Still under the weather

I'm still not feeling fun 'n' fancy free, so I'm taking the rest of the day off to rest and recuperate. Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you Monday.

A chat with ... Southern cook Paula Deen

As I mentioned earlier this week, I recently snagged some phone time with Paula Deen to talk about her new Food Network show, Paula's Party (it premieres tonight at 10 p.m. ET), and to answer some of your questions.

Below is half of the interview -- you can hear the rest in next week's Pop Candy podcast. (Oh, and for the record, she says the kitchen you see on TV is her real kitchen.)

Hey, Paula. Are you at home right now?

Uh-uh. I'm at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tenn.

Oh, I love that hotel.

It's grand. This bed is so comfortable. I swear, its tentacles are unwrapping on me. They don't want to let me up! (Laughs)

Now, with all you have going on -- the show, the magazine, the books -- why did you want to start another show?

Well, Food Network approached me. I do have so much going on, but I tell you what -- at my age, for somebody to want you -- and I can't sing or dance. It was just like another gift to me, another chance to experience life in a different way.

And for people who already watch the daytime show, what will they get from this?

Well, I've always been a big advocate of having fun and not taking yourself so seriously. You don't have to be a gourmet cook to get in the kitchen and be with the people you love. There might be a little less cooking in this -- it's certainly less serious cooking.

And your husband, Michael, has a pretty big role ...

Yeah, he's warming up to the TV camera. He's got the most fabulous personality and disposition, but he's not been all that comfortable in front of the camera. But, you know, once he gets comfortable, he has got so many one-liners, and he just keeps me laughing. So yes, I hope he'll be on the show every now and again with me.

And it's called Paula's Party -- are you a big partier? Do you throw a lot of parties?

No, I'm not a big party girl. But the way this came about is we hold cooking schools in Savannah at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House. My producer, Gordon Elliott, was down to film and I had to have a class that day, so he popped in on it (and) loved it, 'cause we have a grand time. He took the idea to the Food Network.

Well, I want to get to some reader questions ... Tyler wants to know what has been your biggest cooking disaster. You have a little bit of a disaster in that first episode, though it comes out OK ...

(Laughs) You know, I haven't had any huge disasters. Probably a show that I just taped last week for Paula's Home Cooking -- I was making a dessert that I was gonna flambé. I forgot to turn off the eye when I put the liquor in! (Laughs) And I am telling you what, I thought, "Well, I'm losing my eyelashes on this one."

Early buzz: 'Iron Man' and hugs

It's Friday! Take a gander at some headlines:

- Vogue's website has posted its new cover story about Sandra Bullock.

- Robert Downey Jr. is set to star in a comic-book adaptation of Iron Man.

- This weekend the live-action Ashton Kutcher will battle the animated Ashton Kutcher at the box office.

- Madonna has broken Britney Spears' Guinness World Record as the highest-paid female singer.

- Here's some more info on the Screech sex tape. Read at your own risk.

- Orlando Bloom and Penelope Cruz? Hey, why not.

- A posthumous album from Ol' Dirty Bastard is on the way.

- From the New York Daily News: "It's official: Celeb gossip is as dull as Nicole Kidman these days." Here's a roundup of so-so gossip. 

- Because tons of you have sent me the link this week, I suppose I can't ignore those free hugs forever! (Here's some more info.)

- And finally, if you need another lift, watch Jon Stewart crack up the crowd on Letterman in 1994. He manages to reference Carol Channing, Jerry Seinfeld, Kirk Cameron and Quantum Leap.

Another movie list

"Motion pictures were the dominant art for the 20th century. Movies were the center of social mores, fashion and design, politics -- in short, at the center of culture -- and, in so being, dictated the terms of their dominance to the other art forms: literature, theater, and painting were all redefined by their relationship to cinema. Movies have owned the 20th century.

"It will not be so in the 21st century."

In the new issue of Film Comment, writer/director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver) shares a well-researched piece about the greatest films of all time. I'm pleased to say this list includes plenty of surprises, such as Crimes and Misdemeanors, Talk to Her, Performance and The Big Lebowski (at No. 40!). You can read the introduction online, but you'll have to buy the mag to see the full list. I've reprinted his top 10 after the jump.

Miss 'Gilmore'? You're not alone.

As a huge Veronica Mars fan, this is not the headline I wanted to see this morning. As you may know, Mars is really depending on Gilmore Girls' audience to survive this season, so it's not good news that the show dropped 2 million viewers this week. Do yourself a favor and watch the Mars premiere online, then set your TiVo for a season pass. At this point, it definitely needs all the help it can get.

New reads for teens

I just wanted to point out that today I have a roundup of new young-adult books in the paper -- if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Barry Lyga's The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. The book is an entertaining read no matter what age you are, especially if you're a fan of sarcastic high-school tales and/or comic-book references. Go here to sample the first chapter.

Spike goes to the movies

Ooh, I just saw that James Marsters (from Buffy and Angel) has been cast in a movie with Hilary Swank. P.S. I Love You is based on a novel by Cecilia Ahern. I can't wait to see him on the big screen.

A chat with ... Peter Cullen, aka Optimus Prime

Oh, how I wish the younger version of me were here to read this interview ...

Even if you don't recognize Peter Cullen's name, you've probably heard him -- the actor has voiced husky Transformers hero Optimus Prime for 20 years, and he appeared in nearly every popular cartoon during the '80s: The Smurfs, Snorks, Gummi Bears, Ghostbusters, G.I. Joe, Voltron, the list goes on. In recent years, he has also voiced Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh cartoons.

Recently I chatted with Cullen about what it's been like to play an Autobot for two decades, and what he thinks of the upcoming live-action Transformers movie, in which he'll reprise the role. If you'd like to meet him in person, he'll appear at this weekend's BotCon in Lexington, Ky.

Me: I grew up hearing you in several cartoons -- how did you get into voice work?

Cullen: For me, it goes back to my early childhood. I had a penchant for doing sounds. ... I could do dogs and cats and cows and horses and little things like that. When I became an actor, I studied with the National Theatre School in Montreal, Canada. As a young actor, I would be invited to the CBC radio drama department to do voices for different chraacters, and I found that I could do quite a few of them. I wasn't a visual presence, and I found it easier to construct a voice from the written page.

That easiness never left me, and when I did television, I would do impersonations. On The Sonny and Cher Show, I did Peter Falk as Columbo, John Wayne, Kissinger, Nixon. When I got out of the television part of the industry ... (an agent) said if I committed to just voiceover, he would give me 100% of his time.

Do you remember the first big paycheck you got?

I did a radio drama with some very important people -- Christopher Plummer, Julie Harris -- it was called The Lark, which was a Joan of Arc story. I got a check in the mail for $90. This was back in 1959 ... and I was walking by a travel agency and saw a sign that said, "Bermuda: $90 return." (Laughs) I said, "Oh, my god, I can go to Bermuda and back just by talking?"

So what was your first cartoon gig?

It was Mighty Man and Yuk with Frank Welker, a silly little cartoon that I transformed into a little superhero.

How did the role of Optimus Prime come along?

It was a cattle call, really. I rememer being very, very confused. I said, "What is this? A toy?" I had no idea what it was all about. Then I read the character breakdown, and it was pretty straightforward. One of them was to be the lead of the Autobots, and his character was described as a leader ... I had always kind of kept in the back of my mind the idea of what a hero would sound like if I ever got the opportunity. It fit really well.

Wanna call Stephen Colbert?

On Tuesday's edition of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert shared a number (1-888-OOPS-JEW) where viewers could call and apologize for all of the wrong things they have done to him this year. It turns out the number does work, and messages may turn up on the show. Feel free to drop him a line. Thanks to Corey S. for the link.

Early buzz: Who's rapping now?

I'm feeling much better today -- thanks for all of your good wishes. Some headlines:

- I love this story about the imposter who claimed to have written Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. The truth came to light when he died and the real author -- still living -- set the record straight.

- Ryan Adams has posted a cheesy rap song on his website. (Warning: It contains obscene language and automatically starts playing when you click.)

- Speaking of random raps, Gwyneth Paltrow duetted with Jay-Z last night in London.

- From Blender: "10 Songs You Were Probably Conceived To." Thanks to Mike E. for the tip.

- Charlie Sheen is about to become the highest-paid sitcom star.

- TBS has made a deal to rerun episodes of The Megan Mullally Show.

- I've read O.C.T., and, I've gotta say, I'm less than thrilled about a movie version.

- If these rumors had started a few weeks ago, maybe more people would've seen The Last Kiss.

- If you liked the James Kochalka Superstar song I played in a podcast a few weeks ago -- you know, the one that screamed "Justin Timberlake!" over and over -- this blog entry has posted a bunch of live tracks. Thanks to Flecton Big Sky for the link.

- If you visit a Cold Stone Creamery tonight between 5 and 8 p.m., you can receive a free sample of ice cream.

- Jewel cites the whole "I grew up in Alaska" thing as a reason why she's joining Nashville Star.

- And finally, here's a story about lovers in bands that includes another group I played in a podcast, The Submarines.