Star Jones Looked Better Fat

Have you ever noticed that some people just look better with a little meat on their bones? They lose a bunch of weight and suddenly they look weird. I think Star Jones Reynolds is a good example. Hey, God bless her – she lost all that poundage and benefited her health, no doubt. I’m just saying that she looked better fat.

I’m sure she’s much happier. What will Kathy Griffin and Howard Stern have to joke about now? They can’t do fat jokes about Star anymore.

Actually, skinny or chubby, I find Star Jones to be very annoying. Fans of The View had to listen to her endless wedding plans for almost a year. When she finally did wed, people throughout the country sighed in unison. Then, they had to listen to the stories surrounding her honeymoon, her husband and the early days of marriage. On and on. Day after day. Talk about self-absorbed.

Ever since her dramatic weight loss, Star Jones Reynolds has refused to confirm or deny that she had gastric bypass surgery.

How did she do it? Everyone is wondering. Did she do Atkins? Slim Fast? Isagenix? Lean Cuisine? Jenny Craig? NutriSystems? Did she take diet pills? Drink a bunch of water? Eat nothing but pineapple? Grapefruit? Now Reynolds says she's written a story for Glamour magazine that will address speculation about her slimmed-down physique. Pretty soon, the entire world will know her secret.

"I wrote an article because I really wanted to go as in-depth as possible about the way I've changed physically over the last 10 years on the air," Reynolds, 45, said recently while promoting her new Court TV (soon to be truTV) talk show. "And I thought that that would be the most effective way to answer everybody's questions."Her article, "Getting Over Myself," will be featured in the September issue, on newsstands Aug. 7, a representative for Glamour said Monday.

Reynolds, who has said she lost more than 100 pounds through diet and exercise, said she has no qualms about viewing photos of when she was very heavy."I actually like seeing the old pictures because what it says to me is, `You never allow yourself to get there again,"' she told reporters, according to AP Radio News.

"It was dangerous to me. Very dangerous. I was killing myself with a pork chop.”Reynolds, who married banker Al Reynolds in 2004, decided to use her maiden name as the title of her afternoon talk show, which premieres Aug. 20. Her husband, numb and unable to speak, had no comment.

Court TV has said Reynolds' show will be about criminal justice issues that intersect with the pop culture world. It's a return to her roots for Reynolds, a lawyer who began her TV career as a legal commentator on Court TV in 1991. She was an original co-host on ABC's "The View," starting in 1997, where she became acquainted with the glitz and glamour of show biz. She left the daytime talk show last year.

A Free Online Dating Site That's REALLY Free!

There’s a great new free online dating web site out there that’s creating quite a buzz. There are a lot of free online dating sites out there that claim to be free but are far from it. Free dating sites are not always free, believe me. But, this site is completely free – no credit card is required. Find relationships that matter and meet thousands of fun, attractive men and women in your area. No gimmicks. No tricks. You’ll find the real thing at JustSayHi.com.

Waterbeds are Back in a Big Way!

Waterbed technology has come a long, long way. A lot of people think of the ‘70s and ‘80s when you talk about waterbeds. But, the truth is that waterbeds are coming back and are more popular then ever. The waterbed has changed considerably, with softside waterbeds, hardside waterbeds, high-quality, re-engineered and re-designed waterbed mattresses and all kinds of accessories, like special waterbed bedding, safety liners, water conditioners, repair kits, as well as fill and drain kits. They offer new features like dual waveless mattresses and thicker bladders, too. Yes, waterbeds have come along way since the ‘70s and ‘80s. But then again – haven’t we all?

This Week's Restaurant Review: Jeanty at Jack's in SF

Jeanty at Jack’s is an amazing restaurant, offering everything you could possibly want from a dining experience -- great food in a memorable place. The building alone is worth visiting. But, once you taste one of Jeanty at Jack’s incredible creations, you’ll know why you’re there.
Phillipe Jeanty, one of America’s finest chefs, has created a restaurant with an intimate atmosphere featuring classic French bistro cuisine that is expertly prepared and magnificently presented.

Located in a three-story building that was constructed in 1864, Jeanty at Jack’s has 14-foot high ceilings, lace curtains and a brass-railed spiraling staircase.

Signature dishes include an appetizer called Petit Sale, consisting of cured pork belly with a foie gras ragout; Jeanty’s famous Coqauvin, with chicken, mushrooms, bacon and red wine; Kobe beef ribs and an exquisitely tender Cote de Porc pork chop. Service is executed to perfection with a wait staff that is experienced and attentive. Jeanty at Jack’s provides an ideal setting for first dates, anniversaries and other affairs of the heart.

Here is what Phillipe Jeanty said about his vision for Jeanty and Jack’s. This was written before he even began the actual construction of the restaurant:

“When I first entered Jack's in the "heart" of old San Francisco, I felt transported back home as if I had entered a Parisian Maison Bourgeoise as, in Paris, many of these old buildings have been transformed into neighborhood brasseries. Combined with the history of Jack's, built in 1864, I immediately fell in love with the building and decided to be part of its history and to bring Jack's back to San Francisco.”

“My vision for the exterior of the building is to give it the welcoming brasserie ambiance with red colored wood paneling, lace curtains and brass lighting. As you enter the building, you immediately feel the history of the building. When you look up to the 14-foot high ceiling, you notice the sculpted relief on the ceiling and walls. The black and white checkered tile floor leads you towards the bar and the mezzanine located above. At the base of the spiraling staircase is a ten-foot tall bronze statue, which was originally in the lobby of an old Parisian hotel.”

“As you go up the brass-railed staircase to the second floor where the three private dining rooms are located, you step back into time to the era of the Parisian Maison Bourgeoise with its hand-painted folding doors and warm, homey feeling. At the top of the third floor staircase you see an authentic "Sidewalk Ice Cream Cart." You then enter a rooftop Parisian atrium with hand-painted vines on the walls and a greenhouse glass ceiling spanning the entire room.”

“The food at Jeanty at Jack's will be true to a Parisian brasserie, platters of shellfish, beet and mache salad, home-smoked trout and potato salad, steamed mussels with fries, sole meuniere, grilled ribeye steak with bearnaise, cassoulet with duck confit, flavorful cheeses and, to finish, tart tatin "a la mode," profiteroles, crepe suzettes and creme brulee - to name a few. I think the original French owners of Jack's from 1864 would be very proud!!!”

Well, the man has exceeded even his own goals with this restaurant. I give Jeanty at Jack’s the highest rating I can. It’s a must-visit for anyone who loves food even remotely.

JEANTY AT JACK’S is located at 615 Sacramento Street in San Francisco. Call them for reservations at: (415) 693-0941. Hours: (Mon-Fri) 11:30 am-10:30 pm; (Sat-Sun) 5:00 pm-10:30 pm

Dodgers Get Healthy. Barry Gets Huffy.

The Los Angeles Dodgers swept a three-game series from the San Francisco Giants this weekend and it was interesting to watch. I would compare it to the first stages of the sinking of the Titanic. When the ship hit the iceberg and sprung a leak. It took a while for the boat to sink, but it was only a matter of time. The Giants are dead, even though the body is still warm. Their demise is in sight and the team’s disastrous season will only get worse, I believe.

AT&T Park should change its name to Dodger Stadium, because when the Blue Crew plays there, it’s like a comfortable home. They’ve won 11 in a row at the Ballpark at the Bay. It seems as though there’s just something about clam chowder, sourdough bread and sea breezes that appeals to the guys from Southern California.

I thought it was classless when the San Francisco fans booed all three Dodger all-stars at the introductions prior to the MLB All-Star Game last week. The Mid-Season Classic should be a time when fans forget their rivalries and cheer for the game itself. The Giants fans even booed the LA Angels’ all-stars, evidently because the Halos defeated the Giants in the World Series of 2002. Talk about sore losers with long memories.

The Dodgers beating the Giants the way they did is something I like to call “karmatic snap-back.” It’s also called Just Desserts.

And then, to see Barry Bonds reacting the way he did during the series aftermath is even more satisfying to watch. If anyone has a karma reach around coming his way, it’s Barry. The man has a reservoir of bad karma that the Hoover Dam couldn’t prevent from overflowing.

This appeared yesterday on http://www.cbssportsline.com/:

Barry Bonds flipped a laundry cart to the ground yesterday and stalked away.

Calling himself an "embarrassment" and mired in one of the worst slumps of his career, it was his hardest hit of the day.

Bonds had a second straight 0-for-5 performance to extend his hitless stretch to a season-worst 20 at-bats, and his San Francisco Giants lost their 11th in a row at home to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-3 on Sunday.

"It's an embarrassment for me to be wearing this (expletive deleted) uniform 'cause of the way I'm playing. There, that's it. Now go away," Bonds said at his locker.

Then he overturned the cart as he walked through the clubhouse, a rare public display of emotion with his chase of Hank Aaron's home run record at a standstill. He's been at 751 homers and four from tying the Hammer since July 3.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy suggested his star player might be too "pull conscious."

When asked about that, Bonds said, "That's not it."
Does he need a day off?

"That's not it, either."

Whatever it is, the Dodgers were happy his problems happened when they were in town.

"We didn't do much differently. We certainly caught him at a good time," Los Angeles manager Grady Little said. "He's at a point where he's really trying to get it done. He will eventually. But hopefully it will be against another team."

With Bonds searching for another long ball, the Dodgers won with small ball to hand their biggest NL West foe a fourth straight loss.

The Dodgers scored twice on squeeze bunts.

Bonds' legs are sore and it shows. This is the slugger's longest period without a hit since his record-breaking 2001 season.

"Everybody goes through it," Bochy said. "Barry, tough series for him, no getting around it. He knows it. We all know it. He's our go-to guy."

Matt Kemp had an RBI triple among his three hits and scored twice, including on Brett Tomko's safety squeeze in the fourth inning, to help the Dodgers continue their dominance in San Francisco's waterfront ballpark. Los Angeles' streak is the club's longest in any city since 13 straight wins at San Francisco's Candlestick Park from 1976-77.

A few Dodgers fans waved blue brooms during the seventh-inning stretch, calling for a sweep.
Bonds popped out in the first, flied out in the third, popped out to end the fifth, struck out swinging to end the seventh and popped up for the final out of the game. He was hitless for the sixth straight game and had consecutive 0-for-5 or worse performances for only the fourth time in his career.

"Barry Bonds, he's human," Dodgers catcher Russell Martin said. "He's going to have times when he's not swinging the bat really well. We pretty much got lucky."

The way this weekend went for the Giants, their fans were forced to come down from the high of last week's All-Star Game in a hurry. San Francisco lost its fourth straight and is winless after the break -- at a time the team knows it must turn things around quickly.

Jeff Kent had a sacrifice fly against his former team and Tomko (2-7), another former Giant, pitched five innings for the win in his first start since May 21 against Milwaukee.

Jonathan Broxton struck out Dave Roberts to escape a bases-loaded jam in the eighth and the Dodgers won again after an 8-7 victory in 12 innings Saturday. Takashi Saito bounced back from consecutive blown saves for his 24th save in 27 chances.

Bonds' last homer -- his 17th this season -- came in the first inning July 3 at Cincinnati off Aaron Harang. Bonds has gone 23 at-bats without a homer since then.

The boats were out in force in McCovey Cove on the final day of a short homestand, hoping for a splash-hit souvenir. San Francisco now heads out for four games at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs starting Monday night, followed by three in Milwaukee.

Bonds was in an 0-for-17 funk this year before hitting his 746th homer against the Rockies on May 27. He had a hitless stretch of 21 at-bats from April 5-12, 2001 -- the year he broke the single-season home run record with 73 -- and had a career-worst 0-for-23 drought from July 6-20, 1986, during his rookie year.

"It's not just one guy," said Ray Durham, who bats before Bonds in the order. "We're a team. We're a family."

Bonds committed just his second error of the year in left field when he booted James Loney's single in the fourth. Kemp followed with his triple and scored when Noah Lowry interfered with him while trying to field a safety squeeze bunt by Tomko and was given an error.

Bonds' legs, feet and toes have been swollen in recent days and he's still tired from the All-Star Game festivities this past week in his city. He was selected to his 14th All-Star Game and first since 2004, and started in left field.

Lowry (9-7) had his winning streak snapped at three starts and saw the end of his seven-game unbeaten run at home. Bengie Molina’s two-run single put San Francisco ahead in the first and Durham hit a tying RBI triple in the fifth to make it 3-all.

Omar Vizquel, the Giants' 40-year-old 11-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop, turned a pretty, barehanded double play in the third when he fielded Kent's bouncer with his right hand.

You're An Old Man, Charlie Brown

I grew up on Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. I remember how much I looked forward to the animated specials. When I was in Santa Rosa, Calif. on business recently, I drove by the Charles M. Schulz Museum & Research Center purely by accident. When I went in, I told them I was a freelance writer/blogger/BS Artist, and they gave me a complete tour FOR FREE! I am going to actually write an article about the Museum, but for now, here are some of the photos I took. (The second picture from the top is a collage of Lucy and Charlie made out of old Peanuts black & white comic strips.)

Truck Accessories Just Get it Done!

If you’re out there in the real world searching for mega high-quality, super well-built and masterfully designed truck accessories – well dudes and babes -- all I can tell you is you had better know what the hey you are doing! I mean, if you aren’t right on top of it, you could pay too much and get the wrong thing. Let’s say you’re looking for a Torza Ford Racing Tonneau cover, or a Lund Sun visor, or even some EGR Chrome Bug Shields. Or maybe a bed mat, or a bed rail, or a touch roll bar, something like that. All I can say, is it’s no time for amateur hour when you’re figuring out stuff related to truck accessories. If you didn’t come with the necessary knowledge, then you’re gonna be as lost as a Democrat at the Republican Convention!

I Found a Place for Dell Memory...

If you have a Dell computer and you need to purchase more memory, I found a place that has the very best selection and prices on Dell memory. There’s nothing more satisfying that knowing your computer has sufficient computer memory to run properly. There’s a web site called the memory store where you can get all of the best memory products out there on the computer cyber market today. You can compare name brand memory or take a long gander at one hundred per cent guaranteed compatible memory. They let you do the choosing, which I find very amusing and not the least bit confusing. Check out the memory store today. You’ll never forget the place!

Bull-Running is Bull----. But, It IS Fun to Watch!

Charging bulls gored seven people and seriously injured several others this week as this year's San Fermin festival in Pamplona served up its longest and most dangerous run of the bull-running season.
Fourteen people were hospitalized, seven for gorings, six for treatment of head and other injuries and one with a really bad hang nail, the local government announced. Three people are in very serious condition after undergoing operations.
Running with the bulls is a stupid tradition. A bunch of people (mostly drunk Spanish men) run alongside a herd of bulls, annoying and pestering them until they either complete the run or get injured in the process. The equivalent in this country would be running out into freeway traffic or playing chicken down on the railroad tracks. It’s a really dumb way to have a good time. But, I must admit, I enjoy watching it.
Bulls have been doing just fine for a long time running with each other. They don’t want to run with us. And with all the noise and people, I’m sure it’s no fun at all for them. I hear they do feed them well, though -- so maybe it’s a trade off.
Some folks reason that the tradition of running with the bulls has been devised by the Spanish as a way for the bulls to pay back the people for all the bull fighting that takes place throughout their country every year. If you look at it that way, it’s probably not so bad. Every time a bull gets a hold of some drunk, he’s essentially telling the poor sap, “And that’s for killing my dad!”
We don’t really do anything like that in this country. Florida doesn’t have a “swimming with the crocs” and Alaska doesn’t do a “skating with the polar bears” kind of thing. Most of our traditional animal-related festivals involve harmless stuff like watching frogs jump; groundhogs looking for their shadows, or waiting around to see a bunch swallows come home.
Here’s the rest of the most recent bull-running story, as it appeared in Bull Runners Monthly:
The herd of six 1,300-pound bulls, six steers and one really aggressive goat disintegrated shortly after the animals set off on the dash through the cobblestone streets of Pamplona in the sixth of eight planned runs.
One stray bull turned around and ran the wrong way. Herders with long sticks smacked it in the rump to get the animal pointed in the right direction.
The loose bull charged and tossed several runners—some of them clad in the traditional red-and-white garb of San Fermin—on its way to the bullring.
Several runners were trampled and seven runners were injured by bulls' horns. One 48-year-old man from Pamplona was gored in the chest and was reported to be in very serious condition. A 23-year-old Mexican was gored in the stomach and was also reported as very serious. And an 18-year-old kid got his feelings hurt when one of the bulls defecated on his brand-new Air Jordans.
The other runners who were gored were from Poland, Norway, Spain and Newark, with ages ranging from 23 to 50, officials said. They were all reported to be in serious condition.
The run lasted 6 minutes, 9 seconds, compared with the normal length of about 2 minutes, because the bulls separated—the most dangerous thing that can happen at Pamplona.
The festival in this northern town, renowned for its all-night street parties, dates back to the late 16th century. It gained worldwide fame in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises."
Since record-keeping began in 1924, 13 people have been killed during the runs, the most recent in 1995.

They're Baaaaaaaaaaaack!!

This is the time of year when the wild parrots of San Francisco eat juniper berries from the bushed right outside my window. I run down there whenever I see them to shoot photos. They are real hams and they seem to love the attention!