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.

Boston, from VH1′s I Love New York TV show, was partying at Q’s in West LA Friday May 25th.  I have to admit, he is much taller than I expected in person.

To kick off the new category…

Last night sighted Dick Clark, who you may remember as the host of New Year’s Rockin Eve, at Casa Escobar in Malibu (5/4/07 about 7pm).  It looked like he was having milk with his dinner.

NEW!  Added a new category ‘Celebrities’ to list all my sightings under.  They aren’t always the most exciting, but I’ll give you what i can.

I accidentally ended up at the Pulse Movie Premiere on thursday night at the Arclight Theatre in Hollywood. I was about 2 feet from the red carpet and got to watch all the stars wander past and get interviewed. Off the top of my head I remember seeing Kristen Bell, Ian Somerhalder, and Christina Milian. There were some other stars from the movie there as well but I cannot recall their names, sorry. Most of them were very friendly, they stopped off and signed aurographs for the fans that were waiting at the end of the red carpet, Kristen and Christina though did not. Oh well, better luck next time celeb autograph seekers. I didn’t really pay attention to who was there from the media but I did notice some Entertainment Tonight gear sitting around… Guess you can catch the dirt on the premiere from them.

Here is an article from the LA Times about it if anyone is interested.

anyone hear my “our apartment is horrible and in the ghetto” speech? well you no longer have to hear it! We got a new one!!!! thats right, its in a better area (awesome) and NO roaches! move in soon….but not soon enough to be before classes, but in days, yes days.

i spent all morning /afternoon dealing with that…and then? (no and then!) i went to marina del ray cheese cake factory. For those of you that are famous person obsessed, the ppl sitting behind me were gucci models. So think about it, avocado eggrolls, cheese cake, and gucci models…what more could i want?

Booyah.