Sat next to Tony Danza at dinner friday night (4/11/08) at Marmalade Cafe in Malibu, CA.

Ok, but seriously, Who’s the boss?

Not that I have any time to waste at all these days…

I have a new addiction. It wastes time, and its free, how great is that? Those of you that used to play DOTA on warcraft will likely appreciate this a great deal. A friend of mine recently introduced me to this great game called Desktop Tower Defense. ” Desktop TD is a fun flash based puzzle / strategy game where you have to protect your desktop from invaders by spending money on attacking pieces and building a maze for them to follow.”

It is amazing, simple, and yet highly addictive. If you want to be productive today, I suggest you stay away from it. Be careful….

• Desktop Tower Defense

Oh and if a highly addictive flash game isn’t what you’re looking for, go ahead and check out these pictures of what celebrities would look like if they moved to Oklahoma.

Though i don’t have the time now, at all, to do this… I think it would be fun to give the blog a new look.  Clean it up a bit.  Add a section on the side for most popular posts, things like that.  I use Wordpress  and that would not be changing.  I am very happy with wordpress.  I should, however, upgrade the version of wordpress I am running and take advantage of the new features available on the new versions.

As for the new look, the dilemma is do i create my own new look? Do I get a blog designer?  Do i just use a preset template?

The best would likely be to edit a preset template to my liking.  Man I’m tired.  Time to go veg out and watch some tv.  I’m still shocked that Heath Ledger passed away today.

Like I said the other night, now that I have some freedom from law school I have a little time to have fun in LA.  Last weekend got a little busy, right after our last finals a few of us went out and saw The Strike Show, which was absolutely hilarious.  Lots of familiar faces like Brad Garrett, Emily Deschanel, Kat Foster, Nick Kroll, and Michael Urie.  It was a great show and we were lucky to be able to go see it since there were only two showings  (I don’t know what made me laugh harder, the saved by the bell scene, or ronna and beverly).  After that was over headed out for the usual drinks on the town.

Saturday night was pretty awesome too.  Headed out to Ketchup, on Sunset, with some friends.  Was my first time there though a few in the group were repeat offenders.  It was an interesting crowd, but the food was great.  Their tomato soup (called American Comfort on the menu) was really good.  As for the ketchups, personally I hate ketchup, but the ranch-ketchup and maple syrup-ketchup were both pretty amazing.  Then of course we rounded the night out with the usual…. drink on the town.

Now?  Oh now I recover from finals and try to become a normal human being again.  I wish my TV shows would come back on…

As I said last week, every week I will be posting my favorite “time waster” of the week. Last week I talked about Yahoo! Answers, a rewarding way to entertain yourself, or waste a little time online. This week I want to talk a little about one of my guilty pleasures. Celebrity Gossip Blogs and News. Growing up in Los Angeles, I’m not prone to being starstruck, but celebrity gossip is just so entertaining. My favorite places to read up on celebrity gossip?

1. The Superficial - By far the best one out there, it isn’t updated as often as some of the rest, but the writing is so great. Incredibly funny.
2. PerezHilton.com - Updated very often, always something to read, but sometimes I’m not amused.
3. Yahoo! Omg! - I just got an email about this recently, so I’m new to the site/service, but so far so good.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do, give it a try, you never know.

The last 2 seasons, my favorite TV shows have been on ABC. Grey’s Anatomy, Boston Legal, Brothers and Sisters, Dancing with the Stars, Lost, and other ABC shows line my list of favorite things to watch. I have to say I was really pleased when i saw the 2007 Emmy nomination list for ABC. Check it out:
ABC News received 15 Emmy nominations, including:

7 for “World News with Charles Gibson,” 5 for Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross and the ABC News Investigative Team, 4 for “20/20,” three nominations for “Good Morning America,” and additional nominations for “Nightline” and Diane Sawyer’s “A Call to Action: Saving Our Children” special report.

“Outstanding” programming nominations for this year include:

• Outstanding Comedy Series: Ugly Betty
• Outstanding Drama Series: Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy
• Outstanding Children’s Program: Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, That’s So Raven.
• Outstanding Reality Program: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
• Outstanding Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars

Acting categories include nominations for:

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: James Spader (Boston Legal)
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters)
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Tony Shaloub (Monk)
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty)
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: William Shatner (Boston Legal), T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy), Michael Emerson (Lost), Terry O’Quinn(Lost)
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters), Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy), Chandra Wilson (Grey’s Anatomy), Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty)
• Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Christian Clemenson (Boston Legal)
• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Kate Burton (Grey’s Anatomy), Elizabeth Reaser (Grey’s Anatomy)
• Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Stanley Tucci (Monk)
• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Dixie Carter (Desperate Housewives), Laurie Metcalf (Desperate Housewives), Judith Light (Ugly Betty), Salma Hayek (Ugly Betty)

Hopefully they keep turning out great seasons of great shows giving me more to watch!!!

I can’t lie, I am slightly biased, I used to work for Disney.  ABC hold a special place in my heart.

Spotted Lindsay Lohan tonight at a Coffee Bean in Brentwood CA.  She was being followed by one paparazzi so I’m sure we’ll see pictures soon.

Leo DiCaprio was spotted lunching at Taverna Tony’s in Malibu, CA yesterday.

Although well-known for its delicious dishes, the heart of Italy culture is actually driven by numerous artistic forces, all of which have inspired my writing and passion for all things Italian. The movie industry thrives on scenic locations like Rome, Sicily, and Venice, which have lent beautiful backgrounds and historic architecture to classics like Roman Holiday, The Godfather, Part III, and Ben Hur. Undeniably, Italy was a prime filming location in the 1950s and 1960s. Yet, a revival of cinema across the country is on the rise, as Italy was home to the filming of recent blockbusters like The Talented Mr. Ripley, Gangs of New York, and most recently, Ocean’s Twelve. Filmed between Paris, Italy, and Amsterdam, Ocean’s Twelve hit Italian hot spots like the Grand Hotel Plaza situated on the via del Corso, the Stazione Termini, the Pantheon, and even quaint cafes near Campidoglio, much like those I spent countless Sunday afternoons in sipping the day away on espressos and granitas. Situated in the hills of Italy, these outdoor small cafes are an integral part of both Italian foods and in living the Italian motto, “’e dolce fare niente’” (how sweet it is to do nothing). Italians don their most vogue fashions in preparation for the passeggiata, or afternoon stroll, which culminates in a visit to a scenic café to sit and sip the chicest coffees and aperitifs while watching life float by. If you chose the right location, you might even be privy to enjoy the energy of street performers and artists trying to sell their works, like those filling the streets of Piazza Navona. As they say, when in Rome, do like the Romans do. However, if Italian sightseeing didn’t make your summer agenda, you can still enjoy a hint of Italian culture with these featured drink recipes appearing in my bestseller, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking. For recipes, events, and more, surf to www.marialiberati.com. Portions of the proceeds of the book go to Gilda’s Club-www.gildasclubnyc.org and for anyone that purchases the book through http://www.marialiberati.com and sends an email (within 48 hrs of purchase) to mofomon AT monicaadjemian.com to let us know you purchased the book- you will receive special autographed copy of the book and a free sample of my new spice blend –Sapori D’Italia with a recipe to try it out.

Buon’appetito!

Granita Al Caffe (Italian Style Iced Coffee)

• Makes 4 Servings
• 1 ½ cups expresso coffee (use a good quality coffee like Illy)
• 1 cup of Spring Water
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 Vanilla Stick Crushed Ice

Place water, sugar, and the vanilla stick in a pan and let boil. When boiling, take off heat. Let cool and take out vanilla stick. Place in an ice cube tray and let this mixture turn to ice in the freezer. When frozen, place ice in ice crusher to crush or chop with knife (carefully). Place 3 tbsps of crushed or chopped ice in each glass pour hot coffee (just made) over the ice. Serve immediately.

Raspberry Frullato (Frullato Al Lamponi)

• Makes 4 Servings
• 1 pound of fresh raspberries
• 3 white peaches
• 3 tbsps of lemon juice
• 2 tbsps of cinnamon syrup
• ¾ cup orange juice (preferably blood red orange juice)

Place on 4 toothpicks each, 4 washed raspberries and one small piece of washed white peach. Set aside. Place in blender the remainder of raspberries that have been carefully washed the peaches that remain that have been washed and peeled, lemon juice, 1/3 cup orange juice, and cinnamon syrup. Place mixture in aluminum container and place in freezer for 40 minutes. Do not totally freeze. Pour into 4 large glasses, and add in the rest of the orange juice divided equally into 4 glasses. Complete by topping with the fruit on the toothpick. Serve immediately.

Former international model turned celebrity chef and author, Maria Liberati will be leaving her mark on the World Wide Web with the upcoming launch of her virtual book tour for her bestseller, The Basic Art of Italian Cooking, beginning on June 4, 2007 and concluding on June 28, 2007.
This month long virtual tour will venture through eight Internet sites maintained by writers and bloggers throughout the world. Web savvy fans can look forward to exclusive interviews and blogs with Ms. Liberati, as she virtually devotes one day to each stop on her tour. She will be sharing everything about her writing experiences from recommendations on vegetarian Italian cooking to the influence of Italian cinema, and even tips for writing about food.
The tour dates and websites are as follows:
June 4 -www.zandria.us/, a six year old blog maintained by an Alexandria, VA resident who writes for singles and is passionate about vegan cuisine
June 6 - www.violeteclipse.blogspot.com, Meg Stivison’s take on teaching English, traveling, and playing too many videogames
June 7 – www.natebarlow.com/wordpress
June 8 - www.mofomon.com, a popular web log covering topics from gadgets to law school
June 14 – www.thegoldenpencil.com, a blog and resource for freelance writers run by Anne Wayman, a successful freelance writer, ghostwriter, and writing coach
June 15 - http://homeintheworld.typepad.com
June 18 - http://blogwritersartists.ning.com, an eclectic community of bloggers, artists, and writers
June 28 - http://blogtopix.net
Portions of the proceeds of the book sales raised through the book tour will benefit Gilda’s Club, www.gildasclubnyc.org, a worldwide nonprofit organization that provides support to cancer victims.
For more information on the virtual tour, contact primamedia12@yahoo.com or call 1-800-581-9020 x.100. Visit Maria on the web at www.marialiberati.com or view her virtual calendar at www.myspace.com/marialiberati.