A.J. Ellis and a Special Delivery

Hurricane Sandy has come and gone, but the recovery efforts have just begun.  Sending good thoughts to everyone who have been affected.

For a little levity amid all the hurricane coverage, here is a heartwarming and funny story about Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis.   He was driving to the hospital in Milwaukee after his wife's water broke, but then his wife, Cindy, started screaming in the car that she wasn't going to make it.  Ellis didn't take her seriously, but then she really did give birth to their daughter, Audrey Elizabeth, in the front seat of the car.  I especially love the part when she told him that the baby was a girl.

Hurricane Sandy

We are in the middle of Hurricane Sandy and the television and internet coverage are crazy. Every broadcast channel and a few cable channels are covering this news. I really feel sorry for the reporters and crew who had to report from some of the worst areas. We saw an NBC news van heading toward the Jersey coastline, and hope it got out before it got too bad.

I do have to laugh at the Weather Channel people - you can tell they are aware of the gravity of the situation, but at the same time they are so excited to be the top dogs for once.

Let's hope everyone stay safe.

Mathemusician Vi Hart

New York Magazine's Grub Street blog has a cool video on "mathemusician" Vi Hart manipulate tortillas into mathematical shapes. 

Victoria "Vi" Hart calls herself the "Full-Time Recreational Mathemusician" and has become famous for her mathematical Youtube videos.  She currently works for the Khan Academy, which provides free online video lectures on various subjects. 

Inventor of the California Roll

Meet 62-year-old chef Hidekazu Tojo, who invented the California Roll in Vancouver in the 1970s.  He couldn't find any fish fresh enough for the sushi, and a lot of the Western customers didn't eat raw fish, so he invented the California Roll.  Apparently it was called the California Roll because many of his customers came from Los Angeles.

Iron Man 3 Trailer

The trailer for Iron Man 3 is out, and it looks really good, although not for Tony Star.  There are a lot of destruction and explosions, and Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) definitely looks to be in trouble.  Poor Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) is kidnapped, and Tony's beautiful seaside house is also destroyed. 

Ben Kingsley shows up briefly as the main villain in the movie, the Mandarin.  The Mandarin owns ten Rings of Power that he recovered from a crashed alien spaceship.  He's supposed to be half-Chinese and half-English.  In the trailer he has a chilling voiceover: "“Ladies, children, sheep.  Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher. Lesson No. 1: Heroes. There is no such thing.”

Luxembourg Royal Wedding

Luxembourg, the tiny European nation smaller than Rhode Island, celebrated the wedding of heir apparent Prince Guillaume to Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy this past weekend.  Guillaume was the last bachelor heir apparent in Europe.   Stephanie de Lannoy is a member of Belgian nobility and the daughter of Count Philippe de Lannoy and Countess Alix della Faille de Leverghem.  Sadly, the bride's mother, Counter Alix, passed away this past August after suffering a stroke.  Stephanie studied languages at the University of Lovaina and is fluent in German, French and Russian. 

The couple had stated in an interview that they met about eight years ago in Germany, lost touch for several years, then met again in 2009 and started dating over a year ago.  They announced their engagement this past April.

On Friday they held a civil ceremony at Luxembourg City Hall, and on Saturday a religious service at the Our Lady of Luxembourg Cathedral that was conducted in a mixture of French, German and Luxembourgish.  There was also a moment of silence for the bride's mother.  For the religious ceremony, Stephanie wore a gorgeous lace Elie Saab gown with a 13-feet-long wedding train, an ivory silk tulle veil, and a tiara from the Lannoy family that had been worn by her sister and sisters-in-law at their weddings.

The wedding banquet was attended by 800 people and catered by Bocuse d’Or-winning chef Lea Linster, who is also from Luxembourg.  Her menu included Riesling-marinated pork and veal pate, lobster in gelee consomme, and sea bass in salted crust and thyme stuffing.  The desserts included Madeleine cakes, choux a la creme pastries, and creme brulee.  Many other European royals attended, including the Earl and Countess of Wessex from England, Prince Frederik and his wife Mary from Denmark, Norway's Prince Haakon and his wife Mette-Marit, the Spanish Prince Felipe and his wife Letizia, the Netherland's Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima, and Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel. 

Luxembourg is a founding member of the European Union with a population of just over 500,000.  It has continued to prosper despite the tough economic time in Europe, and is known as a financial center.  It is also home to the world’s largest steel manufacturer, and boasts the second-highest gross domestic product per capita in the world, more than $80,000.  It has three official languages: French, German, and Luxembourgish.  The current Grand Duke of Luxembourg is Guillaume's father, Henri, who is extremely popular.  His wife is Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, who hails from Havana, Cuba.  They got married in February 1981, and together they have five children.

Hello Magazine has extensive coverage of the wedding, including tons of pictures. 

Hugh Jackman Does Gangnam Style

Now this is a great picture - Hugh Jackman the Gangnam Style dance with Psy, complete with Wolverine blades. 

Jackman also posted another picture in his Twitter feed of the two of them laughing together. 

Sarah Silverman's Dad Came to Her Defense

Sarah Silverman has an awesome dad, Donald Silverman.  He came to Sarah's defense after Rabbi Yaakov Rosenblatt penned an open letter in the Jewish Press criticizing her for pursuing a career instead of settling down and having babies.  Donald posted a spirited defense of Sarah in the comments section, which included this comment, written to someone who asked if Sarah needed her father to come to her defense:

Hey asshole: Daughter #1 is a rabbi. Not by your standards. She’s reform. How dare she, a lowly woman think god wants her to be a rabbi, created from a mere rib. Her hubby, three times nominated for a nobel peace prize was listed by the Jerusalem Post as the 49th most influential jew in the world built the worlds largest solar field in israel. By the way, Sarah was also on the list. I missed your name. Oldest granddaughter is serving in the Israel Defense Forces. I’m sure you also served.Oh I forgot the orthodox don’t do that. You don’t f– with my family."

Donald's comments is referring to Sarah's older sister, Susan, who is a rabbi and lives in Jerusalem.  She is married to Jewish leader Yosef Abramowitz, who was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Argo

Mr. Y and I have wanted to see Argo ever since we first heard about it.  It's the movie about a CIA operative, Tony Mendez, who had to get six Americans out of Iran during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis.  The six Americans were hiding out in the home of the Canadian ambassador, but risked discovery at any moment.  The cover story Mendez concocted was that the six Americans were part of a film crew scouting locations for a fake science-fiction movie called Argo.  He set up a fake movie production company with a real Hollywood producer and a real Hollywood makeup artist who had helped him in the past.

The movie was based on a Wired story "How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans From Tehran", which is a fascinating read.  It has all the elements of a ready-made Hollywood movie - suspense, thriller, comedy, drama.  No wonder producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov snapped it up.  Ben Affleck directed the movie, and he also starred in it as Tony Mendez.  The cast included Alan Arkin as Hollywood producer Lester Siegel, John Goodman as Hollywood makeup artist John Chambers, Victor Garber as Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor, and Bryan Cranston as Mendez's CIA supervisor Jack O'Donnell. 

Good American Accents

TV Guide has an interesting photo gallery of current TV actors who are not Americans, but play Americans convincingly. 

I remember the one I was most taken aback by was Ed Westwick from Gossip Girl.  I had no idea he was British until I saw him interviewed on a talk show.  He hid his accent very well. 

Hugh Laurie is not on the list since House has ended, but I think he has one of the best American accents I've ever heard.

Among the movie actors, Christian Bale is the one that constantly surprised people.  When I hear his real voice, I still think that his Welsh accent sounds like the fake one. 

Elementary

Mr. Y and I watched the first two episodes of Elementary, the new Sherlock Holmes show on CBS.  So far we like it, although it's not as interesting as the PBS show with Benedict Cumberbatch.  However, I do believe each show can stand on its own.  As typical of a CBS show, it's much more of a procedural, but because Sherlock comes with a well-known backstory, it feels like we know these characters already. 

Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock is much more twitchy than Benedict's, which fits his revised background as an addict who just got out of rehab.  Lucy Liu's Watson is a former surgeon who is now Sherlock's sober companion.  They have a nice, easy chemistry.  The showrunners already said that they are not looking to make Watson and Sherlock romantic partners, which I think is a good call.  So far I'm buying them as antagonists, and eventually I can see them being friends.  Lucy Liu's understated acting is a nice contrast to Jonny Lee Miller's manic Sherlock. 

I was excited to see Aidan Quinn again, although I couldn't believe how old he looks.  I realize that he can't be forever the guy from Legends of the Fall, but it was still a shock to see him heavyset and with white hair.  Thankfully he still has those eyes. 

Neiman Marcus Fantasy Gifts

Neiman Marcus issues its annual holiday catalog on October 9, and as usual it includes some over-the-top fantasy gifts.  The most expensive is a pair of "his and hers" timepieces for just over $1 million from Van Cleef & Arpels that depict a love story.  One face shows a woman on the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower, gazing toward Notre Dame. The other watch features a man on top of Notre Dame looking toward the Eiffel Tower.  The figures on both watches move, and the faces are surrounded by diamonds. The woman’s watch strap is silk, the men’s strap is alligator.  The watches come with a romantic trip to Paris and Geneva, with a tour the Van Cleef & Arpels watchmaking workshops.

There's also a walk-on role in Broadway’s Annie: The Musical for $30,000, a hen house inspired by France’s Versailles palace for $100,000, a $354,000 red, special edition McLaren 12C Spider sports car, a $250,000 dinner for 10 featuring four famous chefs, a $150,000 wood-paneled trailer designed for tailgating with a sound system and bar stocked with bourbon and rye, a $99,500 water-propelled jetpack, a $90,000 gaming machine, and a $70,000 video portrait of an owl by artist Robert Wilson.

Some of the proceeds from the fantasy gifts will benefit certain charities. 

For the rest of us who can't afford the fantasy gifts, almost 40 percent of the items in the catalog cost less than $250, with the least expensive item being the $10 monogrammed mug.

If I had the money, I would go for the dinner for 10.  I would prefer an experience over a tangible thing.  Plus if I had that watch, I would never wear it for fear of it being stolen.  I would take the trip to Paris and Geneva, though. 

Ohio State Marching Band

As a former band geek, this video of the Ohio State Marching Band doing their halftime show this past weekend in the game against Nebraska was fantastic.  The Best Damn Band in the Land (seriously, that's what they call themselves) did a tribute to classic video games such as Zelda, Pokemon, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., Space Invaders, Pacman, and Halo.

Here's a story of how they pulled it together.  I'm impressed that it only took 14 hours of on-field practice time.  These are definitely elite band members.  In high school we had 14 hours of practice every week, but we definitely couldn't pull off a new show every week.

 

Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller is one of the best haute-cuisine chefs in America, and I've had the pleasure of dining at three of his restaurants: Per Se in New York, Ad Hoc in Napa Valley, and Bouchon Bakery in New York.  I also love his recipe for simple roast chicken.  His most famous restaurant is the French Laundry in Napa Valley, which some consider to be the best restaurant in America, and one of the best in the world. 

Vanity Fair recently published a bunch of iPhone photos taken by Chef Keller.  I'm especially fascinated by the tidbit that all of the Bouchon kitchens are connected by live video feed, and NY Mag mentioned that French Laundry and Per Se are also similarly connected. 

Baggage Tags

My family and I travel a lot, and never really thought about the luggage tags below.  Slate has an interesting article about the airline baggage tags and how they evolve to what they are now.  The article talks about permanent baggage tags, which is seen as the next development in the industry. 

The Princess Bride - 25th Anniversary

I absolutely love the Princess Bride, and it's one of my favorite movies.  This year is the 25th Anniversary of the Princess Bride, and as part of the celebration, director Rob Reiner, screenwriter William Goldman, and cast members Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Carol Kane, and Wallace Shawn gathered at New York's Alice Tully Hall for a special screening and a panel discussion with the lucky fans who got tickets to the New York Film Festival event. 

Entertainment Weekly has a great recap of the event, and ABC News has a fun slideshow comparing the cast now and then. 

Mr. Y, our friends, and I quote the Princess Bride all the time.  My favorite quotes:

- "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

- "As you wish"

- "INCONCEIVABLE"  "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
- "Have fun storming the castle!"

- "You can't hurt me. Westley and I are joined by the bonds of love. And you cannot track that, not with a thousand bloodhounds, and you cannot break it, not with a thousand swords."

- "Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday."

Update on Adam Greenberg

I mentioned Adam Greenberg in a previous blog entry about his quest to get one at-bat in the major leagues after getting hit in the head seven years ago in his first major league plant appearance. 

Now here is the update - Adam Greenberg went up to bat as a pinch hitter at the top of the sixth inning, and struck out on three pitches against Mets pitcher and Cy Young award candidate R.A. Dickey.  He took strike one and swung at the next two pitches.  All three pitches that he faced were knuckleballs, which is a Dickey specialty. 

Even better, Topps is issuing a 2013 baseball card for him. 

The Marlins did end up winning the game, 4-3, denying Dickey his 21st win. 

Alinea and Eleven Madison Park Switch Places

Two of this country's most celebrated restaurants, Alinea in Chicago and Eleven Madison Park in New York, decided to switch places.  Tickets for this venture were sold out very quickly.  First up is Alinea taking over Eleven Madison Park's kitchen for five days, and next month Eleven Madison Park will take over Alinea. 

Here is New York Magazine's account and pictures of the first night of Alinea's takover. 

Cat Deeley Gets Married!

I have major love for Cat Deeley, and now comes news that she has married her boyfriend, Irish actor and comedian Patrick Kielty in Italy this past weekend, with only 60 family and friends in attendance.  The picture isn't great, but she looks beautiful in that dress and with her hair up.  Congratulations, Cat and Patrick!