Watching Rachael Ray

Oh the internets, they are on fire again! This past weekend, the New York Post released their list of the top 50 most powerful women in New York. The big question seems to be if Fame and Power are one and the same? The list has a couple of obvious women listed, like Hillary Clinton at #1, and Diane Sawyer at #2 - but from there on down, it seems to be a conglomeration of surprises. What has garnered a lot of attention?

Rachael Ray comes in at #5.
Right after Beyoncé. Wait, what?! And also - should we be upset she’s #4 above Rachael, or that she’s on the list at all?

I love Rachael Ray - but what exactly were they looking at? The little write up, and the only thing we have by way of explanation is the following:

5. Rachael Ray, 38, author/TV host. She’s the girl in the kitchen next door. And with friends like Oprah Winfrey (”Oprah” appearances put her on the map) and Bill Clinton (they’re fighting childhood obesity together), she has launched the highest-rated new syndicated talk show since “Dr. Phil.”

While I applaud her work with Bill Clinton and the Yum-o! organization, and I watch her show every day, how does the rest of that place her into the top 5? Apparently, being friends with Oprah certainly helps - as Gayle King, who is best known for being Oprah’s best friend, comes in at #25! Also, the president of Hearst Magazines, which publishes her O magazine comes in at number 10. Well then - is that power?

On the list, there are actresses, (one who’s only lived in New York for a year!) and managers and business women; a rather eclectic mixture which on the one hand is nice to see, but on the other - what does it say about how we, as a society, label women? What, and who, are we seeing as the most influential and why? Is the way to America’s hearts (and hatred in some cases) through the belly, through the TV, through money alone? Or is it what we do with that money - or worse, is Power based on who we know?

What do you think? Should Rachael be in the top 5? Should she be on the list at all? What makes her a candidate for this list, or any of the others for that matter? Wouldn’t it make more sense to say the most influential women in New York, rather then powerful, or is that just a different slant on the same thing?

Who would you place on a list like this and why - or would you make one at all?

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There’s been a great deal of hubbub about Rachael Ray doing the new Dunkin Donuts commercial - most of it snarky. As we don’t have Dunkin Donuts up here in the wild North of Alaska, I hadn’t seen the commercial - only the hype. One person on the RRSucks site had mentioned that Rachael Ray “left black marks on the floor and just didn’t care!”

So here’s some clips and details on the commercial via YouTube and CelebTV.com:

And now? That I’ve seen the commercial? BWAHAHAHAH! Aw, she left black marks and didn’t even care! Kinda like maybe it was IN THE SCRIPT or something…. hm? I mean srsly people!

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Clearly, this site is very big on loving Rachael - but I love all you visitors too, whether you love her or hate her, and to show my love, I gotta point you out to this highly amusing piece of satire.

Nicholas Bowman, of BlogCritics Magazine, published this in April, but I just stumbled across it yesterday. It’s a hysterically funny look at Ray as the harbinger of the Apocolypse.

In the case of Ray however, there is evidence that something much more devious is unfolding. That’s right; I am talking about the Apocalypse. Beyond the perky persona and frantic body language, the signs are all there.

He covers all angles - from EVOO, the five headed beast of the apocalypse, to the time it takes to make her meals in relation to ‘hell time’, to the rearranging of her name into a wicked demon name only pronounceable by wicked tongues of devils and worshipers!

Beware, folks! “The time of Chyarlaaaaeic is upon us!”

And no, laughing at this in no way diminishes my love of Rachael Ray! Having a sense of humor is FUN!

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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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Just ask her, she’ll tell you! At People.Com, Rachael Ray has answered some questions via video from her fans concerning her relationship with hubby John Cusimano, and of course - Food.

Check out her answers here!

Want to see a little preview of the E! True Hollywood Story: Rachael Ray? Click here! From how she got started, they follow the rise to stardom and the hotly debated term “America’s Sweetheart” - they’ll cover it all.

The part of the preview that amused me the most was the owner of the RRSux community. Now, I’m a fluffy and curvy girl myself, and my hourglass figure holds a hefty 3 and a half hours, but for a community that bags mostly on Rachael Ray’s appearance and weight….

Well. I’m just sayin’.

(As an Aside: why can’t we women quit that anyway? Thinner is not always better! Healthy is wear it’s at, and anyone can see that Rachael Ray is healthy and happy. Me, I’m just… built for comfort. Lots and lots of comfort. Ha!)

I’ll pop back in with a recap of the show this weekend! Have a good weekend and hey - eat something good, huh?

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Those folks that hate seeing Rachael Ray’s face everywhere sure aren’t gonna like looking at the magazine rack at the store this week! Yup, Rachael Ray graces the cover, gets personal, and talks about her marriage as well as rumors and critics.

“I can’t give a man an enormous amount of attention,” Ray, 38, tells PEOPLE matter-of-factly in this week’s cover story. “And John is totally down with that. When men I have dated over the years whined about, ‘Oh, you make no time for me’ – see ya! I just dumped them. I don’t need that pressure in my life.”

She speaks of her decision not to have kids honestly, acknowledging that she just doesn’t have time to be an effective parent, and even talks briefly of the rumors of her husband, John Cusimano’s infidelity. She takes it up with her usual plain spoken humor.

How about the tabloid claim that Cusimano had cheated with two women during their marriage?

“I think they said six actually,” she says. “I’ve known where he is every night since we’ve been married.” According to Cusimano – who moonlights as lead singer in the rock band the Cringe, currently touring to support a new CD – “It’s fun to come home after a hard day’s work and just cook dinner. The place I’m happiest is curled up in bed with Rachael and the puppy.”

His wife agrees. “We’re very turtlelike,” she says. “We listen to music, pour a glass of wine and watch Law & Order.”

For more, pick up this week’s people on Friday, May 5th.

Also! Set you’re DVR/TiVo’s for E! channel on Saturday, where Rachael Ray is the subject of the E! True Hollywood Story!

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I got in trouble the other day, for making my first RR recipe without my older daughter there to help. She loves to cook, and she loves Rachael Ray, and naturally she was mad that her younger sister got to help instead. So I remedied that situation tonight, but trying out yet another meal.

After gathering info on what the kids felt like having for dinner, we decided to try the French Dip with Italian Attitude as the whole family adores them, although the general attitude was “We’ll try it, but nothing beats our Auntie’s French Dips!” They knew it would be different, but Rachael Ray had huge shoes to fill if this was going to go over well with MY kids.

A quick trip to the store (I had to go anyway, I was out of my elixir of life - namely, Diet Coke) and the ingredients were gathered. We did, again, make a few substitutions because of where we live and the availability of certain ingredients. And we had to double the recipe, as it was written for 2, and there’s 4 of us.

So! The ingredients and our adjustments:
1 wide baguette
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano - [I] again, too expensive. We used grated Italian Cheese Blend - the kind in the can you shake over spaghetti? Yeah, that stuff.[/I]
1 small onion, chopped
2 large clove garlic, divided, 1 chopped, 1 crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
1 sprig of rosemary leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 pound sliced roast beef
6 slices provolone cheese
[I]Additions: 2 slices pepper jack cheese for The Girl, and mushrooms. because we like them, darnit.[/I]

We overtoasted the bread a little bit, but it was salvageable. We also added the onions/mushrooms from the sauce to the sandwiches, and also in a cup for dipping.

The biggest problem we had? The sandwiches were too big! We all cut them into smaller pieces so that we could soak them in the sauce, but oh… such a small price to pay! It was FANTASTIC and a BIG hit with the kids. While they ALL agreed that they loved Auntie’s Au Jus sauce better, they agreed that this Italian version was pretty darn tasty and would certainly eat it again. In fact, here’s their rating on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the worst, five being the best:

The Boy: 6.5! Not that it’s BETTER then Aunties, it’s DIFFERENT and are you gonna eat that piece? Yeah? bummer…
The Girl: 7! It was good! And easy! and did I mention GOOD?
The Pup: 82!!!! (No, dear, seriously.) Oh, ok. Yeah, definitely a 9 then.

Clearly, I’m going to have to rethink my rating scale. As for me, I give it a 4.5. It was good, and we’ll definitely make them again. I think it needed more garlic. Everything’s better with more Garlic!

–

Today on the Rachael Ray Show, President Bill Clinton spent the majority of the hour at the Kitchen Table, and along with Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! Organization announcement, they talked extensively about what President Clinton and his Alliance for a Healthier Generation is doing as well to help battle obesity in American kids.

Bill Clinton is still a dynamic speaker, and it’s clear he really cares about this Alliance, and helping families that work so much, and lack the time to come together in the kitchen, at the table, and rely on fast food and other things to keep them fed. It’s not a quick fix, as it’s not been a quickly growing problem. He’s working with schools to give better choices on their school menus.

President Clinton spoke a bit about his own struggles with weight, (Hello! we remember his Presidential runs to McDonalds, right? Hee!) and like Rachael, he preaches all things in moderation. It’s ok to splurge once in a while, as long as you’re basic diet is healthy!

It was a really good show, and if you missed it, try and catch a replay.

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Today, The Rachael Ray site unveiled their new Yum-O organization. A non-profit organization, Yum-o! seeks to empower kids and families to improve their relationships with food and cook, with easy to use tools, affordable and delicious meals.

Why Yum-o!?
Today’s kids and their families are pressed for time. Many don’t know how to cook or assemble basic meals or are simply too busy and tired to spend much time in the kitchen. In addition, easy access to inexpensive food with low nutritional value has caused eating habits to worsen. However, most kids and parents are eager to make better food choices if given the necessary tools. Yum-o! enables kids and their families to take control of their meals and improve their eating habits.

“Yum-o!” is the sound you make when you eat something really delicious. It is kind of a combination of “Yummy!” and “Oh wow!” You can’t help but smile when you say it because it’s such a fun word to say. A big part of the Yum-o! organization is about making cooking and eating something that makes people happy. Food should be delicious, fun and put a smile on your face.
Our three work areas are:

COOK - Educating kids and their families about cooking
FEED - Feeding hungry American kids
FUND - Funding cooking scholarships

Be sure to check out Yum-o.org for more information, recipes, and inspirational stories of people working hard to help our kids grow up healthier and stronger then ever before! I think this is a fantastic idea, and one even the hater’s can’t complain about. With the focus on our kids, American kids, how can we possibly go wrong? Visit Yum-o! today!

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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.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I heard about the Food Network awards. I figured they were giving awards to their stars or some such, until I actually looked at the nominee/winner list! It was the stars that were presenting, but the awards were for various foodie goodness across the nation, from best comfort food (voted on by viewers!) to the first Hall of Fame inductee, to Dream Scholarship and Humanitarian awards, and best shopping center and burger place. Awesome.

As award shows go - it was alright, but pretty boring. They haven’t quite hit their stride yet, but it’s the first one, so give’em time! The stars were looking fine though, from Bobby Flay, to the always gorgeous Nigella Lawson in a red dress that was just…. BAM!

And of course - Rachael Ray was there, handing out rewards and looking cute as a button in a black and white polkadot sundress. She looked comfortable and pretty all at the same time.

Yum-o!

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