REVIEW: Jiro Dreams of Sushi Explores the Drive to Make Beautiful Things That Are Edible Too

Is it possible to love a piece of dead fish more than you love people? Thats the question asked, implicitly if not directly, by David Gelbs documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a portrait of 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono that is itself as meticulous and carefully formed as a piece of nigirizushi. The movies title comes from an interview with Jiro, who speaks of waking up in the middle of the night with new ideas for perfecting and enhancing his craft. Then we see him standing stiffly behind the bar at his Tokyo restaurant, waiting with an air of placid annoyance for a customer to consume one of his precise and studied creations: With his hands, he has made a dream you can eat. And he wants you to know it. Gelbs documentary is tactile in the same way. In fact, its so strictly visual as opposed to sensual that unlike most well-made movies about food, it may not send you walking out hungry. A food-critic friend and I were discussing this phenomenon: It could be, as my friend posited, that sushi, though among the most beautiful of all consumables, is just not very food porny. And its true: I left Jiro Dreams of Sushi wanting not to eat, but to make jewelry, preferably with the most colorful, carefully polished beads or stones available. Jiro, as he himself tells us in the film, has been mastering the art of making sushi nearly his whole life. For years he has run Sukiyashi Jiro, a 10-seat sushi restaurant in Tokyo, and though the place is just a modest if elegant dinerlike strip, it was the first restaurant of its kind to be awarded three Michelin stars. His eldest son, Yoshikazu, works in the restaurant with him, and though its strongly hinted that his skills are nearly as well-honed as those of his father, Jiro shows no signs of being ready to pass the torch along. A younger son runs another sushi restaurant on the other side of town, an enterprise Jiro talks about with gibing pride. He himself, as it turns out, struck out on his own before he was even a teenager, supporting himself any way he could. When his younger son decided to start the restaurant, Jiro told him he had better succeed, because he had no home to go back to. He derides the idea of parents who reassure their children they can always come home. When parents say stupid things like that, he says, the kids turn out to be failures. That gives us a few clues to his parenting style. And yet Jiros grudging love for, and pride in, his children shines through, even though its something hed rather not advertise. (At one point he concedes, I wasnt much of a father, and no mention is made of the childrens mother, though we see her in a photograph or two.) Thats one of the strengths of Gelbs understated technique he never tells when he can show, letting Jiro do most of the talking, though we also hear from Tokyo restaurant critic Yamamoto (who informs us plainly that in the dozens of times he has eaten at Sukiyabashi Jiro, he has never had a disappointing meal) and the fish dealer who proudly supplies Jiro with those all-important raw ingredients (although Jiro, who used to do all the marketgoing himself before suffering a heart attack, now leaves the daily shopping to Yoshikazu). Mostly, though, we see Jiro at work, sometimes supervising his devoted but slightly cowed restaurant workers, but more often just making the stuff: The precision of his hand movements is something to behold, as he forms a small dollop of rice into a suitable bed for a piece of glistening salmon or mackerel. As he cuts through a slab of tuna, the pieces fall away in thick, red ribbons this is what velvet would look like if you could slice it. Jiro's quest for perfection is all-consuming and, the film suggests, wont be quelled until he draws his last breath, or until his limbs stop working, whichever comes first. At its simplest level, Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a portrait of a master. In its deeper layers, it explores what drives us to make things: Beautiful, jewel-like things, or things that delight our palate or, in this case, both. Follow Stephanie Zacharek on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Oprah Returns To Newsmaker Interviews, Books Whitney Houstons Daughter

Oprah Winfrey’s Next Chapter is starting to look a lot like her old one. OWN just announced that Winfrey will do the type of topical interview with the most sought-after celebrities of the moment that were the staple of her daytime syndicated show. An interview with Whitney Houstons daughter Bobbi Kristina, her sister-in-law and manager Patricia Houston and Whitneys brother Gary Houston will air as a special episode of Oprahs Next Chapter on Sunday March 11. It will be preceded by a rerun of Winfrey’s interview with Houston on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Christopher Lloyd, Trio Of Stars Cast In Aircraft pilots

Veteran Christpher Lloyd continues to be drawn on to star opposite John Leguizamo and Dustin Ybarra in Basic steps multicamera comedy pilot Only Fools And Horses. In line with the British format, the multicamera comedy stories the misadventures of two streetwise siblings, Del (Leguizamo) and Rodney (Ybarra), as well as their aging grandfather (Lloyd) because they concoct crazy, morally questionable get-wealthy-quick schemes within their mission being riches. Also cast within the pilot is BJ Bales (Happy Being) as Trigger, a ghetto-speaking disadvantage guy who's Del and Rodney’s perpetual enemy. He's with APA and Principato-Youthful. Majandra Delfino (The Truly Amazing Condition Of Georgia) continues to be cast in ABC’s single-camera pilot starring Mandy Moore and directed by Shawn Levy. The project, compiled by Bob Fisher and Stacy Traub, focuses on bride and groom Annie (Moore) and Ben who obtain the chance a person can have to operate a stylish, new restaurant in Annies home town getting her nearer to her desperate and maintenance family. APA-repped Delfino will have certainly one of Annie’s siblings, who's divorced and living in your own home. twentieth century Fox TV is creating with Shawn Levy and Marty Adelsteins studio-based banner. Nikita alumna Tiffany Hines continues to be put into Basic steps drama pilot Americana, a cleaning soap in regards to a famous fashion industry clan. It focuses on legendary designer Robert Soulter (Anthony LaPaglia), the patriarch of the sprawling family who just welcomed a brand new member, Alice Clarke (Ashley Greene), a youthful designer whose shocking arrival turns the household and also the legendary label thoroughly. Hines, repped by Medavoy Management and also the Corsa Agency, will have Shane, an attractive medical student and Alices closest friend. Employed by Alice (Ashley Greene)to model inside a fashion show, Shanediscovers that her existence is going to changeand not always for that better. Actress-author Liz Cackowski (Failing to remember Sarah Marshall) has became a member of CBS single-camera comedy pilot from feature author-director Nick Stoller, a twentysomething ensemble comedy that focuses on Mike (Michael Angarano), dedication-phobic ad agency professional who, after you have left by his longtime girlfriend Laura (Larson), realizes he needs to continue dealing with her one cubicle away. Cackowski, repped by UTA and three Arts, will have Ingrid. Chernin Entertainment and twentieth century Fox TV are creating.

Brandon Routh, Lucy Davis & Elizabeth Regen Join CBS Comedy Pilot Partners

EXCLUSIVE: Chuck alum and former Superman Brandon Routh, Elizabeth Regen and Lucy Davis have joined Michael Urie and Sophia Bush in the cast of CBS’ half-hour pilot Partners. The multicamera comedy, from Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, centers on lifelong friends and business partners architects Charlie, who is straight, and Louis (Urie), who is gay. Routh, repped by UTA and Main Title, will play Louis’ steady partner, a former alcoholic, club-hopping model, now a sober, vegan nurse. Regen will play Ro-Ro, Charlie and Louis’ colorful assistant. Brit Davis, who starred on the original British version of The Office, will play Renata, droll bookkeeper for Charlies fianc Ali ( Bush), a jewelry boutique owner. Routh has worked with Kohan and Mutchnick before – he guest starred in an episode of their multicamera NBC hit Will & Grace.

Pilot Season: Perfect Couples' Christine Woods Lands Lead on NBC's Daddy's Girls

Christine Woods Christine Woods has scored the lead in NBC's comedy pilot Daddy's Girls.Get the complete scoop on pilot seasonFrom Friends' Dana Klein and Aaron Kaplan, the project revolves around a Harvard Medical School grad (Woods) who returns home from a Doctors Without Borders stint and discovers that her father is dating the mean girl from her high school.Woods starred on NBC's short-lived comedy Perfect Couples last season.

Fox's 'War' receives PG-13 rating after edits

Fox's 'This Means War,' starring Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon and Tom Sturdy, continues to be ranked PG-13 through the MPAA.A next day of denying Fox's appeal for any lower rating, the MPAA has given a rather edited version of "What This Means Is War" a PG-13 rating. Studio eliminate a couple of sex jokes from actress Chelsea Handler, based on a resource near to the project, and resubmitted the film towards the Classification and Rating Appeals Board.Pic, directed by Micrograms, stars Chris Pine, Tom Sturdy and Reese Witherspoon. Pine and Sturdy play closest friend CIA agents who fall for the similar lady. Timothy Dowling and Simon Kinberg authored the script.Fox had lately become a huge hit an R-rating provided to the film, that the CARA board refused Thursday (Daily Variety, Jan. 27).A week ago, the studio knocked up "War" to spread out February. 14 to coincide with Valentine's.

Keck's Exclusives: Mad Males Smooch

Mad Males Mad Men's infamously tight-lipped creator, Matthew Weiner, is actually speaking in regards to the AMC drama's March 25 two-hour premiere. "It's name is 'A Little Hug,'" Matt unveils. "I really like the title to own some form of synergy while using show so that it will pique your interest." Consider us spurred! Supposing that Jon Hamm's Don Draper is really a half from the titular hug (I realize this can be a large assumption), who might be round the receiving finish? Possibly new fiancée Megan (Jessica Componené)? What about ex Betty (The month of the month of january Manley)? "Who states Megan's stretching its like to participate Don's existence?" states Weiner. "He may return with Betty. Among the most popular moments from [last season's finale] was when Betty offered herself to him again. And let's be realistic - people two look wonderful together." Sadly, once i recently knocked in to the month of the month of january, she described she couldn't recall getting shot only one hug inside the year. Damn, guess we'll need to watch. Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

ABC greenlights pilot '666 Park Ave.'

ABC has due to the greenlight for the drama pilot "666 Park Ave.," from scribe David Wilcox, Warner Bros. TV and Alloy Entertainment. Series involves a young couple that run a historic Gotham apartment building where linked with emotions . experience supernatural phenomena that endangers the tenants. Wilcox ("Fringe") written the pilot which is professional creating with Alloy's Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo. "Park Ave." is founded on the Alloy book by Gabriella Pierce. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Top Chef's Ty-Lr: We Should've Been More Organized

Tylor Boring Did Ty-Lör Boring think he was going to get eliminated during Top Chef's Restaurant Wars? No, but he doesn't have any objections to it. "The only thing I really remember is that Restaurant Wars is probably the worst service ever I have had in 20 years of cooking in 16 countries on four continents. It was just a very intense situation," he tells TVGuide.com. "And I remember thinking if I got sent home for that, then it would've been accordingly. And I was. There was no way to recover from it." The Brooklyn-based chef was dinged for underseasoning two dishes, but he doesn't think that was the boys team's most egregious error.Top Chef's "Malibu" Chris explains his naked lady artWere you surprised you left? It seemed like it was between you and Chris.Ty-Lör: When we were out there, at least in real time, the judges went through each one of us and how we all messed up in our own ways. I thought it could've been anyone. Some of the judges weren't really excited about Chris' dessert, but Tom was not happy with the Thai dish that I did. At the end of the day, it's a competition and somebody's gotta go home and it was me.You had been on the bottom a lot. Did you think your time was running out?Ty-Lör: I had a very serene approach to being at the bottom at that point. I went from No. 29 to No. 8, and while I'm not Top Chef, I did pretty damn good. I'm happy with my performance. Did I want to go out during Restaurant Wars? No, but it is what it is.They said both of your dishes were underseasoned. Did you think so?Ty-Lör: I definitely think my dishes were underseasoned. I don't know if they showed it or not, but I did talk to them about that. It was underseasoned for being a Thai dish. It could've been spicier. The flavors could've been better, same with the fish. But at the same time, you don't normally open a restaurant in 24 hours. Sometimes it's easy to lose that perspective. The challenges are hard for a reason and it was an amazing feat to have opened a restaurant in a day and to do 120 covers instantly.What went wrong? Were you pressed for time and couldn't taste everything?Ty-Lör: I did taste things. We were pressed for time. I think the guys team wasn't organized enough. We should've been more organized and taken more control of our dishes and maybe done things that were more simple to execute on a such a big and quick scale. If the idea is to win the challenge, then maybe you shouldn't do food that's terribly complex; you should do something really simple and straightforward that tastes great and [allows you to] concentrate on running a great restaurant as well. Top Chef's Heather: I'm not a bullyWhat happened with the expediting? Did you guys forget about it during the planning?Ty-Lör: We did think of it, but there were a lot of difficulties. I don't know what exactly came across on television, but we had some enormous problems with the staff.They seemed very incompetent, more so than in past Restaurant Wars.Ty-Lör: [Laughs] Yeah. I don't know what I can or cannot say about them, but it was horrible. It was a complete disaster, so it didn't really matter how we expedited because when the wait staff came, I would, like, tell them to take these two fish entrees to Table 1 and they would take them to Table 12. And so on and so forth. A mistake like that would happen and they wouldn't even care. But, you know, that's part of running a restaurant and it's a huge part of the challenge. I mean, we have to decorate the restaurant, menu-plan, cook, do front of the house and deal with the incompetent wait staff in less than a day. It's a very intense schedule.Paul said you guys were too afraid to step on each other's toes when it came to being the leader and expediting.Ty-Lör: Yeah, we definitely had a huge problem expediting. I expedited for a while and then I decided to go back and cook, and Paul expedited. It was a mistake having the window open into the kitchen and having everyone see all our issues with the wait staff and stuff. If we had closed it, no one would've seen our issues. The girls had a closed kitchen, but now all of America has seen their problems. [Laughs]Top Chef's Dakota: I was hurt by Nyesha's commentsDid you think you guys beat the girls after you dined at their place?Ty-Lör: No, I knew they would win. I asked somebody who saw the show last night how the girls' segment went and he said the girls' service appeared weird on TV. I didn't think their service was terrible. As soon as we walked into their restaurant, I knew we lost and I repeatedly stated that the entire time we were there. It's not just based on the food or the service; it's about the total experience, the ambiance. What is it like when you go to a restaurant? If you were to go out to Applebee's - there might be tons of restaurants whose food is better - but you can have a better time at Applebee's. You have to provide the entire dining experience. The whole thing has to come together and the girls just did a better job of executing that. Regardless of what happened to them the back of the house, none of us saw that because they kept the kitchen closed, so your dining experience is not affected by that. How big of a role do you think your open kitchen and expediting problems came into play for the judges?Ty-Lör: I don't think it was, like, [the tiebreaker] or anything. But it's more, like, if you're having a bad experience at a restaurant and you can't see the kitchen, the only thing you have to go on is your mind. All you can do is imagine what's going on back there. But when our kitchen is open and the judges may or may not be having a great experience, they can look 15 feet away and go, "Oh, yes, it is in fact a sh--show." [Laughs] That doesn't help you. That was definitely our biggest mistake. So when you're on Top Chef or Top Chef Masters and you get to Restaurant Wars, close the windows! Never keep them open!What are you up to now?Ty-Lör: I'm opening up a pop-up restaurant at Prince and Mott [streets] in NY City during Fashion Week. ... I'm also trying to open a real brick-and-mortar restaurant here in NY City. We have to find the space and opening a restaurant in NY City of all places is not easy!

Panasonic, MySpace team for TV experiment

Tim Vanderhook, Justin Timberlake, Shiro Kitajima, President, Panasonic consumer electronics marketing company of north america, Merwan Mereby, VP, interactive content and services - Panasonic Panasonic is teaming with MySpace for the rollout of the social network's new social TV experiment.MySpace TV will be the crown jewel of Panasonic's collection of TV apps, letting people chat with friends as they watch programming and see what's trending among their social circles."We're giving you the opportunity to connect your friends to your moments as they're actually happening," said MySpace investor, singer and actor Justin Timberlake, who made a surprise appearance at the Panasonic CES press conference. "This is the evolution of one of our greatest inventions -- the television. And now you no longer have to crowd around the same one."The reinvention of MySpace will not be centered around user-generated content. Timberlake and MySpace CEO Tim Vanderhook emphasized this was a new layer that was being added to existing programming on any channel.The company also announced plans to add a Miramax application to its Viera lineup, letting people watch films from the studio's catalog without going through a pay streaming service like Netflix or Hulu."We're innovating on the traditional role of what a studio is," said Michael Lang, CEO Miramax. "In fact, I like to think we're a bit more Silicon Valley than Hollywood."To capture the family audience, Panasonic announced a new children's entertainment category in its app offerings, parterning with Disney publishing to bring digital books to 2012 TVs.NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel was also touted over 200 hours of the summer Olympics in London would be broadcast in 3D, thanks to a Panasonic sponsorship. Included in that collection will be the games' opening and closing ceremonies. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Star Trek 2 Adds Nazneen Contractor

She'll be Noel Clarke's wifeWith shooting about to get underway, JJ Abrams and the Star Trek team have clearly shoved the warp speed lever forward on casting, as the list of names added to the sequel keeps growing every week. The latest person to jump aboard? Canadian actress Nazneen Contractor.She's been signed up to play Noel Clarke's wife in the movie, though as of yet, the juicy details of how their characters interact with the crew of the Enterprise has yet to slip out. Empire's Man In LA is even now designing a fiendish mind-probing device to find out what Simon Pegg knows.Clarke, of course, was announced last week alongside Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch, who has scored the main villain role. Other recent additions include Peter Weller and Alice Eve.Contractor is likely best known for her stint as Kayla Hassan on 24, though she's also cropped up in projects such as telly comedy Rules Of Engagement.

SAG Offers Support for Unmasked Actress Suing IMDb

Huang Hoang, the actress who on Friday was outed in her lawsuit against IMDB for publishing her age, is getting some big-time support from Hollywood's biggest acting guild. Late Friday, the Screen Actors Guild issued a statement applauding Hoang for her "determination and courage" in "standing up to fight the unfair and abusive practice of publishing actors' private information online without their consent.""Thousands of actors have had their careers harmed by the unauthorized publication of their birthdates by IMDb against their wishes," SAG says in a statement to THR. "Screen Actors Guild and its members stand in support of efforts to curtail this invasion of privacy done to enhance a corporate balance sheet."Meanwhile, Hoang's attorney John Dozier is speaking out for the first time about the amended lawsuit, which was first filed anonymously but updated today to include Hoang's name after a federal judge threatened to dismiss the case."We are very disappointed that the judge required the plaintiff to identify herself by name," Dozier tells THR in an exclusive interview. "But her willingness to do so should be a strong indication that my client is willing to see this case to its conclusion however long that road may be."As we've reported, Hoang sued IMDb parent Amazon claiming that the popular search database subjected her to discrimination when it used information from her IMDB Pro account to list her age as 40 years old. On Dec. 23, a federal judge gave Dozier 14 days to re-file the case with his client's real name attached or the case would be tossed.Now that Hoang has gone public, the Texas-based actress has been inundated with media requests. Today, Good Morning America, E! and other TV outlets, as well as People magazine and other print media, are clamoring for interviews. Dozier says his client isn't doing press because she doesn't want to be perceived as suing to obtain media exposure.SAG took the opportunity Friday to slam IMDb for its practice of revealing ages on its site."An actor's job is to portray someone else. When personal information, like a birthdate, is used to limit who an actor can portray, creativity is harmed, and the actor is harmed," the statement readas. "Making a living as a middle-class, working actor is already extraordinarily difficult. IMDb's misguided insistence on publishing private personal information like birthdates makes it even harder. The Hollywood Reporter

More Action For Vinny & Snooki In Year Of Jersey Shoreline?

First Launched: The month of the month of january 4, 2012 3:40 PM EST Credit: Access Hollywood Caption Jersey Shoreline boys Ronnie, Pauly and Vinny speak with Billy Rose rose bush and Package Hoover on Access Hollywood Survive The month of the month of january 4, 2012LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Last season, in Florence, Italia, Jersey Shoreline stars Nicole Snooki Polizzi and Vinny Guadagnino ongoing their tradition of randomly hooking up up, and may the pair smoosh again inside the year that finds the reality stars in Seaside Levels, Nj? She looks good, she looks great, Vinny told Billy Rose rose bush and Package Hoover on Wednesdays Access Hollywood Live when proven an image from the svelte Snooki. In Italia, Vinny and also the pint-sized co-star heated some misunderstanding inside the mattress room when Snooki was around the break from boyfriend Jionni (the pair are presently still dating). Now, however, Vinnys feelings for your Princess of Poughkeepsie possess the signs and symptoms of changed. Shes like my sister now, Vinny mentioned when asked for if there'd be any pursuit at the lake house. For further fun while using Jersey Shoreline males, including particulars on who's the finest lover in your home, Follow The Link! Season 5 the hit MTV series debuts on Thursday at 10 PM EST/PST. Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Demi Lovato: I Was Drinking and Using Drugs to Numb the Pain

Demi Lovato Demi Lovato says she's clean and sober - and grateful for two famous friends. "I'm not gonna lie. I was self-medicating," Lovato tells Seventeen magazine in the upcoming February issue. "I was doing things like drinking and using [drugs], like a lot of teens do to numb their pain." Lovato completed a three-month treatment program last January, revealing that she was overcoming an eating disorder and bipolar disorder. The 19-year-old singer says she leaned on two people during those tough times: Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. Demi Lovato lashes out at Disney Channel for eating disorder jokes "No matter how many times [Miley and I] fight, we will always be in each others' lives," she says. "Selena and I, we never fight. She's not a confrontational person at all. Both of them will never leave my life no matter what happens, because we've been through so much together." Lovato, who released her third studio album in September, is happy with her progress today. "I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't throw up after my meals, I don't starve myself," she says. "There's nothing that I do that I feel ashamed of."