Podcast Junkie

Podcast: KCRW's Good Food
I've reviewed this weekly food show before and gave it an excellent rating of two ear buds. Well, the podcast on April 28th with host Evan Kleinman was especially informative, and I just had to review it again.

Ted Allen fans will enjoy hearing his interview, and for those who have never heard of Body Sushi (I haven't) will get an interesting insight into the practice. To download this podcast, click on the links below.

Ted Allen; Body Sushi; Vinaigrettes

SAT APR 28, 2007

Listen to/Watch entire show:

Listen Podcast

Chef Carol Cotner Thompson shares some simple and unique vinaigrette recipes; Jonathan Gold reflects on his career and winning the Pulitzer Prize for food criticism; Eddie Lin touches on the surprisingly sexy side of sushi; Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s Ted Allen compares sexual orientation and food preferences; Mark Schatzker reports on the culture and food of Mongolia; Donald G. McNeil, Jr. addresses the need for water purification and talks about the Life Straw; Enrique Ochoa charts the rising costs of corn and how it’s causing a tortilla crisis in Mexico; and Laura Avery has the Market Report.

Podcast Junkie

Podcast: Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO

Frequency: Weekly

Duration: 60 minutes

Content: In Real Time, a panel of guests discuss current events. Recent guests include Jason Alexander, Dan Rather, Martha Raddatz, Chris Rock, John Ridley, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Fmr. Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-FL), Mia Farrow, Seymour Hersh, Sen. Joe Biden, David Mamet, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Steven Weber, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). Whew! And that's for three podcasts!



My Critique: Bill's outrageous, yes. Inappropriate, often. Thought provoking, indeed. In danger of being vilified like Ann Coulter? No question about it. This comedian/pundit pushes the envelope and he forces people to think and react. This is where he is different from Ann Coulter:

1. He's genuinely funny.


2. He invites guests with opposing viewpoints to discuss topical issues.


3. He's as irreverent towards the Democrats as towards the Republicans,but conservatives don't seem to pick up on that.


4. He provides an entertaining, thought provoking, and enjoyable hour.
   
   My podcasts sit in queue and are shuffled. As soon as I hear the opening bars to Bill's show, my ears prick up. No, I don't always agree with him. This is a free country after all. But I give the man credit for treating us as sentient, intelligent beings.

My Rating: Two earbuds if you are a Bill fan; none if you've attended Jerry Falwell's Liberty University

Rating system:

Two Ear Buds: Highly recommended
One Ear Bud: Ok, but needs improvement
No ear bud: Don't bother.

Want more Maher? Click here for a Washington Post interview.

To read my other Podcast Junkie Reviews, click on the labels below.

Podcast Junkie

Podcast Junkie: Hot Off the Presses! The Daily News (Click on the bold words, dahlings.)

NPR Podcast Directory:

NBC Nightly News:

NYTimes Front Page and Interviews:

WBUR’s Here and Now:

Frequency: Daily

Duration: From 5 minutes to an hour, depending on which newscast you choose

Content: Yesterday’s reports. These newscasts are thorough, depending on your political bend.

My Critique: Take your pick. NBC’s Nightly News, NPR, NYTimes Front Page, and WBUR’s Here and Now with Robin Young are waiting to be ‘pushed’ onto your Ipod. I find that NPR and Here and Now work best because they were written for a radio audience to begin with. However, NBC’s Nightly News translates surprisingly well. Depending on your political bend, you can download any kind of news that makes you happy. Just google news podcasts and subscribe. The service is free! As it should be.


Rating: Two Ear Plugs


In this Ms. Place blog feature, I critique my favorite podcasts using my own rating system:

Two ear buds: Highly Recommended
One ear bud: Ok, but needs improvement
No ear bud : Don’t bother downloading

Podcast Junkie

KCRW's Good Food Podcasts

If you crave good food, like I do, and if you're into cooking, you'll love these terrific podcasts about food hosted by Executive Chef Evan Kleinman, owner of Angeli Caffe in LA.



Download Frequency: Weekly

Podcast Duration: An hour

Content: These podcasts offer an amazing wealth of information about food, from what's fresh in the market this week in Santa Monica by Laura Avery in the Farmer's Market Report to discussions about a series of topics with a variety of guests, including:

Mike Randleman's documentation of the last meal requests of death row prisoners
Linda West Eckhardt's recipes for dogs
An Oregon farmer describes growing "real" wasabi on American soil
Brothers Matt and Ted Lee celebrate Southern food as America's food
Russ Parsons discusses the best kitchen knives.
Cardoz spices up American food with Indian flavors
Dr. Michael Wilkes explains food intolerances
Wayne Curtis affirms rum is not just for pirates
Stacie Hunt points us to good wines for under $15
A conversation with water connoisseur Dr. Michael Mascha
John T. Edge and Adrian Miller share some insight into the lowly catfish

Here's a link to another review about Good Foods. Click here.

My Critique: This is one of my favorite podcasts. Evan Kleinman uses a natural, relaxed interview style as she glides from topic to topic. I never tire of listening to her. The subjects are interesting, varied, and current, and I've even been tempted to try a recipe or two.

For a detailed report about each week's podcast, click on Podcast Directory.com.



Rating: Two Ear Buds




About Podcasts:

For the techie neophyte, here's a nice feature about podcasts: You don't have to download a podcast into your MP3 player in order to hear it. Select an episode, double click on the words, and listen while you work on your computer.

In Podcast Junkie I use the following rating system:
Two ear buds: Highly Recommended
One ear bud: Ok, but needs improvement
No ear bud: Don’t bother downloading

Podcast Junkie: Grey's Anatomy

Download Frequency: Once a week, seven days after the last television airing of a new Grey's Anatomy. Podcasts are free. Subscribe at Grey's Anatomy.

Content:Executive Producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers talk and chat about their favorite t.v. show like two girlfriends over a glass of Pinot Noir in their living room. Very cozy. Quite personal. You can even hear phones ringing in the background.

You don't have to download a podcast into your MP3 player in order to hear it. Select an episode, double click on the words, and listen while you work on your computer. This is my rating system:
Two ear buds: Highly Recommended
One ear bud: Ok, but needs improvement
No ear bud : Don’t bother downloading


My Critique: Shonda and Betsy discuss Grey's Anatomy like nobody's business, giving us depth, color, and background. I have grown to like this podcast, which reminds me of water cooler conversations at work. Because Shonda and Betsy produce the show, they know the plot and characters intimately. Some of us aren't quite yet tired of Meredith, who's in love with McDreamy, a man who comes with baggage, namely an ex-wife who works in the same hospital. Others of us are waiting for McSteamy to don and doff that tiny towel again.

Other links: Grey's Anatomy Insider

Length: Each podcast lasts from 14 to 23 minutes.








Rating: Two Ear Buds. I say, download them while you can!

Podcast Junkie: Rating Tim Gunn's Project Runway Podcasts

I listen to my Ipod every day as I walk my energetic terrier an hour in the morning and after work. Within months of its purchase, I found myself listening to the same songs from my CD collection over and over again. At the same time I missed catching the morning and evening news. So I began searching for a variety of free sources of music, news, and entertainment.

I am now a Podcast Junkie. At the start of each week I download 15-18 hours of podcasts into my Ipod. I might take 3-5 days to listen to my selections, which include NPR shuffle, Slate Magazine, Real Time with Bill Maher, Grey’s Anatomy, Tim Gunn’s Podcast, Dog Whisperer, The Lonely Planet—you get the drift. Name a topic, including book titles, and I’ve probably downloaded it!

For the techie neophyte, here's another nice feature about podcasts: You don't have to download a podcast into your MP3 player in order to hear it. Select an episode, double click on the words, and listen while you work on your computer.

In Podcast Junkie I'll be critiqueing my favorite podcasts using the following rating system:
Two ear buds: Highly Recommended
One ear bud: Ok, but needs improvement
No ear bud : Don’t bother downloading

My first podcast analysis is about Tim’s Take, a Project Runway podcast by the inestimable Mr. Gunn.

Tim’s Take

Download Frequency: Once a week, after the last new Project Runway broadcast . Archives of Series 2 & 3 can still be downloaded from http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway. (PR One is not available in podcast form. )

Podcast Duration: Variable, up to an hour

Content: Tim’s analysis of the designers and the results of that week’s challenge. (Click here to listen to a sample from PR2, Episode 2, Clothes Off Our Back Episode.)

My Critique: This is Tim Gunn at his best, recapping Project Runway shows and adding colorful details to the design challenges that are absent from the taped show. In addition, Tim’s expert judgment and analysis about the design process and fashion provides valuable insight about each episode, inadvertently (or deliberately) revealing his relationship with the designers. We also learn what really goes on behind the scenes with the judging.

Rating: Two Ear Buds