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Jill: "Tom and Padma Are Famous For Being Critical"

partysugar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:00:04 -0800

Yesterday I spoke to Jill Snyder, the latest cheftestant to pack her knives and leave Top Chef. Jill's a chef in Baltimore, MD, where she enjoys making desserts and crab cakes. She wishes she would have defended her dish better, but claims that with the cameras staring at her, she choked up. To see what Jill has to say about ostrich eggs and the judges,

Talking Mixology With Dale DeGroff

partysugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:30:52 -0800

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Dale DeGroff. If you've never heard of DeGroff, you'll be surprised to know that he has changed your life. Remember that basil gimlet you enjoyed at the bar last week? You can thank Dale for that. Or what about that perfectly poured martini? Dale's responsible for that, too. Known to food insiders as the King of Cocktails, Dale DeGroff is single-handedly responsible for the renaissance of classic cocktails. Back in 1980s New York, at a time when the majority of bars served drinks made from overly-sweet mixes, Dale was mixing drinks with fresh, seasonal, local ingredients and creating cocktails based on preprohibition recipes. To find out what the master has to say about cocktail trends and to see who he thinks is the best bartender in America today,

PopUK Exclusive: BB9's Dale and Stuart on Girls and Guyliner!

PopSugarUK — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:00:00 -0800

Here at Sugar UK we were lucky enough to attend Get Lippy's fab party last night, alongside some of reality TV's hottest hunks! PopUK favourite Stuart Pilkington from Big Brother 9 chatted about how he's releasing his own makeup range for men at the beginning of next year, and was happy to receive a makeover. Stu's BB9 housemate Dale Howard was also at the party, and revealed that he's bringing out his own aftershave at the end of this year, along with the obligatory calendar. Dale was stood up by possible new girlfriend Naomi Millbank-Smith, who we spotted him with at Embassy the night before. Adam Child from Shipwrecked also turned up, but he seems to be struggling to adjust to life back home as he wasn't wearing any socks!

Many thanks to our pals at Get Lippy for a great night out!

Photos courtesy and copyright of James Naylor / jamesnaylor.com

Meet the World's Largest Irish Coffee

partysugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:09:10 -0800

Earlier today, at 1 p.m. PST to be exact, history was made at the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. Irish coffee making champion Frank Silletti, in conjecture with the staff of the Buena Vista, made the world's largest Irish coffee. I was there to witness them break the Guinness World Record.

To check out my firsthand account and a bunch of pictures from the event,

Friends of Harvey Milk Talk Gay Marriage

LibertySugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:31:18 -0800

In 1978 Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to major office in the US, led the fight against Proposition 6. The California ballot measure would have banned gay teachers, including those already teaching, from public schools. Milk's organization against Prop. 6 is featured in the upcoming movie MILK, staring Sean Penn. A group of close friends, including Cleve Jones and Anne Kronenberg, surrounded Milk in his quest to preserve the human rights of gay Americans. I recently got the chance to meet longtime civil rights activists Cleve and Anne and ask them what they make of today's gay rights movement.

How does Proposition 6 compare with today's Proposition 8 to outlaw gay marriage?

Anne: Proposition 6 was (about) a basic fundamental right of gay men and women being allowed to teach in our schools. It was based on a morality that gays would be recruiting the kids and trying to turn them over into homosexuals, which is so bizarre. I think the same right-wing, Christian, born-again (groups) certainly play a big role in Prop. 8 currently. But (now) we're talking about an equality issue. . . . If you think in 30 years the difference (between) the paranoia of "I have a teacher and they're going to make me a dyke," to now we're talking about marriage — I think Harvey is smiling that we are even there.

To find out if Cleve thinks Proposition 8 will be defeated tomorrow as well as what he makes of today's gay activists,

2008 NTAs: Davina Discusses Russell and Jonathan's Dilemma

PopSugarUK — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Last night I attended the National Television Awards to get all the gossip from the myriad of TV stars that attended! It was a chilly night outside the Royal Albert Hall in London, and the ladies in their glam frocks were rushing down the red carpet to get in from the cold. One person who took her time though, was Davina McCall. She stopped to answer a few questions before the ceremony and talked acting, all things Big Brother, and the BBC controversy. Davina was animated, so friendly and enthusiastic when chatting to me last night, and her hubby Matthew was stood by her side watching proudly. Here's what she had to say:

On Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross: "Lets all just get over it. I haven't heard it myself, but I think a lot of people are passing judgment without having heard it, and I think it's important that we hear what they said and how it was meant before we complain. I think we've got a culture of complaining sometimes and... I've only read it. On paper it looks pretty bad. but a friend of mine who's heard it said 'you know they really didn't mean it that badly, please go and listen to it'. So I said OK, and I'll go and listen to it tonight. I'm not sure if the apology was quite heartfelt enough, but again I'm slightly inclined to forgive them — they're comedians — but I think they need to do a bit more of a heartfelt apology and then I'm over it. We still want them around! Personally, I'm not that keen on comedy at somebody else's expense, but they are funny, those guys, and you can't deny that."
On E4 series Dead Set: "If I had a list of ten things to do before I die, being a zombie would be on there."
On acting: "Obviously I don't act, and I was [doing this scene where I was] falling and I thought 'there's nothing I can do about it, I'm falling this way I can't stop myself' so I just did it. Jaime Winstone said 'I'd copy that.'" Beams cheerfully "Yeah thanks, that's me, I'm an actor."

To read Davina's thoughts on Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother, and who she wants to go into the house, just

Katie Lee Joel on the Burger Backlash

partysugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:45:11 -0700

Yesterday I had the lovely opportunity of speaking with cookbook author and burger queen Katie Lee Joel over the phone. She was calling from New York City to set the record straight about her Burger Bash win. According to her critics, the Logan County Burger, which won fair and square, is not a burger at all, but rather a popular sandwich known as a patty melt. To find out what the soft-spoken, charming chef had to say,

Guy Fieri: He's Off the Hook

partysugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:20:27 -0700

Last week I had the chance to speak with Food Network's Guy Fieri. He's the host of three shows — Guy's Big Bite, Diners, Drive-ins, Dives, and Guy Off the Hook — and winner of the Next Food Network Star season two. Filming keeps him incredibly busy, but in his spare time, the celebrity chef — who prefers hot dogs to hamburgers and mustard to ketchup — continues to experiment in the kitchen. He's deeply passionate about food, especially food education for children, and encourages "people to get on the food train." Fieri and I talked about his upcoming appearance at New York City Wine and Food Festival, and I got to see a softer side of the "in it to win it" bad-boy chef.

To see what Fieri had to say when we chatted,

Pretty Punk at Jenny Packham

BellaSugarUK — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:00:00 -0700

At the Jenny Packham show artfully folded tulle and delicately ruffled chiffon was encrusted with multi-coloured crystals for a show-stopping effect. The colours ranged from bright fuschia to orange, lilac, cerise and dusky pink. Whilst Packham's collections are always on the wearable side of glamour, there was a definite hint of 80's debutante in the short, fitted shapes and bright makeup.

Catwalk hairstylist Samantha Hillerby created the hair looks for the show. Her inspiration was "young, fresh and modern. The clothes are evening wear but we wanted the girls to still look cool." Samantha aimed to give the hair a styled-at-home edge by not making it too formal or fussy. She added, "I wanted to introduce a suggestion of 80's and a bit of punk, but still keep it chic and classic."

For her expert tips for re-creating the look at home, plus some exclusive backstage pics, simply

Exclusive Interview: Caryn Franklin on Celebrity Style, 80's Trends and LFW

BellaSugarUK — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0700

In the first part of our exclusive interview with fashion expert Caryn Franklin she shared her views on London Fashion Week's creative approach and the designers to watch this season. Here she chats to me about how the shows have changed since the 80's and how celebrity culture has affected what we want to wear.

Q: How has London Fashion Week changed since you first started out?
A: I was the Fashion Editor at i-D magazine from 1982-1988 which was such an exciting time for fashion. There was Bodymap, for example, and it was all very eclectic and chaotic. Shows would often not be straight walk up and down affairs. It was like club land on the catwalks, which lots of establishment types found quite unnerving. I think that London made it's mark on fashion in the early 80's.

Q: What was different about the mood of the 80's compared to now?
A: I don't want to sound like I'm stuck in the past, but I remember when I was at fashion college and all of the tutors would bang on about the 60's and how peripheral it was. Now the 80's seems to occupy the same place of affection. I do think though that there was an enormous optimism. We were embracing new technology, new politics and women were seeking equality. The optimism about everything seems quite naive now, but at the time there was so much energy, it was very pure in a way.

Q: Do people care about the catwalk anymore or are they just interested in which celebrities are in the front row?
A: Fashion has always been filtered down by the media through shock tactics. The media uses the fashion industry as it's soft porn, so they'll put a picture of a girl in a bikini from the shows on the front page, rather than the girl in a complicated trouser suit. That's not changed at all except now they'll use the front row pictures instead of the model pictures.

For Caryn's views on how celebrity culture has influenced fashion,