Top Three Summer Shows

Now that the fall season is upon us, it is time to recall this past summer's top three guilty pleasures, which I would happily welcome in this fall's lineup.

1. Hell's Kitchen

I never thought that a cursing British chef would gain my love and respect, but Chef Gordon Ramsay has. I was struck by how truly pained he was when a contestant did not revere food as much as he thought the food deserved or the contestant failed to prepare for dinner service. When one contestant replied that she only had two servings of a meat dish when every customer was ordering it, Chef replied, "Two?!?" with such disgust and disdain, I immediately knew that the cursing was not necessary. He could sum up his feelings in one simple word. Chef Ramsay pushed his contestants to do better, and even though his techniques were brash, they only matched his need for perfection.

2. Hit Me Baby One More Time

Not the Britney Spears song! The television show is a "one-hour competition program featuring veteran music hit-makers who will each perform their greatest hit -- as well as cover a popular contemporary song -- with the favorite to be determined by audience voting."

I love singing along to old hits, and it is fun to see artists, from one hit wonders to one time legends, try to recapture the adulation of an audience. My favorite episode featured Wang Chung covering Nelly's "Hot in Herre," complete with one of the lead singers waggling his eyebrows, slapping his butt and enthusiastically waving his arms. Even the back-up singer was getting into the performance. Cameo did a soulful twist to Bowling for Soup's "1985" and turned the song into a sorrowful yet funky dedication to lost dreams of youth.

Even less than spectacular performances provided the performer with what seemed like closure. Haddaway showed that he had a good sense of humor about Saturday Night Live's take on "What is Love" when he danced with the famous head tilt move then mimicked Britney Spears' writhing in "Toxic." When Vanilla Ice sang "Ice Ice Baby," I was hopeful that he had finally resolved his issues. In the Surreal Life, he constantly complained that he never wanted to be the person that he was when he originally sang that song, not that the new Vanilla Ice seemed like an improvement. Still I was glad that he could finally sing the song instead of rail against it.

3. So You Think You Can Dance

I love dance shows. The judging can be frustrating, but the performances rarely are. I miss the days when the Ballroom Dancing Championships would be aired on PBS, and different talent shows had dancing competitions. How many times can you see ballroom and hip-hop dancing in one show by the same performers? Not often enough.

This show stretches its audiences' dance knowledge and broadens its dancers' expertise. I love it when dancers, whom I once considered as limited to excelling in one style, then surprise me with an amazing performance in an unfamiliar style. For example, Destini really proved herself when she finally left her field of lyrical dance and shook her butt in a show-stopping performance in Hip-Hop. Some performers, such as Ashle, continue to prove that one dancer can be a chameleon and amazing in anything from the Samba to modern dance. Of course, dancing is supposed to be fun and easy to look at, and Nick, a lyrical dancer, proved that when he did a great routine in Disco. Even when some dancers are daunted by these challenges, dancers, such as Ryan, still leave us with memorable moments such as Ryan's performance in the mambo, which was executed better than a certain ballroom dancer who recently tried to dance similar moves, but with less panache.

Summer of Pain

Customarily, I try to devote this site to positive things, but it would be insensitive not to mention a couple of events.

1. The Emergency Response to Hurricane Katrina

I feel like I'm watching the end of civilization. When Americans are left to live in filth and die of easily preventable causes, something dramatically wrong has occurred. If we cannot respond promptly and effectively to an emergency that was considerate enough to give us a week's notice, then we should be ashamed as we approach another anniversary of September 11th and realize that we are not prepared for any future threats.

2. The Subway Bombings in the UK

To our brothers & sisters in the UK, stay calm. Facing the dangers of WWII and IRA bombings enabled you to handle terrorists--citizens gone mad. Your determination strengthens us. I gasped in shock and anger when I first heard the news. The image of soot-stained faces was unfortunately too familiar. You returned to daily life while simultaneously struggling with grief and gave us a sterling example of how to face these lovers of death.

Summer of Joy

This summer, I did not have much time to write anything. I was busy engaging in activities that could not be recommended to others, but special personal events that will remain memorable for years to come.

Here are the top two events of the Summer of 2005:

1. I turned THIRTY!

I am not one of those angst-filled young people who fear the onslaught of maturity. I have always welcomed the years with open arms. After all, it is better than the alternative. Still, my birthday was on a weekday, and I did not plan to do anything special. My agenda consisted of eating sushi while watching Party Girl and Unbreakable.

Fortunately, my mother had other plans. As I have mentioned before, my mother lives with me and for several years, she has slowly been collecting phone numbers of my friends. That week, she called friends from college, law school and Bible Study to a "surprise" birthday party at my place.

I would have been surprised if she had not asked me the day before my birthday who prepared the party platters. A co-worker cleverly noted, "Your mother is no fool. She knows that you may have decided to go somewhere at the last minute."

She then prepared a feast suitable for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. The menu consisted of some of my favorites: a pork roast, which we normally only have during the holidays, rotisserie chicken, rice and pigeon peas and asparagus. There were also party platters such as an assorted fruit platter, which consisted of pineapple, cantaloupe and honeydew, and a Mediterranean wrap platter.

Even though I knew there was a party, I did not know who was actually coming. As each person arrived and the disparate groups melded together as if they knew each other for years, I realized that the best birthday present was simply having so many people care for me. Best present ever!

2. College Roommate's Wedding

I alluded to this event while the preparations were still transpiring. Well, the great couple's big day finally arrived after several days of exciting events. I did not think that waking up at 6 a.m. for work throughout the week would enable me to keep going for three days of celebration, but in the end, sheer joy for the Bride gave me all the energy that I needed.

Instead of a bachelorette party, we had a Diva Night at Cuchi Cuchi and sang karaoke in a private room at the Limelight Stage and Studio. The party consisted of the following: the Bride, the Bride's sister, aka the Dancing Diva; the Best Woman, another college roommate, aka the One Woman Empire; and the Bride's high school friend, a Woman With Connections.

At Cuchi Cuchi, our host was the fabulous Wafita, who outfitted us with tiaras and boas. The Bride's beauty could not be marred by toppling tiaras, and every man in the restaurant was saddened to discover the reason for our celebration, even though that news did not stop some persistent admirers. I discovered that I should wear a tiara wherever I go because I look fabulous in one, but found myself sneezing whenever I got near the boas.

The tapas menu mostly consisted of Vegan delights, which was quite impressive considering none of us were vegans. We had stuffed artichoke hears (fried artichoke hearts filled with gorgonzola and pistachio nuts drizzled with garlic-lemon-olive butter); sauteed artichoke hearts (in evoo with garlic, sundried tomato pesto and black olives); grilled asparagus spears with mango-mint salsa; thai crab claws with chili sauce, grilled skirt steak with cocunut-ginger glaze; stuffed portabella mushrooms (sauteed vegetables, basmati rice, coconut milk); and brie en croute.

Then our limo shuttled us to our private studio to sing ourselves hoarse to tunes with the same titles as our names. As we prepared to leave, two guys did a great rendition of Jessie's Girl for the Bride. In the end, we cancelled our last stop, salsa dancing, in order to be rested for the next day.

The next night was the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner at the Harvard Faculty Club. I was a little nervous about the reading only because I was not sure whether or not I would remember when I had to move to the front. Father Dave, the Groom's Uncle, provided a helpful reminder: "It would be nice when I sit down, if you would walk to the front. I can make an announcement if I don't see you move." In layman's terms, "Move your butt when I sit so I don't have to ruin the flow of the ceremony." Got it!

The rehearsal dinner was so moving. It was nice to spend more time with the Bride's family, and it was a privilege to meet the Groom's family. The evening was filled with poignant moments, including a dance dedicated to the Bride by the Dancing Diva; a beautiful slide show consisting of both families' photos from the nineteenth century, literally when the photograph was invented, and a toast for a departed loved one.

On the wedding day, the weather was cold but sunny and perfect for photos. I was able to spend the day with another college roommate, known as NYC Pal on this site. The Bride not only looked beautiful, but she looked like the icon of all brides. The Groom was obviously touched by the entire experience, and his visible adoration was touching. It was great to watch them becoming an actual married couple, not as a dramatic sudden change, but a smooth, natural transition.

The wedding reception was a blast. It was like a college reunion without the stress and the poignant moments continued. For example, the wedding day was scheduled on the birthday of the Bride's first female ancestor who arrived in America, and the wedding favor was Lingonberries jam, which came from a Norwegian field named after the Bride's last name! We danced all night, and the only disappointment was that the celebration could not continue forever.

Before the wedding, I displayed photos of all my friends except my college roommates. It was not because I favored them any less, but the only photos that I had were unflattering. Because we lived together, most of our photos consisted of pajamas, sweat pants, makeshift afros and tired smiles. They were treasured memories that would never be shared with anyone outside of the group. Even though not every roommate attended the wedding, it was nice that I finally had a nice photo with my dear friends. That photo reminds me that the party is just beginning.