Thursday, April 5
Hit the Road, Paula
We are fortunate (unfortunate?) enough to be living during a time in which chefs and other food personalities are being able to escape from their steam-filled kitchens and actually garner some deserved notoriety. True, certain prominent names from the past come to mind, but they really didn't achieve the kind of "celebrity" level of interest that many Food Network stars are currently experiencing.
Case in point, Paula Deen Live!
Paula's a rock star, now. I have no doubt she'll sell out all the venues she's slated to appear. And that's great. Good for Paula.
People still seem to have a problem with being both a chef AND an entertainer, which Paula obviously is and pulls off very well. It kind of reminds me of the controversy that arose when MTV first started getting popular. Hall & Oates were on that one panel complaining about how they as musicians now had to be "actors." Madonna replied that any kind of performance-- be it a concert or a Broadway musical-- involves acting.
So, when chefs choose to expand their careers by appearing on television, it's only natural that they need to have a "star quality" if they wish to be successful. History has shown us that simply knowing how to prepare an excellent tasting dish doesn't always mean you'll be able to describe how to prepare an excellent tasting dish, all the while keeping an active audience engaged and interested. Just look at the awful local news cooking segments.
Where am I even going with this? I just think it's a pretty cool thing that someone like Paula Deen is able to do something like this on such a massive scale. This obviously won't just be a "cooking demonstration" (as I found out when I saw her in South Beach), but a true Paula Deen performance.
[Photos]
And just because she (or Rachael Ray or Tyler Florence or Emeril Lagasse) happens to be more entertaining than the average chef, does that lessen her importance in the world of food and food television?
Nope.
No dates in the D.C. area. Shucks.
What a weird, serious Thursday for me. I need to make a joke or something real quick... ummm... picture Ina and Jeffrey Garten tapdancing together in a big Broadway showstopper.
Now that's an entertaining chef! ;-)
Case in point, Paula Deen Live!
Paula's a rock star, now. I have no doubt she'll sell out all the venues she's slated to appear. And that's great. Good for Paula.
People still seem to have a problem with being both a chef AND an entertainer, which Paula obviously is and pulls off very well. It kind of reminds me of the controversy that arose when MTV first started getting popular. Hall & Oates were on that one panel complaining about how they as musicians now had to be "actors." Madonna replied that any kind of performance-- be it a concert or a Broadway musical-- involves acting.
So, when chefs choose to expand their careers by appearing on television, it's only natural that they need to have a "star quality" if they wish to be successful. History has shown us that simply knowing how to prepare an excellent tasting dish doesn't always mean you'll be able to describe how to prepare an excellent tasting dish, all the while keeping an active audience engaged and interested. Just look at the awful local news cooking segments.
Where am I even going with this? I just think it's a pretty cool thing that someone like Paula Deen is able to do something like this on such a massive scale. This obviously won't just be a "cooking demonstration" (as I found out when I saw her in South Beach), but a true Paula Deen performance.
And just because she (or Rachael Ray or Tyler Florence or Emeril Lagasse) happens to be more entertaining than the average chef, does that lessen her importance in the world of food and food television?
Nope.
No dates in the D.C. area. Shucks.
What a weird, serious Thursday for me. I need to make a joke or something real quick... ummm... picture Ina and Jeffrey Garten tapdancing together in a big Broadway showstopper.
Now that's an entertaining chef! ;-)
Labels: Paula Deen
posted by jacob @ 2:54 PM
3 Comments:
I picture Ina and Jeffrey, back in the day when they were both quite the catches, in elegant Fred and Ginger garb, dancing to a golden standard. But of course it would have to be a "good" Broadway showstopper.
haha... if you ever look on her show, that room behind her looks empty. it's just a big hardwood floor-like hallway.
Sometimes I picture that as her tapdancing studio:-)
I know, I know, the show may sound silly, but I think I'd like to go. I've never seen Paula in person but I think it would be fun. I checked on tix and what's left are really bad seats of course. Anyone know of someone with extra tix for either Charlotte, NC show? I'll take one of their hands!
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home