Mario and Mark Bittman—and Gwyneth—Hit Spain

Besides featuring some alluring shots with crutches and canes, Gwyneth Paltrow's gigantic W Magazine article in September included a surprising annoucement: that she'd be part of an American Public Television series airing on PBS nationwide that would take her on a food tour around Spain with superstar chef Mario Batali and New York Times columnist and cooking show host Mark Bittman. For anyone who thought that was a joke... it's not. Gwyneth and Mario both lived in Spain as teenagers (Batali says he "learned how to really eat and really drink in Spain,") and the two are good friends; Mario and Mark are likewise good friends; and it now just remains for Mark and Gwyneth to become BFFs. And for anyone who thinks this is just another foodie road trip on TV... it's not. The stars were each given a different kind of Mercedes to tool around Spain in (Mark has a station wagon so he could load up the trunk with as much food and wine as he can carry and Mario will be driving a latest-model sports car). All the cars are equipped with HD cameras to capture every second of the trip, and to further the reality-world experience, Mario, Mark and Gwyneth apparently don't know exactly where they're going. But they just held their press conference in Madrid and filming starts tomorrow.