Dancing with the ... well, you know

Tom Bergeron and former host (future contestant?) Samantha Harris
(picture from ABC, realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com)

Last night Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke crashed the Bachelor Pad to announce the much anticipated cast of "Dancing with the Stars: Season 11." My reaction to this cast was fairly similar to that of past casts - "I remember her." "Who the hell is he?" "Well that one's unexpected!"

Shock of the night was Bristol Palin. But maybe not that surprising given she recently announced her latest flip-flopping over a certain ex via tabloid magazine. I am, I admit, looking forward to watching her and Jersey Shore's The Situation. It would be even better if they could somehow be dance partners, because "The Situation with Bristol Palin" finally could take on a new and (arguably) more positive meaning for all involved.

The rest of the cast, however, was somewhat of a disappointment. I have little interest in sports legends or socialites, and you almost expect David Hasselhoff to eventually show up in all qualifying reality TV gigs. That said, here is the cast I want for Season 12: The Dancing Dream Team!!!

Ladies:
Janet Jackson - The performer who coined the "wardrobe malfunction" could comfortably fly under FCC radar in a show that features regular and often intentional tearing-offs of shirts, pants and skirts.

Tonya Harding - Kristi! Evan! Apolo! Skaters always do well. Plus Tonya has a reputation that makes for good ratings, and DWTS has a reputation for redeeming fallen stars. It's a win-win, just keep all hammers off set.

Charo - While I am of the generation that recalls this spunky Spaniard most from Geico commercials and "The Surreal Life," older viewers who remember her Vegas shows and "The Love Boat" would round out her fan base. And you can bet your cuchi-cuchi she'd tear up the Latin numbers.

Samantha Harris - If ex-contestant Brooke Burke can become a host, why can't ex-host Samantha Harris become a contestant? I do miss her off-the-mark commentary and awkward pregnant pauses.

Donald Trump's Wife - I can't remember her name. I'm guessing most others can't, either, which is a perfect reason for her to join the cast. Plus, doesn't every season include an ex-model?

Jessica Rabbit - It's about time this show gave equal opportunity to animated stars who have passed their heyday. They could even upgrade her to CGI. The male viewers will multiply exponentially.

Men:
Mel Gibson - When talking about stars who need a chance to redeem themselves, Mel wins the mirrorball trophy. Plus, doesn't every cast need a villain?

Sanjaya - His big hair and likable charm were totally wasted on "American Idol." DWTS doesn't ask for talent, just hard work and some flair. We think Sanjaya and his faux-hawk would deliver both.

Jesse Ventura - The show has had politicians, pro-wrestlers and actors, but never all three rolled into one independent dancer. You could bet his performances would include pink feather boas and some unforgettable speeches.

Kevin Federline - His career as a back-up dancer would give him an unfair advantage, but that didn't stop the pussycat. K-Fed also could use this opportunity to get back into shape and the spotlight.

Jared the Subway Guy - Though his "star" power has been more consistent than most contestants, it has faded a bit and dancing could give him that extra boost. Also, great product placement potential.

Bob from Sesame Street: The sentimental old guy favorite for sure. I already have his fox trot to "Rubber Duckie" choreographed in my head. Solid tens, and a standing ovation!

RNA gets cozy with C.M. and Bob

RNA

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

Well...I'm not a huge movie guy, but when there's a movie that's so big you can't ignore it, a sequel in a series you've appreciated that promises dazzling, mind-blowing animation, and a movie that 99% of verified movie critics give a resounding thumbs-up, I just have to see the magnificence that everyone's talking about!

And the result...none of them know what they're talking about.

Complete garbage.

Yes, that movie is, sadly, Toy Story 3.  Now, if you're about to be a hater hear me out: I'm not just saying this to go 'against the grain'!  I honest-to-goodness thought this was one of the most awful movies of the past year and if you read this review you'll know exactly why.

First, to get it out of the way, yes, the animation was brilliant.  It was even better than in I and II (and it better well have been, given those were 15 and 11 years ago -- wow, I can't believe it's been that long.)  But unfortunately, the story was just as ridiculous as the animation was good.\

A quick synopsis and character overview: Andy, owner of the toys, goes to college, and all of his toys end up being accidentally donated to Sunnyside nursery.  The same usual suspects are here (Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and a bunch of other irrelevant but just as boring looking toys) and we also meet Barbie (one of his sister's old toys).  At Sunnyside we are introduced to Ken (of course), a bear named Lotso, some disturbing looking baby, and a bunch more irrelevant toys.  Oh yeah, then there's Bonnie, an arbitrarily introduced generic little girl who for some reason becomes very important to the story.  Warning: below may contain spoilers!  (But by now, who hasn't seen Toy Story 3?)

So my first of two major gripes is the inconsistencies.

• In I and II, the toys always always re-arranged themselves to be in exactly the same place as where they were left.  But not quite here.  The toys get (accidentally) thrown out by his mom, and of course they bring themselves back.  But it's unclear how Andy knows that they got back to his house from the dumpster, especially since his mom admitted to throwing them away. 
• Woody writes a note telling him to donate all of the toys to Bonnie -- and he himself jumps into the box without Andy finding out until he hands the box to Bonnie.  That makes the idea of 'toys having adventures when nobody is around but always end up exactly as they were left' null and void.
• The toys go through all the trouble of trying to get back to Andy, always talk about how they're they're 'for Andy' no matter what, and then at the last moment they actively get donated to Bonnie.  Bonnie already has her own set of toys.  Not to mention they're gonna have the same problem of not being played with anymore in about 10 years when Bonnie grows up

Secondly, a huge chunk of Toy Story 3 should not have been in a G-rated movie, especially one about kids toys.  Not that I'm (that much of) a puritan, but daaaamn, in the context of everything the following things just plain disturbed me:

• When Barbie meets Ken, Ken invites her to spend the night in his dream house and the rest of the toys cheer her on.  This is such like the rest of a sorrority cheering her sister on when they think she's about to "score."
• Barbie tells Ken, "nice ascot."  For all I care, she might as well have just said "nice @$$" since that's what every <10 year old (and >10 year old, for that matter) is going to think she meant. (However, despite these two caveats, Barbie/Ken was the most well-done character dynamic in the movie.)
• Lotso Bear is full-time sociopath.  This is too mature of a theme to introduce to kids.  And everything having to do with Lotso was just plain flawed.
• The other toys keep on reminding Lotso, "you got replaced" (with emphasis on you.)  Yes, he's being a jerk to them but if they are trying at all to get him to be on their side, rubbing it in isn't going to help at all.
• After Lotso tries to kill Woody & Company, Woody saves him from being burned to a fiery death.  This goes beyond "turning the other cheek"; if someone has it out for you and tries to kill you, you do NOT save them!  That's irresponsible and dangerous.
• Speaking of fiery deaths, the movie shows Woody & company as well in a big scary flaming pit of garbage, showing our heroes about to meet their demise via incineration as well.  Way too intense and totally inappropriate considering the target audience.

And there are still a few minor gripes that need not be left unsaid:

• Woody puts on the totally overused "generic arrogant wannabe superhero" persona when Bonnie's other toys are asking him how he escaped.
• The little kids of Sunnyside are being portrayed as savages when banging the toys against the ground.
• The toy baby (Lotso's assistant) looks like something out of a horror movie and then turns good at the end.

There were a few good parts though:

A valiant effort, but in the end couldn't save Toy Story 3 from itself.

• Barbie and Ken, as mentioned earlier, was very well done.  Barbie's typical heroineesque, Ken is villainesque, but their love for each other trumps evil, helps the toys rescue each other, and turns Ken good, for good.
• When Bonnie's toys realize Woody already has an owner who cares for him as Bonnie cares for her toys, they understand how important it is to help reunite Woody with his owner.  Too bad Woody blows it.
• Bonnie, being younger, has a 'hip'per set of toys, complete with Totoro and peas in a pod.

All in all, C-.  Astounding animation (just short of being 'flawless' as Andy's mom is drawn to look the same age as Andy) and a plot and story slightly more bad than the animation was good.  Better luck next time, if there is one.

DNA

Berry Kefir Smoothie

When the Midwest summers get so hot and muggy that tomatoes turn to salsa and evaporate straight off the vine, I forget the chips and head straight for the blender. Smoothie, mmmm! A couple of my favorites are piña colada and chocolate peanut butter, but today I opted for a shameless knockoff of McDonald's Mixed Berry Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie. I must say, the Magic Bullet reigned supreme.

My recipe is as follows, give or take:
1 frozen chunk of raspberries
1 handful of frozen blueberries
BANANA!
a few freezer-burned strawberries
plain kefir (or yogurt) to fill the spaces
milk to cut the thickness
honey to cut the tartness
nutmeg for the heck of it

Add all ingredients, in no particular order, to bullet or blender. Blend in 10-second intervals until no chunks remain. Taste, add more honey, blend again.

Credits: Many thanks to Mom for the raspberries and blueberries, and to Pat for the Magic Bullet.

RNA

Restaurant Review: CheonJoo YoungYang DolSot, Santa Clara CA

Greetings and salutations, DNA here!  What better to kick of my first post in this journal with a review of my favorite type of restaurant, Korean!  I'm not sure when Korean cuisine became my favorite.  But there's so much to like about it.  The fresh, distinct flavors, the dishes served in piping hot stone pots, and best of all, the numerous side dishes!  The other day I was realizing I hadn't had Korean food in awhile, and needed to remedy that, so I went to my go-to Korean restaurant in the South Bay...CheonJoo YoungYang DolSot!

Wow, that's quite a name, isn't it.  Starting from the end and going backwards, DolSot = the big piping hot stone bowls they serve your entree in, usually you can get a BiBimBap served in this, rice topped with vegetables, beef, and a fried egg, with the rice at the bottom and sides of the pot getting crispy.  (And this place does the best DolSot BiBimBop ever.  The rice gets crispy, then you  mix it around, and ANOTHER layer of crispy rice forms! Mmm-mmm-good.)  YoungYang = some sort of healthy preparation with ginseng, jujubes, and other herbs and berries like that.  Together, "YoungYang DolSot" is their specialty (which I actually haven't tried yet) - it's a broiled mackerel served with a DolSot of rice, ginseng, jujube, oysters, and other deliciousness.  Perhaps next time!  Finally, I don't know what CheonJoo is, so I'm just guessing it's the name of the restaurant or owners or something.

My apologies for the only picture being the front of the restaurant and no food.  I didn't realize I was going to write a review of this place, so I didn't take pictures.  Next time!  In any case I hope my descriptions will dazzle you.  Anyway, the very nice Korean waitress greeted me and said "long time no see!"  I think it's been just over a month since I've been there, but it probably is the longest gap without going there, at least since I discovered the restaurant.  And this includes when I was still living in SF.  I have a long history with this place.  Well not really, more like seven months, but still, considering I've just been in San Jose for about two and a half, that's long.  Next to my favorite supermarket (Galleria), this place looked pretty promising so I went in.  I had to ask the dreaded question, "is there MSG?"  The waitress (the same one mentioned earlier in this paragraph, who's been there every time since) assured me, "no. Don't worry!"  Awesome.  Even more awesome was I saw on the menu they have "whole grain brown rice," although it's $1 more, I don't mind because it really is 100% whole grain and legumes.  Not a mix of brown rice and white rice.  As avoiding unnecessary refined carbs is very important to me (it should be for you, too!) this place gets extra points for that.  They have a pretty big menu and everything I've ordered has been good.  Not knock-your-socks-off-fancy-restaurant-good, but definitely better-than-average-good and at extremely reasonable prices, everything is $7.99-$13.99.  (Except for the 2+ people casserole dishes.)  I've brought Mom and Dad here a few times, and they liked it too! 

So anyway, I was really craving dogani tang.  Tang = soup, but what is dogani?  In a nutshell, cartilage.  Yep, ox knee cartilage soup.  So I ordered that and, of course, brown rice.  At $13.99, it's one of their more expensive dishes, but this dish ain't exactly cheap anywhere and it stuffs you.  Soon, they brought me seven small plates of deliciousness - the side dishes!  At CheonJoo they rotate them up, and it can be hit-or-miss depending on my preference, but this time it was hit after hit after hit!   They had two of my favorite three - the rape flower (broccoli florets), and, of course, straight-up napa cabbage kimchi that they make in house.  (The third is shiitake mushrooms.  Maybe they'll have it next time!)  Soooo good!  Others were bean sprouts, soynuts, spicy daikon, daikon in soy sauce, and one other which I forget.  The only one I wasn't bowled over by was the spicy daikon, but I fnished it anyway.  Then she brought my brown rice and...

DOGANI DISH! (Their version of dogani tang.)  It's not exactly a soup like the standard preparation is, but it's rather just thick tender slices of ox knee and feet cartilage in a shallow broth, topped with chopped up fresh jalapenos.  And it hit the spot.  The dogani was the most tender I've had anywhere, barely chewy it almost melts in your mouth.  It's chock-full of minerals like magnesium and zinc.   Anyway, here's a picture of dogani tang I found on the web:

Which I believe does it quite justice.  There are restaurants in Korea and LA (and in Santa Clara too, for that matter) that specialize in this.  Although, I say the version at CheonJoo is as good as any of them.  Second time I've ordered it and not the last.  Come visit me in San Jose, and I'll take you to eat Dogani!

DNA

Saturday Salad: Caprese

Saturday mornings I like to trip down to the Dane County Farmers' Market  on Madison's Capitol Square. Usual routine: strawberry-rhubarb turnover (if they're not sold out!) from Pilgrim's Pantry, Magic Coffee from Cafe Soleil, one time around the square to browse, and a second time 'round to buy. This morning I snagged my turnover and headed across Pinckney St. to grab that iced brown sugar concoction I was craving, only to find the storefront was Under Construction and the cafe was gone. After settling for a sub-par iced coconut latte from elsewhere, I discovered that Cafe Soleil in fact had moved just up Pinckney St. to the old U.S. Bank building and was serving Magic Coffee on the outside patio. How did I miss this? I restrained from spending another $4 on coffee and kicked myself the entire drive home. Good thing my Suzuki is an automatic.

The market find of the morning was the fullest, greenest, largest bunch of basil I have ever seen for only $1. Therefore, lunch today consisted of one of my favorite summer meals, caprese salad: mixed greens, leaves from one stem of basil, garden tomatoes, and whole milk fresh Mozzarella. A light vinaigrette would have been perfect, but I only had goddess dressing, which kind of covered up the salad's natural flavors but wasn't too bad. For some character, I garnished the caprese with crunchy lentil and potato curls from Trader Joe's. What a photogenic salad.

RNA     

Welcome to our nucleic home

Glad you found us! The Nucleic Duo consists of sister and brother bloggers RNA and DNA (our real initials) and our thoughts on music, movies, munchies, monkeys and more. We're still in the design phase, but we should have some really deep thoughts up soon. Stay tuned!