Never trust a skinny chef.

Gwyneth Paltrow has been pimping hardcore to promote her new cookbook. Eva Longoria also has a cookbook out and has been working the circuit to try and promote it. A few other celebs have also written cookbooks.

Why on earth would you buy a cookbook written by these ladies? Look at Gwyneth Paltrow’s body. This woman might enjoy eating, but to maintain a body like this you’re not eating super delicious food very often. Eva Longoria has even said that when filming Desperate Housewives she eats “one small fat free yogurt for breakfast, some fruit for lunch, and a small piece of poached salmon with some raw greens for dinner”. These women aren’t making meals that are so good that you go back for more even when you already feel so full you might burst.

You know how some vegans can’t even stand the thought of eating a cookie because of the chicken fetus that is inside of the (the eggs)? I imagine that Gwyn & Eva are the same way when it comes to rich sauces, fatty cuts of meat, and anything with butter. I am also pretty sure that Gwyn’s cookbook is full of ingredients and spices that I can’t find at Safeway, and cooking methods that just aren’t practical “just take a quick stroll down to your butcher and get him to carve you a fresh slab of organic, locally raised lamb, then use your outdoor wood oven to simmer the lamb in a lamb stock spiced with saffron and the spice mix “yukka” that you can get from your local Polynesian deli for 48 hours – it really brings out the flavour!”.

Other celebs who should not have cookbooks: Victoria Beckham – “Take one cherry tomato, add one drop of balsamic vinaigrette and serve” or Britney Spears – just some fast food menus stapled together.

You know who I would by a cook book from? Oprah. I doubt she cooks for herself but I bet she knows good food when it comes her way. And she’d probably admit that these aren’t recipes she cooks, but ones that she eats.

Stacey: There are parts of this that I agree with.  That Brit Brit probably only knows how to cook Mac and Cheese is one of them.  But just because a chef is skinny doesn’t mean they can’t cook.

And, in fact, I think I would rather purchase a book from a skinny chef because then I know their food is at least somewhat healthy for me.  For example…I am not going to buy a cook book from Paula Deen.  Why?  Because she is big and fat (sorry Paula) and I have watched her literally slather an entire stick of butter on a pot roast.  The food she is cooking, isn’t healthy.  Sure it might taste good but it is also clogging my arteries and shaving years off of my life.  No thanks.

I would for sure buy a Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook. Why?  Because she looks amazing.  And I believe she eats this food.  Sure she might be pushing organic (read: expensive) locally grown food…but stuff is good for us.  If I had the money, I would eat like that every day of my life.  I look at Gwyn and I see a healthy person who eats healthy food who works really hard to look the way she does…why are we punishing her for this?

Here is Gwyn in a recent interview:

I think people mistake me trying to be the best version of myself for me telling them you’re not, or they just think well, what does that make me then, you annoying f**king person on the soapbox. But I can’t please everybody, all I can do is focus on the people who seem to appreciate what I do and put into the world. I’ll just do what I’m doing because, especially now, we live in a world now where everybody is able to express their opinion.”

Would I buy Victoria Beckham’s cook book?  No.  Because I would know for sure she isn’t eating what is in there.  With Gwyn, I think she actually does.  And she is healthy.  That seems like a good combo to me.

Tanya: I do agree with you that at least Gwyn’s probably healthy. People like to give me cookbooks (a hint to cook more, maybe?) and I try to cook my way through them but I’m amazed at how many still call for MSG (seriously) or other things that just aren’t good for you. But on the other side are ones that call for ingredients that are just impossible to get – which I think Gwyn’s would also be. For example, one of my fave cookbooks is called Quick Food (on Amazon here) and is full of really great food – but some of the ingredients are just impossible. Trying to find “harissa paste”, “Moroccan spice blend”, coconut cream (not milk, cream) and vindaloo curry paste, just to name a few, is a feat upon itself. It really takes the fun out of cooking when you have to go to 3 or more stores and spend several hours to get all the ingredients. By then I usually end up picking up a burger for dinner because I’ve already spent all my energy.

(pic: Dlisted)

I have no idea who this Cody Simpson kid is but I’m pretty sure I’m casting him as Peeta in my imaginary roster for The Hunger Games movie. Celebuzz says he’s an Australian pop singer but maybe he is also an actor (insert eye roll, all these Disney brats are “actors” and “singers” aren’t they?). Anyway, I’m not sure if he has any acting chops, but he looks the part and at 14 years old he’s the same age as Hailee Steinfeld who we have already cast as Katniss. Love it. I think they’ll make a great contrasting duo.

Stacey: I don’t know…I just pictured Peeta a little…bigger?  Actually, I can’t really remember what his description was so I can’t really make a guess.  I can’t see this guy with Hailee though.  He is cute though.

(pic: Celebuzz)

Looks like Stacey and I haven’t been the only ones thinking about who should be cast in The Hunger Games movie – Just Jared Jr is reporting that there is some definite “buzz” about Elle Fanning playing Primrose Everdeen in the movie.

Totally love it. Stacey & I agree that she’d suit the role well so hopefully there is a little truth to the rumour.

(pic: Just Jared Jr)

Stacey and I have been reading The Hunger Games(side note: is it proper to italicize book titles? idk) and thinking about who we’d cast in the movie when it gets made. After the Golden Globes last night Stacey said “definitely Hailee Steinfeld as Katness” and I have to say, I totally agree. In the books Katniss is supposed to be 16 – Hailee is 14 which means that by the time they get around to making this she’ll be the right age, and she totally looks the part. Strong and beautiful, but still just a youth (unlike the Twilight kids that are all in their mid to late twenties). And look! She’s even got the long dark braid that is one of Katniss’ defining traits.

Have any of you guys been reading The Hunger Games?

Stacey: Yes, Hailee would definitely be a great fit for Katniss.  She looked amazing at the Golden Globes.  My favorite part though?  Is how, at 14, she dwarfed Justin Beiber and made him look like a 12 year old girl.  Seriously, what do tweens see in this kid?

(pic: JustJared)

J.K. Rowling was on Oprah the other day and said that even though the Harry Potter series is “over”, she could see herself writing an eighth or ninth book. “I think I am done, but you never know.”

I LOVE the Harry Potter series but I think I’m good with it ending. You know the last chapter where they do the “flash forward” and you see who hooks up with who and what they name their kids? That was my least favourite part of the whole series. Instead of a sense of closure that just gave me major eye rolls. And I think if she wrote more books it would be more of that.

Stacey: Harry Potter are my favorite books of all time.  And that is because that at the end, I felt vindicated, I felt good with how it ended.  After all those years, the fighting, the deaths, I was good with it all because the ending felt authentic.  I felt like I could leave Harry and know that he was going to be ok.  Messing with the series would feel forced, I think.  I am good with 7.  I hope she leaves it at that.

And I am with you Tanya, I got a case of the eye rolls at flash forward too.   

Buy my book! I heart Edward!

Stephenie Meyer has a new book coming out to tide the Twihards over until Eclipse comes out and she’s recommending that you buy it before seeing the movie:

“When there is so much going on off-stage so to speak, it leaves a lot of mysteries,” she says. “Of all the Twilight books, Eclipse has the most going on outside of Bella’s view. For the movie to work, we have to see and understand some of these things.”

I do see where she is coming from, and if you read the draft of Midnight Sun (Edward’s interpretation of the book Twilight) it makes his “pained” (aka “constipated”) expressions make more sense. And it’s always nice to see the scene from another point of view.

But at the same time it seems like a cash grab because if you haven’t noticed by now: Twilight sells. Big time. And it swept the MTV Movie Awards last night – so clearly people love it. So why not put out a short story and take advantage of it?

People.com says that you’ll be able to read the book novella for free at breetanner.com starting June 7th, but it’s already the 7th and I don’t see anything live, so in the meantime I’d recommend clicking the link in this side panel ———-> and buying it from Barnes & Noble. Not only do you get your fix, but you will be supporting us! Yay!

Stacey: I will not be buying or reading this book.  I don’t need to know more about Twilight.  Especially from a character’s point of view that up until this point I didn’t even know about.

But it will sell.  Because people are sheep and will buy anything that is related to these books.

Who am I to talk though?  I am pretty sure I would read anything JK Rowling would put out with regards to Harry Potter.

Some Friday afternoon humour: Werner Herzog reading Where’s Waldo.

I came across some photos on JustJared of Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin out and about over the weekend and I was going to post them with a story about how I’m reading the Dead Until Dark series and how much better it is with Bill out of the country for the 4th book, but when I tried to save the Anna & Stephen picture I was instead taken to this picture of Ryan Kwanten. So, instead of Bheeeeeel and Sookie I give you Ryan Kwanten, aka Jason Stackhouse.

Happy Monday!

Stacey: You know, I never saw the appeal in Stephan Moyer before.  But yesterday I was at the book store and looking at the Dead Until Dark series then I had a dream last night about vampires and he was in it and now suddenly, when looking at those same pictures, I find him totally hot.

This guy though?  He kind of reminds me of a teddy bear.  Its something about his eyes.

(pic: JustJared)

Stephenie Meyer is coming out with a new Twilight book called “The Short Second-Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella” or as I like to call it “How to get on the Best Sellers List by cashing in on your other books”. Do we need this book? No. Will it bring anything new to the table? Probably not. Am I going to read it anyway? Shamefully, yes. Why do I subject myself to this stuff?

Stacey: I will totally buy this book.  And hate myelf for it every minute while I read it.  But the real reason I will buy it is because one dollar will be going to the Red Cross.  Yes.  That is the real reason I will buy it.  Really.  You believe me don’t you? 

(Pic: students.ou.edu.com, source Celebitchy)

I am the first to admit that I was not a Harry Potter fan.  I fought and fought against reading that collection of books because it really isn’t my thing.  And Tanya and my best friend Fionna kept telling me…you have to read them!  Finally, FINALLY, I gave into Harry Potter.  I finished the Sorcerers Stone and am almost finished The Chamber of Secrets.  And they are SO good!  Like, the best books I have ever read.  Really.

And as everyone here knows, I am a Twilight fan.  Loved reading those books.  Well, actually, it was more of a love hate/thing.  Because really, they are terribly written books.  I am not saying they are terrible books, no, as there is clearly something about those books that is enjoyable and great, but are they well written?  That’s debatable.  And truthfully, not even close to being in the same category as Potter.

Which is why this story makes me laugh.

Apparently, people at the Oscars asked JK Rowling (Potter) and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight) to present together.  Of course Steph jumped at the opportunity (of course she would!  This is the same woman that needed to have a cameo in her own damn movie).  But JK declined, stating that the world ““won’t be hearing from me often I am afraid, as pen and paper is my priority at the moment.”

And while I am sure that it wasn’t meant as an insult, I am going to assume that it is.  Because why on earth would JK Rowling want to present anything with Stephanie Meyer.  Rowling who produces literary gold, and Meyer who basically writes romance novels with vampires and werewolves (I’m sorry but its true!).

So lets pretend that JK thinks that Stephanie is beneath her.  Its more fun that way, isn’t it?

Tanya: There is absolutely no debate about the Twilight books being well written. They’re not. They are engaging, but they are not well written. I read the Harry Potter series immediately after reading the Twilight series and I think after every chapter I said “this book is AMAZING!”. Had I read Harry Potter first I probably wouldn’t have made it through the cheesy teen romance novel.

Stacey, you should read the Dead Until Dark series next. It puts Twilight into perspective even more. And it’s a good series