Sunday, June 18, 2006

Not so sweet on "Sugar Rush"

So, it's been over a month since my last post, which, I know, is bad for a blog. Even the summer TV season provides some new episodes amongst the re-runs. Luckily, I have a readership of zero, so no harm done.

Unfortunately, I don't have any kind of spectacular insights to offer in this first post back from oblivion. Instead, I just want to say this: I don't understand how Warren Brown has a show. He's the host of "Sugar Rush" on the Food Network, which has a wonderful concept: as the Web site describes it, the show "showcases the most sinful, the most artistic, and the most theatrical desserts on the planet." Now, I LOVE food — even more than I love TV, which is saying a lot — so of course I'm already a sucker for gustatory TV. But sweets being almost universally enjoyed, a show like "Sugar Rush" should be a shoo-in with everyone.

Why, then, did the Food Network make Warren Brown the host? Maybe he approached them with the concept — I don't care. They should have stolen the conceit and put someone else in charge or just waited until another chef pitched a similar show. Because Warren Brown is totally stilted and stiff in front of the camera. Since ostensibly he's passionate about the topic, he should be able to speak in an unaffected way; instead, he sounds like he's reciting a rehearsed speech, inserting a pause in between every clause as if he were standing behind a podium. I hate that in any form of public speaking, but it's even worse on a show like this. As they made perfectly clear on the competitive reality series "The Next Food Network Star," it's critical that the host come across as personable and natural. So why oh why don't they do something about Warren Brown?

And although, yes, I do tend to be incredibly critical, I don't know if the public would consider my standards in this department to be particularly high. While everyone was criticizing Al Gore of being too robotic during the 2000 presidential race, I found him to be perfectly warm and affable. So you can imagine that when I posit that Warren Brown is wooden, that's really saying something. Lest you think I'm exaggerating, just watch the show yourself.

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