Isagenix Day One: Last Nite Was a Sushi Feast

Today I’m starting my Isagenix 30-day cleansing program. So, last night I went out for my final meal. I didn’t want to pig out and then have to work that much harder to lose the weight I gained with one huge high-fat feat of gluttony, so I decided to make my last hurrah a sushi dinner at my favorite sushi bar here in SF, Wasabi & Ginger. It was a great way to treat myself one last time. You can eat on the Isagenix program, but not at the level I've grown accustomed to. And that's why I'm fat! As I get more and more into the Isagenix program, I’ll be posting articles about my progress, etc. Stay tuned!

Prescription Drug Addictions More Widespread Than Ever

I’ve been watching the HBO show Addiction and Angelina and I watch Intervention all the time. It’s sad and pretty amazing to see how many people on this planet are addicted to drugs, booze, food (my biggest foe), online porn, video games, cigarettes, sex, etc. A lot of folks nowadays are battling prescription drug addiction. Fortunately, we know a lot more about helping people with addictions than we did a few years ago. People can get help and are successfully kicking their addictions every day!

Cameron Diaz is Beautifully Ugly

Actress Cameron Diaz is what they call “scary pretty.” She is a living, breathing testament to the plain and simple fact that there’s a paper-thin line between gorgeous and hideous. With her high cheekbones, prominent mouth and a nose that must have once belonged to a prizefighter in another life, this woman can walk with her chin held high in both universes – the one for ugly people and the one for the beautiful members of the species. I think she’s a fairly good actress – I especially liked her in “There’s Something About Mary” and “Kings of New York” and I’m sure she’s a ton of fun to hang out with. But, her facial features are so drastic that if she’s not photographed in just the right light, she can look like The Phantom of the Opera with a hangover. One of the benefits of looking the way she does means Diaz can get roles in films playing the not-so-pretty girl, like she did in “Being John Malkovich.” Diaz has been linked romantically to some hot guys and was going out for quite a while with Justin Timberlake until it fell apart rather suddenly. Maybe Justin woke up one morning and saw Cameron with her hair akimbo and without any makeup and decided he no longer wanted to date The Joker. Poor girl – it’s got to be tough straddling the ugly/beautiful fence. Other celebrities who suffer from this same ying-yang, good luck/bad luck looks kind of thing include Jerry Hall (Mick Jagger’s former wife, if you forgot); Mickey Rourke, Cher and Suzanne Somers. I kind of feel sorry for them – until I look at myself in the mirror. Ouch!

England Helps U.S. in Iraq by Providing New Secret Weapon

Britain has generously decided to step up and loan us their most valued top-secret military weapon. This will surely help us end the War in Iraq before the weekend is through. This renowned strategic mastermind (whose combat code name is "Brown Sand Cowboy") has promised to "bitch slap those insurgents until they whine and wet themselves." When G.W. Bush was asked what he thought of this great new addition to our allied armed forces, all he would say was, "He looks like Cheney in his special flannel war jammies."

NO MORE BOOZE? OUCH!!

I'm starting my new 30-day toxic clean-out on Monday. The hardest part will be that I can't drink beer, wine, whiskey, Jaeger or any type of alcohol. I love drinking! Until then, you can be sure I'll be swillin' and thrillin'! This will be the best St. Paddy's Day ever!

Classic Hollywood Songs at SF's Plush Room

Broadway tenor Franc D'Ambrosio is currently performing his Hollywood concert at the world-famous Empire Plush Room at the York Hotel in San Francisco through April 1, presented by RRAZZ Productions Inc. /Supreme Concerts. We saw the world premier on opening night and it was absolutely incredible. We laughed, cried and cheered throughout the evening, buoyed by the sheer energy of this wonderful performer with a magical voice.
Franc D'Ambrosio, known as The World's Longest Running Phantom, including over a 5-year run in San Francisco, performs a sensational tribute to the music that made the silver screen sing.
States Press calls it "One man's humorous, nostalgic look at America's dream-factory and the songs it immortalized. D'Ambrosio is one of the most-requested return engagement performers and his Hollywood concert is filled with Academy Award-winning melodies, memories, masterful singing and an abundance of Italian charm."
Some of the most entertaining moments in this show are when D'Ambrosio talks about growing up in a large, extended Italian clan over the family’s bakery in the Bronx, all of the great movie musicals he grew up watching, and, of course, his amazing career, including landing the role of a lifetime playing Al Pacino’s opera singing son in Francis Fore Coppola’s Godfather III. The stories don’t come off as rehearsed or contrived and work well between the songs.
Accompanied by the flawless piano playing of Chuck Larkin, this show gently waltzes you through all of the great Hollywood songs ever written. From Al Jolson’s “Jazz Singer” all the way to the film version of “The Phantom of the Opera”, D’Ambrosio takes the audience on a musical cinematic journey that you won’t soon forget. From “Singin’ in the Rain” to “Danny Boy” to an Italian version of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, D’Ambrosio gives a 1.5 hour performance that is both enthralling and thrilling.
Tickets ($35-$40) are available by phone at toll-free 866-468-3399 or online at www.yorkhotel.com/plushroom.htm. Guests must be over 21 years of age. The Empire Plush Room is located at The York Hotel, 940 Sutter Street (between Leavenworth and Hyde), San Francisco.
For more information visit www.francdambrosio.com.

This Week's Restaurant Review: Pres a Vi in SF

We were looking for a memorable restaurant where we could celebrate our third-year anniversary, so we decided to give Pres a Vi in San Francisco’s Presidio a try. Pres a Vi loosely translates to "captivated by wine" in Spain's Catalan language. I had heard nothing but incredible things about Chef Kelly Degala's menu of eclectic international small plate selections. People have been gushing wonderful praise about Pres a Vi since it opened last December, so we’d heard a lot about the inventive menu, amazing atmosphere, great bar, professional service and the large international wine list complete with tasting notes. Many wines are offered by the glass at Pres a Vi, in addition to pre-arranged flights to allow diners to compare different wines and discover new favorites. When we walked in, we were immediately taken in by the warm interiors of brown and beige hues. On a hillside right next to the George Lucas Films campus, the place has a breathtaking view of the Palace of Fine Arts. Whenever you go to a restaurant, you’re taking the chance of experiencing both good and bad things and we know that. Maybe our expectations of Pres a Vi were too high, but, to be honest, our meal there was a series of ups and downs. First off, the staff put us off from the get-go. I had made the reservation at Pres a Vi several days day before, and on the day we were to go there, someone from the restaurant called and confirmed it, which is an added touch of professionalism that I always like. When we were getting ready to go there, I noticed we were running late, so I called to let them know. The woman who answered the phone hemmed and hawed and made it sound as if we might lose our spot if we showed up a half-hour late. And yet when we got there (15 minutes late) at 5:45 pm on a Tuesday night, the place was completely empty. We rushed down there worried we’d get bumped and when we got there I am not exaggerating when I say that there was literally NO ONE else there. What’s with that? As for the service, it was okay, except for one incident where the entrée changed after we ordered it. What was supposed to be a Napa Cabbage Raab transformed into a Broccoli Raab prior to being brought to the table. Our waitress told us beforehand and we said okay, but really they should have comped or at least discounted the item, due to the fact that it wasn’t what we ordered. The culinary highlights at Pres a Vi the evening we visited included the Ahi Tartare ($12), which was Hawaiian tuna blended with kukui nuts, meyer lemon zest, sesame oil, and soy topped with wasabi tobiko and accompanied with taro chips; the Hamachi (yellowtail) Carpaccio ($12) with truffle oil, avocado tartar and micro chives; and a Beet Salad ($10) that was fresh and inventive. The lowlights: A thing they call Jo-Jo’s ($6) roasted Kennebec potato wedges fried and tossed with Serrano ham and romesco. These potatoes were quite frankly soggy and tasteless. The Serrano ham mixture was very salty and didn’t work with the dish at all. Another disaster was the Avocado and Rock Shrimp Lumpias ($12) that were the equivalent of Geno’s frozen pizza rolls. They were uninspired and unimpressive. Of the six small plates we had, three were excellent, one was mediocre and two were awful. So, overall Pres a Vi batted a little below .500. Not a great score for a supposedly fine dining establishment with a good reputation. Pres a Vi is located at One Letterman Drive, Building D, Suite 150 in the Presidio in San Francisco. Make reservations and you’d better be on time. Their number is: (415) 409-3000.

Bombs Away, Barry!

"Is that the Grand Jury or a Spring Training Fly Ball Coming Down On My Oversized Head?"

I Need to Go Back to Writing School

Every time I think I start to think that I should be nominated for a Pulitzer, I write a piece of sh-- that gets kicked back by an editor. It makes me think I'd be better off going back to journalism school. I guess writers never stop learning how to write. I wonder if Shakespeare, Hemingway, Woodward and/or Bernstein ever had these kind of problems?

Katie Ain't Cutting It!

Why isn’t Katie Couric doing well in the ratings? Maybe it’s because people prefer her doing frivolous interviews with the owners of talking dogs and women who’ve had quintuplets. For their hard news, the public is having problems taking her seriously. Couric made headlines, and history, when she left 'Today' to anchor the 'CBS Evening News.' But six months after her debut, her newscast is a distant third in the ratings behind ABC and NBC. There was a huge deluge of publicity, but now the novelty has worn off. Now the network is bringing in a new executive producer. Will things turn around? And did she make a good career move?