With the field of terrible cooks whittled down to two last night, the contestants have gotten a lot better. But that doesn't mean they're made of stone! And one cook gives herself the most disgusting nickname of all time.
In the arena of reality cooking competitions, Worst Cooks in America is definitely the most cringeworthy. Because not only are the contestants laughably incompetent, but their incompetence leads to constant emotional breakdowns.
• As if this hasn't already been a crappy week for liberals thanks to the election results in Massachusetts, Air America announced today that it's shutting down effective immediately and filing for bankruptcy protection. [AP, WP]
• More on the conclusion of l'affaire Coco, what's in store for O'Brien (unclear), and…
The hardcore animal byproducts trend reaches its tipping point with pig brains of "'soft, creamy consistency,' almost like a flan, and 'a musty, visceral flavor,'" served by a man in a pirate costume at a Brooklyn dinner party.
• Is NBC shutting down Jay Leno's 10pm show and moving him back to late night? Is Conan O'Brien out of a job? NBC isn't denying that a schedule change has been discussed, but it's not saying much more than that for now. [NYT]
• ABC News is reportedly in negotiations with Ted Koppel to bring him back to the network as…
• The cover of Vanity Fair's February issue will likely turn plenty of heads: It features a barechested Tiger Woods pumping iron. The photo by Annie Leibovitz was taken before the Woods sex scandal unfolded, however. [VF]
• Is New York Post editor Col Allan retiring? That's the rumor, although Allan says it's just…
Jeez, guys- I found this just in the nick of time. Without these instructions from the Food Network's Ted Allen, I would have probably turned a fun gathering into some kind of Wet T-Shirt contest. Phew!
Skilled chefs in Hollywood, some of them gay, some of them foreign. High-end, demanding clients, most of them assholes. When the two worlds collide, it sounds like the recipe for success, right? Maybe!
The finale of The Next Iron Chef was last night. And while Top Chef gets all the recognition, The Next Iron Chef is just as good, if not better.
You know this Guy Fieri guy? He's got a Food Network show/career putting him somewhere between Jesse James and Rachel Ray's flipped chromosomes. At this weekend's New York Food and Wine Festival: called out by David Chang and Anthony Bourdain.
• Comcast is "leaning toward" keeping Jeff Zucker as NBC Universal's CEO if it goes ahead with a deal to buy take control of the company. [Bloomberg]
• The Fine Living Network will be rebranded as the Cooking Channel—and positioned as a Food Network competitor—in the second half of 2010. [AdAge]
• Some laid-off…
• Cooking shows are all the rage right now with the Food Network and Travel Channel both witnessing record ratings. Real estate shows, however, have been bombing. Why? "Food can take away the pain." [Bloomberg]
• A Q&A with Danny Meyer, who says he hopes to regain the star that his Union Square Cafe lost recently just…
In your darkening Wednesday media column: J-school mania explained, the Food Network thrives, media conglomerates put on a happy face, and Adam Rubin gets plenty of sympathy.
• Time Warner sucked wind in the second quarter as profits fell 34%. Newly-independent Time Warner Cable, however, posted a profit. [AP, Reuters]
• McKinsey has set up shop at Condé Nast. What it is the consulting firm's actually doing (or recommending), however, remains a mystery. [NYO]
• Barry Diller's IAC posted a…
• Why did Janice Min leave Us? It was about money, reports WWD, which explains that given the economy, Jann Wenner wasn't prepared to offer her the $2 million a year she's been collecting. Min is denying it. [WWD, NYDN]
• Dan Rather’s $70 million lawsuit against CBS is back on track. [NYT, WSJ]
• McKinsey has been…
• The top restaurant in New York City, according to San Pellegrino's list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants: for 2009: Per Se, naturally. [Serious Eats]
• A look at the Gates, the new venue in the former Biltmore Room space. [GS]
• Be advised: Morton's is now charging $2.50 to add ice to your drink. [IC]
• It's been…
Everyone else is cutting circulation, but Food Network Magazine expects to ride the whole "I can't afford restaurants but would like to still eat" meme to 1.1 million copies, triple the current level.
He's called her a "bobble-head" and a "freakazoid," and has accused her of "peddling crack to kids" with her Dunkin' Donuts commercials, but if Anthony Bourdain's comments about Rachael Ray in the past have caused her any psychic pain, she isn't saying so. In an interview with Nightline airing tonight, Ray tells…
♦ Ten places to feed your midnight cravings, including the usual suspects like Blue Ribbon and the Spotted Pig . [NYO]
♦ Jean-Georges isn't the only restaurateur who landed in hot water for skimming tips: A roundup of the dozen or so big-name venues that have faced similar legal trouble over the past year. [Reuters]
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♦ Does the financial meltdown mean the end of bottle service in New York? [DBTH, Gawker, GNML]
♦ A new study shows that Food Network hosts are pretty lousy at following food safety guidelines; Paula Deen, FYI, is the worst. [Super Chef via Eater]
♦ Death & Co.'s David Kaplan has gone to court to stop his building's…
