connected to what was going on around him.

The rest nearly put me to sleep. It really is a shame that he wasted the whole speech making policy sound like the most boring topic on earth. Even if I disagree, I still enjoy a good speech better than one that sounds half asleep.

Why did the “Service” signs look like Hershey bars?

Also, why did the RNC come off looking like a really big karaoke bar, while the DNC looked like an actual, professional, coordinated political event?

Anyway….

I watched the opening ceremonies with Jen last night, and I actually spent most of the time with my mouth gaping open.  The first hour was just one impressive feat of technological showmanship after another (hello, unscrolling Largest LED Screen In The World, As Long As A Football Field And With People Dancing On It!  or the costumes that lit up on and off during the piece with the bird and the birds’ nest?)

I’d had it recording on our DVR and paused for about an hour and a half before we started watching, so we were able to watch about the first 3 hours without having to see commercials.  Eventually we got tired of the Parade of Nations and I just fastforwarded until we were watching live TV.  Some time around this point, we cut to a shot of the Bushes, in their holy non-priority seating, batman - they were seated like average joes at a baseball game, and boy did W look like he wanted a beer.  And the prez was more-than-glancing at his watch.  International goodwill events are sooooooo boring and time consuming.  Yup.

Well, despite my criticism of the US president, I did actually skip a lot of the parade of nations.  Until I couldn’t fast forward any more, and then we admired outfits and rooted for the little guys.  And THEN Yao Ming and a 9 year old boy who looked like a toddler next to him led the Chinese olympians into the arena.  And it was just a huge time.

The little boy had been a hall monitor, and when his school was destroyed in the earthquakes in Szechuan province a few months ago, after he freed himself from the rubble he WENT BACK to help his teachers and classmates.  He was quoted saying that he felt it was his responsibility, as he was a class leader.

I admit that I’m prone to cry any time the national anthem is played.  Epic events really get to me.  But live news coverage of the earthquakes really touched me at the time, and this boy’s story just pushed me over.  Real tears, people, not the kind that come from anthems.

I can’t bring myself to delete the DVR event just yet.

I’ve been watching a lot of Food Network lately, just to pass the time while I’m knitting after Sami has gone to bed. And I think that their current programming really reflects the impact of the writers’ strike.

Granted, I don’t know to what extent Food Network employs writers at all. But they are re-running a lot of old competitions, Iron Chefs, Good Eats, and these new Holiday specials.

The Holiday specials are at once intriguing and excruciating. The All-Star Holiday Party involved the biggest FN stars making their favorite dishes, with “help” from another FN star. I especially found the idea that any one of those cooks would need an assistant to be contrived, since every one of them handles everything just fine on their own shows. But whatever. The entire shows are full of interesting ideas, but shot and edited oddly. There are normal cooking-show scenes, with cutaways a la reality show, with a FN personality talking in front of a white background about what’s going on in that kitchen scene.

I think this is what happens when the personalities all pitch in together to create a time kill sans writers. It’s not awful, but it’s not exactly enjoyable either.

In other TV news, I saw possbily one of the most touching things ever. A Charmin commercial that was for the most part NOT a Charmin toilet paper commercial, but a tribute to the actor who played Mr. Whipple since the 50s. I found it endearing that the company recognized him as not only an essential part of their brand over time, but as a personality that many consumers would feel nostalgic about. I refuse to believe that the whole thing was simply a marketing ploy; this may be naive, but I’ve never seen a commercial whose main purpose was to say that a spokesperson or character would be missed. So I was touched.

Anthony Bourdain, food author and Travel Channel TV personality, explains why Amy won’t win. They’re all excellent reasons not to win - she simply is too smart and too sophisticated for a network about making kitchen crafts accessible to we average slobs at home:

Amy is too capable, too hard, and waay too French-centric. As the judges–again–candidly and astutely pointed out. FN likes food their audience can pronounce. Her Cordon Bleu experience, leadership skills and cooking ability–that she’s clearly a strong, capable woman are HUGE liabilities. The judges hate her already–she’s a painful rebuke to everything they stand for–and a painful reminder of their dead, hollow souls–how far over to the dark side they’ve strayed.

http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2007/06/ruhlmans_nightm.html

He’s also said,

Amy (is it Amy?) made the mistake of using fancy communiss ingredients like goat cheese and looking like a real, working woman and talking too fast. The judges hate her and her fancy-ass French ways.

http://blog.ruhlman.com/ruhlmancom/2007/06/next_fn_star_up.html

I wouldn’t have gone as far as to say that the judges hate her. They seem to give her matter of fact critique, and I attributed that to her generally even keel and mature handling of even the selection committee’s lame comments. I feel as if they will come up with something not especially positive even when a contestant’s performance was flawless. Anyhoo.

Also, I just watched Colombe’s exit interview where she explains why she used jarred cheese in her stadium food challenge. And it still is indefensible. I’m sorry, but how hard is it to melt some effing cheese? Get it started on low heat and let it sit while you do the rest of your prep work; I simply do not see where the complication arises. Furthermore, there is no way in which preparing a fresh salsa magically makes the whole dish fresh and healthy, food to feel good about eating. She lost her crunchy granola yoga earth food badge the minute her eyes fell on the jar of Cheez Wiz in the market.

Of course, I’m rooting for Amy - not just representing San Diego, but all around awesome person (whose kid plays really well with my daughter!)

But this week went pretty predictably, and Ben and I nailed the eliminated folks before the show was half done.

Colombe - not only did she passively sabotage another contestant, but then couldn’t even bring it up in a timely way when he searched and questioned for his stuff? What EVER. The French Toast. “It tasted good to me, but…” HELLO. This is because your regular diet consists of twigs and berries! Which are fresh, if flavourless. Her frenetic camera presentation combined with bad French Toast, cheez-wiz nachos, and generally crappy personality made it clear from the get-go that we’d (finally) get our wish for her to go home!

Adrian - nothing too much to say about him. He has flown pretty much under my radar all along. The bacon mushrooms did look good though.

Salmon - Always makes food that looks good, but his personality doesn’t do it for me. I disagreed with the selection committee about the game food challenge, though. I liked the little persona he assumed. It said “New York Street Vendor” to me, and I felt it worked toward the challenge.

Amy - I always agree with what she makes, but then I like culinary adventures, and I live in San Diego. I *wish* you could get goat cheese quesadillas at sports events. I get why that wasn’t the best choice for that challenge. I also think she handled the feedback with more poise and grace than anyone - she never cracks, always responds responsibly, and takes the critique on to the next challenge. I’m also glad she said what she did to Colombe - she probably guilted her into helping Paul with the challenge she sort of snapped out from under him at the market. *GO AMY*

Tommy - I was sad to see him go, since I thought his meatball looked great (though I would have wanted to eat it with a fork.) Deep down, he wants to be home with his family, and his camera presentation was exceedingly dry. I see why he’s going home, and I can find peace with it.

Paul - I would have preferred he go home, rather than Tommy. He generally responds to things like a poodle. Advised not to “spin out” by the selection committee, he chirps a parting phrase and prances out the door. He did face greater challenges this challenge than other players, mostly due to Colombe, so keeping him despite his poor showing does make sense to me. I suspect he’ll go home next week, though.

Rory - I’m not her biggest fan, but I must say I am a fan of her using her rack to sell her cheesesteaks. And I was a fan of her annoyance at Colombe’s flakiness. She’s becoming more of a character. I just wish she wouldn’t look so hurt every time she gets a little bit of negative feedback.

JAG - meh. Clearly he is his own favorite project. I think he generally does a great job of making himself a multimedia product. Something about him registers as childish and petulant to me - kind of like my little brother was when we would have “contests.” Lots of attitude, but not so much delivering. He is clearly a good cook, and I don’t think he’ll be among the next round of eliminations.

In general with this show, I like people who show personality and calm on camera, who show poise and adulthood as contestants, and who take on interesting dishes in their challenges. This is why I’d be rooting for Amy whether or not I knew her personally. (Though I admit, having a friend on the show makes me feel like I’m executing the strategy myself.)

The show’s shot sequence during the stay/leave scenes is becoming formulaic enough that I can tell 20 seconds before they announce the next contestant, who they’ll be naming.

I’m ready to see Amy start kicking some real butt next week, but I’m comfortable with her simply maintaining a safe position. You don’t have to win all the challenges to be one of the last two finalists.