Archive for August 2009

The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook

Eat Clean book cover crop.article

You know that common saying “˜You are what you eat?”™ Well, unfortunately this adage holds true, as anyone who has experienced glutton”™s remorse after tucking into a greasy, fattening burger and fries will attest. In other words, when you eat a meal laden with salt, saturated fats and calories, you risk feeling like a fat slob afterwards. All right, perhaps not every time, but we”™re probably all familiar with that sensation.

Alternatively, don”™t you feel fantastic after consuming a healthy meal?

Tosca Reno thinks you will. This fabulous fifty-something fitness model and writer, responsible for a bestselling guide to losing weight, The Eat-Clean Diet, has now brought out a companion cookbook full of fabulous recipes.

In Reno”™s attractive Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook there are over 150 easy and great-tasting recipes that are guaranteed to keep you lean. Couple Reno”™s meal plan with a sensible exercise regimen and soon you”™ll be trim, taut and terrific.

And Tosca Reno should know. During her twenties, Reno weighed over 200 pounds. Over the next decade or so she gave birth to three children and, after adopting a healthier lifestyle, ended up a swimsuit model in her forties. Now 50, Reno recalls how she lost over 75 lbs and got in shape at age 41. She went on to become a top fitness cover model (appearing on over ten magazine covers), a columnist for Oxygen Magazine and the best-selling author of books on health, fitness and nutrition, including The Eat-Clean Diet Series (The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook and The Eat-Clean Diet for Family and Kids)

So, if you are going to listen to anyone”™s advice on how to shed unwanted pounds, Reno has walked the walk. If anyone knows what it takes to lose weight, get in shape and stay that way, it”™s Reno.

You, too, can get inspired by Reno”™s journey towards optimal health by following her advice, starting by bringing some delicious and healthy meals to your table.

The first page I opened up to was a recipe for her Eat-Clean Hummus. If you eat hummus, then you probably just buy it pre-made from the supermarket. But all too often this tasty dip is laden with salt and mysterious chemicals. Reno”™s super-simple recipe calls for a rinsed and drained can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), some tahini and a few basic ingredients such as lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and sea salt. Toss the lot into your food processor and you have an almost instant and healthy snack.

Beneath each recipe is a breakdown of the nutritional value of a portion of the dish, as well as a mini chart of how many servings, preparation and also cooking time. All the photos that accompany the easy-to-prepare recipes are truly mouth-watering, too.

Another delectable recipe that caught my eye is the Roast Stuffed Pork Tenderloin. This fantastic dish, which can also be made with turkey breast, is basically meat stuffed with a concoction of cooked broccoli, breadcrumbs, parsley, oat bran, walnuts and dried apricots. Wow!

Many of her recipes take the mystery out of whole grains, such as the high-protein quinoa, which she suggests you prepare in several ways, including as a pilaf. Pair this yummy and versatile cooked grain with low-sodium, low-fat chicken or vegetable stock, lemon zest, scallion, zucchini, some citrus juices and freshly chopped herbs, and you”™ll have a fantastic side dish or luncheon.

One interesting recipe I can”™t wait to try is her Guacamole – A New Way that combines ripe avocado with lightly cooked frozen peas and a few other simple ingredients. Wild! By eliminating the unnecessary and calorie-crammed mayo or sour cream, suddenly this decadent and nutritious dip drops off your “food to avoid” list.

The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook is beautifully presented. It”™s laid-out in various chapters that include the main meals of the day, plus chapters specifically on grains, vegetables, pasta, proteins, One-Dish & Easy Meals, baking and Festive Occasions. Also dotted throughout the cookbook are charts and useful information, such as Stir-Fry 101, What Does 25 grams of Protein look like? and Wine Recommendations that pair the most suitable libation with her recipes. She even lists a chart with the various smoking points of a vast variety of specialty cooking oils to help you understand the alternatives to cooking with butter, margarine or lard. Handy!

Reno”™s fantastic cookbook is packed with simple and tasty recipes and is an essential resource for anyone wanting to clean up their dietary habits or maintain a lean lifestyle.

For more information, go here

or here

Pauline Adamek is a Sydney-born, Los Angeles-based Critic & Writer.

first posted on JetSetJen.com

Oedipus the King, Mama! Troubies shake it up at the Falcon Theatre

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Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Need a Little Less Conversation, a little more action? If so, the Troubadour Theater Company is currently performing a twisted tragedy at the Falcon Theatre that might satisfy you.

Oedipus The King, Mama!
is a musical with maternal issues brought to you by those wacky clowns, the Troubadour Theater Company. Their new show is a mash up of Sophocles”™ classic Athenian tragedy Oedipus The King with the rockabilly music of the King of Rock n Roll, the one, the only – Elvis Presley. When Sophocles goes to Graceland, all hell breaks loose.

Side note for the uninitiated: the Troubadour Theater Company is a free-wheeling, no holds barred, Commedia dell”™arte-flavored, slapstick-driven ensemble of local actors, musicians and comedians that has been performing for audiences throughout Southern California and beyond since 1995. Their lively, laughter-infused, loose adaptations (some of the original text can still be heard) of classic plays and films, as well as their original productions and hilarious sketch material, make this company a unique and exciting experience for theater-goers of any age.

Actually, this particular production, given its focus on incest and oversized mammary glands, is definitely not for kids.

The show begins with what appears to be a staged reading of the text, as a handful of cast members, including Company Artistic Director Matt Walker, take to the stage in simple black attire with music stands and their scripts of the five act play. Yawn! Happily, this rather lengthy prologue turns out to be a fake. The curtain rises to reveal a simple set with plenty of room for big dance numbers. Kicking off the play are most of the 14-strong, toga-clad cast, accompanied by the four band members, giving us a lively rendition of A Little Less Conversation, complete with gorgeous harmonies. Matt Walker (who also wrote and directed the ensemble piece) stars as Oedipus, crowned with a giant pompadour wig and bedecked in a sparkly white Vegas lounge suit. As Elvis/Oedipus, the lanky Walker also affects a hilarious jerky gait throughout the show.

The pared-down story goes something like this: Oedipus needs to restore peace in the Valley of Thebes, so he consults the prophet Tiresias (Mike Sulprizio). But a previous Delphic Oracle leaves him All Shook Up at the news that a Burning Love will make it so that he Can”™t Help Falling In Love with his Mama, Jocasta (Beth Kennedy). Suspicious Minds are convinced that he”™s The Devil in Disguise and not a Teddy Bear. Eventually, Oedipus the Hound Dog is caught between a Jailhouse Rock and a hard place…

Oedipus”™ brother-in-law Creon is a jive-talkin”™, stogie-smoking, emerald green-garbed gangster-type, brilliantly played by Rick Batalla. In fact, the characters all persist in calling him “Crayon,” hence witty puns, such as “Crayon poses no threat – he”™s non-toxic,” abound.

Playing one of the Greek chorus members, the fabulous songbird Lisa Valenzuela (one of the troupe”™s founding members) dazzles us with a growly, honky-tonk version of the Elvis hit Trouble. Here Oedipus outwits the riddling Sphinx in a scene that spoofs the popular TV show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”

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About halfway through this one-act play, the comedic genius Beth Kennedy makes her grand entrance as Jocasta, complete with massive fake boobs (at one point she exhibits her dual cleavage), proving that the notion of “cougar” is not a modern one. The sight of Jocasta teetering on stripper-high wedge heels, clad in a red velvet gown slit to her hip and swamped by masses of crazy black hair has to be seen to be believed. Later, the outrageous sight gag that follows her demise had the audience falling out of their chairs with raucous laughter.

Infusing every moment they can with campy, exaggerated acting and clever pop-culture references in the re-written lyrics, the troupe astounds us with their flawlessly executed ad-libbing and in-jokes. We have a hunky young version of Elvis, played by James Snyder, and of course even “fat” Elvis makes a stoned appearance in glitzy flared trousers and shirt opened to his belly button, spilling prescription pills all over the place.

The expanded cast of 14 includes new members who bring their terpsichorian talent to the troupe, from interpretive dance to ballet and tap – even jitterbug moves! Also the Troubies”™ gifted new choreographer, Ameenah Kaplan, brings an exciting level of stunning (and sometimes goofy) dance routines and even a cool fight sequence.

They also find a moment for a marvelous tribute to the late Michael Jackson in their bonus curtain call (from the King of Rock and Roll to the King of Pop.)

Oedipus has a Burning Love and Can’t Help Falling in Love with his Mama. So Don”™t Be Cruel and make sure to catch this musical parody by the Troubies.

Many of you probably missed this show when it first premiered at the Getty Villa in April. Tickets are selling fast, so Oedipus the King, Mama! is almost sold out. Also, keep in mind that the Troubadour”™s forthcoming production, Frosty the Snow Manilow, is playing at the Falcon during in December, until mid January, 2010.

I urge you to consider becoming a Troubadour or Falcon Theatre subscriber.  The perks are well-worth it.

THE FALCON THEATRE
is located at 4252 Riverside Drive, in Burbank.
Box office and bookings – (818) 955 8101

Runs: until Sunday, Sep. 27, 2009 (4pm show)
PERFORMANCES: Wed.-Sat. at 8pm, Sundays at 4pm

TICKET PRICES:
Weekdays (Wed/Thurs) $32.50 – $35.00
Weekends (Fri/Sat/Sun) $37.50 – $40.00

All production photos by Chelsea Sutton.

review by Pauline Adamek

first posted on MyDailyFind.com

Pictures of the Year, International – at the Annenberg Space for Photography

Sugar cane worker: © Katie Falkenberg

Pictures of the Year, International (aka POYi), is the second exhibition of the new Annenberg Space for Photography. This current exhibit, subtitled Visions of Excellence, features the winning images from POYi, the oldest and most prestigious photojournalism competition in the world, now in its 66th year.

Chosen from over 45,000 entries from photographers from dozens of countries, the print and digital exhibit of photographs examine thought-provoking issues ranging from global conflicts to human rights atrocities to triumphs in the spheres of politics and sports.

On display are the award-winning works from photographers Uriel Sinai, Magazine Photographer of the Year; Tim Hussin, College Photographer of the Year; Seth Gitner, Documentary Project of the Year; amongst others.

One striking photo is by Emilio Morenatti, the Associated Press photographer who was awarded the prize for Newspaper Photographer of the Year. With his camera, he unflinchingly examines the disfigured faces of women who have suffered unspeakable domestic abuse in their homeland of Pakistan. On the gallery wall is a large photo of 26-year-old Saira Liaqat, her face permanently altered by an acid attack from her husband. She holds a photo of her former, youthful self and the contrast between the two visages – one exquisitely beautiful, the other indescribably scarred – is truly heartbreaking. But it isn”™t until you view the Annenberg”™s digital presentation of his other photos that you see the faces of several more women, also irreparably maimed by acid attacks from their fellow countrymen. It”™s sobering stuff.

Kenyan man lays on the ground: ©Uriel Sinai

Many of the photographers use their art to bring the world”™s attention to war-torn countries such as Uriel Sinai and Walter Astrada”™s photos of Kenya and Nairobi, respectively, putting a human face on misery and hardship. Others, such as David Guttenfelder, focus on the war in Afghanistan and highlight the plight of victims of natural disasters, such as those who struggle to survive last year”™s Sichuan Earthquake in China.

But many of these striking images are joyous as well, such as Robert Gauthier”™s exuberant photo “Wave of Emotion” that captures the moment of Michael Phelps”™ narrow Olympic victory for the Men”™s 100m Butterfly race last year in Bejing. Brian Skerry”™s underwater photo for National Geographic documents a massive whale”™s first encounter with a human deep sea diver.

After 65 years of being based at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, POYi has now moved to Los Angeles, where for the first time, the images will be on display for several months rather than just a few days.

Surrounded by the glass and steel skyscrapers of Century City, Los Angeles, the Annenberg Space for Photography is a 10,000 square foot facility built on the site of the Shubert Theater. Featuring a state-of-the-art digital projection gallery along with a traditional print exhibit area, the combination of these galleries will enable the Annenberg Space for Photography to show an unprecedented number of images to the general public in a dynamic environment.

The Annenberg Foundation
is one of the largest private family-based philanthropic foundations in the United States. Their new community space is modern and airy in design, with an interior that was “influenced by the mechanics of a camera.” Unfortunately, however, some of the displays are marred by poor lighting and an excess of sunlight reflection.

In addition to being a cultural experience that celebrates photography as an art form, the Photography Space will present images focused on the human condition as an expression of the philanthropic work of the Foundation and its Trustees. Work by photographers at all levels of expertise from around the world will be featured. The galleries will also exhibit often unseen photographic collections held by museums, galleries and media organizations.

Pictures of the Year, International – Visions of Excellence
exhibition will run until November 1st, 2009.

General admission to the Annenberg Space for Photography is free.

Validated self-parking is $3.50 for three hours in the garage directly beneath the building, while on weekdays after 4:30PM and on Saturday and Sunday, parking is a flat rate of $1.00 with validation.

Open: Wednesdays – Sundays, 11am – 6pm

The Annenberg Space for Photography
2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, CA. 90067
Tel: 213.403.3000

– review by  Pauline Adamek

first posted on JetSetJen.com