Latest news with #SurpriseChef
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Funniest Home Videos star in new WA rom-com
Jo Beth Taylor was one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television in the 1990s, and now that face will appear in the WA rom-com The One Thing, which recently wrapped production in Perth. Taylor is just one of the famous names rounding out the list of cameos in writer-director Rob Bouwman's debut feature, with former celebrity chef Aristos Papandroulakis also set to make an appearance. At one point in the mid-90s, you would've been hard pressed to turn on a TV set and not see Taylor, because she was host of the top-rating Australia's Funniest Home Videos, co-host of Hey Hey It's Saturday and a occasional host of the kids cartoon show, What's Up Doc?. It was an astonishing amount of work for someone in their early 20s, and saw the Perth-born Taylor become one of the most beloved personalities on Aussie TV. Jo Beth Taylor on the set of WA rom-com The One Thing Credit: Susi Nodding / Supplied The One Thing has Taylor playing a rich, mean-spirited housewife, who's jealous of her daughter, which is very much against type. 'At first, when I was reading the script, I thought, 'Hmm, this character, she's not very nice',' Taylor tells PerthNow. 'And so I said to Rob, 'This character is nasty, isn't she, and very sarcastic', but it is actually really fun to play the sort of role in which I'm not normally cast.' Aristos wasn't pushed quite as far out of his comfort zone in the film, with the Surprise Chef cast as a food critic. It's a small role, but crucial to the plot, which revolves around young chef Joey (Jonathan Weir) and the drama of a make-or-break restaurant review, while juggling a classic rom-com love triangle with two very different women. Real-life chef Aristos says the old adage of keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer also applies to food critics. 'Every restaurant keeps (food critics) close,' Aristos tells PerthNow. 'You have to, because it's so easy for them to write a bad report and that hurts.' Celebrity chef Aristos Papandroulakis on the set of WA rom-com The One Thing Credit: Supplied These days Aristos runs a seafood trading business, but says 'never say never' when it comes to reuniting with his castmates - 'me old mate, olive oil' and 'Harold Holt', rhyming slang for salt - for a new series of Surprise Chef. For those who missed it, the show would feature the larger-than-life Aristos surprising punters in supermarkets, picking through the groceries in their trolley, before going back to their place to turn said groceries, no matter how weird, into a delicious meal. The celeb chef admits his task would be a bit tougher these days, with the cost of living crisis removing prime cuts of meat from those trolleys. Aristos Papandroulakis - Surprise Chef. Credit: Unknown / TVW 7 But he did have some advice. 'There's so many things you can do with mince, and it's a reasonably priced,' he says. 'Go back to the old shepherd's pie days, you know; a good roast is still affordable. You just got to be a little bit smart about the way you do it. 'Make it stretch a little bit with a few more carbs. You know, all these people that get off the carbs... Eat plenty of potatoes, and you should be able to make it a bit easier on yourself.' If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. Taylor is regularly asked about bringing back Funniest Home Videos, but she says social media has put paid to that idea. 'I have to explain to them that there's Funniest Home Videos on every YouTube account in the world, so it just wouldn't work anymore and it's a shame,' she laments. 'Also, some of the things that we would play, I mean, no one ever got hurt, and we would always follow up and make sure that no one ever got hurt. 'But we'd get people ringing to say, 'Is that child OK after falling face-down off the slide', or whatever it might be, so I don't know if we would get away with some of that stuff now.' The One Thing is expected to hit cinemas in time for Valentine's Day next year.
ABC News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Surprise Chef — Superb
Melbourne-bred instrumental combo Surprise Chef have built an enviable reputation upon their platter of cinematic jazz-funk and soul, featuring licks of library music, film scores, and hip hop. The band's tasteful updating of vintage sounds has earned them overseas attention while making them darlings of crate-diggers and community radio alike, serving up intoxicating atmospheres and grooves tight enough to set your watch to. Their new record, however, sees the group loosening up. Superb , Surprise Chef's fourth album in five years, trades precision for experimentation and carefully plotted courses for spontaneity. From the jump, Superb embraces a broader range of ideas and influences on music that's freer and more relaxed to tinker and explore. Slow-burning opener 'Sleep Dreams' welcomes you in with gently raked guitar and mysterious keyboard lines that draw from Middle Eastern psych-folk. 'Body Slam' begins with a bait-and-switch: a familiar soul-soaked arrangement swiftly giving way to a sinister, suspenseful affair with sleek xylophone, vibraphone and a squelchy synth lead. There are more electronic flourishes too, from the knob-twiddling decorating 'Consulate Case' and 'Plumb Tuckered', to the drum machine anchoring spacious stand-out 'Websites', building layered, sticky melodies upon buttery bass. Hailing from the inner-north Melbourne suburb of Coburg, the band continues their tradition for naming songs with hyper-localised references (such as 'A1 Bakery Pledge of Allegiance' and 'Blyth Street Nocturne'). Here, we get the Australian-specific titles 'Fare Evader' and 'Tag Dag'. The former is a smoky, hip hop-leaning groove while the latter is an album highlight. Dusty drums, faux strings and a sizzling triangle rhythm lock us into a luxurious groove and layered melodies. Like Surprise Chef's best work, it pulls at various genre threads to fashion something uniquely fresh. Surprise Chef have made fans out of The Roots leader Questlove and even scored a Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime ad. ( Supplied: Nick McKinlay ) Elsewhere, the dusty beats and smoky piano licks of 'Bully Ball' are begging to be flipped by a rapper. (Let's not forget Surprise Chef's 'Spiky Boi' was sampled in a collab between Wu Tang's Ghostface Killah and Rich Brian). But the track's twinkling melodies, wah-wah guitar and fuzzy keys have plenty of personality alll their own. The groovy 'Slippery Dip' closes the album on a high note, complete with a mid-song tempo switch toward something silkier and laid-back. Superb is the sound of a group who fully grasp their lush, signature sound but now confident enough to toy with it, loosening up without sacrificing what makes them special. By branching out, Surprise Chef deservedly join the ranks of Khruangbin, BADBADNOTGOOD, Sven Wunder or Budos Band — world-class (mostly) instrumental acts who evolve through a mastery of dynamics, interplay and undeniable groove, achieving what many vocal-fronted acts cannot. Offering extra spice to their established menu, Superb finds Surprise Chef living up their name – allow them time and space to cook, and they're guaranteed to dish up something tasty with a satisfying twist. Catch Surprise Chef touring Superb at the following dates: Saturday 24 May - Sydney Opera house for Vivid LIVE: Gadigal Land, Sydney Saturday 31 May - Porch & Recreation @ Burnside Ballroom: Kaurna Land, AdelaideFriday 6 June - The Night Cat: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Land, Melbourne Saturday 7 June - The Night Cat: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Land, Melbourne Thursday 19 June - Princess Theatre for Open Season: Turrbal Jagera Land, Brisbane
