tvchick

With the end of CNN+ announced today, maybe Kasie Hunt can be convinced to come back to MSNBC. Four hours of Morning Joe is waaaay too much and the network needs more talent as everyone has said. Also, I guess that Chris Wallace may be available, too, although CNN may want to keep him on the main network.

I watched the first episode of the new season on FN, Be My Guest. Ina's first guest at her barn was Julianna Margulies, who spent the entire time gushing over Ina. I understand being thrilled with cooking with Ina at her lovely home and touring those spectacular gardens. But it really was excessive, IMO, and there was very little cooking in the 30-minute show which is why I watch. Ina made a margarita with lemon as well as lime juice and that had 50/50 proportion of orange liqueur and tequila. JM made a pan grilled halibut with herb butter. Very underwhelming. I don't have Discovery+ so won't be able to watch the extended episode. I'm interested in whether the longer show is more enjoyable--if someone sees it, please report in.

Curious Caterer is the adaptation of one of Diane Mott Davidson's mysteries Dying for Chocolate. There are many books in the series, so if this first one does well, it could lead to a new series, I suppose.

I'm trying all four recipes, as they are tastes/ingredients that I enjoy and that I have on hand or can buy easily. She has such an reassuring way of presenting her cooking that it makes her shows such as pleasure for me. Looking forward to what's to come!

New season of Barefoot Contessa starts today, according to my cable listing.

Jon and his band played both weekends at the ACL Festival in Austin. A review of the second weekend's show is here: Jon Batiste at ACL His reportedly amazing Austin City Limits show will air this Saturday 10/16. I am soooo looking forward to it!

The Jon Batiste episode of Austin City Limits will air on Oct. 16. It should be amazing!

The third season premier actually aired Monday (9/23). I watched it yesterday On Demand and was pleased that it had more of the feel of the first season than last season, which seemed "forced" for lack of a better word.

Jon Batiste taped an Austin City Limits show on Sunday, which the ACL producer called the one of the most amazing shows he'd ever seen there. Jon Batiste at ACL

Morning Joe yesterday had their contributors in the studio. I'm looking forward to more of the shows doing the same.

I just happened upon the "new" episode last night, Local Love, which featured several projects from previous seasons that were done for people in Laurel who own small businesses. I realized as I watched that it was a way to celebrate Small Business Saturday, the initiative to get consumers to spend on local businesses as an alternative/in addition to Black Friday purchases. I wish that it had gotten more publicity because it was really nice to see those homeowners and their businesses again. HGTV indicates that Season 5 will start Jan. 3. No premiere date yet for Home Town Takeover.

If they don't find a way to let Laura Osnes and Aaron Tveit sing together, I'll be very unhappy. Many faves returning, some with their co-stars in the past...it looks promising!

Big Texas Flip returns to DIY network tomorrow August 31 at 8 pm CT/9ET with a new name--Restoring Galveston. They filmed eight episodes, completing the filming on Dec. 23. The Cordrays did a Facebook/Instagram live last week. There are some surprises that they revealed--it was clear that they are very excited about the new season.

Updating to add the news today that the film will debut on Disney Plus this July 3! Wish that there could be a fundraising aspect to it. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/movies/hamilton-movie-disney-plus.html

I think that the plan is to release a film of the last Broadway performance of the original Hamilton cast, with it scheduled for 2021. Maybe they should consider moving it up.

That's a very impressive cast for Good Times. It will interesting to see what they do.

Here's a link to the Washington Post article on the ceremony. Spoilers of course! https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/kennedy-center-honors-its-a-boogie-wonderland/2019/12/08/c464bc1e-1861-11ea-8406-df3c54b3253e_story.html

News on Gourmet Detective 5: Roux the Day, from Dylan Neal's Instagram today. After stepping in as director briefly, he said that the production wrapped on budget and on time. Good news--maybe it will be on the schedule early next year!

I'll add my thanks for the info on Sarah Richardson's YouTube series. I fell down that hole for awhile last night and enjoyed the first seven episodes immensely. When I get time this weekend, I'll finish it for sure. I traveled to Georigan Bay for a friend's wedding in Collingwood a decade ago. Beautiful area, even from the shore, so I can only imagine what it must be like to live an on island so far offshore.

HMM is running a Gourmet Detective marathon today, starting at 11 am ET.

Thanks for the info, TVFan17, After airing each of the Gourmet Detective movies multiple times in the past month or so, HMM has a marathon of all four scheduled for tomorrow 8/17, starting at 2 pm Central Time. I assume that means something, even if we won't see a new one until next year.

Ina had two episodes this morning focused on cooking with herbs. The first, from 2009 I think, featured Chive Risotto Cakes and Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper. The second is a new Cook Like a Pro episode "Herbs All Ways" with Ina making ricotta cheese and zucchini sticks. Both were terrific shows in that the food looked great and could be easily prepared by home cooks. She emphasized that the fresh herbs made all the difference in her cooking, which I discovered myself after not bothering with them for many years. A funny moment, however, was when she spoke about her dislike for fresh oregano in the first show, then used it in the second without much problem, LOL.

I am also from the Houston-Galveston area so I was intrigued by Big Texas Fix pilot that aired last year. The series has been interesting, seeing what they do with some houses in very poor condition, and the Cordrays are a "pretty cute couple," we say around here. This article has quite a bit of info on the season's houses--they don't hold onto all the houses but obviously are living in one (most recent episode) and probably have another as a rental. https://www.galvestonmonthly.com/2019/04/04/194561/galvestons-big-texas-fix-

That Day Drinking segment on Seth Meyers was so funny, I was laughing and crying at the same time.

New Ina Garten profile in Eater: Ina