Watching Rachael Ray

WWD.com announced today that there’s been another shakeup at Reader’s Digest Association. Siobhan Hardy, the creative director of Every Day with Rachael Ray since it’s launch has left.

[Hardy will] be married this week and plans to move to France in July. Hardy will be replaced by outgoing Redbook creative director Tracy Everding, who starts on June 25.

Don’t forget! The 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live from Hollywood TONIGHT at 9pm on CBS.

Daytime talk-show host Rachael Ray tries her hand at prime time as the host of Friday’s 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Daytime Emmys are handed out in 58 categories, though only those awards that are handed out in high-profile categories, like best soap opera and best daytime talk show, will be shown.

The night’s presenters include Barbara Walters, Alex Trebek, Ellen DeGeneres, Tyra Banks, All My Children’s Thorsten Kaye and Cameron Mathison, and Phil Donahue, who once had his own daytime talk show but is now working the lecture circuit.

Not only is Rachael Ray the host - but she’s also up for 7 Emmy’s for The Rachael Ray Show!

I’ve spent the past several days (and will spend tomorrow morning as well) out of town at a Writers’ Conference a couple of hours away from my tiny city home. While I’ve been refreshing my mind and body with some sleep (not much, granted) and a lot of inspirational thoughts and readings and workshops, I’ve also taken the time to discover Blue Moon Margaritas at the Hotel Bar.

OOOOOHHH boy are they Yum-O! And PRETTY too!

So, as I have not even turned on the tv since we arrived here in beautiful Homer, Alaska, and have mainly used the comptuter to check email and check in with you all, I thought what better way to commemorate my freedom from kids and responsibilities for these five days then to lead you to Rachael Ray’s Cool Cocktail Archive!

There are some yummy looking drinks there, for sure! There is even a “bottom of the bottle” type recipe! I most certainly will be trying out some of these through the summer months when I feel the need for something new, and deliciously cool. Check them out - and let me know which are your favorites!

First - a disclaimer. I’m not much of a wine drinker. In fact, when drinking at all, on the rare occasion, I prefer tequila - usually in the form of margaritas the size of my head.

That said, I’ve always been fascinated by the paring of wine with certain foods. When people speak of this being a perfect match for that, and use white for this and red for that - I find it kinda sexy that they know such things. Then they ask what I think, and I develop a tick behind my eye, and start to drool a little, and develop a blank stare that is impossible to break through. Because I haven’t a clue…

So - being the type of gal who rarely drinks, and who knows nothing about paring food and wine without whining myself, I found Rachael Ray’s guide to be especially helpful and easy to understand. Not only that, but all of their wine choices are under $20. I’m pretty sure that if you ask your local liquor store clerk to help when you can’t find a specific wine, they’d be happy to find one that is similar.

Now, I just have to decide to not be a hermit, invite someone over to cook and get drunk with. Who’s with me? Summer’s a time of adventure, right? Besides - it’d be all in the name of research….

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E! THS showcased Rachael Ray as promised on Saturday night. While E! THS is known for snarky and less the favorable portrayals of stars (and receiving criticism lately for going ’soft’), I felt the show was balanced and true to what we know of Rachael Ray.

They interviewed her teachers and councilors from High School, her mother and sister, as well as former employers, her crew and even l Roker - who got her the big break on the Today Show after seeing her on a spot during her local news.

From her start in her parents restaurants, to dishwasher at Howard Johnson’s to working (by choice!) from 5:45am-midnight at Agatha and Valentina.

Her first commercial for the restaurant featured Rachael behind the omlet station, and Joe Desantis says “She was great right off the bat. You could just see it, she had a presence.”

I loved what her teachers said of Rachael in High School. She was a cheerleader and they loved to “throw her around” as she was “game for anything.” And her French teacher proved that Rachael Ray and I have something in common: “I could always tell when she was participating. I could hear her voice… sometimes above all the others.” Ha! I gave my French teacher a set of chattering teeth the day I graduated. He said he’d never gotten a more appropriate reminder of a student before. Awesome.

Rachael worked her way up through the gormet food section of Macy’s after dropping out of Pace college, but parted ways when they wanted her to become a buyer for accessories - but she wanted to work in food, she loved the marketplace, and all the ins and outs of the service and food industry.

In 1993, she found herself at Agatha and Valentina, where she took her cues from her Mother’s strength for dealing with customers and the more old fashioned oldtimers who would be rough on a girl:

1. Never ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.
2. Understand you aren’t there to be buddies
3. Speak directly and look them in the eye
4. Tell them what you need and never insult them, and
5. Never accept an insult from anyone.

This is a tried and true method for earning respect with all those we work with and for.

After being held up by the same teenage boy twice in the same week, she left NYC and went home to regroup, before getting a job in Albany at Cowan & Lobel which was an hour away. She had to get her drivers license, and tells the story of her first test during which she killed a cat. She did get her license, though and that is where the 30-minute meal concept came to be after polling her customers on why certain things weren’t selling. Naturally, it was a huge success, and she garnered the attention of the local news crew.

It was the beginning of her success, of the Rachael Ray Empire.

Lest you think it was all sunshine and roses and biography background, they also went through her love life, her ex-boyfriends, and the times where she wasn’t sure where her next paycheck was coming from. And, of course, there was the interview with the owner of the Rachael Ray Sucks website community, Misty Ling who can’t handle Rachael’s cut sayings and perky personality.

“Her movements became more exaggerated, she became a cartoon of who she was…. the constant arm movements bother me. Evoo.. if your going to abriveate it, abbreviate it. It’s overkill, enough is enough. All thinks Rachael we make fun of.”

As Rachael herself says “They are perfectly entitled to think so! I don’t need to make the dumplings to feel fulfilled.” And about the tabloids “If that’s the price you have to pay, hey - it’s worth it.”

The show was well worth watching, so catch a replay if you get the chance on one of these dates: Monday, May 7, 11:00a - Wednesday, May 9, 10:00p - Saturday, May 12, 4:00p.

While it probably will be termed as overly positive - I think that is more indicative of the subject, then the spin of the show. Love her or hate her, Rachael Ray is a dynamic, energetic workaholic who gives her everything to each and every project. You can’t fault her for that - especially when we get the benefits of her down to earth, easy-going ways.

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Did you know there’s a whole site(s) that is(are) dedicated to proving Rachael Ray sucks? That has little derogatory nicknames for her, and point out everything from her clothing, her posture, her voice and laugh, her cooking, her pet words and every little thing under the sun on every show?

I KNOW!

You know what amuses me the most about those guys? It’s the silliest little thing, but it makes me laugh every time I pop over there to see what today’s irritants are… The thing that gets me is this: They proclaim their hatred all over their little club, but?

They. Still. Watch!

Every Day they’ve a new complaint, every day there’s dozens of comments on each episode, and every single day - they tune in again.

Nice! Thanks for helping make Rachael Ray a hit, guys!

Also: Amazon has Rachael’s new cookbook available for pre-ordering! Rachael Ray: Just in Time: All-New 30-minute Meals, Plus Super-Fast 15 Minute meals and Slow it Down 60 Minute Meals. The cookbook is due to release in November, and is on sale currently for $13.57 with a regular retail price of $19.95.