The Curious Case of Szechuan Button

Everyone and their mother has off today but not NYU. No siree. Despite the dangerous road conditions especially in the metro area, NYU is still in session. I love the snow so I was thrilled to awaken to a winter wonderland this morning.

Have you tried a Szechuan Button? I just found out about these over the weekend and I am really curious to try one. Apparently, chefs are starting to use this odd blossom in numerous culinary ways. Want an electric eel cocktail?


Are you looking for an odd job? Check out this site, it might just be able to help you out.

Sorry for the short post today but I'm distracted by the snow.

I Love Verizon

Unfortunately at this point in time, I cannot go into details about my conversation with a Verizon technical support woman last night. You'll see why hopefully by next week and if you have to know right now, you're going to have to contact me personally. Let me start by saying Verizon Wireless has some of the best technical support a customer could ask for. I called twice last night with different questions and everyone was overly nice. Many of them are located on the West Coast which is perhaps why they are so laid back and nice when I called frustrated that I couldn't get BBM on my blackberry after updating my software. Let's just say I was one happy Verizon customer when I got off the phone with my new friend over at Verizon.


Does somebody smell a sequel? New York Chihuahuas: You barking at me?

I found this article really fascinating, but then again I'm one of those people that likes to check the DOH ratings online to see what sort of violations restaurants have.

Want to write a novel but you don't have pen, paper, computer, or any other device except your cell phone. No problem. Turns out people are typing novels using their phone.

What is going on with Octomom? I see her all over the news and now Dr. Phil is involved. The last thing I heard was they were saying she had an addiction to having children and that she wants to have more. Um, doesn't anyone realize that Octomom is really Janeane Garofalo in her biggest stunt yet. She said she was hoping to upstage Joaquin Phoenix.





Um, lady, I don't know how to break this to you but your car is in a lake.


Forever Lip Sync from Adam Zaninovich on Vimeo.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Chicken Caesar

I'd like to start off today with a story about class last night. One of my classmates said something that was pretty Hi-larious. Every week we workshop our ideas around the table and our classmates offer criticisms and positive feedback. Our teacher suggests that we start with a bit of honey before tearing into each others work. So one of my classmates last night started critiquing another person's outline and said, "it's like Caesar salad without the chicken". This is funny because a traditional Caesar salad does not have chicken on it. In fact, I don't know when the Chicken Caesar was created but if Caesar knew what was going on with his salad, I don't think he would be too happy. So anyway, what this classmate meant by using the Chicken Caesar Salad analogy as you may have figured out is that he felt his classmates story was lacking some meat. I'm not going anywhere with this tale, just wanted to share it.

Oh those Sex-mad Russians...

Bloomberg thinking of closing some Times Square Streets to car traffic.

Jerry Seinfeld is going to be a Marriage Ref...

Sidekicks

With the announcement that Andy Richter will be joining Conan once again as announcer of The Tonight Show, I began thinking about sidekicks:

Batman and Robin
Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson
Samwise and Frodo
Tonto and The Lone Ranger

The list goes on and on...And it got me thinking. I need a sidekick. No, not the T-Mobile Sidekick, a real sidekick. Someone that can run around the city with me and sit in the my motorcycle sidecar. How much fun would that be? We could fight crime or go around painting over graffiti covered buildings. Making communities safer and more beautiful places. Are you on board yet? Come on, I'll even throw in a box of thin mints. I'll be waiting by the red phone for your call.

Every now and then I come across a video I haven't seen and it becomes my favorite clip of the week. The following is just that. I can't believe I just saw it. A must see for any Letterman or Jim Henson fan. Enjoy.




This is pretty cool too:

Girl Scout Cookies

Not to harp on past Oscar memories, but didn't you love when they used to insert Billy Crystal into nominated movies? I thought it was brilliant. So when I saw this, I was very excited:




I think the Girl Scout's have an alternative motive: to make us overweight. Seriously. Every year, a few employees at work start sending out emails asking us to support one of their girl scout family members. The brochure is passed around with the scrumptious looking cookies such as the Thin Mint (won't keep you thin). Here are some other popular favorites along with my comments on each:

* Samoas (Caramel deLites): Vanilla cookies coated in caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut and laced with chocolate strips. (This Samoan recipe dates back to the early 18th century when Jacob Roggeveen, a Dutchman, who was the first European to sight the Samoan islands in 1722, sprinkled coconut on his vanilla cookies which unbeknown to him, were laced with chocolate.)
* Do-si-dos (Peanut Butter Sandwiches): Peanut butter filling sandwiched between crunchy oatmeal cookies.(You'll have to Do-si-do your partner round and round to work off the fat)
* Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties): Crispy vanilla cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolate coating. (Something about the name of this cookie just bothers me).
* Trefoils (Shortbread): A traditional shortbread cookie made in the shape of the Girl Scout trefoil logo. ( Who wants to eat foil anyway?)


It's stories like this one that really get me going in the morning.

Have a great day, I leave you with this:

And Who Are You Wearing?

Last night's Academy Awards were disappointing. Hugh Jackman wasn't spectacular or very funny and I felt like I was watching the Tony's...again. I think it's time to bring back Billy Crystal. Force him to do it. I posted my Oscar picks on my blog before the show so if you bet money and used my picks, could you please share the wealth? I didn't do half bad. I thought the set was amazing and I loved how they presented the best supporting actor/actress and best actor/actress. That was awesome.

While I agree that Man on Wire deserved best Documentary, I want to tell you that if you haven't seen Young at Heart, do yourself a favor and rent that. It's touching, funny, and just a great documentary. I saw this video and it reminded me of the movie.



Up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane...it's Octodaddy.

A Carnival queen is getting attention after painting President Barack Obama's face on her thigh. The last time a President's face was on someone's thigh was, well, Bill Clinton.

Don't let the bedbugs bite.

I had to call Verizon last night because for some reason, I suddenly had a Canadian ISP address which was making all of my google searches screwy. They played dumb like other people weren't calling and then the guy says, oh wait some of my coworkers are saying they have gotten similar calls. Really? Did you think people weren't going to notice when they go to Google it comes up as Google Canada? What's that all aboot, eh?

Night of Gold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IIl3zSYL8k

Evan's Oscar Picks

Okay, so here are my picks...

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director: Danny Boyle
Best Actor: Sean Penn (I also think Rourke might win but I'm going with Penn)
Best Actress: Kate Winslet
Actor in a supporting role: Heath Ledger
Actress in a supporting role: Marisa Tomei (another difficult choice)
Original screenplay: Wall-E
Adapted screenplay: Benjamin Button
Best Foreign- The Class
Animated Feature: Wall-E
Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Original Song: Jai ho, Slumdog Millionaire
Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Art Direction: Benjamin Button
Costume design: Benjamin Button
Makeup: Benjamin Button
Documentary: Man on Wire
Sound Mixing: Dark Knight
Sound Editing: Dark Knight
Visual effects: Benjamin Button
Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Short: La Maison en Petits Cubes
Short Film Live Action: Spielzeugland (toyland)
Best Short Doc: Smile Pinki

Taxi Driver Wisdom

Last night's LOST was really excellent. If you haven't watched the show, do yourself a favor and go rent it. You will not be sorry.

Before Mark left for Baruch College he handed out some of his stuff to us in a moment I am trying to write into my Office spec script. One of the things I got was this book called Taxi Driver Wisdom. The book is full of quotes that were taken from conversations with New York City Cab Drivers. Pretty cool right? So I thought I would start out today by listing a few:

1) On temporal pleasure- "I enjoy fireworks but stars is nice too."

2) On finding a mother- "Women choose who they love the most. Men choose who loves them the most."

3) On sharing your life with someone- "Trust nobody. You have to get everything on paper."

4) The real pecking order- "People are scared of people here while I'm not even scared of a tiger."

Have you been following the Facebook drama? I haven't.

Whoops..we think there may have been a slight mistake.

When I was last in New Orleans I had brunch at Brennan's at the spectacle at almost every table was the Banana's Foster. So, the next time you have company over and want to impress with a very easy and very delicious dessert, try this one.

Bananas Foster

* ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
* 1 cup brown sugar
* ½ teaspoon cinnamon
* ¼ cup banana liqueur
* 4 bananas, cut in half
lengthwise, then halved
* ¼ cup dark rum
* 4 scoops vanilla ice cream



Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

Morning Glory Pankcakes

I had a craving this morning for some of the best pancakes made at this little breakfast place in Manchester Vermont, Up for Breakfast. I think I've mentioned these Morning Glory Pancakes on this blog before and even posted a muffin recipe. I could go for some of those pancakes right now with a side of their infamous wild turkey hash.


We can all sleep well tonight knowing that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has moved her rifles.

This is a really bizarre story which I saw on the news this morning. Let's just say it was no trunk monkey.


Anyone participating in the great Ice Box Derby? Anyone? Anyone?



Paragliding on frozen dunes from Bitlas on Vimeo.

Save the best item for last. Lonely in bed? Why not stop over at Overstock.com and get yourself the Hug Me Pillow.

Trunk Monkey

I had not seen the following video until my mom forwarded it to me. So thanks, Mom. I think we probably all need a trunk monkey:



I can't believe Conan is heading out to LA and Fallon will soon be on. Here are some set shots. Looks Lettermanesque.

Have you been to www.presidentplease.com?

With the Academy Awards less than a week away, I am sad to say I have not been able to see all of the films nominated. I usually like to see them all but haven't had the time to keep up. I need some screeners, people.

Hugh Jackman is hosting which most likely means we are in for a big musical opener with Hugh singing and dancing. Isn't that right Hugh?



Have a great day!

A Raccoon Roams In Harlem

Happy President's Day!

It's been a super busy couple of days. Yesterday, Adam, Mitch and I filmed a music video in Harlem. I hate to admit it, but it was the first time I really had been to Harlem and it's such a cool place. Morris-Jumel mansion, Grant's Tomb, Harry Houdini's house, and The Royal Tannenbaum's house. We saw busloads of Dutch tourists, a town car raking an infield, and a huge Harlem Raccoon. Harlem created an amazing backdrop for the video and despite the cold, the shoot was very successful.

Maybe I do need an iphone after all.

Want to erase bad memories?

My co-workers and I enjoy stopping by the Half Pint now and then. Well, they were in the news because they have created a new drink, The Sully.

Have a great day!

Thank You Honda

Dear Honda,

As I sit in the waiting room waiting for my car to be serviced, I wanted to write you a letter to thank you for teaching me how to be more aggressive. It all started when I noticed a noise coming from the rear of my car when I accelerated. That noise turned into a bad wheel bearing and other problems. When those problems were fixed, you told me I needed two new tires. Two new tires! You blamed the wear on the tires on me, told me I should have rotated the tires more often. You lied to me, because after researching on the internet and calling Honda corporate, I found out the wheel wearings were causing tire wear on Honda Civics. I opened up a case with Honda and they agreed to pay for half of the tire cost because indeed the wear was not my fault. In fact, if I had rotated the tires, I would now be needing 4 new tires. I thought my aggravations were over. So when I came in for my new tires and a 15,000 mile servicing, why didn't you know about it? And why does a servicing cost $129, what kind of oil are you using? When I found out that wipers and airfilter replacement were included I flipped and told them not to replace them. My cost was then $34.00. I can replace my windshield wipers for $12. And stop already with the air filter trick. It doesn't need to be replaced. While the aggravation isn't fun, I would like to thank you for teaching me how to be aggressive when it comes to dealing with car dealerships. In fact, I think maybe I should start holding seminars, heck maybe I should start talking with the other people in the waiting room here, encouraging them to speak up. I just saw one old lady taken advantage of. The rubber on her mats need replacing? Come on.

Thanks for paying for half of the new tires and thank you, for creating such aggravation.

Yours Sincerely,
Evan Nisenson

PS. The customer is always right.

Sicky Tricky Tray

I have no idea why, but for some reason I always thought Tricky Tray was the name of some band or a DJ who played around NJ because there would always be these signs saying "Tricky Tray, TONIGHT! 8:00pm" I just always assumed this band was raking in the big bucks. I mean, who else gets this many gigs. Well years later I found out that Tricky Tray was, well, I'm still not exactly sure how to describe it. Okay, so here's a definition from, believe it or not, www.trickytray.com. A whole site dedicated to the Tricky Tray.

a fund raising event for a church, school or other organization where guests buy tickets, then place them in a container next to the item they would like to win. Items can be a single item or a group of items based on a theme. Once everyone has had the opportunity to place his or her tickets in the container, the drawing for the prizes begins. If your number matches the winning number drawn, You win that prize.


Okay, I'm starting to get it now. Just need some visuals.



Have you been to a Tricky Tray? If so, I want to hear about it. Write to me at evanlucasblog@gmail.com.


I missed the wacky interview on Letterman with Joaquin Phoenix, so won't you please watch it with me right now?




Whatever you do, don't eat the peanuts. Don't do it.

Have a great day!

You've Entered The Sick Zone

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

I've now been a bachelor for, hmmm let's see, 7 months now and I've been keeping really busy with multiple projects and ignoring the emails from Match and Jdate. Numerous people have said they want to "fix me up" a phrase that sends shivers down my spine but at the same time, intrigues me. I imagine some people are excellent matchmakers, while others are completely off on their matching.

Recently, I've been through a few cold calls, probably the most awkward part of trying to reach out and getting to know the other person. I always feel like I'm peddling encyclopedias, although in actuality, I'm selling something much better *wink* *wink*. When I go into making that cold call I usually just pretend I'm calling a celebrity to interview him/her. This thinking helps me, although occasionally, I will spout out a question like, "So what's it like doing your own action stunts?" and then that usually follows with silence on the other end. Once you get past the cold call, which by the way, isn't as bad as I'm making it sound, the next step is setting a time to meet up. Gosh we owe a lot to Facebook. Yes, it allows incoming freshman to find out what drugs their roommate is on but even more importantly, Facebook lets those being set up on blind dates do some research on the other. Hmm, where am I going with this post? I honestly don't know. Well, if you think you have a match for me, let me know. I'm always up for meeting new and interesting people. That's my rant for today. Maybe I should move to New Zealand.


We all have hectic lives, so why not take a moment to enjoy this view:

Iceland from Eva Sturm on Vimeo.

All you ebook fans out there, get ready for the new Kindle!

I leave you with my interview with Elizabeth Guider, Editor of The Hollywood Reporter, and no, this is not one of the cold calls I was speaking of earlier, wiseguy.

Listen to this episode

Download this episode (right click and save)

A Friday Treat

Maybe many of you have seen this early piece by Matt Stone and Trey Parker. But for those of you who haven't...you're in for a treat.





Have a great weekend.

I Could Have Used a Snuggie

I know you are asking yourself, come on Evan, will you stop talking about Snuggies already. Well I really want the Snuggie people to send me a free one. I could have really used a Snuggie last night. For some reason, my heat wasn't going on. I would have been fine had I brought my blankets over but I haven't. So under my sheet and thank god for the body bath towel, I managed to keep warm and make it into work this morning. As many of you know, I'm taking this TV Sitcom writing class that is a lot of fun. We have to choose a tv show sitcom and write a spec script for it. Coming up with an idea is not the hard part, it's trying to fit the idea into a formula of the show so that the actions and reactions flow and make sense. I have been having difficulty with mine but got some ideas from our workshopping in class last night.

Thanks to Google, now we can keep track of each others whereabouts!

Welcome aboard Flight 175, I'm your Captain Jack.

This proves that anything is funny when you put it to Benny Hill theme:



Victor Delgato gotta text messagehe'll never forget:

The Snuggie and Joe Ades

I know you are probably tired of hearing about this body blanket, but I was watching the Today Show and the entire crew was wearing them today. Which got me thinking, we can make all the fun we want of this thing but the person who invented it is a rich man or woman. Seriously. Oh, and they just copied the "Slanket" which was the first type of body blanket cover. So now I am working on my invention. It's top secret so don't even try to get it out of me.

While I'm talking about inventions I should mention I'm very upset this morning because I found out that Joe Ades died. That name might not mean anything to you but I bought my first peeler from him many years ago in college. I'm sure you've seen him peddling his peelers. He's been in numerous articles and could usually be found at the Union Square Market peeling away with that heavy brogue. We're going to miss you Joe.






He seemed like an interesting man and I always smiled and stopped when I heard him.

I went to see Hedda Gabler last night starring Mary Louise-Parker. I enjoyed the show, the play is very good but I feel like the acting was off. I didn't believe the characters and felt they were a bit too over the top. Some of the acting was just plain bad. I was surprised and while I'm no Ibsen expert, I heard some huge fans talking intensely about how they ruined the play. Yikes. I still enjoy going to see shows and had a good time last night.

Have a great day!

Earthquake

I was sitting at my computer editing last night just before 11pm when all of a sudden I heard and felt a rumbling. Thinking it was just a plane I paid no attention to it and then my sister called saying they were reporting an earthquake in Morris County! Crazy isn't it? People were calling it into the news last night and they didn't really have much to report except that it was 2.9 on the Richter Scale. Now they are saying 3.0.

Did you see this footage?



We knew it was coming, CBS picks up an arranged marriage reality show.

WARNING EXPLICIT CONTENT:
Christian Bale got angry on the set and when Bale gets angry...

Live from Punxsutawney

Greetings! We are live in Punxsutawney, PA where Phil just predicted six more weeks of winter. I'm standing next to Phil who has agreed to give us an exclusive interview.

So Phil, now what?...oh, Phil just ran away right into a have-a-heart trap. Back to you Evan.

Thanks, Trip. I hope you had a great weekend! How about that weather yesterday. A taste of Spring.

In the news today..

The super exciting conclusion to the Super Bowl. How about Bruuuuce and Jennifer Hudson and Sully and his crew.

Michael Phelps' new record: 100 meter BacksTOKE.

I know some of my readers are obsessed with goat cheese, well here's a site for you, complete with recipes. (Elise this post is for you).

And now, one of my favorite commercials from last night: