It’s Anniversary Time! Let’s Celebrate!
Today is the third year anniversary of this blog, and I want to take a moment to thank everyone who visits – and if you don’t want a piece of “bacon cake”, then maybe this will do:
Yes, this is a chicken wing cupcake, and I share this photo for a reason: it was three years ago when I shared the recipe for making them yourself…
http://johnrieber.com/2012/02/03/buffalo-chicken-wing-cupcakes/
Three years of posting stories about food, travel, movie, music, books, concerts, great adventures both personal and professional…and yes, stuff like this:
The Majesty Of A Cheesesteak Doughnut Burger!
Yes, I post about burgers a lot. Because many of you seem to enjoy these unique foodstuffs. And yes, there is much more to come. But before we devolve into a discussion of “Cheesesteak Doughnut” burgers, let me thank the person behind this story – and behind this blog.
Three years ago, my wife and ongoing inspiration Alex told me to write a blog and have some fun…and that fun included stories about our adventures in Spain, Provence and more, including the Cannes film festival…
That’s my wife Alex and I along with our good friend Michael Castner in a Cannes hotel stairwell waiting to interview a celebrity. I have shared a number of fun stories from the past, including the story behind this photo of Michael interviewing Arnold Schwarzenegger, while I watch in the orange shirt:
You can read the entire story here:
Alex has been amazingly supportive of this blog, letting me share some of our adventures with you – but she couldn’t have imagined it would lead to this:
The Tokyo Burger Tower!
Little did Alex know that, as I looked for things that interested me enough to write about, I would find a world full of crazy food – from a “Tokyo Burger Tower” you see above to the best burger currently being made in Cambodia!
Some people love these burger posts – so thank you for your feedback – and one, Jeff Greenfield, HATED a food story I posted: showcasing the spaghetti-stuffed hot dog!
Not sure why, but Jeff said this freaked him out a bit…so now I have to keep looking for more wacky food mashups just to keep him on his toes…you know, like the “bacon cheeseburger-stuffed doughnut!”
Read all about the majesty of this by clicking here:
http://johnrieber.com/2014/10/25/bacon-glazed-cheeseburger-doughnut-amazing-burgerbacon-mashup/
Yes, it has been a tasty three years…and I promise moving forward there will be much more of this:
Yes, this bacon cheeseburger has 1,000 slices of bacon, which is appropriate since this is a post all about numbers:
Closing In On One Million Views…
In the three years I have been posting, these stories have collectively generated almost one million views – it is exciting to see the response to new stories as well as stories posted a year ago or longer – and from the comments I have gotten, it’s nice that a wide range of topics are of interest…from amazing travel memoirs like this:
Read about this incredible Author and her year on a south pacific island by clicking here:
http://johnrieber.com/2014/05/05/faraway-lucy-irvines-castaway-sequel-more-amazing-island-escapes/
And of course, I have posted many times about my favorite musical group of all time!
The Beatles Are #1!
The greatest musical group in history is also making history for me! Here is the single most viewed post I have ever published:
The Beatles Lost Rooftop Concert Film!
Yes, you can never go wrong when you’ve got The Beatles helping you out! My “Let It Be” post continues to be the most viewed story of all time on my blog, which I love because this Beatles documentary is probably the greatest “lost” film of all time, and you can read my entire post about it here:
And yes, I own a VHS copy of the movie, which is one reason I love The Beatles so much!
Now, onto a “different” kind of movie…
Three years ago, I discovered that certain stories got a lot of interest, like films from the “grindhouse” era of New York’s 42nd street: it was almost three years ago when I actually warned people which movies NOT to show at a family holiday gathering!
Which, I will reiterate, is NOT a film to be shared with relatives…although “The Sinful Dwarf” is a classic example of “euro-sleaze”, a rough type of 70’s film…classic cult cinema that lives on thanks to DVD and on demand services – and I do have a fondness for wacky exploitation movies, like this:
Grindhouse Cinema Lives!
Yes, it’s an acquired taste, but I have met a ton of passionate exploitation fans who enjoy stories about his unique time in movie history…and look, not only did I share the plot of “Mantis In Lace”, but I found this picture as well!
The fact that the President and Vice-President would be eating in front of a “Mantis” poster…I love the internet! Ii you want to more, just click on my “grind house gift guide” here:
There are a lot of people who enjoy this unique era of film, and I thank all of you who read my posts about this weird and wild world of cult cinema…
But I also love to travel, and Alex and I have been lucky enough to have some great adventures, which I have shared throughout the years:
Here is Alex harvesting a fresh eggplant from the Patricia Wells garden in Provence, where we cooked with this legendary cookbook Author:
We got to cook on Julia Childs’ original provincial stove, and you can read all about it here:
http://johnrieber.com/2012/06/10/tasting-provence-cooking-with-patricia-wells-food-and-travel-unite/
No matter how great cooking with Patricia and her husband was, it pales in comparison to the fun I’ve had with my kids as well…
This is my daughter Jessica, who came along on a work trip to Tokyo and got to see some crazy japanese food…
We had a great time eating our way through some of Tokyo’s great food…but it paled in comparison to this hilarious trip, which I call:
The “London Grind!”
My son Jeff went with me on a work trip to London, and got to work with the crew for a few days as well…which led to what we call his “London grind” adventure – a hilarious night out with some very drunken British business people, highlighted here:
http://johnrieber.com/2012/12/18/alison-haislip-the-london-grind-travels-with-alison/
This was a trip to film for G4 with Host Alison Haislip, and thanks to Alison for being such a great talent, and so much fun to work with in London!
And Let’s Never Forget The Bacon!
Yes, I have posted about ALL kinds of bacon as well…that’s because bacon is funny, and you “never cut funny”…so whether it’s a bacon wedding cake…
Or perhaps it is bacon that is utilized in a more “fashionable” manner…yes, bacon has proven to be very very popular, and the stranger the better!
Thanks to Sara Underwood for wearing a bacon bikini – all for the good of television. Of course, bacon fits best right here:
Burgers!
I have also enjoyed posting lots of burger posts…like the Brazil burger sold in an edible wrapper:
I haven’t been to Rio to have this, but cannot wait to get there! Read all about this edible adventure here:
http://johnrieber.com/2012/12/20/brazils-edible-burger-wrappers-go-brazil-go/
I have also shared my love of music – and of course my admiration for the music and career of Todd Rundgren!
I have been a lifelong fan of this musical Artist, and have posted many stories about his unique career. For example, did you know that he created MTV? Read all about it here:
http://johnrieber.com/2013/08/02/todd-rundgren-inventor-of-mtv-a-hollywood-square/
And one of my favorite stories about Todd Rundgren was his special musical friendship with the late Singer/Songwriter Laura Nyro…
You can read it here:
Laura is an under-appreciated Artist, and her body of work is amazing to listen to. Here is a story about a recent tribute CD that is currently nominated for Three Grammy Awards!
Congrats to Billy Childs for the success of this project, which highlights great Laura Nyro music!
Todd Rundgren AND Laura Nyro fans have been hugely supportive of the site, and I truly appreciate it. I’ve also met a lot of great people who have great blogs as well, and I appreciate everyone’s support and interest…
Stevie Wonder Live!
I also shared my review of Stevie Wonder’s “Songs In The Key Of Life” concert in Chicago, including this live performance of “Saturn” with India Arie:
And there is so much more to share!
Year Four Sneak Peek!
With more than 700 posts, I just keep finding more stuff of interest to me. So what else can you expect going into 2015? Here are some clues:
Behold “Zolton”!
Yes, I’ve got some classic movie posters to share, thanks to an incredible website that helps to keep these alive…that will be posting soon, and I also have some great stories about classic Hollywood, such as the legendary sex kitten Jayne Mansfield:
I also have a bunch of travel stuff to share, like more of my adventures with Sasha Grey in Australia, where she got photo bombed by a shark!
Thanks to Sasha for always supporting these posts, and allowing me to tell all the fun stories about working with her, like this classic clip of Sasha finding out just how cold the water at Bondi Beach was!
Check out all of her adventures by clicking here:
http://johnrieber.com/2013/08/11/sasha-greys-new-novel-sasha-grey-shark-dive-outtakes/
And yes, there are more food adventures to come as well:
One of Barcelona’s most innovative restaurants is coming soon to the blog…as well as a look at some of the best ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day!
There are a lot of fun adventures still to come…my goal is to share more stories about interesting people, classic movies, adventurous travel, wacky movies and more bacon!
Thanks again for the million views and I hope you enjoy what is still to come!
Let me know your thoughts!
