302785 Wed Dec 14 14:12:45 -0800 2005 15 29 Not About Food 0 1697713 Variety magazine annouced today that HBO will produce a 1/2 hour comedy show based on Ruth Reichl's books, starting from her book Comfort Me With Apples. She will co-executive produce with Cary Brokaw, who says "It'll be a romantic comedy, but also beautiful and real in the same way Ruth's books are." Apparently they'll also feature storylines involving her disguised visits to restaurants. What are your thoughts? Will this go the way of the tepid Kitchen Confidential, or will it's being on premium cable make HBO able to add some spice to the pot? How does the foodie world translate to entertainment? Personally, I'm excited see who will be playing Ruth, and I hope they can add flashbacks to some of her stories from Tender At The Bone about her childhood. Link: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117934487?categoryid=14&cs=1 Wed Dec 14 14:12:45 -0800 2005 0 atwood 1 1697714 And lots of nudity and cursing!! I see Nicole Kidman as Ruth, wearing a different nose each week. Wed Dec 14 15:29:58 -0800 2005 1697713 0 Striver 2 1697715 Charlize Theron, after she gains 30 lbs again. Wed Dec 14 16:11:34 -0800 2005 1697714 0 Peter 3 1697716 How about Toni Collette, Julianna Margulies (sp?) or Stephanie Romanov as Reichl? I'm so crazy about Toni Collette! Wed Dec 14 17:06:24 -0800 2005 1697715 0 raj1 4 1697803 ahhh Toni Colette would be fantastic! LOVE her in The Hours, and, uh, well everything she does. I think there's potential for HBO to do a MUCH better job than primetime did with Bourdain. Let's face it, the grit in Bourdain's books just isn't primetime tv material, and neutering it for the masses takes away the rough edges that make his stories so much fun. Nevertheless, I love Bradley Cooper, and will watch anything he's in. But I digress... I think HBO is able to take risks that normal networks just can't, so I'm looking forward to it. Sex and the City couldn't have worked on NBC, ABC, or FOX, ditto Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Oz, Deadwood, the list goes on and on. Sun Dec 18 17:14:31 -0800 2005 1697716 0 atwood 5 1697830 Bradley Cooper was too nice to play Bourdain. And yes, I'd watch anything he's in too, especially if it were swim trunks! I'm digressing... Anyway, it would be interesting to see if they include the other food celebrities in Reichl's books. Maybe Laura Innis could play Alice Waters and Victor Garber could play Coleman Andrews. They could pull some fab '50's actress out of retirment to play Marion Cunningham. Mon Dec 19 10:24:18 -0800 2005 1697803 0 raj1 3 1697813 Unless Ruth has changed shape since her California days, Charlize would not need to gain an ounce to play her. Sun Dec 18 19:48:42 -0800 2005 1697715 0 al@Fairfax 1 1697717 Ugh. Decent writer. Not worth a show or movie. Wed Dec 14 17:06:42 -0800 2005 1697713 0 Tugboat 1 1697727 Will it have canned, or fresh, laughter? Thu Dec 15 08:25:16 -0800 2005 1697713 0 beevod 2 1697804 From my limited experience with television and the entertainment industry, shows will pre-shoot some stuff, and then shoot some material in front of a live audience. So I think that the stuff that is pre-shot (not for an audience) would have some canned laughter, and then the stuff that's shot live will have real audience responses. Of course, even when it's shot live, there are those laughter and applause signs that flash, and audiences are encouraged to laugh and respond. Sun Dec 18 17:17:19 -0800 2005 1697727 0 atwood 1 1697733 This is a great role for Lisa Edelstein! Thu Dec 15 12:13:10 -0800 2005 1697713 0 mnosyne 1 1697773 Ruth Reichl is an annoying hippie stuck in the Berkeley 1960's. She ruined Gourmet Magazine and the NY Times food section. Why on Earth would anyone want to watch her on TV? Sun Dec 18 01:24:48 -0800 2005 1697713 0 Fleur 2 1697778 Ruth Reichl made the LA Times weekly Food section the fine piece of work it is today. Her writing betrays a certain self-absorption of which she is candidly and ruefully aware, which saves her as far as I'm concerned. Her new edition of the Gourmet cookbook is a magisterial work of a caliber just short of Julia's "The Way to Cook". That said, I'm not sure I'm any more interested in seeing someone impersonate her than I was in seeing someone portray Tony Bourdain - the originals are more interesting than their doppelgangers could ever be, so why bother? And I must say I would never use "hippie", "Berkeley", "1960's" (sic) and "annoying" in the same sentence. But hey, that's just me... Sun Dec 18 01:43:59 -0800 2005 1697773 0 Will Owen 3 1697788 I agree with every word you wrote, Will. But hey, that's just me, too! Sun Dec 18 12:48:20 -0800 2005 1697778 0 Tom Steele 3 1697823 I should have added "aggravating" to that sentence Mon Dec 19 03:19:50 -0800 2005 1697778 0 Fleur 2 1697784 I second that opionion Sun Dec 18 08:43:38 -0800 2005 1697773 0 Doreen