Alton Brown is NOT Having the Best Week Ever
Thursday, January 04, 2007 | posted by Mike
Some times you're on a roll and some times you're not. That's just the way it is. This is on of those "not" weeks for Alton Brown, I think.
Granted, it's not like his dog ran away or anything like that, but we came across a couple of less-than-flattering items about AB on the Internet this week, starting with a tepid review of his appearance at a live cooking demonstration in Florida.
Onstage, however, he becomes a mediocre comedian. Without some of the B-movie props and sidekicks that he has access to on “Good Eats,” Brown was forced to rely more on improvised jokes to keep the audience entertained has he meandered his way through three eggnog-based recipes, which the audience saw projected on a screen thanks to a camera pointed directly at his mixer.
His stream-of-consciousness approach led to some genuinely funny and insightful moments. He riffed on such topics as the different rationales men and women have for cooking, the virtues of fresh nutmeg, Martha Stewart’s chickens and the nature of his own celebrity.
But, throughout, it seemed he missed the structure a TV cooking show offers. He meandered and veered. He repeated himself.
It does go on to say that Alton did a great job with the Q&A session. I'm a bit surprised by all of this because it seemed like Feasting on Asphalt was largely unscripted and Brown seemed to handle it well. In fact, some people are a bit turned off by the "always on" feel of Good Eats, so I would think a less structured Alton would be a welcome thing.
The kicker? That review appeared on a website owned by Scripps, which also owns...Food Network. So much for synergy, huh?
Then, Tracey over at Foodie Obsessed spotted something during a recent shopping trip:
As I walked last week through my grocery store, I walked past a display that caught my eye and disturbed me to the very core of my existence. I gasped, stumbled then attempted to regroup only to open my eyes to the upsetting truth in front of me…Alton Brown endorsing Miller Lite!!
Actually, Tracey's reaction is fairly tame compared to what you'll see by running a Google search on "Alton Brown Miller Lite." Ouch!
Alton, we still lova ya, and I'm more than fine with you picking up an endorsement deal, but couldn't you go for a Yuengling or a Samuel Adams?
Labels: Alton Brown
