Category: tv

John Stossel on “Lookism”

Ashley Bischoff3 Comments

This Friday, John Stossel hosts a show on what he calls “lookism”. Stossel’s mailing list gives this description:

We like to think of America as a meritocracy. We value people because of their character, or generosity, or intelligence … but why then does 37th-ranked tennis player Anna Kournikova make hundreds of thousands of dollars more than other top woman athletes? Kournikova hasn’t even won a major tournament.

Was JFK Jr. covered so relentlessly by the press solely because he was the son of a president? And would we have cared so much about Princess Di if she had looked like Princess Anne?

“20/20” hired actors — some great-looking, some not — and then had them ask for help with a car that ran out of gas, collect money for charity, and apply for jobs. Repeatedly, the “lookers” got the job, collected more money in their charity buckets, and got much more help with their car. Life isn't fair.

We confront those who favored the better-looking actor, and listen to their embarrassed explanations. […]

The special airs this Friday on ABC at 10/9c.

Food 911

Ashley Bischoff24 Comments

I've recently discovered — and have been enjoying — Food 911 on the Food Network. In case you haven’t seen the show, the basic idea is that chef Tyler Florence helps ordinary people with preparing foods that they just can’t seem to get right. For instance, in one show, he helped someone cook pork chops, and in other he helped someone with rice.

I quite enjoy the show because it doesn’t concentrate on complicated foods — I could actually see myself preparing many of these foods. So, as opposed to other cooking shows, there’s not so much the effort of trying to remember specific recipes, as most of the show is just general tips for the dish.

From show on rice, I was intrigued by the brown rice with apples recipe. The name may not be very inventive, but it looked quite tasty: brown rice + apples + green pepper + walnuts + chicken + olive oil (and a few other ingredients). Were it not for the high carbs of the rice, I would be tempted to try the recipe quite soon. Nonetheless, I may still try it sometime.

The air times for the show are listed right on the show’s main page.