I know, I know, enough with the reruns, already! Sorry. I wish there was something I could do. That said, "Fake Plastic Snow" is my favorite episode to date and I can’t wait to see it again. This episode has everything that’s great about Ugly Betty, and fake snow. We used real snow in “Derailed,” but this episode is all fake plastic goodness. I read this script for the first time at home with my wife, Anel. I’d felt pretty good about Henry’s long-term prospects after "The Lyin’, the Watch and the Wardrobe," but then we read this:Betty: Actually, it’s just holl—But before she gets the word out, he kisses her. A perfect, romantic-movie kiss. They break apart. She’s speechless.Henry: Wow. You know what, Betty? You’re just the girl I’m looking for.And then this:The bag explodes! Fake plastic snow flies everywhere. The air clears, revealing Henry. (What an entrance!)Followed by this:As he departs, Betty looks at her hands. Snow ...
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Back in February, all of the Food Network stars got together to celebrate a weekend of fine food and fabulous fans. Everyone keeps asking me what I loved most about being able to hang around other Food Network chefs, and the truth is that they are nicer and kinder than you could ever imagine! I know South Beach pretty well (we had filmed about a year ago for the Exotic Foods episode for "Ham on the Street") and I remembered this spectacular Cuban diner called Puerto Sagua that made the best Cuban sandwiches and coffee. It was good home-made Cuban cuisine...fast and cheap. So this year during the Wine and Food Festival I decided to head there with my friends to show them what it was all about. I had this new dish called "Vaca Frita", which literally translates to "Fried Cow". It was pure beef heaven. Pulled beef that had been marinated in garlic, onions, and lemon juice, and then seared to perfection. I couldn't get enough, and neither could my friends.Anyways, the next day was the ...
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Hi, folks!It's an absolute honor to work with TVGuide.com and begin a blog destined to all of you Food Network junkies out there!I'm especially excited about interacting with viewers and answering any questions or even gossip about shows. For example, did you know that I am now dating Paris Hilton? OK, maybe not, but at least now I have the medium in which to start these rumors!Speaking of rumors, the big buzz at FN this week are the Food Network Awards (April 15 at 9 pm/ET). The first time I heard about the awards I wondered things like, "What type of awards are being given out?" and "I want one, too!" Unfortunately, I don't qualify for these awards as they honor the people, places and products that are making a delicious difference in our world today. As I said, I don't qualify.Nevertheless, I will be host on the red carpet and playing around with Emeril Lagasse (the host for the evening) during the ceremony. What you don't know is all of the secret stuff that was said behind the ...
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Hello again! This is Dean Collins from The War at Home. This week's episode is called "A Bitter Pill to Swallow." My character decides to take up fencing to escape the influence of his father. This particular episode was probably my hardest week on the show. Before this episode began production, I received a call from our creator and executive producer, Rob Lotterstein. He told me that he had pitched the idea of my character learning to fence to the Fox network and they thought it was great. He told me the basic story, in which my character develops an interest in fencing. I told him that it sounded like a lot of fun and I would love to do it, but then he mentioned that in order for me to look like a proper fencer, I would have to take a week and a half's worth of fencing lessons. This sounded like a fun experience and I was ready to take on the challenge.Over the weekend, I went to the Warner Bros. Studios to begin my training with my fencing instructor, Anthony De Longis. The firs...
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You really never get used to that feeling of having to see someone get eliminated. On Tuesday we had to say goodbye to Paulina and Alec — two really great people. Not only is Paulina one of the most beautiful women in the world, but she’s also one of the nicest and funniest. Her sense of humor is certainly going to be missed — she was always quick with the wit. And Alec, well I think there are a lot of women in America who were very sad to see him and his hips go!Some of you asked a couple of show questions that I’d like to answer for you. You wanted to know how we get paired up with our celebrity partner. First off, we have absolutely no say in who we get. The producers match us up based on personality and how we look together. It’s pretty simple. I’m sure there are a few other things they consider, but to the best of my knowledge, those are the major factors. That first meeting is as genuine as it looks on camera. We get the call from production tel...
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Hi, it's the Office drunk. No new episodes that I can talk about this week, so I will tell you what the cast has been up to lately. It's been party central — awards shows, movie premieres — amid shooting Season 3. First off, Phyllis and I had fun at the Genesis Awards. We presented the Outstanding Animated Feature Film category. Happy Feet won. My zipper busted on the way, and I had to get sewn into my borrowed Sue Wong dress. Classic! Thank goodness there was an animal lover who knew how to sew! I also wore Erica Courtney Jewelry and Erica was at the event. Love that. It all worked out OK. I have to say that the teleprompter is tricky without rehearsal, but we did OK. She knew more people than I did. I recognized a lot of people there, including Loretta Swit from M*A*S*H. I loved her. There were a ton of fans of The Office so we felt very welcome. At these awards they showed quite a bit of cruelty to animals to make a point. We enjoyed the very, very vegan meal they serve...
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Ugly Betty is a repeat this week, and I can't tell you how tempted I was to just copy and paste last week's blog as this week's blog. In my mind, I could see all the posts congratulating me on my clever joke. Posts like, "Amazing! Get it, guys? Betty's a rerun, so Chris 're-ran' his blog. He is so funny!" with happy faces and LOLs aplenty. Then I thought, "I'm an idiot." And then I started writing.If you haven't already heard, Ugly Betty was picked up for its second season this past week. We, and by we I mean me, America and Ashley (Jensen), heard it from the horse's mouth. And by horse's mouth, I mean Steve McPherson (President of ABC Entertainment), at the post-mini up-front presentation lunch he was hosting at our studio. I've never been to one of these "mini up-fronts" before, but basically, the network rounds up some key advertising buyers and then sits them down and tells them how amazing, innovative, provocative and exciting their new shows are going to be. It's like the "rea...
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How's your golf game? Well, I hope they don't show mine this Sunday on TV! Since South Carolina is home to hundreds of golf courses, and is known for the fantastic golf courses of Myrtle Beach. So we thought we would incorporate that theme into this week's demolition.This family, the Wilsons, lived in a small trailer that was over 40 years old, making it weak and susceptible to the elements. So when the design team (Ty, Tanya, Preston, Paul and myself) got out their golf clubs and started off demolition by hitting the small trailer with golf balls, it actually did work... a little bit. We finished it off by bringing in the big guns, and the trailer was down in an instant. But this is where I learned that my golf game leaves a lot to be desired. If I could just put down the hammer long enough to have time to practice my swing!We were just outside of Myrtle Beach in a town called Longs. It was beautiful but very, very cold. Whereas Myrtle Beach is very populated and quite a tourist sp...
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Let me start by saying this: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry if at any point in my lifetime, through thought, word or deed, I somehow came to think that dancing was just a form of recreation and not a sport, and that those who participated were not athletes. Though the extent of my dance-competition exposure was really limited to Saturday Night Fever and my niece's dance recitals, I never really gave thought to professional dancers as athletes.I do now. When I was invited to be on Dancing with the Stars, I was apprehensive about how my friends and family would respond. Would they think it was goofy? Did they think I could dance? Would they support me? Heck, would they take the time to vote for me, or, as a goof, vote for a competitor? Well, I was floored (no pun intended) by their response: They all knew — and loved — the show. Everyone, from my L.A. friends to my family in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, was so supportive and excited to see me on their ...
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Here we go again! It feels like just yesterday when I was anxiously standing by Emmitt's side waiting to hear our names called and be announced the winners of Season 3 of Dancing with the Stars.It's been such a blur since last season's finale way back in November. I had about a week off, which I spent in Hawaii with my family, and then I immediately started rehearsal for the first-ever Dancing with the Stars tour. Thirty-eight cities in something like 10 weeks — maybe it was more, maybe it was less, I honestly can't remember at this point. We got to see so many places and faces around the country and performing four to five nights a week. We were traveling like rock stars — what a life!Then in mid-February we started training for this current season of DWTS. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to get Ian as a partner. This is the first season of the show that I've actually been familiar with who my partner (Ian Ziering) was and didn't need to use the Internet to figure o...
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