Westworld: Season 1 Episode 1 The Original

Westworld is a new Sci-Fi/Western based on the 1973 movie of the same name. The premise is the same, a futuristic theme park where guests play cowboys in a simulated wild west and where all the inhabitants are played by life like androids called hosts but the tone of this series is a lot darker that the original film.

The show starts with Delores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood), a young woman who lives on farm with her parents, also Teddy (James Marsden) who we find has a romantic history with Delores. After they meet and spend the day together they head back to Delores' farm where they find a gunfight has taken place and Delores father has been killed. After Teddy kills the bandits a man in black appears (played by Ed Harris) and we find that Delores and Teddy are both hosts and host are incapable of hurting real people (the man in black is real). In a sinister turn the man in black kills Teddy and drags Delores off to a barn and you realise how truly dark this series is going to be.

Next we meet Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright) who is head of programming at Westworld who is working on a host who has had a recent software update. He then follows a security team as they go to the basement where all of the decommissioned hosts are kept and he find the founder of Westworld Dr Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins) who is talking to an old host and after a conversation with Bernard seems distant and uninterested in the way Westworld is headed.

Back in Westworld one of the hosts malfunctions in what looks like they're having a stroke and after some investigation it turns out the recent update has caused the problem. After a few more hosts malfunction they people in charge of Westworld have to recall the the affected hosts so they decide to have one of the bad guy hosts stage a robbery at the saloon. As the updated hosts are interrogated there is a unnerving creepiness as unintended personalities emerge from older programming. The affected hosts are decommissioned and sent to a holding room with other previously decommissioned units in a truly haunting scene.

On a side note, the soundtrack was also amazing with western styled versions of Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden and Paint it Black By The Rolling Stones and the show ends with Ain't No Grave by Johnny Cash.

Here is the trailer for episode 2 'Chestnut'.

Well, that's all for now.

S

You can follow Big Stevie Cool on Twitter here.

Monday Munchies: Pork Belly Sunday Dinner

Everyone loves a Sunday dinner. Everyone has their favourite part, is it the meat? Is it the roasties? Is it the Yorkshire pudding? I alway try and shop at local butchers and green grocers for my ingredients and my favourite place to go is the Grainger Market in Newcastle City Centre. I love talking to the butcher about the cut of meat I want and it is so much cheaper than getting it at a supermarket. So, I'm going to take you through my favourite Sunday Dinner Roast Pork Belly with Roast Potatoes, Carrots, Peas, Yorkshire Pudding and Homemade Apple Sauce with Apple Crumble and Ice Cream for pudding.

This meal is fairly easy to make but there is a lot of ingredients and the hardest bit is making sure you start making each ingredient at the right time to that it all comes together at the end. First things first the meat will take the longest so that is where we'll start. To prep the Pork belly score the fat with a sharp knife, then dry the meat with some kitchen roll and cover the fat with salt and leave it for a few minute. Pre heat the oven to it's hottest temperature, after a few minutes remove the excess salt from the pork and put it in the oven for 30 mins and then reduce the heat to around 180ºc for the rest of the time and average joint of pork should take around and hour and a half. Cooking the pork like this makes sure you get perfect crackling at the end. Another tip it to put any trimmings you have from your vegetables in the bottom of the roasting dish with a little bit of water and this will help make some amazing gravy.

Next up is the roast potatoes, peel and cut the potatoes and the soak them in cold water to remove the starch. After around 5 mins of soaking transfer the potatoes to a pan of boiling water and boil for around 7-8 minutes until they are just starting to go soft. Heat some goose fat in a roasting tin and take the potatoes off the heat and drain the water away. Put the lid on the pan and give it a shake to fluff up the edges of the potatoes and then put them in the roasting tin and get them all coated in the melted goose fat and cook in the oven for around 45 minutes.

On to the carrots, peel them and cut them into batons. As with the potatoes boil them for a few minutes until they start to soften. Put them in a roasting tin and coat them with oil (I like to use rapeseed oil) and cook in the oven for around 15 mins. I also like to drizzle on some honey and cook for a further 5 minutes.

The peas are the easiest and just need to be boiled for a few minutes right at the end.

Next I made a simple batter from flour, eggs and milk. Heat some oil in a Yorkshire pudding tray, pour the batter equally into the moulds and cook in the oven for around 10 minutes.

Once the meat is finished leave it to rest for a few minutes and while you do this you can make some gravy. The meat juices should have mixed with the veg trimmings and to make the gravy just pass it all through a sieve and then deglaze the roasting tin with some more water (or stock if you have any) and then mix this with the juices. If you need to thicken it just add a little corn flour and stir until it thickens then when it's ready you can decant it into your favourite gravy jug, here is mine.

When serving Sunday Dinner I like to have everything in it's own bowl/plate in the middle of the table and then everyone can help themselves to what they want. This is great when you have little picky eaters who complain about different types of food.

I don't always make a dessert to go with Sunday Dinner but this week I had a hankering for some apple crumble. From the green grocers at the Granger market I bought 2 brabmley apples and 4 golden delicious. There is also a weigh house at the Grainger market that I got some dark brown sugar and I was planning on getting some oats and stuff to make my crumble but when I got there they already had some crumble mix pre-made, result!. 

Peel and core the apples and cut them into chunks. Heat some water and 2 tablespoons of the dark brown sugar until its all dissolved. then add the apples. Make sure the apples are coated in the sugary water mix for around 10 minutes until the bramleys have turned to mush. Next add some ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon (add as much or as little as you like) and cook for a further few minutes. Once done put the apple into a baking dish and add the crumble mix and then sprinkle some sugar on top. Bake in the oven at 180º for around 25 minutes until the crumble is golden and the apple is bubbling.

What do you think of my Sunday dinner? What do you like to have on yours?

Well, that's all for now.

S

You can follow Big Stevie Cool on Instagram here.

6 shows to watch this autumn

Remember when TV used to be the poor relation of Hollywood, well in recent years the output from the TV studios has, in my opinion, surpassed that of the Hollywood studios. Autumn is a time when a lot of new and returning shows get their premiere and here is my list of the shows to watch this autumn.

Luke Cage - Netflix 30th September

Coming out of the pages of Marvel Comics Luke Cage shares the same Movie/TV universe as the Avengers as well as Netflix's other Marvel shows Daredevil and Jessica Jones. The character Luke Cage has already made a cameo in Jessica Jones and is now getting his own show. Mike Colter plays the reluctant defender who uses his super strength and unbreakable skin to protect the streets of Harlem.

Westworld - Sky Atlantic 9pm 4th October

Based on the 1973 film of the same name Westworld sports an incredible cast featuring Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, James Marsden and Thandie Newton. Westworld is a western themed holiday park inhabited by life like robots where the human visitors can live out their fantasies. Nothing is off limits in Westworld no matter how dark your desires. But, as with all futuristic theme parks, the shit is about to hit the fan.

Yonderland (Season 3) - Sky One 6.30pm 16th October

Yonderland is back. This has been one of my favourite series to watch with the kids. From the makers of Horrible Histories, Yonderland is the absurd odyssey of Debbie Maddox who is whisked away by Elf the Elf and Nick the Stick who take her to save the magical world of Yonderland from the evil forces of Negatus. The 3rd season sees Debbie back in Yonderland to battle and new threat, her evil twin sister Imperatrix (Trixie for short), Stephen Fry also joins the cast as Cuddly Dick. If, like me, you are fond of the silliness then you need to watch Yonderland.

The Walking Dead (Season 7) - Fox 9pm 24th October

Well, what can I say about The Walking Dead. Along with Game of Thrones, this is just about the best TV you can get. The Zombie Apocalypse Saga returns for it's 7th season and with the regular cast last seen at the mercy of new villain Negan. How are they going to get out of this one? Violently is the answer I expect. I know some people roll their eyes at zombie stuff but in The Walking Dead the zombies play second fiddle to the human villains who have emerged since the collapse of civilisation. Honestly I cannot recommend The Walking Dead highly enough to quote my brother-in-law, Mark, it is the greatest show of our generation!

The Flash (Season 3)- Sky One 8pm 25th October

While the DC Movie universe has taken a kicking from the critics and divided fans (I really like the DC movies in case you were wondering), one thing we can all agree on is the DC TV universe is brilliant. Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl have all been stellar TV, however my favourite is The Flash. Back for it's 3rd season The Flash has Grant Gustin donning the Scarlet Speedsters suit once again as Barry Allen. When last we saw The Flash he had travelled back in time to change the past and now he is back in the present but everything different.

Humans (Season 2) - Channel 4 Date TBD October

The plot of Humans is similar to Westworld in that it explore how humans would interact with life like humanoid robots. Where as Westworld is a theme park the robots in Humans are more like domestic appliances. The 1st season saw the Hawkins family invest in a new gadget, Anita, but not all was as it seems. Humans has really nailed the promotion of the show with viral marketing playing a bit part of their trailers.

Are there any shows you're looking forward to. Let me know what you think of my suggestions.

Well, that's all for now.

S

You can follow Big Stevie Cool on twitter here

Monday Munchies: Colonel Steve's Northumberland Fried Chicken

I try to make healthy dishes whenever I can as I'm trying to lose weight but every now and then you need something naughty and they don't come much naughtier than KFC. When I was a kid KFC was always my favourite fast food place but the last few times I've been I was disappointed with both the food and the cleanliness of the restaurant.

Everyone knows KFC is made with Colonel Sanders' secret blend of 11 herbs and spices which, according to legend, is locked in the KFC vault in Kentucky. The mix is so secret that they make half of it in one factory and the other half in another factory and combine it in the restaurant. I've done a bit of research online and there are a few website claiming they have discovered the secret recipe (non of which can be verified) so using these as inspiration I made my own blend of 11 herbs and spices and have invented Colonel Steve's Northumberland Fried Chicken.

Ingredients:

I won't keep my blend secret and these measurements should make enough to coat around 8 chicken thighs or drumsticks, so to make mine mix you will need:

1 cup Plain Flour
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Sage
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Dried Marjoram
1 tsp Chilli Powder
2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Ginger
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

You will also need:

8 Chicken Pieces (thighs or drumsticks work best)
Vegetable Oil
1 Large Egg
Milk

You will also need a deep fat fryer or a large pan.

Method:

Fill your pan or deep fat fryer with oil and heat to 180ºc. In a large mixing bowl beat the egg and combine with enough milk to cover the chicken. Put the chicken into the egg/milk mix and leave it to soak. Whilst the chicken is soaking in a separate bowl combine all of the herbs and spices with the flour.

I roped Harry in to help with the next bit as it's a bit messy and kids love getting messy. You just need to take each piece of chicken out of the egg/milk mix and coat it is the herb/spice mix.

Once all of the chicken is coated leave it to rest for a few minutes. Now the oil should be at the right temperature and it's time to get frying. I used a deep fat fryer but as we only have a small one I had to cook each piece of chicken individually, this took ages as each piece needs to be fried for about 12 minutes so if you have bigger pan I would suggested cooking in batches to speed things up.

Once done place the chicken on a plate with some kitchen roll to allow any excess oil to drain off and for it to cool. Now it's time to dig into some delicious chicken and don't forget to lick your fingers when you're done.

Let me know what you think of Colonel Steve's Northumberland Fried Chicken. Have you ever tried to re-create your favourite fast food meal?

Well, that's all for now.

S

You can follow Big Stevie Cool on Instagram here.

Big Stevie Cool Meets Big Daddy Cool

A few months ago I went to an Evening with Bret Hart (you can read about it here) well last week another of my favourite wrestlers Kevin Nash was in toon for 'An evening with...'

As you may or may not know I'm a bit of a pro-wrestling geek. The 90's in my opinion was the greatest time in wrestling with WWF battling WCW in a weekly ratings war. One of the main reasons for this war was the nWo faction and one of the key members of the nWo was Kevin Nash AKA Big Sexy AKA Diesel AKA Big Daddy Cool.

Debuting in WWF in 1993 as Diesel the 7 foot tall leather jacket clad bodyguard of Shawn Michaels (Shawn Michaels was/is my absolute favourite wrestler and really hope he comes to town soon). As the bodyguard and then tag team partner of my favourite wrestler Diesel quickly became one of my favourite wrestlers too. In his debut year Diesel would go on to win the Tag Team Titles with Shawn Michaels as well as The intercontinental championship in his own right and then would beat WWF/E Hall of Famer Bob Backlund to with the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Fast forward to 1996 and Diesel and another top WWF guy Razor Ramon would send shockwaves around the wrestling world by leaving WWF and going to their main rivals WCW to form the nWo along with former WWF Legend Hulk Hogan. The nWo were instantly the biggest thing in wrestling.

An evening with Kevin Nash was held at the Lancastrian Suite of the Federation Brewery in Gateshead. Me and my mate Dean went to Newcastle for a few pints before the event for a catch up as it's been a few months since we'd seen each other then we got a taxi from town to the venue. Our ticket included a photo with Kevin Nash and an autograph. The ticket was £50 which was cheaper than the Bret Hart ticket we got a few months ago which I was happy about (although we did get a meal included with the Bret Hart ticket).

After we found our seats, we got another pint and had a quick look around the items that would be on offer during the auction and raffle. There were autographed photo collages, paintings and other memorabilia. One item on display (although not available to buy) was a replica of the WWF Title Belt (known as the Winged Eagle Belt) that Kevin Nash won during him time in WWF. This belt is my favourite design for the title and brings back so many memories as most of my favorite wrestlers have held this version at one time or another. Legends like, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels have all held this belt along with Kevin Nash himself.

WWF World Heavyweight Championship Belt

The event starts with the auction and raffle and once all of the prizes had been won/bought it was time to bring out the man himself. Now I know wrestlers are usually big guys but, Jesus Christ, Kevin Nash is Tall. I've always known he was 7 foot tall but I never really appreciated how tall 7 foot is until I saw him in person.

Kevin Nash on stage

He came on stage and thanked everyone for coming and then it was time to get our photos taken. We queued up and watched as others were getting their pictures taken shaking Nash's hand so me and Dean decided we would get our picture taking throwing up the wolpac hand sign that Nash and other wrestlers we liked usually use. After we were done a few others were also throwing up this sign and some went further with full on poses reminiscent of his time tagging with Shawn Michaels.

What a geek

After the photos were done it was time for the Q&A section. The host had a few question already prepared and Nash talked about his favourite matches, his many previous gimmicks, his friendship with the other members of The Kliq (Shawn Michael, Triple H, Scott Hall and X-Pac) and of course the nWo. Nash told stories about how much respect he had for Bob Backlund for putting him over for his 1st title and how Backlund really sold the ending my crawling back from the ring to backstage. He also said how his favourite match was the one he had against Bret Hart at Survivor Series '95. He also talked about his acting career which started with the role of 'Super-Shredder' in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and continued in films like Punisher, the Longest Yard and the Magic Mike movies. He also said the role he really wants is as Cable in the next Deadpool movie, I could really see him playing Cable.

Kevin Nash as Cable?

After the questions were all asked (including one Dean asked about the after show party following Wrestlemania XI when Diesel and Shawn Michaels were escorted the ring by Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy), it was then time for the autograph session and once we had met Big Daddy Cool again and got our pictures signed it was time for me and Dean to head back to to town for a few more pints.

Well, back in town all hell nearly broke loose as we were just minding our own business (honest), chatting to a fellow patron at one of the roughest bars in Newcastle, when argument broke out between Dean a group of young men at the bar. I can't quite remember what the argument was about I think it was something ridiculous like the culprit of a particularly smelly fart (I swear it wasn't me) but this nearly descended into fisticuffs. However we were 'asked to leave' before any punches were thrown. We went for another pint at a different bar, Dean was still a bit hyped up and wanted to go back and teach those young men a thing or two but I managed to convince him it was a bad idea for the two of us to try and give the 10 of them a piece of our minds so we just finished out pints and made plans to finally travel to America and go and see Wrestlemania live!

Anyway, here are some of Kevin Nash's greatest moments in wrestling:

WWF Title Match Survivor Series 1995 Diesel (c) Vs Bret 'The Hitman' Hart

WWF Survivor Series 1995 - Bret Hart Vs. Diesel by WWFNetwork

Shawn Michaels & Diesel (c) Vs Razor Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid

Action Zone '94 - Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs... by WCWRULES4LYF

Kevin Nash debuts in WCW

WCW Nitro 1996 - Scott Hall and Eric Bischoff... by KILERISS1

Formation of nWo at Bash at the Beach 1996

WCW Bash At The Beach 1996 - Team WCW Vs... by WWFNetwork

Well, that's all for now.

S

You can follow Big Stevie Cool on Facebook here

Monday Munchies: Smoked Mackerel and Lemon Risotto

I've mentioned a few times before that me and Mrs Cool often get a box from Gousto and we have always been impressed with their recipes. One of our recent recipes was this Smoked Mackerel Risotto and it has been one of our favourites.

Ingredients:

This recipe will serve 2 people and you will need:

160g arborio rice
1 vegetable stock cube
40g of cornish clotted cream
1 lemon
100g British smocked mackerel fillet
1 tsp shoaxing wine (if you can't get this then a pale dry sherry will also work)
1 onion
50g pea shoots

Method:

Start by boiling a kettle and dissolving the stock cube in 700ml of boiling water, next dice the onion and sweat this down in a wide based pan with a little oil (I usually use rapeseed oil) it should only take about 5 minutes on a medium heat as you want the onions to be soft bit not too brown.

Next add the rice and stir with the oil and onions for about 30 seconds then add the wine and cook for a further 30 seconds. Add 240ml of the stock and keep stirring until all of the stock is absorbed (around 4-5 minutes should do). Keep adding more stock one ladle at a time and stir until each ladleful is absorbed.

Flake the mackerel fillet and add this to the pan along with a knob of butter when you're onto your last ladle of stock. Once the last ladle of stock is absorbed take the pan off the heat and add the clotted cream and the juice of half a lemon.

Now the risotto is done serve in a bowl and garnish with a quarter wedge of lemon and some pea shoots on top.

I've never made a risotto before this one as I always assumed it would be difficult but this was a really easy dish to make and was delicious. Let me know what you think.

When I made this I did a live cook-a-long on snapchat. Here is the video:

If your on snapchat you can follow me at big-steviecool and you can subscribe to my YouTube channel here.

Well, that's all for now.

S

You can follow Big Stevie Cool on Instagram here.

Top 5 Cartoons 2016

When I was a kid TV was amazing. I've already written a piece about my favourite TV from the 80's here. In the 90's and the 00's kids TV became a bit, meh! There was the odd good show like Johnny Bravo or Ben and Holly's little kingdom but most of the cartoons were pretty forgettable. Being a big kid at heart I still watch cartoons now and I have a great excuse in the form of 3 kids of my own so I can watch all the animated silliness I want.

Something I've noticed about a lot of cartoons these days is how surreal they are, luckily I love surrealist comedy some of my favourite comedies are Monty Python, The Young Ones and The Mighty Boosh and I think the makers of these cartoons share my sense of humour. So, I've decided to list the Top 5 cartoons me (and my kids) watch right now.


5. Adventure Time

Probably the most surreal entry on this list, Adventure Time follows Finn the Human and Jake the Dog as they live their lives in the Land of Ooo. Finn is courageous and Jake is a layabout but both are hilarious. They always have some random quest and usually have to rescue Princess Bubblegum and regularly have to defeat the Ice King.

4. Star Vs The Forces of Evil

This one is fairly new but it's becoming one of my favourites. Star is a foreign exchange student from another dimension. She lives with Marco Diaz and his family as she goes to school in Echo Creek. Star is a Magical princess in her own dimension and has a magic wand with her when she arrives on Earth. The show revolves around Star and Marco keeping earth safe from all the forces of evil that have come from Star's dimension to try and get her wand.

3. Gravity Falls

This is also a new one as we only started watching it a few months ago but it is brilliant. Gravity Falls tells the story of twins Mabel and Dipper Pines as they spend summer vacation with their Grunkle (great-uncle) Stan at his tourist trap called the Mystery Shack in the town of Gravity Falls. A lot of weird stuff goes on in town and when Dipper finds a mysterious Journal in the forrest he and Mabel try to solve the local mysteries .

2. Spongebob Squarpants

Who doesn't love Spongebob. This has been a favourite in our house for a long time. Spongebob Squarepants is a Sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. He has adventures with his friend Patrick the Starfish. He works at the Krusty Krab for Mr Krab a money obsessed crab and is a constant annoyance to his neighbour and workmate Squidward (who is actually an Octopus).

1. Phineas and Ferb

Although we watch all of the cartoons in this list, the one we watch the most and everybody's favourite is Phineas and Ferb. This is the story of brothers Phineas and Ferb who build elaborate inventions in an effort to pass the time of summer vacation, their sister Candice is always trying to bust them and get them into trouble with their mam. A side plot that usually interacts with the main plot is that the boys have a pet platypus called Perry who is really a secret agent called Perry the Platypus and he is trying to stop the Evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz who is always trying to take over the Tri-State Area.

Do you still watch cartoons? What are your favourites? Is it weird for a grown man to still love cartoons?

Well, that's all for now.

S

You can follow Big Stevie Cool on Facebook here.