967 replies to this topic

[seltzer4]

http://www.bravotv.c...a_lakshmi.shtml

She's apparently going to be an additional host for this season. Hopefully she will have more of a personality than Katie.

[Ballerina Girl]

She's replacing the Katie Leebot, right?

Edited by Ballerina Girl, Sep 11, 2006 @ 8:11 AM.

[LizDC]

Yes, she is.

[Fukui San]

Word of advice: Do not do a google image search of her while at work.

I saw her show on the Food Network way back when. She is damn pretty but I'm not sure she screams personality. These days on the Food Network, screaming at the camera seems to be a job requirement. Padma was always low key. But she is damn pretty. Have I mentioned that? She wore tiny little sundresses while making her food, but somehow my eyes never reached the skillet.

Not mentioned in her bio: She is Mrs. Salman Rushdie. So she and Katie Lee Joel would have something to chat about.

[Gilmel]

She also has the distinction of being the worst actor in one of the worst episodes of Enterprise: "Precious Cargo." Here's keckler's recap of it.

Edited by Gilmel, Sep 11, 2006 @ 10:37 AM.

[Nocona]

Well.. she's a bit older thank Katie Lee-bot.. she's 36, according to the imdb.. but she was in Glitter, ewww. I liked her show on the FN and I think she'll make a much better host. Not that the bar has been set all that high however...

Edited by Nocona, Sep 12, 2006 @ 12:59 AM.

[Renee in CA]

Well, this gal seems to be miles ahead of Katie. Had a real career, knows something about food and TV, etc. I await the show to see...

[lsk]

You know, from what I've seen of her in the previews that aired during PR, she actually seems kind of charismatic and charming. That should make for a nice change!

[graybrown bird]

I hope the hosting job on Top Chef works out for her, and that she proves to be good at it. Her performance in Sharpe's Challenge convinced me she needs to find a job other than acting.

[keckler]

If she has an ounce of the awesome personality that Heidi brings to PR, I will be much happier than I was with last season. Unfortunately, for reasons that Gilmel linked to, I am not holding out much hope.

[Cubbie]

I saw the preview with her talking. At least it wasn't a monotone. Maybe being a tv presenter is her calling since acting is not.

[shimi]

I'm just concerned that once Mr. Shimi gets an eyeful of the glamorous Indian Chef Chick he'll get bored with me, since I don't cook in tiny sundresses!

Eh, she's got to be an improvement over Katie, cos yeah she actually has written a cookbook and seems to know her stuff. Plus, I think she's much hotter.

[keckler]

She is way hotter. I just crave a personality to go with the face and body! Get bitchy! Get flirty! Just...get something!

[Mandy P]

Padma IS red hot. I really liked her show on Food Network, too. Hopefully she'll bring the spark to Top Chef that the Leebot couldn't.

[swimmyfish]

Does this mean no more Billy Joel song references in the recaps? That makes me a little bit sad.

[keckler]

Aw, maybe I'll have to transition to excerpt from Rushdie's books?

[Parhelion]

Does anyone know what went down for the show to change hosts? I know Katie Lee was wooden, but I was under the impression she was just the host because she had some stake in the show, like she was a producer or something.

[biakbiak]

Nope, Katie was not a producer. The official story is that she didn't want to host anymore and had other things she wanted to do.

[Divaah46]

I tihnk Ms. Lakshmi will be much better at this hosting thing. She's hosted her own show, has written a cookbook or two, and I don't think Salman Rushdie would marry someone who couldn't carry on an intelligent conversation. Then again, she's so gorgeous maybe it doesn't matter.

[Decormaven]

Does the host of Top Chef have to be a celebrity wife?

No, but if you think about, being a celeb's wife means you probably have the $$ to experience cuisine prepared by top chefs. That doesn't necessarily translate into being an epicurean, but at least they do get exposure to such fare.
What will be Padma's new TWOP moniker? One vote for the Anti-Bot.

[Gilmel]

I vote for Princess Cargo.

No, but if you think about, being a celeb's wife means you probably have the $$ to experience cuisine prepared by top chefs.

You can get that being a celeb yourself, too. So I wonder why they choose celebs' wives instead of a celeb herself, like Heidi Klum is. Unless Padma counts as a celeb in her own right. She probably does.

[false indigo]

She's no Katie Lee Joel.

That can only mean good.

[desdamonab]

An interview with Padma Lakshmi from the Los Angeles Times. Mild spoilers, such as who some of the guest judges are.

Bringing Taste and Sizzle to Top Chef

Interesting tidbit: Katie was second choice.

So when Bravo approached her about hosting "Top Chef" last year, she was intrigued. Scheduling conflicts ultimately forced her to turn down the role in the first season, which then went to Katie Lee Joel (wife of singer Billy Joel). But when it came time to tape the second season, producers decided they wanted a host with more culinary knowledge and called Lakshmi again.

Edited by desdamonab, Oct 14, 2006 @ 7:19 AM.

[jkt1219]

Word of advice: Do not do a google image search of her while at work.

My sincere thanks for that warning. Also... nice boobs.

Does the host of Top Chef have to be a celebrity wife? Like is that in the job description or something???

She must also be at least twenty years younger than her husband and at least his third wife.

[rhys7]

The only thing I've heard her say is "pack your knives and go" in the commercials. Ugh. She sounded as horrible as Katie. Not an auspicious beginning.

I'm rather confounded by the mixed marriage with Rushdie and Lakshmi. He's a Muslim, no? She's hindi(sp)?

[biakbiak]

Rushdie is an Athiest.

Edited by biakbiak, Oct 17, 2006 @ 2:44 PM.

[kouredios]

Rushdie is an Athiest.

Rushdie is an atheist, though raised Muslim. But, more specifically, he grew up in Bombay. Padma is an Indian supermodel. They have more culturally in common than he did with his first wife (British) and second (American.) Sorry--I'm a complit grad student and he's my favorite living author. :)

Topic? I think there's plenty of room for Padma to wow us. There's a vast difference between acting and hosting. As long as she has personality and can convey it, she could be great.