Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Tuesday Tune In



Kitchen Paramedics: Congealed mayonnaise, bad oysters, mouldy meat - these are just some of the horrors that await celebrated UK chef, Gordon Ramsay, in BBC America's all-new U.S. premiere series, “Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares,” Tuesday, December 7, 2004 at 9:p.m. ET/PT. Every week Gordon attempts to save a different restaurant and spares no-one in his attempt to do so. Already signed up to appear in the US next year with his reality show Hell's Kitchen, BBC AMERICA is bringing viewers their first taste and unique opportunity to witness Gordon's passion for food and infamous lack of patience with sloppy standards in the kitchen.

Multi-award winning chef Gordon Ramsay’s three London restaurants hold Michelin stars, Europe's highest and most coveted restaurant accolade. Famous for his explosive personality, straight-talking and colorful language, Gordon leaves behind his celebrity patrons and attempts to save four struggling UK restaurants. His advice is blunt, the action is swift, and there is no room for compromise. Each week as he takes on a failing restaurant, Gordon's infamous fiery temper is truly tested with lazy chefs, waiters with bad breath and restaurant owners who just don't care.

From Britain's beautiful Lake District to a former Michelin-rated restaurant in Wales, Gordon brings his expertise to kitchens that badly need his help. There's Head Chef Tim who can't make an omelette; the waiter whose breath stinks; the chef who insists on deep-frying everything; a restaurant that reminds Gordon of a morgue - not to mention the rancid scallop that makes him gag. It's no surprise that the dining rooms are empty every night and that the owners are losing money. His legendary standards of excellence, and his methods for achieving them, have made him the most feared but revered chef in Britain today.

Directed and produced by Christine Hall, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares is an Optomen Television production with executive producer Pat Llewellyn (The Naked Chef).


Quotes from Gordon in the series include:

- Referring to duck à l'orange, "It's the culinary equivalent to flared trousers... they don't care about customers and every dining room needs to care about customers otherwise they don't come f**king back!"

- "Hygiene? This kitchen is about as clean as a puppy's litter tray."

- Referring to an undercooked fish-stew and mussels that haven't been washed properly, "...boring, very boring. You've got to move on...create excitement constantly when you're charging these prices....if someone served that in my restaurant, I'd go f***king berserk".

- "The key to a successful restaurant is regular communication between the management and the Head Chef."

- "Gary is a real arrogant little f**ker but at least he can speak. Unlike Stefano that can't even run a f**king bath let alone a f**king kitchen."



Science Fiction Facts: The largest number in the world is around 45 billion. The brain is a wrinkled bag of skin filled with warm water, veins and thought muscles. Germs originated in Germany before rapidly spreading to the rest of the world.

Discover even more scientifically-arousing 'facts' as BBC AMERICA presents a BAFTA-nominated original spoof comedy, Look Around You, premiering Thursdays beginning December 2, 2004 at 10:40 p.m. ET/PT. In a send-up of school science films from the late '70s and early '80s, Look Around You celebrates everything kitsch and cliché about old school science education - complete with synthesized music, soothing acoustic guitar interludes and bushy-haired scientists (Peter Serafinowicz and Robert Popper).

Look Around You comprises eight different 'scientific' modules - math, water, germs, ghosts, sulphur, music, iron and the brain. Series narrator, Nigel Lambert, dispenses outlandishly flawed lessons and surprising information not found in any school textbook...for good reason.

In each module, our friendly scientists conduct a series of experiments and encourage you, the student, to participate and take notes in your copybooks. Among the fascinating lessons, you'll examine the effectiveness of ants as igloo builders, find out how man and ghost can work together and observe how a modern song is composed using a Harrington 1200 computer.

Look Around You became an instant cult comedy favorite in the UK, garnering nominations for both a BAFTA and a British Comedy Award.


Turner Classic Goes Retail: TCM has officially opened In The Picture, a One-of-a-Kind Movie Exhibition and Retail Store Including Rare Items from Casablanca. Turner Classic Movies has opened a new exhibition of classic movie memorabilia, including a retail component, at The Grove shopping center in Los Angeles, the network's first foray into an "experiential marketing" venture in a fixed retail space. The "pop-up" storefront will exist through the end of the year.

In the Picture features classic-movie-themed merchandise for purchase, including products and books that TCM has produced with partners Chronicle Books and Graphique de France, as well as the new game Scene It: The Turner Classic Movies edition. Originally conceived as a showcase for TCM's new book, In the Picture: Production Stills from the TCM Archives, the space will also feature prints from the book, which are available for purchase, and quotes from Robert Osborne's forward.

The exhibition will also include the largest collection of memorabilia from the film Casablanca (1942) ever assembled in one place, including the piano and doors from Rick's Café, as well as costumes and other props from the movie, from the private collection of Dr. Gary Milan. The film's Oscar® for Best Picture will also be on display. Other items in the exhibition include the falcon from The Maltese Falcon (1941) also from Dr. Milan's collection, the robe worn by Katharine Hepburn in Adam's Rib (1949), one of the original scripts from the The Wizard of Oz (1939) and a dress worn by Elizabeth Taylor in Giant (1956). It opens beginning October 4, 2004 and is slated to close its doors December 31, 2004.




Irving Story Now on DVD:
Based on Academy Award®-winning writer John Irving's (The Cider House Rules) No. 1 New York Times best-selling novel A Widow for One Year, The Door in the Floor is a provocative and profoundly sensual contemporary love story which exposes the emotional dangers that lie just beneath the surface of our lives. Starring multiple Oscar® nominee Jeff Bridges (Seabiscuit) and Academy Award®-winning actress Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile), The Door in the Floor is available on DVD and VHS December 14, 2004. The DVD is priced to own at $29.98 SRP; VHS version is $23.98. The pre-order close date for the DVD and VHS is November 9, 2004.

The Door in the Floor DVD Bonus features include:

Frame on the Wall - a behind-the-scenes look into the making of The Door in the Floor.
Novel to Screen - an interview with novelist John Irving about the adaptation of the book for the big screen.
Anatomy of a Scene - a Sundance Channel exclusive, this bonus feature takes an in-depth look at the making of one of the film's critical scenes.
Feature commentary with writer/director Tod Williams, director of photography Terry Stacey, editor Affonso Gonçalves, composer Marcelo Zarvos, and costume designer Eric Daman.

Synopsis: The Door in the Floor exposes the emotional dangers that lie just beneath the surface of our lives. Adapted from Academy Award® winner John Irving's best-selling novel A Widow for One Year, The Door in the Floor chronicles one pivotal summer in the lives of famous children's book author Ted Cole (Jeff Bridges) and his beautiful wife, Marion (Kim Basinger). It is a provocative story about one couple's emotional journey into a world of daring sensuality and stunning honesty.

CAST & FILMMAKERS
Director: Tod Williams
Screenplay: Tod Williams
Based on the Novel by: John Irving
Producers: Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Michael Corrente
Executive Producers: Amy J. Kaufman, Roger Marino
Co producer: Marisa Polvino
Director of Photography: Terry Stacey
Production Designer: Thérèse DePrez
Editor: Affonso Gonçalves
Costume Designer: Eric Daman
Composer: Marcelo Zarvos
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger, Jon Foster, Mimi Rogers, Elle Fanning with Bijou Phillips

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
DVD
Street Date: December 14, 2004
Pre-Order Date: November 9, 2004
Copyright: 2004 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Price: $29.98
Selection Number: 25000
Running Time 1 hour and 51 minutes
Layers: Dual (Single-sided)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: R for strong sexuality and graphic images and language

VHS
Street Date: December 14, 2004
Pre-Order Date: November 9, 2004
Copyright: 2004 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Price: $23.98 SRP
Selection Number: 62603
Running Time: 1 hour and 51 minutes
Rating: R for strong sexuality and graphic images and language



Save those Scissors: www.myopenx.com opens those tenacious plastic packages. Available at Target and Office Depot, online at Amazon, eBay or www.myopenx.com


Peldon Parties: Courtney Peldon’s been in the tabloids and on the red carpet, and will appear in the feature film "Adam and Eve." "Adam and Eve" is a coming of age comedy. Peldon was voted (in 2002) by the film actors guild of NEPA as the young artist that most viewers wish they dated. Info on her latest film, Skin Walker, can be found at http://www.skinwalkerdv.com/.




You CAN Make it in Hollywood: Anthony E. Zuiker, 35, creator of CSI, CSI:Miami and CSI:NY is a rarity in Hollywood. CSI was his first job in Hollywood. Seven years ago, the guy who is now one of the most powerful people working in television, was driving a tram at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas for a living. True!