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Jillian Michaels Shames the LA Times For Calling Her a Fraud

Michele Foley — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:00:11 PDT

There's some serious mudslinging going on in the fitness world: earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times printed an op-ed piece on trainer Jillian Michaels. Author James S. Fell, a certified trainer and health author, slams Jillian, calling her "an actress playing the role of fitness trainer on TV" with "regular displays of poor technique and unsafe training practices."

James's opinion is stirred, in part, from Jillian's latest fitness DVD: Shred-It With Weights Kettlebell Workout. In the op-ed piece, James also speaks to a kettlebell expert who calls her technique "appalling" and unsafe. This isn't the first slam against Jillian's kettlebell DVD; if you search "Jillian Michaels kettlebell" on Google, the first page is awash from trainers calling her kettlebell technique improper. (Personally, I haven't seen the video.)

Jillian is not taking the Los Angeles Times piece lightly. The trainer told Us Weekly that she'll be going forward with legal action: "They didn't do any of their homework. They flat-out [lied]. It's defamation, it's libel, it's full-on." As for her credentials, Jillian responded by saying, "I currently own two certifications, one of which doesn't expire. I developed my own continuing education program for trainers, with sports medicine doctors. I've been a trainer since I was 17 years old for 19 years." Jillian's fans are in her corner, offering more than 1,000 comments of support via her Facebook.

World Traveler: Filipino Chicken Adobo

Susannah Chen — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:00:47 PDT

I've never met a cuisine I didn't like, and ethnic dives are among my most regular haunts. But I recently have come to terms with the fact that I've never made any of the sought-after dishes at the top of my list: North India's saag paneer, Korea's bibimbap, Cuban tostones con mojo. Then, when I learned that most of you are just as interested in adobo and banchan as I was, I decided it was time to tread through previously uncharted kitchen territory.

So, in a new series, I'll be exploring new dishes from around the globe, beginning first with a wildly underappreciated dish: chicken adobo. The term adobo can mean many things, but in the Philippines, a Southeast Asian country that's heavily influenced by Spanish and Chinese cultures, it refers to the process of stewing chicken or pork in a vinegar- and soy-based sauce. I can't get enough of the succulent result, which has an intoxicating sweet-and-sour aroma, and the sauce, which is phenomenal with rice. Make a new chicken dish when you read on.

Fabio Viviani Touches On Success and Setbacks

YumSugar — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 05:50:11 PDT

Even though he was voted one of your favorite Top Cheftestants, it's been a while since we've heard from Fabio Viviani, season five's ebullient, passionate Italian stallion who won over fans with his entertaining one-liners. The fan favorite and restaurant owner, who's been busy with countless endorsements and at least one book and TV show, took the time to chat on the phone (he admitted he was on his way to check out the new Ferrari California!) and shared some of the year's ups and downs. His thoughts, when you read more.

USDA Report Monitors Food Trends Over the Last 100 Years

YumSugar — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:00:48 PDT

Sure, macarons, chicharrones, and street food are big right now, but what's been trending over the past 100 years? To answer that question, the USDA has just published a report on food trends that have occurred over the last century.

The USDA tracked 100 years' worth of food products based on information about imports, exports, and production and inventory levels. Changes include a shift from whole to lowfat milk over the past 30 years, and the decline of milk availability due to competition from sodas, juices, and water. During the same time, chicken availability skyrocketed, and so did grain-based products like cereal and baked goods. While the produce aisle became more plentiful thanks to imports, Americans also made the switch from shell to processed eggs, and turned to other heavily processed fruits, sauces, soups, drinks, and cereal products.

Although little of this information surprises me, I hadn't given much thought to how many choices Americans have now - kiwi from New Zealand, brie from France, shrimp from Thailand - that weren't available before. What trends do you think have been big over the past century?

Ruth Reichl Memoir to Become a Major Motion Picture

YumSugar — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:30:49 PST

Gourmet may be dead, but its legendary editor, Ruth Reichl, is about to come to life on the big screen. According to Los Angeles Times food blog Daily Dish, a movie based on Reichl's third memoir, Garlic and Sapphires, is currently in production.

Although the production company revealed little else, it did confirm that Garlic and Sapphires is in "active development." The movie is slated for a 2010 release.

Zealous Reichl fans are already taking bets on who'll play the curly-haired culinary protagonist, and candidates include everyone from Andie MacDowell to Minnie Driver and Tracey Ullman.

After seeing her go undercover, I vote for Reichl herself. Who would you want to see star in Garlic and Sapphires?

Source: Flickr User emdot

Showcase Fresh Red Currants in a Stunning Granita

YumSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:00:48 PDT

On a recent trip to the grocery store, I caught sight of something new to the produce aisle: red currants. I'd never seen fresh red currants, and I was enamored by the dainty clusters of berries, each reminded me of a brilliant garnet cabochon. Needless to say, I brought a carton home - despite having no idea what to do with them.After some preliminary tasting and research, it became clear that although it's possible to eat red currants out of hand, reducing them in sugar helps round out their piquancy. Ultimately, I blended their slightly tannic flavor with raspberries in a granita creating the perfect ending to an Indian Summer day. Learn one great application for red currants when you read more

In the News: Revisiting a Modern Home

CasaSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:30:01 PDT

Los Angeles is known for its modern architecture and architects, with homes built by the likes of Ralph Rapson, John Lautner, and Pierre Koenig dotting the urban landscape. One such house, which was featured in the LA Times 50 years ago, has just resurfaced in that paper's pages. Dubbed the Times Home Magazine House, it was designed by architect Edward H. Fickett and the interior was designed by Arthur Elrod.

The Encino home, which was built as "a suburban house that embodied forward-thinking design," was, similar to the case study houses, meant to be affordable for a middle-class family. Half a century later, the house still manages to appear private, beautiful, and of the moment. Now owned by Warner Walcott and Jonn Coolidge, whose prior residence was also built by Fickett, the current inhabitants have brought their own sense of coolness to the house while maintaining the home's integrity and original intentions. They also have, as the LA Times article notes, complemented the home's style "with an art and furniture collection that's at once retro yet contemporary - and unmistakably California cool."

While I'm a bit too scattered and cluttered to ever make a modern home like this work to its full advantage, I do admire the "California cool" look of these homes. There's something soothing in their clean lines, placid pools, and deliberate blurring of indoor and outdoor spaces. To see the house in all of its splendid glory, check out the whole article.

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In the News: A Richard Neutra in Dire Straits

CasaSugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:30:05 PDT

The Los Angeles Times' "The Clock Is Ticking For Richard Neutra's VDL Research House II" is a story about the "fabled glass box on Silver Lake Boulevard in Los Angeles," designed by renowned midcentury modernist architect Richard Neutra and owned by nonprofit Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, and faces sale if upward of $2 million is not raised by supporters by the end of the year. Saturday tours of the landmark have recently begun to raise money for the cause, and awareness of its need for restoration. Visitors can witness firsthand some of its problems, including termite damage, asbestos, cracked and dried reflecting pools, jammed sliding doors, and an electric system that no longer functions. While midcentury modern design is experiencing a boom, and people like Diane Keaton are restoring equally important homes, you wonder why an architectural landmark could be in dire need of preservation. Neutra's son, Dion Neutra, who once worked to rebuild the house after a fire, says, "It’s a result of benign neglect for the 20 years since my family donated the house to Cal Poly." While it's understandable that a home that's been uninhabited for so long could be overlooked, the thought of it selling to a private party, and becoming unavailable to the public, is a glum one.
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In the News: The Midcentury Anti-Garden

CasaSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:30:29 PDT

LA Times' More Stark Than the Desert Around Them takes an alarming note of the growing trend of "extending the spareness of home interiors into the garden, and wiping out natural habitat in the process," by midcentury modern homeowners in Palm Springs. These midcentury mod enthusiasts have begun to replace the natural and/or traditional landscapes surrounding their homes with minimalist "gardens" made simply of gravel, lawn, or geometrically-shaped arrangements of cacti and grass, or shaved palm trees. This new terrain is quite the departure from those surrounding well-known designs by 1950s architects like Albert Frey and William Krisel.
On one hand, it's nice to see homeowners realizing the relationship between the architecture of their home and their landscaping, and putting extra thought into it rather than accepting what already exists or what's "the norm" for homes of different architectural styles. But it's also sad to hear that "fig and lemon trees planted there 40 years before by the original owner" are being ripped out. I'm all for designing appropriately for architecture and climate, but this type of starkness will lead to erosion and desertification; a little tasteful xeriscaping, much more appropriate and eco-friendly for the Palm Springs climate, seems to be the perfect compromise. To see more images, check out the gallery.

In the News: Modern Design Meets Farmhouse

CasaSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:45:19 PDT

Los Angeles Times' "Not a Scrap of Gingham" shares the story of Vanessa Choy and Andrew Wong, a couple from Hong Kong who closed their architecture practice and moved to LA. They bought a lot in Studio City, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in LA that earned its name in the 1920s when a number of picture studios popped up there. Then, they drew up plans for an unmistakably modern farmhouse. The exterior seems a distant relative of the traditional barns we've come to know but its concrete wall, unusual lighting, and lack of ornamentation suggest that its interior deviates from the classic form as well. Inside though, the architect couple balanced unfinished wood and rustic ceiling beams with "Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chairs, a glossy grand piano, and the sleek Poggenpohl kitchen" for what I see as the best of both worlds. Furthermore, what I find interesting is that this melding of architectural types was not a renovation of one of America's veteran barns, but was built from the ground up. For a couple new to the wild, wild West, fresh off the commercial landscape of Hong Kong, this mélange seems impossibly ideal. To see an interior shot,

read more. To see more photos of the interior, check out the LA Times' photo gallery. Source