Seen: Paula Abdul + More Celebs in the 401
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The nicest judge on television was seen in Providence on Sunday night. Paula Abdul was in town cheering on her nephew, Brown University senior and starting forward, Austin Mandel in the Brown men's soccer game against St. Mary's. The event was the NCAA Soccer Tournament Sweet 16 Match to see which team would advance to the quarterfinals. Abdul, who is now back on the judging panel with noted curmudgeon Simon Cowell, music executive L.A. Reid, and former Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger on The X Factor, was very gracious, taking pictures and signing autographs for fans. But unfortunately her presence didn't help the Bears win, as they fell 3-2 in overtime to the St. Mary's Gaels. At least no one asked her to perform in a half time show...
One of the most notable contestants from Bravo’s Top Chef was spotted in Rhode Island recently. Stephen Asprinio, the opinionated sommelier from season 1 and Top Chef All-Stars, was seen in East Greenwich and Warwick visiting family. He was later seen at the NYLO Hotel in Warwick, mingling at the bar and probably advising people on what to drink. The former cheftestant is currently working on his first book, called Eat & Drink Until You Die, and trying to establish a pizza and wine restaurant called PizzaVinoTeca in New York City. I wonder if he was able to experience some of the great food Rhode Island has become known for as of late...
And speaking of food shows, a Rhode Island native is competing in season 2 of TLC’s The Next Great Baker, which just premiered on Monday night. Ryan Cimorelli, of The Bakery Boutique in Smithfield, is one of 13 bakers vying for the top spot and the prize of $100,000 and a four-page feature in Brides Magazine. The winner also gets an apprenticeship with host Buddy Valastro of TLC’s Cake Boss. Cimorelli, a licensed electrician, is very confident in his abilities, saying that if he wins, he’ll get “next great baker” tattooed down his side. Well, he wasn’t eliminated in the first episode, so he’s one step closer to getting that ink…
Over the next few months, tell your kids to watch out for a Rhode Island teacher on Sesame Street. Sara Sweetman, a professor in the Education Department at the University of Rhode Island and elementary educator at Ashaway Elementary School in Westerly, has been working behind-the-scenes on Sesame Street for almost two years. She helps them plan the science-related segments, but when she was asked to appear on the show and help with a series of science experiments, she agreed. Her episodes, “The Bubble Fest,” “Elmo and the Monarch Butterfly,” and “Falling Leaves,” will be on Rhode Island PBS from December to February. She says she prefers in the future to remain in the background as an advisor rather than actress, but we’ll see if she changes her tune after being in the spotlight for a while...
For Lauren Marchetti's interview with baker Ryan Cimorelli, check out Monday's GoLocalTV broadcast, archived on the See It channel of GoLocalProv.
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