Lounging with the Lakshmi's

Another brush with greatness! This time the greatness is Padma Lakshmi, the Indian supermodel and actress who has appeared in such varied projects as ABC's 2006 miniseries The Ten Commandments, Glitter with Mariah Carey and even an episode of Star Trek Enterprise. Tim and I of course know her best as host of one of our favorite TV shows, Bravo's Top Chef.


James and Padma. (04/27/2008)

Padma was making an appearance at the 13th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books to promote her cookbook. Our friend Christine was actually working at the festival that weekend (Christine manages the library store operated by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, which had a booth at the festival).

When Christine's husband Tom pointed out that Padma Lakshmi was scheduled for a cooking demonstration and book signing, we were all over it like a bad rash.


Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. (04/27/2008)

I hadn't been to the festival before. I'm not typically much of a reader, at least when it comes to full-length books (give me a magazine, Internet article or blog anytime though). But leave it to Padma to bring me for the first time.

Her book, Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day, is not merely a cookbook. It's really a life-long collection of recipes, travel stories and personal anecdotes that helped form her palate. Looking through it you really get the impression you've been sifting through a shoebox of memories.


Padma was reading from her cookbook 'Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet.' (04/27/2008)

Padma began her session with some audience Q&A, mostly relating to Top Chef. With the help of an audience volunteer, she demonstrated a recipe from the book: Mushroom and Goat Cheese Flautas, which she complemented with a Fresh Mint and Date dipping sauce.

Although we didn't get to taste any of the food Padma prepared, Tom, who was close to the stage getting photos, can attest that the food smelled terrific.


Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi reads from her book. (04/27/2008)

She also read a couple of the short essays in the book, highlighting some of her life lessons. Her readings were just as colorful and vibrant as the book's awesome photography.

I enjoyed her reading of a childhood story about the time she unabashedly stole roses from a neighbor's garden to give to her mom for Mother's Day, especially when she imitated her mom's thick accent. Seriously, it was as funny as when Margaret Cho imitates her mom! :)


Tom and Padma. (04/27/2008)

Afterwards, Tom and I dashed to the autograph line to secure a good spot before the rest of the crowd got there (even then, there were probably 50 people ahead of us). We were glad to see that Padma was posing for pictures, despite the no photography rule that was listed in the schedule.

Tom and I, of course, were prepared nonetheless, cameras in hand. As usual, Tom took a much better picture of me with his camera than he did with mine. But I think Padma looks better next to me than she does next to Tom ... wait a minute, I just realized I don't necessarily like the way that sounds! :)


Where Padma Lakshmi signed James' book. (04/27/2008)

I have the feeling Padma would have personalized her autograph had we asked, but we were careful not to take too much time since we were also posing for photographs.

Plus there was a long line of people behind us, and we didn't want to be like those handful of crazy superfans that show up to book signings and then spend a year with the person before moving on. Believe me, we've seen plenty of those types at signings by Liza Minnelli, Caroline Kennedy and Iron Chef Morimoto.


James and Mrs. Lakshmi. (04/27/2008)

After getting our pictures taken with Padma, we ran into her mother, who was standing nearby. It's now gotten to the point where we not only try to get ourselves photographed with celebrities, but also celebrity mothers!

It was one of those times where Tom and I were glad we were with each other, since neither Christine nor Tim would likely join is in approaching Padma's mom. (But at least we're not like those crazy superfans, right?) :)


Where Padma's Mom signed James' book. (04/27/2008)

Mrs. Lakshmi was nice, but a little surprised in our interest in her. She was even more surprised when we asked her to sign one of the photos that appears inside Padma's book — a little trick I learned back in the 1990s when at a Lorna Luft book signing, I had Lorna's son Jesse (Judy Garland's only grandson) sign his photo page.

But Mrs. Lakshmi was delightful, and happily signed her photo inside. Our encounter with Padma's mom only added one more interesting layer to an already fun-filled day.

Be sure and read Tom's blog post about our day with Padma. Also, thanks Tom for the use of a couple of your photos.

Shel, Lisa, Liele in Southern California

After five straight days at the Disneyland Resort, my cousin Michele, her partner Lisa and their daughter Liele escaped Disneydom and joined us at out house for two nights. Tim and I each took Thursday off work to spend the day with everyone before they head back home to the Bay Area Friday.


We started the day at Disney's Character Outlet Store for more shopping. (04/24/2008)

Despite the five exhausting Disney days, Michele hadn't completely gotten her Disney-themed shopping fix out of her system. So after a great lunch at Ruby's diner in Fullerton, we took her to Disney's Character Outlet Store. Believe it or not, Shel and Lisa got out of there with spending less than $100, which is a historic event (especially for Michele).


Liele and Amy check out the sea lions. (04/24/2008)

Next, we headed to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA where we met up with our gal pal Amy. Tim and I had been there once before for Jon's birthday (click here to read that blog entry), but it was a first for Michele, Lisa and Liele. It was fun being there with Liele, since it makes you see things from a slightly different perspective.


Liele feeds the lorikeets. (04/24/2008)

One of the highlights as always was feeding the lorikeets, brightly-colored arboreal parrots that can be found in Southeastern Asia, Polynesia, and Australia. You can buy these little cups of nectar that the lorikeets simply love. All you have to do is hold it up, and within seconds, you'll have a lorikeet on your arm drinking.


Michele watches Amy feed the lorikeets. (04/24/2008)

And I have to say, Tim once again did really well at the shark exhibit. He even once again actually touched a shark. Yeah, it was only for a second. And yeah, the shark may have only been two feet long. But heck, it's still technically a shark! :)


Tim touches a shark for the 2nd time in his life. (04/24/2008)

Afterward, we went to see a beachside apartment that Amy is considering renting. It belongs to the mother of a friend, and so we brought some wine and snacks to enjoy the sunset. It was beautiful. I have no idea why I didn't take any pictures.


Lisa's interpretation of heaven. (04/24/2008)

Jon also joined us after work, since he knows Michele, Lisa and Liele from our camping trips, like the 2006 San Simeon camping trip. For dinner, the seven of us went to the Rock Bottom Brewery in the heart of downtown Long Beach. I think Lisa enjoyed it the most, since she got to sample a bunch of their microbrews.


Liele enjoys her ice cream. (04/24/2008)

It was a great final day to Michele, Lisa and Liele's Southern California vacation. We had fun and definitely look forward to their next visit when they can actually enjoy our pool and finished landscaping (instead of the landscaping in progress).

Shel's Disneyland Birthday Bash

To celebrate her 40th birthday this year, my cousin Michele decided she wanted to take a family trip to the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland. Not only would it be a great way for her and her partner Lisa to celebrate a milestone birthday, it would also mark the first ever trip to Disneyland for their three-year-old daughter Liele.


Shel looks sassy as ever on her 40th birthday. (04/19/2008)

They left home in the Bay Area at the crack of dawn on Michele's actual birthday. They made it to Disneyland around 1pm, where Tim and I met them, birthday gifts in hand. The gifts, if you can't tell by the pictures, are goofy birthday hats that were intended to be worn the entire day. (Although let me point out that fewer than 30 minutes later, photographic evidence will prove that Michele and Liel weren't wearing their hats.) Oh, the humanity!


Shel, Liele and Lisa in their birthday hats. (04/19/2008)

We were lucky enough to be joined by our gal-pals Amy and Lynne, each of whom are integral players in our famous SoCal/NoCal camping trips. Speaking of which, we need to plan another one soon!


Amy, Tim, Shel, Lynne & Liele at Disneyland. (04/19/2008)

Tim and I were geared up for our routine day at Disneyland. But since we don't have kids, we had forgotten how much slower you move when a young child is involved. No longer can you quickly dodge in and out of pedestrial traffic lanes to get around the slow stroller people, because suddenly you are one of the slow stroller people! :) But considering the day was about spending time with family, and not getting through the park as fast as possible, it was fine.


Liele and Lynne with the Julie Andrews horse. (04/19/2008)

We closed the night with a group dinner at Tortilla Jo's in Downtown Disneyland. And let's just say we were having a good time even before we ordered the two pitchers of Margaritas. And when the waiter accidentally brought out a third pitcher that we didn't order (and then let us keep at no charge), let's just say we staggered out of that restaurant happy.


Happy birthday to Michele. (04/19/2008)

It was a great, memorable way to celebrate Shel's 40th birthday ... a celebration that will continue for the duration of their five-day park-hopper tickets. Oh my!

Just What the Dr. (Seuss) Ordered

I've always loved unique marketing campaigns when they're done well. Take, for example, the US Postal Service R2-D2 mailbox promotion. Or the 7-11 store re-branding for The Simpsons movie. Even the Pepsi Ice Cucumber publicity stunt got me excited. Naturally, when I learned IHOP was offering a special Dr. Seuss breakfast to celebrate the film release of Horton Hears a Who, I was so there!


A tough challenge, but someone has to do it. (04/13/2008)

The Mayor's Breakfast, as it's formally called, consisted of — what else? — green eggs and ham! But unlike the eggs in the book, which literally have green yolks, these are simply your average yellow-yolked eggs that have been scrambled with green spinach. I just happy to have bragging rights that at least I had a vegetable for breakfast. The eggs were accompanied by a slice of ham (normal color) and, for extra measure, some hash browns.


James' Green Eggs, Ham & Hash Browns. (04/13/2008)

The breakfast also comes with a stack of Who-Cakes. These are essentially five pancakes of various sizes, stacked from largest on the bottom to the smallest on top. The Who-Cakes are drizzled with boysenberry and blueberry glaze, sprinkled with rainbow chocolate chips, and pinned together with a pink lollipop that looks very similar to the pink clover in which Horton places the famous speck of dust.


James' Who-Cakes. (04/13/2008)

Yeah, this single breakfast probably has as many calories as I should have in an entire day. But since I've committed this far, I figured why not just go balls deep and also order the Beezlenut Splash to wash it all down. This liquid concoction is made up of lemon-lime soda mixed with cubes of cherry and berry blue Jell-O. It's fun to try and suck everything up with a straw — kind of like a boba drink.


James washes it down with a Beezlenut Splash. (04/13/2008)

As for my review, I thought the main part of the breakfast was simply delightful. My green eggs, ham and hash browns were cooked to perfection. The who-Cakes, however, are another story.


I think James just heard a who! (04/13/2008)

I'm afraid to say I wasn't a fan of the Who-Cakes. The pancakes themselves were fine, but the blueberry and boysenberry glazes (both tasted identical, by the way) didn't really make for a good topping. It didn't saturate like syrup does. The rainbow chocolate chips, too, were overkill. In all honestly, I kind of wished I had got mine with the regular pancakes instead.

Although I didn't finish my plate of Who-Cakes, I was still glad to have had the opportunity to try my own Whoville breakfast.

Barbra: The Way She Could Have Been

Barbra Joan Streisand. I love her. LOVE HER! She's the voice of the century. A Triple Crown winner, having garnered an Oscar, Grammy and an Emmy (a Quadruple Crown winner if you count her honorary Tony Award). In short, Barbra Streisand kicks ass!


James & Sharon Owens as Barbra: Hello Gorgeous! (04/13/2008)

Yet few artists have the ability to annoy me like Barbra. Unlike young Barbra in the early '60s, today's Barbra takes herself way too seriously. She never really relaxes, at least in front of the camera. Watching interviews with her is uncomfortable. (Even watching Ellen interview her was agonizing.) But when I heard acclaimed Barbra-impersonator Sharon Owens was in town, I figured it would be a good opportunity to see Barbra the way she was.


Sharon Owens as Barbra Streisand.

I had seen Sharon Owens do her Barbra tribute on the little-watched Fox reality show called, "Performing As," which ran for seven episodes in 2003. Although the show itself was forgettable, Sharon's performances as Barbra were anything but. She looked, sounded and moved just like the real Barbra. It was incredible.

Flash forward a couple of years and Sharon is now co-headlining a show called Barbra & Frank, The Concert That Never Was, which can be seen at the Riviera in Las Vegas. But for one night only the show came to the Carpenter Center for Performing Arts in Long Beach. Although Sebastian Anzaldo's take on Frank Sinatra was quite good, make no mistake about it, we were there to see Sharon's Barbra.


Sharon Owens looks, sounds and moves just like the real Barbra Streisand.

And she did not disappoint. Her versions of Barbra's hits were superb. But what I found most impressive was how she did something that the real Barbra struggles to do: Have fun while interacting with the audience. You'd never see the real Streisand take a wireless microphone and venture into the audience to sing, jabber and joke around with the crowd.

During the show, I came to the realization that Sharon Owens doesn't really do Barbra the way she was. Nor does she do Barbra the way she is now. Rather, Sharon's version is a combination of both: She looks and sings like the Barbra of today, but retains the fun sense of humor of young Barbra. It's actually Barbra the way she could have been.


Sharon Owens' Barbra tribute is spectacular.

That's not to say that I'm giving up on the real Barbra. Hardly the case. But if you want a Barbra experience that's good, fun and doesn't cost $350 a seat, I highly recommend catching Sharon Owens' tribute to Barbra Streisand.