Saturday morning cartoons aren’t the same anymore with Sanjay and Craig. Two best friends, one of whom happens to be a talking snake, seek maximum awesomeness in the brand-new animated series Sanjay and Craig on Nickelodeon. This 20-episode series, produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios, follows the misadventures of Sanjay, an excitable and irreverent 12-year-old boy ( Maulik Pancholy , 30 Rock) and Craig, a smooth-talking snake and master of disguise ( Chris Hardwick , Nerdist, Back at the Barnyard). Together, they embark on epic kid-inspired quests that are at times totally ridiculous, absolutely gross and weirdly sweet. Sanjay and Craig will air regularly Saturdays at 10:30am (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. The series features the voice talents of Pancholy and Hardwick in the lead roles with additional cast members that include: Linda Cardellini (Mad Men, Freaks and Geeks) as Megan; Matt Jones (Breaking Bad) as Hector; Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development) as Mr. Noodman; Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) as Vijay; Grey DeLisle (The Fairly OddParents) as Darlene and Sandy Dickson ; and Remington Tufflips as himself.
Sanjay and Craig’s relationship is an alliance of equals, with Sanjay relying on his best buddy to aid his misadventures through their suburban neighborhood. From perfecting the ultimate bike skid, tightroping across a pool of garbage on a dare or Craig manipulating a contest to win his best buddy one hundred dogs, their routine hijinks often cross into the land of the fantastical and the absurd. Only Sanjay and his closest friends can hear Craig’s warped words of wisdom. The only thing that stands in their way is their unhinged, snake-phobic neighbor, Mr. Noodman, who’s always on the verge of figuring out that Craig can talk.
Nobody can stop Sanjay Patel’s excitement and curiosity about the world — not even himself! He can be clumsy and isn’t always equipped for the situation at hand, but he doesn’t know the meaning of the words ‘uncool’ or ‘impossible.’ This 12-year-old is a definite charmer, which is handy when your best friend is a snake.
Food Network’s long-running competition series Food Network Star returns for a ninth season with fresh talent, intense challenges, and culinary icons Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay leading the charge to discover the best and brightest new faces in food television. In new twists, focus groups of Food Network fans will also have their say on contestant performances and one finalist will be brought back after elimination for another chance at victory. Viewers will again be able to vote online or via phone before the August 11th finale to determine who will win the ultimate prize: their own show on Food Network. Each episode before the finale features a first-round Mentor Challenge, second-round Star Challenge and an elimination determined by the selection committee, including returning judges Food Network executives Susie Fogelson and Bob Tuschman.
Upcoming episodes feature a Chopped-themed mystery ingredient challenge before Chopped judge Alex Guarnaschelli; an anything-can-happen live, on-camera test with E! News co-host Terrence Jenkins; a fresh Italian-themed challenge with a twist; a pantry cook-off with Cereals and Snacks; a Star-making screening evaluated by The Hollywood Reporter Editorial Director Janice Min and Senior Writers Gary Baum and Leslie Bruce; and guest appearances by Guy Fieri and Robert Irvine.
Two contestants to keep your eyes on are Viet Pham and Stacey Poon-Kinney
Viet Pham, 34 (Salt Lake City), born in a refugee camp in Malaysia, began cooking for his brother after moving to California while his parents worked to provide for the family. The James Beard Award semi-finalist graduated from the California Culinary Academy before working in restaurants in San Francisco and eventually opening his own restaurant in Salt Lake City. He is currently working on a new restaurant project — Fire and Water in Park City, Utah. Named one of Food and Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2011, Viet’s international background impacted his culinary style, and his eclectic and global perspective shines in his dishes.
Stacey Poon-Kinney, 34 (San Diego), grew up in a food family — her great-grandfather was a chef and her great-grandmother ran a diner. She was chopping, dicing and stirring from an early age, but her love of dance took over and she began performing onstage. She eventually returned to the food world, and now the married mom of two owns the restaurant The Trails Eatery with her father. Don’t let Stacey’s big smile, unique sense of style and carefree approach to life fool you — she is a competitor.
Indian Americans have taken the top title in the past 6 straight spelling bees. Arvind Mahankali became the latest in a long line of Indian-American athletes to win the National Spelling Bee. As usual, a handful of jerks on Twitter tried to rain on the parade, but Arvind and Hari are both unfazed. Hari Kondabolu gives his take on the past winners and the current one too.
Award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and acclaimed chef Graham Elliot return for Season Four of the culinary smash hit MASTERCHEF. The three celebrated food experts will put the latest group of contestants through a series of exciting elimination rounds and turn one amateur cook into a culinary master. After conducting a nationwide search, the best home cooks in America will be flown to Los Angeles to present their signature dishes to the judges in hopes of earning a coveted MASTERCHEF apron. In the next round, the talented hopefuls who earned a white apron will be put to the ultimate test in an intense lamb challenge. Those who impress the judges with their dishes will earn spots in the MASTERCHEF kitchen and compete for the title of America’s next MASTERCHEF.
Once the auditions are over, the top home cooks will be put through their paces in a series of challenges designed to test their palates, food knowledge, passion and culinary skills. In the first field challenge, the home cooks will work in teams to prepare a healthy and balanced meal for more than 300 elementary school children. Later, the hopefuls will prepare a hearty meal for American heroes, travel to Las Vegas for the first time in MASTERCHEF history, cook for the cast and crew of GLEE, prepare beach-friendly fish tacos for 101 surfers, take command of a renowned fine dining restaurant and create a summer party menu for charity volunteers. As the competition intensifies, the pressure will mount as the home cooks compete for a large cash prize and, more importantly, the title of MASTERCHEF.
One contestant to keep you eyes on is Lynn Chyi. The 27 year old systems administrator from San Diego has high hopes on MasterChef Season 4
MasterChef Season 4
More about Lynn Chyi
Who is your primary cooking inspiration?
Thomas Keller has been one of my favorite culinary heroes. He is a respected mentor, author, and chef to everyone in his generation and I’ve had the privilege to eat his food. I am also a fan of delicious simplicity and I’m so fortunate to have Sam the Cooking Guy as my guide and friend.
What are your favorite food blogs (besides your own)?
Sam the Cooking Guy, Food 52, Smitten Kitchen, French Laundry at Home
What is your favorite/least favorite dish to eat?
I can’t ever get enough of Carne Asada Fries. I cannot stand bitter melon. Please, I beg you, no more.
What is your favorite/least favorite dish to cook?
My favorite dish to cook is roasted beets. I have a love/hate relationship with French macaroons.
What is your favorite go-to dish to bring to a potluck?
Dips of all kinds. Hummus I just learned from Sam the Cooking Guy that you can substitute sesame oil and olive oil for the tahini) and guacamole are my favorite.
What is your favorite/least favorite type of cuisine and why?
My favorite type of cuisine is French. Anything French-inspired gets me inspired too. I really don’t have a least favorite. I’m pretty much open to everything. I heard British food needed some work though, but I got to go there myself first.
What travel destinations have you either been to or want to travel to for food inspiration?
Oh wow, this isn’t a fair question, the list could go on. Outside of the United States: Scandinavia, Australia, Croatia, Spain, Mexico, Korea, Japan, Vancouver. Inside: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, & New York.
What are your top 3 songs to cook to?
I don’t really cook to music. But if I did: “Fly Me to the Moon” by Bart Howard/Frank Sinatra, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, Anything from Sigur Ros, so inspirational sometimes
Why did you want to be a contestant on MASTERCHEF?
Quite simply, I was blessed with an opportunity that I didn’t deserve. I knew I loved cooking and being creative in (and out of) the kitchen but what I really longed for was a chance to share it with people. This is why I wanted to get that white apron so badly. It was the catalyst I needed to jumpstart that chance.
What is your favorite comfort food and why?
In the end, it would have to be Asian cuisine as a whole. I grew up eating Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese food, and even the smells of an Asian kitchen can bring me back home.
Pick 3 words that define what meals with friends and family mean to you.
Service, Blessing, and Memories. Family meals (and I mean meals with close friends too) made me who I am today. There’s something enriching and satisfying about serving others and talking over a delicious plate of food. You bond, you laugh, and you cry. Life gets remembered at a dinner table and when it gets paired with amazing food, it’s almost magical.
Arvind Mahankali (Speller 163) spelled “tokonoma” and “knaidel” correctly, smiling and nodding as he did. He is the winner of the Bee, and the first male champion since 2008. Knaidel is a German-derived Yiddish word. Arvind, who finished third in each of the past two Bees, has gotten out on German words. “The German curse has turned into a German blessing,” he said. Arvind said the words were extremely hard, and there were several he didn’t know — particularly “melocoton,” the word that eliminated fellow four-time competitor Grace Remmer (Speller 39).
The New York eighth grader studied six hours on Sundays, but 30 minutes other days of the week. He said he plans to stop studying spelling and begin studying physics. “It means that I am retiring on a good note,” he said.
Arvind hoisted the trophy over his head, with his parents and brother joining him on the stage. Before the finals, Arvind — who was the only competitor to return from last year’s finals — said he was feeling “pretty happy with my performance.” “Right now, it’s just fun,” he said.
For spelling his words correctly, he gets:
*From Scripps, a $30,000 cash prize and the Scripps National Spelling Bee engraved trophy
*From Merriam-Webster, a $2,500 U.S. savings bond and a complete reference library
*From Encyclopedia Britannica, $2,000 of reference works including the Britannica Global Edition, 2013 Encyclopedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD-ROM, and a three year membership to Britannica Online Premium
Arvind Mahankali : 2013 Spelling Bee Champion
Arvind loves math and science and hopes to one day pursue a career as a physicist. That explains his choice of role model and the person he would most like to meet (Albert Einstein), but doesn’t explain his favorite song (“I Believe I Can Fly”). A speaker of Telugu and Spanish, Arvind enjoys tennis, basketball and drama, and counts Novak Djokovic and Shaquille O’Neal among his favorite athletes. Arvind is making his fourth consecutive trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He placed ninth in 2010 and finished in third place in both 2011 and 2012. Of all the words he’s seen and spelled, his favorite so far is sardoodledom.
If you’ve been watching The Voice Season 4. No doubt you’ve seen Judith Hill‘s performances for Team Adam. You might recognize her as the “Heal the World” singer from the Michael Jackson Memorial. The part Japanese singer has been tough competition for the whole season. We think she might just go all the way. Listen to her past performance this week.
Judith Hill on The Voice Season 4 Top 8. She showcases her versatility, covering will.i.am’s “#thatPOWER.”
More about Judith Hill
Growing up in Southern California with her mom playing keyboard and her dad on bass, Judith has had every opportunity to develop her voice. She is trained in jazz and was Michael Jackson’s duet partner for his “This Is It” tour before he passed away. Judith sings with Stevie Wonder on a fairly regular basis and counts artists like Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson as her biggest influences.
