Lynn Crawford's Pitchin' In chronicles Chef Lynn Crawford’s road trip across North America, describing the people she meets, the land, and of course, the food. She travels from the Bay of Fundy, where some of the finest lobster in the world is caught, to Vancouver Island to haul in trap after trap of the best Dungeness crab available, to Kansas, where a small group of farmers is reviving heritage turkey, to Perth County in Southwestern Ontario, famous for some of the best pork in Canada and home to one of only a handful of farmers who are raising wild boar.
In Lynn Crawford’s Pitchin' In, Crawford shares many of the amazing and simple recipes from her adventures and celebrates the local food heroes she meets along the way. She gives us her best food and cooking tips and recipes for many of her favourite dishes to enjoy with family and friends.
Recipes include Cider-Glazed Pork Chops, Tomato and Goat Cheese Quiche, Honey Butter Roasted Scallops, Mac ''n'' Cheese ''n'' Wild Boar, and Lamb Shepherd’s Pie. And she doesn’t forget wonderful desserts to top off every meal, such as Pecan Blueberry Cobbler and Red Velvet Cupcakes. Lynn and Penguin Books have been kind enough to share two of those recipes in this blog, and Lynn herself was kind enough to pitch in at one of our stores recently, as well:
Tomato and Goat Cheese Quiche
The reason more people don’t make quiche at home is because they’re afraid to make the dough for the crust. It can be daunting, but you need fear no more. Frozen puff pastry from the store is a delicious product that can cut down on your prep time incredibly. Just thaw it the night before and putting this whole dish together will only take a few minutes, giving you more time with your brunch guests and your mimosa!
Serves 4 to 6
1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
2 branches of cherry tomatoes on the vine
2 tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
4 large eggs
½ cup (125 mL) heavy cream
2 tbsp (30 mL) oregano leaves
8 oz (250 g) soft goat cheese
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry large enough to line the bottom and sides of an 11 x 5-inch (28 x 12 cm) tart pan with removable bottom or an 11-inch (28 cm) quiche dish. Gently press the pastry into the pan and trim the edges. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Chill for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake the tart shell for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, return the tart shell to the oven, and bake until the pastry is golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Set aside.
Increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C). On a small baking sheet, drizzle the tomatoes on the vine with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Roast until the tomatoes are slightly blistered, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven let cool to room temperature while you make the custard.
Whisk together the eggs, cream, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Break the goat cheese into pieces and scatter over the tart shell. Carefully remove the tomatoes from the stems and lay the tomatoes in the tart shell. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and tomatoes.
Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C). Bake the quiche until the filling is set and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes. Trim the edges if desired, remove the quiche from the pan, and cut into portions.
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Red Velvet Cupcakes
Everyone seems to enjoy red velvet cupcakes covered with lovely swirls of cream cheese frosting. Hands down, these are my favourite cupcake on the planet. I could seriously eat one of these a day and never get tired of them.
Makes 12 cupcakes
For the Red Velvet Cupcakes
1¼ cups (275 mL) sifted cake-and-pastry flour
2 tbsp (50 mL) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¼ tsp (1 mL) baking powder
½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
½ cup (125 mL) buttermilk
1 tbsp (15 mL) red food colouring
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
½ tsp (2 mL) distilled white vinegar
¾ cup (200 mL) sugar
¼ cup (60 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
2 cups (500 mL) fresh berries for garnish
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pkg (8 oz/250 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
½ tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract
½ cup (125 mL) icing sugar
²⁄³ cup (150 mL) heavy cream
To make the cupcakes, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift the sifted flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, food colouring, vanilla, and vinegar. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the sugar with the butter until well blended. Add the egg and beat together. Add the dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with the buttermilk mixture in 3 additions.
Fill muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once halfway through, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and icing sugar and beat until smooth. Using a whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe.
Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a large star tip.
Garnish with fresh berries.
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Thanks to Lynn (and Penguin Books Canada) both for pitchin’ in and for Pitchin' In. Indigo wishes them best of luck with this book.
For great videos, author appearances, giveaways and more follow @indigogreenroom on Twitter.
Proving that there’s always money in the banana stand, Arrested Development is coming back to TV! And the news doesn’t end there, creator Mitch Hurwitz has finally confirmed over the weekend that a full-length Arrested Development movie is also in the works with the entire cast signed on to reprise their roles, so hop in your stair car and get ready to catch the Bluth family on the big and small screens.
An often absurd but always hilarious ensemble comedy starring Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, David Cross, Michael Cera, Portia de Rossi, Will Arnett and many more became a cult favourite and critical darling after three seasons on FOX before being cancelled in 2006, and has since gone on to be a DVD bestseller. On Sunday at the New Yorker Festival, during a Bluth Family Reunion panel including the cast, Hurwitz and executive producer/narrator Ron Howard, it was finally confirmed after months of rumours that a movie is in the works. The added bonus is that there will also be nine to 10 episodes filmed in order to catch viewers up to what the Bluth family has been up to for the past five years. Hurwitz was quoted as saying that each episode will focus on one individual family member. With such a large family of main characters, using the movie to catch viewers up to speed would take almost half of a film’s running time, and this way, everyone will be ready to jump straight into the film’s storyline. Hurwitz promises that the family reunion with all the characters will take place in the film’s opening sequences.
Thoughts are that the filming will begin next summer to be ready for an early 2013 release on TV and in theatres, leaving you plenty of time to practice your chicken dance.
Susan Orlean spent10 years researching her new work, Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend – and it shows on every page. The book’s title doesn’t tell the whole story, as this isn’t just a biography of a dog – it’s about animals and humans in WWI, the early days of Hollywood, and the personalities who turned this animal into the first movie star, and a true icon. At its core, Rin Tin Tin is a poignant exploration of the enduring bond between humans and animals. It is also a richly textured history of twentieth-century entertainment and entrepreneurship. It spans ninety years and explores everything from the shift in status of dogs from working farmhands to beloved family members, from the birth of obedience training to the evolution of dog breeding, from the rise of Hollywood to the past and present of dogs in war. Filled with humor and heart and moments that will move you to tears, Susan Orlean's first original book since The Orchid Thief is an irresistible blend of history, human interest, and masterful storytelling-a dazzling celebration of a great American dog by one of our most gifted writers.
We asked Susan Orlean about her new work, and she was good enough to answer:
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Indigo Blog: Your subjects are not well known personalities – are you attracted to obsession, or do you have a feeling regarding telling stories about lesser known experiences?
Susan Orlean: Both! I’m really drawn to people who define themselves so specifically and who devote themselves with passion to something; I also think, as a writer, I have the opportunity to draw readers to new and less well-known subjects, and I see great value in doing that.
IB: You once said, “Being a writer requires an awkward balance of utter confidence and abject insecurity. Both necessary, neither sufficient." Do you still feel this way?
SO: I do – a writer has to have the absolute belief that he or she should be listened to, coupled with the need to be heard. Just one or the other would be a handicap; together it seems to end up being a productive combination.
IB: You've owned dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, turkeys and even a rumour of mules. What's the appeal? Is there a career change in your future?
SO: I wish I could announce that I was opening a petting zoo, but I still have too many stories to write… Animals are as close as we’ll ever get to interacting with creatures from another galaxy. They’re mysterious and impenetrable, funny and fun to look at, and seem to have souls. They are utterly unlike us and yet we can engage with them. That’s just irresistible to me.
IB: Rin Tin Tin, was close to 10 years in the making. It has several narrative threads and stories that overlap: Rin Tin Tin, the German Shepherd breed, Lee Duncan, Bert Leonard, Hollywood, Warner brothers, domestic pets. Reading it, one can't help but wonder how much material did you cut or leave out? Did the book's narrative change/evolve dramatically during the 10 years?
SO: The book changed dramatically throughout. I learned about part of the story, thought I understood the entire narrative, and then peeked forward a few years and realized the story continued and changed shape again. I spent at least two years after I thought I was entirely done working through Bert Leonard’s papers, which I found at the very last minute. I did leave out a lot of fascinating side tracks, just because I felt I had to keep the central narrative moving along, but it was hard to do; there was just so much interesting material out there.
IB: Rin TIn Tin's death in 1932 came after he and his owner, Lee, fell on some hard times. Yet there was an outcry at his passing - an entire nation in mourning (death notices in theatre windows, hour-long radio specials, extensive newspaper coverage). Why do you think his death struck such a chord, especially so long after his popularity had peaked? And how do you account for the myths that grew around his death?
SO: Even as his star was fading Rin Tin Tin remained enormously popular, both as an actor and as a symbolic figure. People loved him and saw in him some image of bravery and loyalty and intelligence that moved them deeply. He seemed timeless – much more than a human actor could have. He never seemed to age, so his death was a shock, even though he was an old dog at the time.
IB: One of the more interesting details of your book highlights a question of perception. As you point out and tell stories of the original Rin Tin Tin and the subsequent standins, do you think audiences noticed the difference, or just not care? Is this just another form of Hollywood suspension of disbelief?
SO: People look at movies through a bit of magic dust: you have to suspend your disbelief in order to engage with a movie. I think people didn’t notice any difference in the dogs and more importantly didn’t want to notice any difference. They wanted the satisfaction of enjoying a heroic character. I think modern audiences are more critical, more demanding, more sceptical. Someone would certainly blog about a dog actor who looked like he had been replaced by a stand-in. But throughout most of Rinty’s career, audiences wanted to believe.
IB: Besides Lee’s daughter, who was most sympathetic character for you?
SO: I felt great affection for Bert. I have a feeling I would have really liked him, and his pride and ultimate ruin broke my heart.
IB: The lockers full of Rin Tin Tin memorabilia – how did you feel when you found Bert’s, and can you compare that to the treasure trove of RTT material found of Lee’s, on Ebay – did it ever sell?
SO: Finding that storage locker took my breath away: I simply couldn’t believe what I had stumbled upon. I was so overwhelmed at first that I simply had to close the door, lock up, and leave, and think through how I was going to deal with this windfall. The material on Ebay was eventually sold privately to a German shepherd fan in Oklahoma, and she subsequently donated it to the Riverside Museum.
IB: One of the more striking facts in your work is the portion regarding ordinary Americans donating their dogs to the war effort. Clearly, the dog has evolved from animal kept at arm’s length to a virtual member of the family. This highlights a serious change in attitude; I’m certain that far fewer Americans would donate their dog to a war effort today. How do you account for the change?
SO: WWII had broad, deep, unilateral support, and people donated and volunteered every way they could. I think that people would do the same if there were war with that same broad support. But I also wonder if we’re just more selfish now – and if our relationship to our dogs is so much more intense now that we would refuse to part with our pets, even if we supported the war.
IB: You've posted some very entertaining tweets. What's your opinion on our relationship with Twitter, Google+, foursquare and new media? Are we having more conversations or is it just more chatter?
SO: Social media is the global water cooler, around which we gather at regular intervals to show off, joke, argue, offer unsolicited advice and opinions, ask questions, and talk nonsense. That kind of interaction is essential to human civilization, whether it takes place in a town square or a local café or in the hall in an office. Twitter and Google+ and the like provide the exact same sort of unplanned, unstudied, informal interaction, plus you can post pictures of cats playing the piano. What’s not to like?
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Thanks to our friends at Simon & Schuster for facilitating this Q&A, & special thanks to Susan Orlean herself for participating. We wish them well with Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend.
Ladies get their turn at laugh-out-loud raunchy comedy in the uproarious Bridesmaids, out on DVD and DVD/Blu-ray combo pack today.
A film about friendships, Bridesmaids centres around Annie (Kristen Wiig) a late-thirty something whose recently-engaged best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) has asked her to be her maid of honour at her upcoming wedding. At the engagement party, Annie meets the rag-tag group of bridesmaids including the cynical cousin Rita (Wendi Mclendon-Covey), the crude sister-in-law Megan (Melissa McCarthy), the vain but beautiful Helen (Rose Byrne). Annie and Rose begin a battle of one-upmanship that continues throughout the course of the movie with the gags and jokes escalating in terms of humour as the film progresses. There’s lots of added humour along the way including an endearing subplot about Annie’s dating life as she chooses between the loveably goofy police office Nathan (Chris O’Dowd) and the attractive womanizer Ted (Jon Hamm).
Ultimately, the ladies are the main attraction of the film as are the bonds of friendship that evolve as time goes by. Kristen Wiig is great in her first starring role as Annie who is an incredibly likeable and realistic character. Goofy and fun, Annie is the sort of person you want to be friends with, as is Maya Rudolph’s character Lillian. Their real-life friendship that began while the actresses spent time together on Saturday Night Live is apparent on-screen. Rose Byrne is an utter delight as the uptight Helen, and it is refreshing to see her in an expanded comedy role after her knock-out performance in Get Him to the Greek. The actress is more recognized for appearing in dramas like TV’s Damages, and the movies Insidious and X-Men: First Class.
It’s hard to single out a star performer in the film since the entire ensemble cast brings their “A” game, but the scene-stealer of the film has to be Melissa McCarthy. The recent Emmy Winner for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in the sitcom Mike & Molly, elicits huge laughs every time she is on screen.
A laugh-out-loud comedy, Bridesmaids is the perfect film for a girls’ night in, but it’s also one that men will enjoy since it rarely dips into sappy rom-com territory. The film has enough of producer Judd Apatow’s signature humour a la Knocked Up that there’s something funny for everyone .
Also new to DVD & Blu-ray this week:
Dumbo 70th Anniversary Edition
Good Neighbours (read all about it in a previous blog post)
Join me in part 1 of the Movies & TV blog’s Fall Preview where I’ll take a look at the must-have TV on DVD coming soon. All titles can be found here for pre-order.
July 12
Entourage Season 7: Cameos abound in the second-to-last season of Entourage.
E.R. Season 15: The final season of the beloved show is finally released on DVD. Watch for returning favourites from season 1 including the doctors played by George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Noah Wylie and Eriq La Salle.
July 19
Melrose Place Season 6: It’s a blast from the past with summer’s guiltiest pleasure. Travel all the way back to the 1997-1998 season and see what the gang gets up to.
July 26
Supernatural: The Anime Series: Take a hit TV show and animate it! Seasons 1 and 2 are re-told in the Japanese anime-style drawn by famed animation house Madhouse. Jared Padalecki voices Sam in the anime series.
August 2
Eastbound & Down Season 2: It’s time for some laughs south of the border as washed-up major league player Kenny Powers finds himself on a Mexican baseball team.
Children’s Hospital Seasons 1 & 2: It began as a web-based series created by Rob Corddry and became a bona fide hit in its mockery of medical dramas like E.R., St. Elsewhere, House, and Grey’s Anatomy, just to name a few of the hit medical dramas that are lampooned on the show. In addition to the cast—which includes Megan Mullaly, Henry Winkler & Mailn Akerman—look for Jon Hamm, Ed Helms, and Kurtwood Smith, who all don hospital scrubs and get in on the laughs.
United States of Tara Season 3: The final season of the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning TV series starring Toni Collette takes its final bow on DVD.
August 16
Dexter Season 5: Everyone’s favourite sociopath is back on DVD in season 5. Haven’t seen the show? Now’s the perfect time to discover your new obsession—all 5 seasons are available in one box set, with just enough time to catch up on what you’ve missed before season 6 premieres on TV this Fall.
August 23
The Event: It only lasted one season, but The Event was hotly debated around the water cooler. The DVD includes behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentaries, and a new look at Dempsey’s back story.
Gossip Girl Season 4: OMG, GG S4 is almost here on DVD! XOXO
NCIS Season 8: Terrorism, internal affairs, and the Port-to-Port killer. NCIS’ best season? You be the judge of that when season 8 is released August 23.
August 30
House Season 7: Thanks to House, I now know the symptoms of sarcoidosis. In this season, House and Cuddy try to make their relationship work, and of course, we get more sick people and more diagnoses from the medical team.
Sons of Anarchy Season 3: The drama series about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle gang is released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 30th. Katy Segal took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role as the family matriarch.
Vampire Diaries Season 2: Season 2 of the hit series based on the bestselling books picks up immediately where season 1 left off. Look out for more supernatural happenings in the town of Mystic Falls this season.
90210 Season 3: The kids who call the famous California zip code home are living it up during their last year of high school. More drama ensues as the gang gets ready to take on college in the upcoming season 4.
Parenthood Season 2: Funny, engaging, and engrossing dramas are hard to come by. Parenthood is a must-see and season 2 only improves on the groundwork laid in season 1.
September 6
Chuck Season 4: The average-computer-whiz-next-door is back with more action-comedy.
Parks & Recreation Season 3: The Pawnee harvest festival makes its debut, along with a few romances and political scandals thrown in the comedic mix.
Fringe Season 3: One of the best science fiction shows on TV, season 3 of Fringe is available on DVD & Blu-ray September 6. If you’re quick, you can catch up on everything you might have missed before season 4 begins on September 23rd.
September 13
Grey’s Anatomy Season 7: The hospital staff tries to cope with the attack on the hospital in the previous season. This season features a musical episode which gives the entire cast, including former Broadway star Sara Ramirez, a chance to show off their pipes.
Private Practice Season 4: So many characters, so much drama…so many things to love about season 4 of Private Practice.
Big Bang Theory Season 4: See if you can spot Kaley Cucoco’s (Penny's) body double that was used when the actress was recovering from a broken leg.
The Good Wife Season 2: The Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series is out on DVD September 13th.
Community Season 2: Community college never looked so fun with this cast of misfits.
September 20
Castle Season 3: Season 3 of the much-loved TV series debuts on DVD on September 20th.
The Mentalist Season 3: Patrick Jane continues to help solve crimes with his finely-honed skills.
Mike & Molly Season 1: The new comedy series follows the lives of unlikely pair Mike & Molly, who met at the Overeaters Anonymous meeting. Star Melissa McCarthy appeared in spring’s blockbuster hit Bridesmaids as a scene-stealing bridesmaid Megan.
How to Make it In America Season 1: Perhaps the best show you’ve never seen, the HBO series How to Make it In America follows a group of twenty-somethings as they live out their American dream of trying to make it in the fashion world.
Some of your favourite shows are inspired from novels: Dexter, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, just to name a few. Check out the list of TV shows based on books and discover a world of characters beyond your TV screen.
Dads come in all shapes and sizes- literally. Our father figures wear many hats, from skilled BBQ grill master and lawn mower extraordinaire to tech geek who can hook up an HDTV with his eyes closed to the consummate sports fan who regularly shows off his team’s colours. TV has long been home to a variety of father figures, both good and bad—those you wish you could call dad and those you’re glad aren’t related to you. Whether your dad is a home improvement aficionado like Tim Taylor or a grumpy old man like Frank Barone, here’s a list of top TV dads that have made us laugh and cry over the years thanks to the fatherly wisdom they’ve imparted to their TV families.
Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, Home Improvement
Local TV celebrity handyman, Tim balances his wacky construction projects like The Man’s Bathroom with encouraging his three sons to be the best they can be.
Fatherly Advice: “More power!”
Frank Barone, Everybody Loves Raymond
He’s the reason everybody loves Raymond. A Grumpy Gus with conservative values, Frank was a war veteran and makes his opinions known. He may not be an ideal father figure but everybody has a Frank Barone in their life.
Fatherly Advice: “You want to know the meaning of life? You're born, you go to school, you go to work, you die.”
Ward Clever, Leave it to Beaver
The archetypical suburban TV dad of the Baby Boomer generation, Ward Cleaver wore nice suits, had a gentle sense of humour, enjoyed relaxing with his wife, whom he slept next to in a twin bed. At the end of each episode he would impart a moral lesson on one or both of his sons.
Fatherly Advice: “When you're young, there are some things you have to learn. How to catch a baseball. And good table manners don't come too easily. But when you're a boy, losing things is one of the few lessons you don't have to learn.”
Homer Simpson, The Simpsons
An oafish buffoon, Homer Simpson may not be the sharpest tool in the shed and he may not always get along with Bart, but when his family needs him he’s always there to fend off Sideshow Bob or surprise the family with a dog for Christmas.
Fatherly Advice: “Son, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, ‘Never try.’”
Cliff Huxtable, The Cosby Show
Father of five children, Dr. Cliff Huxtable valued family and education above all else. There was a moral or lesson learned in each episode—sometimes Cliff was the teacher and sometimes he found himself taking on the role of student. Plus he had an awesome collection of sweaters.
Fatherly Advice: “Now I'm telling you, you are going to try as hard as you can. And you're going to do it because I said so. I am your father. I brought you into this world, and I'll take you out!”
Charles “Pa” Ingalls, Little House on the Prairie
Farmer and patriarch of the family, Charles Ingalls imbued the key themes of love, family values, faith and friendship to his four daughters and three adopted children.
Fatherly Advice: “Everybody wants to know that they are loved, or needed, or cared about. Anybody who doesn't want to know that has something wrong with them.”
Danny Tanner, Full House
It’s not easy being a widow juggling three young daughters, a brother-in-law and your goofy best friend all while being a co-host of the hit morning TV show "Wake Up San Francisco," but Danny Tanner did it was a smile and many, many, many hugs.
Fatherly advice: “I am stoked! Whatever that means.”
Mitchell Pritchett, Modern Family
An overprotective and cautious new dad of adopted daughter Lily, Mitchell Pritchett is the mild-mannered counterpart to his flamboyant partner Cameron. Despite his intense fear of birds, Mitchell takes pride in raising his young daughter.
Fatherly Advice: “People can surprise you. You get so used to thinking of them one way, stuck in their roles. They are what they are. Then they do something that shows you there's all this depth and dimension that you never knew existed.”
Mike Brady, The Brady Bunch
Here's the story, Of a man named Brady, Who was busy with three boys of his own.
They were four men, Living all together, but they were all alone.
Till the one day when the lady met this fellow, and they knew they was much more than a hunch. That this group, Must somehow form a family. That's the way we all became the Brady Bunch.
Fatherly Advice: “As a wise man once said, "Wherever you go, there you are."
Tony Micelli, Who’s the Boss
Being a dad means making tough decisions: a former baseball player, Tony Micelli made the decision to move out of Brooklyn in search of a better environment to raise his young daughter Samantha.
Fatherly Advice: “There are some things that are no good for you, like Crunchy Crawlers.”
But before we bid adieu to the ultimate media maven, influencer and gift-giver, we reminisce and get a little misty over some touchstone moments.
1. The little red wagon. In 1988 a newly svelte Calvin-Klein-clad Oprah dragged out a little toy wagon with 67 lbs of fat (reflecting the amount of weight she had lost) . The visual effect was shocking, but so was the message. Weight, body image, the sliding balance between the two—these would be two Oprah's infamous bête noires. Ours too.
2. Oprah vs. Texas Beef Industry. A 1996 episode on mad cow disease spiralled into a massive lawsuit. Her personal comment (vowing never to eat another burger) had the power to slam beef (futures) prices, claimed Texas cattleman. It's not the first or last time her show has been a topical lightning rod for controversy and debate.
3. Cars. 276 of them to be precise—all given to audience members in her 2004 new season. Not toy cars that come in cereal boxes but real vehicles! Adults and children abandon Santa and start addressing all wishlists with Dear Oprah. This sets a new benchmark for over-the-top the generosity.
4. Poop. We all do it but how many of us really understand how important it is? Venturing into TMI territory, Oprah and Dr. Oz take us on a gut-wrenching mission. Literally. Our hardworking and unglam bowels finally get their spotlight and the letter "s" will never be the same.
5. Tom Cruise + couch = must-see 2005 TV. Whether it's Tom Cruise wearing his heart (and endorphins) on his sleeve or Tracy Goldman's painful battle with anorexia or Shania's first post-break up interview. If there's a celeb scoop or confessional to be had, Oprah's got it.
6. Oprah + Gayle. We love those RV + buddy roadtrips across America. Laugh-out-loud moment: BFF squabble. Gayle refuses to leave the car before she can sing along to the "best part" of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On. For real. Even when you have a gazillion dollars, your best friend can still drive you crazy.
7. World, Nate Berkus. Nate, the world. We love Nate and we love Oprah for introducing us to him. He totally gets us. "Create a space that's representative of you. It really honors yourself to surround yourself with things that tell the story of your life. Who you are, where you've been, where you aspire to go, what your family's all about, what your values are."
8. Oprah became our entree and go-to for almost every life crisis. She anointed medical experts (Dr. Oz), relationship gurus (Dr. Phil, Laura Berman), diet and health specialists (Bob Greene, Andrew Weil) and cooking dynamos (Rachel Ray).
9. Bookclub picks. Author interviews. Reading lists. The world of books and readers everywhere are indebted to her support and spotlight on arts and letters.
10. Hermes and Oprah. What happens when you snub one of the most powerful and influential women in the world? She pulls a Pretty Woman and announces it to the world, including your CEO. Hermes immediately apologizes. Score one for Plain Janes and everyday courtesy.
It’s that sad time of year again…you know, the end of May when all your favourite TV shows sign off for the summer season, leaving us with countless reruns, reality TV competitions, and game shows. This week saw a number of high-profile shows sign off for the season: Criminal Minds, House, Chicago Code, The Event (did you even know that was still on??), Cougar Town, Modern Family, and the reality TV juggernauts American Idol, Celebrity Apprentice, and Dancing with the Stars. Perhaps the most anticipated season finale this week was Glee, which saw the cast head to New York City for the Glee Club Nationals.
Full of the usual song and dance sequences, the Glee finale did what the show does best: mixed songs from musicals, contemporary pop radio, and originals. Plus they mixed musicals and pop music to come up with an original mash-up like the I Love New York/New York New York number, which expertly blended Madonna with the musical On the Town.
So how can a Gleek get his or her Finn-fix or nugget of Brittany wisdom over the summer? Look no further than our Glee Shop, where you can get CDs chock-full of sing-a-long hits, like the latest release, Glee: The Music Volume 6. Stuck indoors on a rainy day or cooling off from the sweltering August heat? There are Glee Wii games, board games, and books to keep you occupied. Just in it for the musical numbers? Check out Glee: Encore on DVD & Blu-ray, and watch musical performance highlights from season one back-to-back. Or of course, you could just cross your fingers and hope you’re the lucky winner of our amazing Glee contest! Enter for your chance to win tickets for two to see Glee: Live in Concert in Toronto, plus hotel accommodations and airfare for 2, and spending money! Plus, if that’s not enough, we’ll also throw in a complete Glee musical catalogue! Visit the Glee Shop to enter for your chance to win before the contest closes on May 31st.
...and before you know it, season 2 will be on DVD and Blu-ray, and season 3 is just around the corner.
Some times people forget that Doctor Who is a children’s show (I think they get the same look on their faces as when you tell them that The Book Thief is in the Teen section). The 11th Doctor, however, strikes me as an obvious teenager despite his more than 900 years of living. Therefore, it’s a given that if you love Doctor Who—particularly this Doctor—you’d love teen fiction, and if you love teen fiction, then you’d love Doctor Who.
Anyway, “The Doctor’s Wife.” Spoilers. A lot of them. If you haven’t seen the episode and would like to, I believe it is currently streaming on Space.
I loved the episode. It was…how did I tweet it? I think “splendid & terrifying & sad & brilliant.” There are so many elements that are wonderful on their own: Uncle and Aunty. A junk heap at the bottom of the universe’s plughole. A TARDIS graveyard. Amy’s deepest fears laid out in the corridors and a mad bitey lady locked in a cage.
The episode did what the show does best: makes us laugh, makes us tense, and allows us to believe that nothing is impossible for this mad man in a box.
There’s something innately creepy about House. Your dwelling should be a safe place, a sanctuary, and having it turn against you or “fix you when you’re broken” is viciously clever—disturbing in the best possible way. It’s the kind of concept that lingers and haunts long after you’re finished watching.
But it was Idris who captured and held my attention.
Remember that crush who didn’t seem to know you were alive, but you’d keep devising schemes to create situations where you could meet them and say hi because obviously they’d fall madly in love with you? Who hasn’t had that experience of “notice me, oh please notice me, I love you so much and you haven’t even asked my name and I’ve been waiting (what feels like) 700 years for you to ask.” But I wouldn’t recommend the scheme employed by this episode, as it’s very dangerous and rather complicated and you have to die at the end (although most of you aren’t TARDIS matrixes so that simplifies matters a lot).
Perhaps it’s better explained this way: How many of you have attended author events recently? Remember the thrill of getting to say hello to someone who had created something that you loved so much? Well, then you know exactly how Idris felt.
The other comment I want to touch on belongs to Amy, who remarked how companions come and go but it’s always going to be the Doctor and his TARDIS. This reminded me of the moment in Cassandra Clare’s City of Fallen Angels where Alec realizes that Magnus has loved others before Alec—and will probably outlive Alec to love others after him.
That moment could have been just as sad for Amy, but it wasn’t. Seeing that the Doctor has that constant companion is comforting for her, because she has Rory. It’s not treated as a moment of “one day I’ll have to leave and that is an insurmountable suckage” so much as “one day, I’ll leave, and it’ll suck but you’ll be ok when you continue on.”
I appreciate seeing that emphasis on enjoying the time you have with someone and not getting hung up on how long it’s going to last. Not because you got to do all the things you wanted—but because whatever you had will have mattered.
Thoughts on the episode? Any teen titles that remind you of Doctor Who? Share in the comments or on Twitter.
The image came from the BBC's Official Doctor Who website.
A familiar face, 24-year-old Kate Voegele has appeared on the hit TV shows One Tree Hill as Mia Catalano. Now Kate is back with her second album, Gravity Happens. Last summer, this actress-turned-singer wowed audiences across North America while on tour with Jordin Sparks. This year, Kate brings her singer-songwriter brand of music on the road with Natasha Bedingfield, but not before blurring the lines between reality and fiction when she performs her single “Heart in Chains” on the season finale of One Tree Hill on May 17th, the same day her new album is released.
Kate shared her list of favourite books, including recent bestsellers and literary classics, with Indigo. Read below for Kate’s favourite reads and her thoughts on the books:
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
This book explores the history of philosophy through a story about a little girl, Sophie. I'm fascinated by philosophy, and Gaarder takes what is an extremely vast and often vague subject matter and makes it truly accessible by means of a fun, mysterious story.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
This book made me want to travel the world and find adventure in everyday life. Twain's ability to weave satire and high level humor among a string of serious statements about controversy surrounding the Antebellum period is truly remarkable.
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
I am a total Harry Potter nerd. J.K. Rowling's stories were enjoyable to me as a kid, but the brilliance of her writing became unbelievably evident as I grew up with the series. She has an uncanny ability to make you fall in love with her characters and disappear into their world instantly.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis is my favorite writer of all time. His illustrations, metaphors, and allegories are masterpieces in themselves. This story is such a delight whether you're a child or an adult, and Lewis' ability to make profound philosophical statements through the invention and exploration of whimsical characters and faraway lands is impeccable.
The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten
This was an unexpectedly amazing story and an extremely innovative take on what it means to be a musician. I loved how Wooten illustrated different aspects of playing music in such a unique and eccentric manner.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
A beautiful story about civil rights and social activism and how taking a stand for what is right truly can make all the difference in the world.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This book made me fall in love with the Jazz Age, and with New York and the surrounding area. It's a classic and makes such a profound statement about the dangers of anything in excess and putting one's stock in material things.
A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
This is such an amazing story of family and how a common love for something simple can bridge the stark differences between us. The way Maclean deals with the pain of striving to save somebody from their own self-destruction is haunting and beautiful.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
This is such a beautifully written book about perseverance in the face of difficulty. I think everyone can relate to Francie, the main character, in some way or another. Her persistence despite her young age and less-than-ideal circumstances is timelessly inspiring.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I am a huge sucker for Jane Austen books. This one is just simply a beautiful love story and a stellar portrayal of a clever, intelligent, delightfully feisty and forward-thinking young woman who defies the stereotype of her time. I've always been inspired by Austen's account of Elizabeth Bennet's spirit.
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Check out the video of Kate performing her song "Angel" off of her last album, A Fine Mess:
