I have a confession to make. I hate politics. That’s why I write about it, because I enjoy making fun of it. And one of the reasons I write for Big Hollywood is I am sick of other people’s politics being jammed down my throat through alleged “entertainment.”

So for many years I found escape on TV in the Food Network, because aside from the fact I like food and cooking, I loved that it was a politics-free zone. There was no angry Bush bashing, no digs at Cheney and Rumsfeld. No moral equivalency. No screaming about the 2000 election. It was all about the joy of food and cooking and how it brings people together.

In a world so divided, it was a reminder that we can all get along if we can find some common ground.

I’m sure the chefs and personalities on the network have their political views. The fact that so many of them are based in New York would suggest most lean Democrat. But the beauty of that network is never, ever does anyone let on where their politics lie. We don’t need to know who they voted for because that has nothing to do with food. It’s not relevant. And that made it a refreshing place to be. (more…)

I don’t recall liking much of Nora Ephron’s work other than “When Harry Met Sally.” In fact, if I knew she made “Julie and Julia,” I probably would have avoided it, since “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail” just kind of mash together in my mind. But “Julie and Julia” is more than good: it’s brilliant cinema.

The first thing that grabbed me was the character work. The hero, Julia Powell (her real life blog is here) is a foodie blogger played by Amy Adams. I’m used to watching Amy Adams over my kid’s shoulder in “Enchanted,” which plays in our house on continual loop. I didn’t know Amy knew how to turn down the volume and play a “plain-Jane, yet interesting”… but she’s awesome. This isn’t her usual glowing, perky role where she turns it on like a fire-hose. And she doesn’t turn invisible like when she played a piece of cardboard in “Doubt.” (more…)

Hot house tomato growers have discovered that enriching their crops with high levels of Carbon Dioxide (C02) produce bigger sturdier plants and higher yields of fruit with increased levels of Calcium, which translates into more money in the grower’s pocket. All of which is good news for farmers as well as for those of us that love salsa.

It is also good news if you love cucumbers, lettuce or just like to look at flowers. C02 is a natural fertilizer for plants, which allows them to grow faster, larger, produce greater yields and to live in drier climates. Warming of the climate is also good for plants. Warmer temperatures stimulate plant growth and provide longer growing seasons. Perhaps most importantly, more plant life provides more food for animals. All of which benefits human health, prosperity and happiness particularly if you like a little carne-asada with your salsa.

In addition to an abundance of food, there are other economic and societal benefits to “global warming.” A 2006 study showed that the “reduction of wintertime mortality would be several times larger than the increase in summertime heat-stress related mortality.” Economist Thomas Gale Moore calculated that “if temperatures were 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer in the U.S., 41,000 fewer people would die each year from respiratory and circulation diseases.” (more…)

Today is the first Monday of Spring, the season that inspires fresh hope, renewed energy, and thoughts of new beginnings.  And so it is appropriate that today a colleague and I have launched Parcbench, a pop-culture and lifestyle brand whose central feature is an online daily magazine at www.parcbench.com.   

Parcbench does not profess to be like most other publications, although we have derived much inspiration from Big Hollywood and its founder, Andrew Breitbart, who has agreed to join our Board of Advisors.  And we believe that we share a common mission.  Specifically, we strive to bring people pop-culture that reflects mainstream America.   (more…)

Yes, I’m a fan of “Top Chef.”  No, I won’t apologize.  Season four—based here in Chicago—was outstanding, transforming Wednesday nights into ‘Padma night’ at my apartment.  Sadly, the recently concluded fifth season left quite a bit to be desired.  After last week’s awful reunion show concluded, my roommate and I tried to identify the reasons why the popular series’ most recent installment was so unsatisfying.  We settled on five major reasons:

 1) The contestants were lame:

This season’s contestants generally fell into two categories: Utterly forgettable (Remember Jill?  Me neither!) and cartoonish caricatures of real people. Precious few competitors combined true cooking proficiency with compelling personality.  Most were one-dimensional: Stefan was an excellent chef who, despite being typecast as the villain, never moved me to the point of unadulterated loathing like Lisa did last year.  Pretty boy Jeff cooked creative and interesting food, but could not have been less interesting.  One got the sense that Jeff could literally burst into flames, and it wouldn’t evoke more than a shrug from him.  Fan favorite Fabio (you born, you be rais-ed, and you die) was extremely charming and funny, but he hardly won any challenges and was frequently on the chopping block. His Italian accent alone punched his ticket to the final four.  Even finalist Carla, who I was rooting for, frequently pushed the bounds of my patience with her food “love” philosophy and her over-the-top reactions to pretty much everything.  (more…)