Giada de Laurentiis: It's "Rrrrrrrricohta" You Barbarian!

[akr]

[delete]

Edited May 26, 2017 by akr
wrong topic

[smiley13]

On 5/25/2017 at 11:55 PM, Snarklepuss said:

She seems to have that effect on a lot of people.  When so many people I usually agree with disagree with me it leaves me scratching my head.  I was never a fan of hers but just never detested her like so many people do.  I think she is one of those people that has a hard time projecting warmth and when she does it comes out looking forced and not genuine, so that may be part of the reason for it.  I notice she has pretty much disappeared from the network these days.  She was judging on "Guy's Grocery Games" for a while but hasn't been on this season at all.  Meanwhile Artie has become a fixture.  I noticed the last time I saw Melissa judge she came off quirky and strange, even for her, which also left me wondering what's going on with her.  Then she disappeared.  Hmmmm.....Perhaps it's no wonder.  I don't think she was ever really cut out to appear on TV.

Melissa is my favorite winner of all of the NFNS contestants.  I also really like Damaris.

The worst for me is Mauro.  He is like nails on a chalkboard.  But back to Gee-Ah-Da, she practically ruins the show for me.  Over the years she has gotten increasingly worse with her drooling over male contestants, and her wardrobe choices.

[JTMacc99]

On 5/25/2017 at 11:03 PM, chessiegal said:

LBH = Little Big Head = Giada. Goes back many years, probably to TWoP days. Just explaining, not endorsing.

It does go back to TWoP.  I remember being ridiculously amused seeing it there the first time, as my dad had already been calling her big head when talking about her for months.  

I honestly don't think her head is big. She's just tiny. 

[Snarklepuss]

17 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

It does go back to TWoP.  I remember being ridiculously amused seeing it there the first time, as my dad had already been calling her big head when talking about her for months.  

I honestly don't think her head is big. She's just tiny. 

Well, it's all about proportion.  Her head is big because it's too big for her body.  But actually in recent years I feel like her head looks less big next to her body than it used to and I don't understand why.  It used to look freakishly big, IMO.  Or maybe I just got used to it, LOL.

[xaxat]

25 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

Well, it's all about proportion.  Her head is big because it's too big for her body.  But actually in recent years I feel like her head looks less big next to her body than it used to and I don't understand why.  It used to look freakishly big, IMO.  Or maybe I just got used to it, LOL.

You got distracted by the teeth.

[JTMacc99]

41 minutes ago, Snarklepuss said:

Or maybe I just got used to it, LOL.

She wears her hair differently. It was particularly noticeable in the early years when she would wear a knit top and tie her hair up. Too much like a lollipop.  With her hair down and wearing dresses, she is more in proportion.  I particularly like the way she dresses when she does the shows from Italy. Those are usually the most flattering looks for her, much better than some of the things she wears on this show.

Edited May 31, 2017 by JTMacc99

[Aquarius]

9 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

Well, it's all about proportion.  Her head is big because it's too big for her body.  But actually in recent years I feel like her head looks less big next to her body than it used to and I don't understand why.  It used to look freakishly big, IMO.  Or maybe I just got used to it, LOL.

You got used to it.  She's even more of a lollipop since she started starving herself.

[Brookside]

I really don't have anything against the woman, but if anyone is more skilled than me regarding the internet, could you post a picture of Giarda with a curtain a la Gone with the Wind/Carol Burnett?  I think that's what has really always been in the back of my mind regarding her.  Thanks.

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, Brookside said:

I really don't have anything against the woman, but if anyone is more skilled than me regarding the internet, could you post a picture of Giarda with a curtain a la Gone with the Wind/Carol Burnett?  I think that's what has really always been in the back of my mind regarding her.  Thanks.

[Brookside]

Perfect!  Those shoulders are everything.  Thank you Spiderpig!

[Christina]

That was my Halloween costume one year. I was handing out candy and almost all of the adults got the reference, the ones who didn't were obviously raised in caves, but none of the kids did, of course, because of bad parenting. It was cute seeing their expressions and wanting to ask what I was wearing but not wanting me to not give up the candy. Some couldn't help themselves, though, and almost all of them realized it was a curtain. 

"Why are you wearing curtains like that?" the expressions were priceless and I always wished I had recorded it. Unfortunately, I was raised in the era of only the rich having video cameras and the rest of us renting 30-pound VHS players from the video rental stores, so it wasn't a thought until after the night passed. I would gasp and put my hand on my chest and ask the parents, "How does your child not get this reference? Bad parenting!" all in good fun, of course. No one felt the need to egg my house later. 

Giada would wear see-through lace and the gap would go down to her belly button, because she is an alien-life force who breathes through her skin.

[Lura]

I remember watching Giada's show back in the day when she wore her hair back.  I am not being sarcastic here:  The updo she wore balanced out her long nose, and she actually looked lovely.  Her tops were usually up around the collar, at lest for a while.

Then, Giada lowered her tops quite a bit so that anytime she bent into the oven, you could see almost everything.  At the same time, she let her hair down in more ways than one, and she was a sexpot.  It was intentional.  She boasted about all the letters she was getting from servicemen overseas, and she clearly loved it.

With the advent of Food Network Star, Giada switched to being the epitome of glam, straight out of Hollywood, and her dresses became as daring as what Hollywood was wearing.  She began trading innuendoes with Bobby and really putting on her sexiness, and I FINALLY became disgusted.  At about the same time, she cooked for Prince William and Kate on their visit to California.  From then on, her ego never came back down to earth, and it's been the same way ever since.  I feel like I gave her more than the benefit of the doubt, but I can't stand her.  Her personal life became Hollywoodish; rumors of affairs abounded, and she did nothing to stop them.  Then, her divorce became front page news.  Her ex-husband is raising their daughter because she's too busy. 

IMHO, if Giada is unhappy, she has no one to blame but herself.    Again IMHO, she adds zero to this show, and I would just as soon watch someone likeable with a better set of values.
 

Edited July 9, 2017 by Lura

[xaxat]

On 7/9/2017 at 3:53 AM, Lura said:

Her personal life became Hollywoodish; rumors of affairs abounded, and she did nothing to stop them.

My favorite Giada rumor was her and Drake.

Even though it was almost certainly 100% false, I will not let go of it!

Edited July 11, 2017 by xaxat

[Snarklepuss]

Well, now that I know that Giada is most likely a rape/incest survivor (from the other thread) I feel bad about how I've made fun of her over the years.  It's obvious to me that she battles an eating disorder and now I know why.  It's not uncommon for incest and other sexual abuse victims to have eating disorders, but it mostly happens the other way around in that they become heavy.  Giada is an interesting case.  I have new respect for her now, and empathy.

[Evangeline]

I found an old news article about her father's sentencing, and it reported that he had molested both of his daughters. I do wonder what her mother knew, since this went on for years.

 

The cheating rumors are extensive and generally well corroborated, but they've always been sad to read knowing her background.

 

What I've always wondered is whether her ex-husband is gay. 

[HyeChaps]

How is she related to Aunt Raffi?

[biakbiak]

7 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

How is she related to Aunt Raffi?

Raffi is her mother's sister.

[cooksdelight]

After last night's overt display of her cleavage, I don't feel sorry for her anymore. 

[smiley13]

I have never felt sorry for her.  She is a sad soul in many ways.  She has used her looks and cleavage to get to where she is, oh, and her Grandfather's name.

[cooksdelight]

I felt sorry for her after reading about her childhood. But I have known plenty of women who went through the same thing and they didn't flaunt their boobs in people's faces as a result.

[Mabinogia]

I feel sorry for her because she feels she has to flaunt her boobs in people's faces. Paired with her tragic past it makes me sad that she never got the help she needed to see herself as anything other than "sexy". It's kind of heartbreaking.

[Snarklepuss]

9 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I feel sorry for her because she feels she has to flaunt her boobs in people's faces. Paired with her tragic past it makes me sad that she never got the help she needed to see herself as anything other than "sexy". It's kind of heartbreaking.

ITA, plus knowing that some of the symptoms felt long after incestual abuse often include promiscuity, infidelity and a tendency to oversexualize oneself, my heart goes out to her.  The boob flaunting feels tragic in this context, although I do think TPTB actually support it because it's well known that a lot of men find her very attractive and the network of course wants to cater to them!

I actually think she shows tremendous strength of character considering many incest survivors, especially those victims of parental incest, turn out even more screwed up, including McKenzie Phillips, to name someone off the top of my head.  Drugs, eating disorders, mental issues and even suicide are not uncommon.

[Christina]

I remember reading all about her past back during her divorce, and if I recall, she and her husband had went through a lot of therapy prior to marriage, and with his support, she was working hard on the issues caused by her abusive childhood. As her marriage was finally breaking down, she was traveling without him and her daughter and I think she may have lost some of the support network she was still needing. I noticed that her clothing got skimpier, she flirted more openly, and thought she was going through a "flare" for lack of a better word. She also lost more weight and her inability to taste the food became more pronounced. 

She is not without the tools to improve her life and her choices and, in fact, had done it before. I don't want it to sound like I'm suggesting she was "fixed" and I think that is how my words are coming across, but that she is making choices that she now has the knowledge to know are not healthy for her, such as the food restriction. I can't really judge her clothing because I have absolutely no fashion sense, see people dressed for nightclubs at the grocery store, and have often perused People of Walmart when killing time in waiting rooms. Why she would want to have her breasts out while judging a cooking competition is beyond me, but she dressed that way during her shows, too, and obviously thinks it looks good.

[smiley13]

Her wardrobe choices are just silly for a woman her age.  Her poor daughter probably gets made fun of because of her Mother's behavior.  How old is the child now?

[Lamb18]

Maybe she has her breasts out in case she spills food - breasts are easier to clean than clothing.

[Lura]

I read that article about Giada being a possible victim of incest.  The article never came out and said definitively that it was Giada.  Furthermore, it stated that the victim could have been Giada's sister.  The two of them shared the same physical traits and were close to the same age.  I would submit that the story did Giada a world of good since it appeared at the time of the strongest Hollywood rumors.  Something else to consider is that this incest happened many, many years ago when Giada was a child.  She is now in her late 40s.  Are we victims of incest and/or rape supposed to hide behind the trauma all of our lives or seek professional help and get on with life?  Giada seems to live her high life until things get hot, at which time she becomes the poor incest victim or the poor little waif from Italy who was bullied in school.  She manipulates her image.  Personally, I don't buy it.  If anything, she is coy.  She lives life in the VERY fast lane, which is fine with me, but don't ask me for sympathy the next time you're caught in a sticky situation. 

Giada is currently waiting on her boyfriend to divorce his wife and children, and marry her.  THAT sounds like seeking a quiet, settled, stable home life, doesn't it?  I noticed that Giada wore a diamond on her ring finger during one episode.  Jade is certainly getting an education for such a little girl, and Giada seems delighted.  I'm sorry for Jade.

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, Lura said:

. . . Something else to consider is that this incest happened many, many years ago when Giada was a child.  She is now in her late 40s.  Are we victims of incest and/or rape supposed to hide behind the trauma all of our lives or seek professional help and get on with life? 

I can't offer an opinion specifically on Giada, as I've only ever watched two episodes of this show and don't actually HAVE an opinion of her.  However, as a victim of incest for 12 years of my childhood, I would like to comment on the "hide behind the trauma" comment.

I am 70 years old.  I have been married for 53 years to the nicest person I've ever met.  Periodically throughout those years, I have sought professional help in order to get on with life.  I am blessed that things have worked out as well as they have.  We're not filthy rich (like Giada), but we have all that we need and are able to enjoy our retirement with a few dollars left over for a bit of travel (although much less than when we were both working).  

Given those blessings, I still have something which in recent years would be diagnosed as PTSD; many victims of rape and incest have it.  We can be perfectly happy and calm, but something will happen as a trigger, and we can spiral downward quickly.  (I rarely watch Dr. Phil for that very reason.)  Once it was a joke at our lunch table at work about incest.  Some might have seen it as just "naughty."  It hit me so hard that I sought out the man who told the joke privately and calmly explained to him that jokes about incest are NEVER funny, and shared why I felt that way.

So whatever it is that makes Giada Giada, I will always err on the side of compassion if this is the truth of her childhood.  Our defense mechanisms can raise eyebrows in those who (thank goodness) have not experienced severe childhood trauma.

[Mellowyellow]

I've always liked Giada and think she is a great mum based on the snippets of her show. She's very intense (there was one ep where she made some veggie noodle dish and you can see her try really tactfully on camera to make sure Jade eats it) and what I've seen of her on her shows makes me think she's a very devoted mother. 

I subscribe to her Giadzy website and agree with a lot of her tips. 

I also like how thoughtful she is when she does any kids food/entertainment on her show. Everything has a reason for why she's giving this to the kids. I've only discovered her in recent years but what I've seen I've liked. 

[magpye29]

I thought LBH stood for Little Bobble Head.

[Snarklepuss]

On 7/29/2017 at 11:36 AM, Lura said:

I read that article about Giada being a possible victim of incest.  The article never came out and said definitively that it was Giada.  Furthermore, it stated that the victim could have been Giada's sister.  The two of them shared the same physical traits and were close to the same age.  I would submit that the story did Giada a world of good since it appeared at the time of the strongest Hollywood rumors.  Something else to consider is that this incest happened many, many years ago when Giada was a child.  She is now in her late 40s.  Are we victims of incest and/or rape supposed to hide behind the trauma all of our lives or seek professional help and get on with life?  Giada seems to live her high life until things get hot, at which time she becomes the poor incest victim or the poor little waif from Italy who was bullied in school.  She manipulates her image.  Personally, I don't buy it.  If anything, she is coy.  She lives life in the VERY fast lane, which is fine with me, but don't ask me for sympathy the next time you're caught in a sticky situation.

Lura, the article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times in 1994 gave the woman's age at the time of the article, which was exactly Giada's age at the time (24), so it couldn't have been her sister.  There are also other facts mentioned in the article that make it almost too coincidental to be anyone else, such as her father being a movie producer, and her having come to America from Italy at the age of 7, which is exactly the age at which she came here.

Also, Giada has never gone public with this information and it's only because some sleuths found it online that we know anything about it.  There's also the fact that she has gone on to be very successful in spite of what she endured, so I hardly think she's hiding behind any of her trauma or playing the victim - almost just the opposite.  She has done about as well as anyone in similar circumstances could do to get on with her life.  It's just that horrible trauma like that leaves a mark that never really goes away.

[biakbiak]

5 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

Lura, the article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times in 1994 gave the woman's age at the time of the article, which was exactly Giada's age at the time (24), so it couldn't have been her sister.  There are also other facts mentioned in the article that make it almost too coincidental to be anyone else, such as her father being a movie producer, and her having come to America from Italy at the age of 7, which is exactly the age at which she came here.

Also, this was one story of many on a night that was highlighted. It's probable for a variety of reasons that both sisters were victims and that even if nothing akin to rape happened to her brothers that the house was a terrifying place of abuse and chaos for all of the children.

[Aquarius]

I read an interview with Giada's mother about her own autobiography.  In the interview, she speaks about the fact that both her daughters were abused by her ex-husband, which is covered in the book.  Veronica's autobiography is only available in Italian so I have never read it.  But there is no doubt in my mind that the woman in the LA Times article is Giada.

And as others have said, that sort of abuse leaves a mark that will never go away, no matter how long ago it happened.  I do not like Giada for many reasons (the ego-trip that was her book Feel Good Food being primary among them), but I give anyone credit for surviving that with her sanity intact. 

[smiley13]

That article says the woman had short hair.  Was Gee-Ah-Da's hair ever short?  The outfit described sounds about right though.  She does like her short skirts.

[Aquarius]

5 minutes ago, smiley13 said:

That article says the woman had short hair.  Was Gee-Ah-Da's hair ever short?  The outfit described sounds about right though.  She does like her short skirts.

Yes, Giada's hair was once short.

 

[RavengirlEats]

Well,  what can I say that hasn't already been said?  I agree with all of it. Her absurd over the top pronunciation of Italian words (I'm of Sicilian heritage myself and I find it almost insulting!)  The ridiculous whiteness and sheer quantity of her obviously fake, capped teeth.  Her big head (in both senses of the word), and her clearly snotty and pretentious attitude toward others.  I must also comment that I wish she'd put her cleavage and sometimes her whole chest away. We get it,  you've got boobs. I'm sorry, but I don't want to look at that when I'm watching you prepare food.  One thing has nothing to do with the other.  I don't mind so much that she is thin, I am as well,  but she flaunts her looks and it's obnoxious and makes her seem non-credible in her field.   As far as why the Food Network keeps her on,  it's quite simple... Sex Sells.   She is love,  love, loved (as she says frequently about certain foods on her show) by one vast sect of the population... men! All of my guy friends and other men in my life defend her all day long. They defend her looks.  That's it. And I've yet to meet anyone, myself included, who has actually made one of her recipes and has comments about it.   I've been watching Food Network for a very long time and I love to cook.   I think I've made maybe one of her recipes, and I'll be if I can remember which one.   I think that says it all! So,  I guess I did have more to say than what was already said. :)

[Fostersmom]

I was at my sister's house tonight and they had the FN on. One of my nephew's caught the promo commercial with Giada. He made a comment on her giant teeth and mouth. I heard him from the kitchen and his girl friend and I started telling him about her over the top pronunciations and ridiculousness. Neither of us are fans. 

[chessiegal]

I just saw an ad for Hilton Garden Inn where a young woman talks about getting a gin fizz and cheese platter. Even though I've seen this ad dozens of times, this is the first time I noticed she's wearing what looks like the exact same red dress Giada is wearing in all the FNS promos.

[HyeChaps]

This commercial was on last night, immediately followed by the promo screen where Giada was wearing the same dress!!!