Month: May 2012 (Page 9 of 14)

Let’s begin the buzz for Breaking Bad’s fifth season, shall we?

May 12, 2012 / Will Harris

Now that “Breaking Bad” is back in production for its final 16 episodes – which, if you haven’t heard, are going doled out in two parts – it’s time to start ramping up for the series’ return to the airwaves later this summer. As such, AMC is rolling out Q&A’s with some of the cast members. First up is someone Bullz-Eye’s never actually spoken with before: stand-up comedian Lavell Crawford, who plays Saul Goodman’s bodyguard, Huell:

Q: What was it like to go from being a stand-up comic to a tough guy on “Breaking Bad”?

A: I loved it, it was a great opportunity to be on a hot show. There were a lot of directors and they wanted to shoot so many angles — like the scene where I had to take a dump? They made me do seven different takes! They were like, “Do a little more, act like it came out a little more.” I was, like, “Jesus Christ, I’m about to crap on myself!”

Q: What did you think when you showed up on set to find that you were actually one of two comedians playing Saul Goodman’s henchmen?

A: When I walked in and saw Bill Burr (Kuby), I thought it was hilarious. We’ve worked together as comedians, so he laughed and I laughed too. It was so funny that we were playing these guys that were going to scare the hell out of Ted.

Entertainment, Interviews, News, Television

Bill Burr Breaking Bad Gus Fring Huell Jesse Pinkman Kuby Lavell Crawford Saul Goodman Skyler White Ted Beneke Walter White

Drink of the Week: Between the Sheets

May 11, 2012 / Bob Westal

Last time I was here we were talking about the distinguished history of the Mint Julep and referencing poet John Milton and his rather obscure poem, “Comus” (actually a masque if you want to get technical). Well, you can forget those high flown references this week because we’re getting down and dirty with a classic drink with no such poetic connotations.

Yes, before there was Sex on the Beach and the Screaming Orgasm there was this week’s bluntly named — at least by prohibition era standards, anyways — libation. On the other hand, it’s also probably a lot more appropriate for Mother’s Day weekend than you might care too think, given that cocktails like this are very often the mother of motherhood, if you will.

Between the Sheets

1 ounce brandy or cognac
1 ounce white rum
1 ounce Cointreau or triple sec
1/2 an ounce (or less) fresh squeezed lemon juice

Combine brandy/cognac, rum, lemon juice, and triple sec or Cointreau in a shaker with lots of ice. Shake vigorously and pour into our old friend, the pre-chilled cocktail glass. Shake, put on some Marvin Gaye, Barry White, Beyoncé, or Perry Como (don’t say I don’t give you people some options) and sip sensuously.

****
Between the Sheets is an unusual drink not only for its pre-1970s salaciousness, but in that it’s in the small but fascinating family of multiple base spirit cocktails with its rum/brandy combo. Admittedly, however, this is not as much to my personal taste as the Saratoga — which features brandy and rye — from a few weeks back, but it will do.

I tried it several different ways but no clear favorite emerged. The version with inexpensive Bols triple sec was not cloying, as some drinks made with it can be. Using the high end triple sec, Cointreau, added a classy but not super-enthralling note of complex bitterness. Both drinks were fine but when I got a bit more experimental and used orange curacao, which I generally tend to prefer to triple sec, the drink became annoyingly super-sweet. Not sexy at all.

It might not be a huge personal favorite of mine, but I encourage you to give Between the Sheets a shot. It’s a tasty enough drink and a reminder of the healthy, natural activity that brought us all into the world so we can enjoy cocktails and feel guilty about not calling our mother’s enough.

Now, a behind the scenes look at the making of the cocktail we call humanity.

Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Vices

Barry White Between the Sheets Bol's Triple Sec brandy Burt Reynolds cocktails cognac Cointreau Comus Drink of the Week Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask Happy Hour John Milton Marvin Gaye Mint Julep Mother's Day orange curacao Perry Como Screaming Orgasm Sex on the Beach The Saratoga Tony Randall Triple Sec Woody Allen

Friday Video – The Housemartins, “Happy Hour”

May 11, 2012 / David Medsker

Click here to listen to the Housemartins’ London 0 Hull 4 on Spotify

Frankly, we’re surprised we didn’t feature this song in this column earlier. It’s upbeat, it’s catchy, and it’s about having a drink or three with your mates. What’s not to love? Oh, right, that whole misogynist subtext. (Sample lyric: “And then we ask all the questions, and you take all your clothes off, and go back to the kitchen sink.”) Yeah, sorry about that.

But hey, look, Norman “Fatboy Slim” Cook is on the right in the white cardigan sweater! That’s right, Fatboy Slim was the Housemartins’ bass player, and a damn good bass player at that. Funny that he decided to scrap instruments for turntables. Not that we’re complaining, because it led to this giagantic slice of awesomeness.

Sigh. we’re still stinging from the death of MCA last Friday. *pours out 40*

We saw Fatboy Slim open up for the Chemical Brothers in 1999. Cook threw out a ridiculous hodgepodge of tunes, from Prince to the Kinks, and it all worked remarkably well. When he played his own remix of the Beastie Boys’ “Body Movin’,” though, he blew the roof off the joint, and even the Chemicals had a hard time topping it. It was one of those ‘right place, right time’ moments. And we were there, man.

Happy Friday, everyone. May your weekend be one of those ‘right place, right time’ moments.

Music, Videos

Beastie Boys Friday Videos Happy Hour Normal Cook The Housemartins video of the week

Mom will love the Dyson DC39

May 11, 2012 / Bullz-Eye Staff

We understand that household cleaning products aren’t necessarily the types of products Mom looks forward to receiving on Mother’s Day, but Dyson has revolutionized the vacuum cleaner market and is now the gold standard in that area. Many now realize that a Dyson can make your life so much easier with the superior technology.

Dyson keeps moving forward, and their recent innovation takes people back to canister vacuums of the past. The DC39 is Dyson’s first canister vacuum with Ball™ technology for stable maneuvering around the tightest corners. The unit is remarkably light and easy to maneuver, and the canister will be preferred by many over the upright vacuums as they make it so easy to get around and under furniture and also handle tough areas like carpeted steps.

The old canister cleaners are often awkward to steer and can topple. With Dyson’s Ball technology everything changes. Now it’s easy to move around, and you don’t feel like you’re dragging something that feels like a shopping cart. Sitting on a ball, DC39 has a lower center of gravity and is easier to pull without snagging on corners or the carpet pile. Coupled with a unique central steering system, it uses an articulating chassis and central pivot point for negotiating tight turns and circumnavigating sofas.

Also, because it’s a Dyson with its Radial Root Cyclone™ technology, the DC39 has superior suction and captures more microscopic dust than any other.

The DC39 makes for a great gift because it’s such a great product. Of course you might want to include something more personal or traditional like flowers or chocolate, but most moms will appreciate something as good as the DC39.

Gadgets, Stuff to Buy

canister vacuum Dyson Dyson DC39 Mother's Day Mother's Day Gift Guide

Ducati Diavel: Ride with the Devil

May 11, 2012 / Joe Gustafson

The cruiser of today is stuck in the image of the past. This means all cruisers must have chrome, retro styling and lolloping V-Twins, even if the rest of their lineup doesn’t fit that aesthetic. But what if the cruiser wasn’t stuck in the past? What if a brand wasn’t satisfied with the notion that comfort didn’t have to come at the expense of speed? Ducati, a brand built on their racing heritage, has decided to challenge the cruiser status quo with the Diavel. In the process, chrome has been replaced with carbon fiber.

When the Diavel first debuted, many people saw it as a brand expansion that had gone one step too far. Here was Ducati’s “Cayenne moment” – that moment in time where a brand sells itself on its image instead of its product. However, that would be true only if the Diavel was a bike that did not live up to Ducati’s performance heritage. And it not only meets the bar, but exceeds it. With the Diavel, Ducati has redefined the cruiser segment instead of the other way around, and created the essential urban assault weapon.

Devilish Looks

You can tell that this is not your grandfather’s cruiser just by looking at it. In pictures, the Diavel seems ungainly and large, but in person the size is compact and squat. On paper, it looks disjointed and wrong, but all the details look cohesive in person. The Diavel seems like it is bursting at the seams while sitting still; like a pit bull, all muscle and power. So it has the traditional cruiser aesthetic of looking tough while sitting still, but it does this with a completely modern design.

Not to mention that detailing is exquisite. On this Carbon model, the tank and rear seat cover is actual carbon fiber. Where one would find plastic on most bikes, the Diavel has milled aluminum. The Diavel also boasts Marchesini wheels that not only look good, but cut unsprung weight. And the rear wheel is showcased by Ducati’s hallmark single-sided swingarm. Everything on this bike not only fits the cruiser aesthetic, but helps the bike perform better.

The fact is that the Diavel manages to stand out, but looks like it belongs, in every place you take it to. I picked up the Diavel at Chicago Motoworks, a dealer in the heart of Chicago that offers Ducati, Triumph and Vespa scooters. From there, I was taken on a tour of the city from biker bars to upscale restaurants on the gold Coast, and everywhere in between. The feedback from others was always positive. Even a guy in a Prius shot a thumbs up. You can’t take a traditional cruiser into the heart of a modern city without looking a touch old-fashioned, but this is no problem on the Diavel. Conversely, showing up to a biker bar on a sport bike is a faux pas, but not on the Diavel. A cruiser is supposed to attract attention and the Diavel does so without conforming to the traditional aesthetic tropes that accompany the segment. Not to mention, with advanced electronics and impressive ergonomics, it’s actually comfortable in the inevitable city traffic instead of crippling.

Motorcycles, Stuff to Buy

Ducati cruisers Ducati Diavel Ducati Diavel review Ducati motorcycles