Watching Rachael Ray

All new shows this week!

“Diddy” Crashes Our Set It’s our huge 2009 premiere, and the year’s off to a scandalous start as Diddy flirts with our audience - and Rachael’s only making things hotter! He’s also sharing his new cologne, which you can enter for a chance to win. Then, can KC undo a lifetime of DIY damage in just one day? She’s taking a pair of unhandy Marines to home improvement boot camp. And for dinner, Rach has a hearty meal that will leave your belly full and your conscience clean!

Supermom Cindy Crawford It’s the rarely seen, not-so-perfect side of supermodel Cindy Crawford! Gabrielle Reece goes inside Cindy’s Malibu mansion for a private look at this star, including her rules on being a super mom, in the latest installment of the HoneyLine. Then, can’t stand your legs? Gretta helps two viewers wear skirts and shorts with confidence! And if you love risotto, you’ll love what’s for dinner.

How Not To Die A leading medical examiner is in our studio with information that can literally save your life! From your house to your car to your swimming pool, Dr. G cautions you about the hidden dangers you face every day. Plus it’s double-duty time with 3 viewers, 3 products and 6 new uses! Then, see what happens when a Lego artist is challenged to create a life-size Rachael!

Rach’s Throat Update & Robin McGraw Ever wonder how Dr. Phil’s gorgeous wife Robin McGraw stays so young? She’s revealing her strategy for growing older gracefully - at any age! Plus, you won’t believe what some pet owners have to say in the latest installment of “Is This Normal?” And, Rachael has the secret to another fancy fake-out supper!

Bob Greene: What You Didn’t Hear on Oprah Ring in the New Year with a new you! We’ve got you covered with an hour of tips to help you transform your life. First, get into shape with weight loss strategies from Oprah’s fitness guru Bob Greene. Then, update your look with some Hollywood glamour tips from stylist to the stars Anya Sarre!

Produce 8 garlic cloves 1 small onions 1 medium onion 2 medium red onions 1 carrot 4 stalks celery 10 leaves of sage 3 bay leaves 2 tablespoons tarragon 2 tablespoons basil 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley 2 small bulbs fennel 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms 4 large sweet potatoes Meat 2 pounds chicken tenders 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 8 slices prosciutto 4 thin slices pancetta 3/4 pound ground pork Dairy 1 egg 3 cups buttermilk 5 tablespoons butter 1 cup gorgonzola crumbles 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese Grocery 2 cups olive, canola or peanut oil 1 cup EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 cup molasses 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup walnuts 2 tablespoons smoked paprika 1 tablespoon dry mustard 2 tablespoons chili powder 4 tablespoons grill seasoning 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning or dried ground thyme 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1/4 cup (a handful) breadcrumbs 10 1/2 cups chicken stock 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans 1 pound spaghetti 1 cup ditalini-shaped pasta 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes 3 tablespoons tomato paste Bakery 1 loaf ciabatta 1 loaf crusty bread Liquor 1 cup white wine

Oh! Another hit for the style team, this season’s group is doing well, Rachael looks good, happy and healthy. Yay! The first guest today is Valerie Bertinelli - it’s Gal Pal Val day!

They agree that getting pictures taken is the worst, they both hate the thought of all the posing and how nerve wracking it is. Val, though, decided to let us go along for the ride, to show what really happens behind the scene. The photos? Not what she looks like, that’s what she wants us to know, this is the real her - little makeup, and no 2 hours in hair and makeup! Rachael shows us Valerie’s first cover photo on Dynomite magazine, a shoot Val says she doesn’t even remember. Of her Good Housekeeping cover, she remembers someone writing her a note saying he could fix her discolored tooth. Awww! She jokes about her TV guide one that someone who’s no longer a friend, of course, said “Don’t you ever smile un-crooked?!” Some of the pictures are awesome! Mullet hair, even!

Rachael laughs and asks if there’s any covers she’s seen where she knows the people and the reaction is “Oh come AWN…” because they know they don’t look at that. Rachael brings up the FHM magazine, she says they broke the airbrush machine on her to do that - but her hubby liked it! Val says when the fitness magazine called her she was like Me? are you SURE? They wanted her so bad they let her do the shoot and not show her belly. “It’s a 48 year old belly, you don’t want to see that.” Val let everyone tag along to enjoy the shoot, and see “what I reaaaaaally look like without the makeup!”

After all the work, including a spray tan in her drive way, did she like the final picture? Says Val “I’m uncharacteristically happy!”

They have a quick update on Joey, who gave up his independence to raise his nephews when they were taken from his twin sister, adopting them. They gave him $50k to spend on himself last year, helping him make Christmas fantastic for the boys, so they check in to see how he’s doing. He used 10k as a down payment on a new house, they payed off the car, and he put the rest into accounts for the kids college and emergency fund - the boys are happy and healthy, and thriving, all four of them.

(More with Val backstage!)

Next up, its KCs next challenge - 5 days, and empty room, tht wants to be a Hollywood Style hangout, swanky music style for Hollywood Life. Her favorite part of the room? recycled car leather that went into the leather flooring. Then KC shows some quick do it yourself tips for your own home!

So what’s for dinner? Cran-Rice Pilaf and Ham Steak with Buttered Rum Gravy.

OH! I love the black and white dress that Rachael is rockin today! She looks cute and slim and all around fab. Thumbs up for the style team!

Today’s date we waste no time, of course, introducing the musical legend, Tony Bennett! Of course, I’m not quite THAT old school, I don’t see the adoration, but whatever. He’s still singing at age 82, with a new album of Christmas songs out just in time for Christmas - the first one of his out in 40 years, A Swingin’ Christmas.

He comes bearing gifts for Rachael, one of his signed painting of an Italian vineyard, and she’s thrilled. He loves the studio and the crew of the show - Rachael says “it’s the food!” She’s practically giddy sitting next to him, it’s pretty cute. She remembers the first time she saw him in concert - she even bought two seats so no one would crowd her. When asked how he stays fresh, he says it’s because of the audience that’s been beautiful through the years, and he loves what he’s doing. He hasn’t worked a day, he sings and paints and gets away with murder!

When asked why another Christmas album after so long, Tony says it was his son Danny’s idea. Danny, who’s also his manager, suggested a singing album to help the party spirit. His other son has the studio, and he records there in a theater and they got the album all in one take. They had an audience, but they weren’t allowed to applaud since it was they were recording - Rachael is pretty sure that would be torture!

His paintings - Tony’s on his way to having four of them in the Smithsonian - but if you can’t make it there, Bloomindales in NYC has one of his winter paintings on their holiday gift bag. Rachael jokes she was gonna have him sign her baggie - and now she’s got a real deal!

The audience toss some questions his way - was he truly a singing waiter? He admits to it easily. He wanted his mom to get to stop working, he wanted to make sure she didn’t have too, but he hated every job he got until he took the job of he singing waiter. He loved it so much that he said even if he never got famous, he’d always get a job singing. Katie asked if he’s painted any celeb paintings? He did Duke Ellington, one of his first paintings and his favorite. Sharon asks what it was like playing the stadium with Billy Joel - he said it was a once in a lifetime experience, very fun, but he prefers the smaller venues. Who does he like that’s performing now? Michael Buble, Beyonce, and a lot of good artists coming up.

Tony’s daughter joins them at the table, next, and Antonia says that it’s great growing up with Tony, but she wouldn’t know any different, anyway. She had quite the life, driving down the street everyday and watching Fred Astaire walking to the post office. She loves to work with her dad though - and Rachael has to ask if it’s really this dreamy, and she admits to bickering with her siblings to prove they’re normal. What was Christmas like? Tony would take the kids over to Ella Fitzgerald’s house every Christmas, then to David Hockney, and most of the Christmases were like that growing up.

Antonia and Tony sing then, “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” from the new holiday CD.

After a quick stop in the prep kitchen for another holiday fakeout - Chocolate Rugelach! - Gabrielle Union joins Rachael at the couch to chat, about everything including her new movie, Cadillac Records. She said she’s become a fan of all the music, and everyone, all the actors, had to do all their own singing, and through their practicing she came to love it. She was star stuck by Etta James, who joined them at the Premiere of the movie and sat right in front of her - she was watching what they’d done with her story, and thankfully, they loved it.

How did they break up the heavy tension between takes? Dance offs! When asked if she’d do dancing with the stars, Gabrielle says she’d be mortified, she’s not a dancer, in Bring it On there was LOTS of takes. Her friend Warren Sapp would call and make sure she was voting, and watching, she was so proud. She cracks jokes about Brooke, too. “Yeah, that’s who you want living next to you. She’s so hideous looking!” (the faces they made was hysterical. hahah!)

Her big addiction? Red Lobster! She goes frriday early, before the seniors go in, they will run out of crab! Since she enjoys baking, she’s going to teach Rachael something - Christmas Candy Cane Cookies, a family recipe. Said Gabrielle “My sister’s very upset that we’re letting the secret out into the world!”

(More backstage with Gabrielle.)

As Gabrielle heads out, she jokes about needing a man, and says if you floss, and have good credit? Call her! Too cute for words!

Rachael’s set is her home away from home, and heard of a charity that’s transporting furnature to families to families who were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, she sent their previously used stuff to be delivered to Kim for a House to Home transformation. SHe was so excited and grateful, and said it was exciting to have furniture that Michael J. Fox, and others sat on, and if they want to come sit on them again in her house, they’re welcome!

Then, it’s dinner time, and tonight it’s a Red Beans and Rice Stoup.

We start off in the driveway area, with a lot of different products to test, and today Patty Heaton is on hand to give the results on the items she helped test in a gift lab! First up, we have the Wii game - Cooking Mama World Kitchen. Patty does joke that it’s a little strange, maybe you could bring the kids into the kitchen to cook - I mean, it’s a revolutionary idea, but whatever. Rachael laughs - “win or lose, no food at the end. Not so psyched about this!” They start chopping and patty laughs “This is how to get carpel tunnel for Christmas.”

Next up, it’s the UNOTRON Keyboard, which is waterproof - and she dumps coffee in it, sauce, and chips, then dips it in a tank of water and washes it, and it, of course, works!

The last one, is the FURminator deShedding Tool. Buster is on hand as they test the tool, which he loves of course, and it certainly seems to take care of the shedding.

They go sit down then, for a little couch time. They talk about the last time, when they brought out a choir to sing with and Patty says it was so much fun, but she has to come to Rachael’s to sing, because no one in her house will listen to her! They have a broadway channel on the radio in the car, and the kids are all MOM! STOP! She says all of her kids play instruments, and the oldest kiddo has told her that he’s waiting for his voice to change. Ha! Patty sang since second grade, where she’d make up a song and announce to her teacher that she had a new composition to perform for the class. Ha! Then she memorized Barbra Steisand songs, and they’d listen to the vinyl copy of “My Name is Barbra” and Rachael surprises her with a copy of the record! Patty is astonished, and thrilled. She says she could sing every song on there - and Rachael jokes “don’t let us stop you!” So she gives a bit of “I’m five!” She says she can’t remember her kids birthdays, or names - but she remembers every line of her performances!. HA!

Speaking off performances, Patty’s latest one is for the Hallmark Hall of Fame, called Front of the Class. She plays the mom of a son who has Tourettes Syndrome and tells the true story of how the boy deals with the condition an ultimately grows up to become a gifted teacher. It’s great for the kids, it shows them how they can overcome problems, and shows parents how to help your kid become independent no matter what they’re struggling with.

She’s also doing a pilot for ABC, a comedy called The Middle, where she’ll be the mom of a working class family with three kids in the midwest. She’ll come back, of course, to tell us all about it.

After a quick stop in the prep kitchen where Rach shows us how to Impress the Foodie Friends with Flavored Salts, it’s time for another Rach to the rescue segment! The last one, actually - outside the city of brotherly love. Newlywed Brandice needs help cooking a special meal for her hubby - who happens to be a chef. She laughs and says that she cooks brilliantly - if you count reheating leftovers. She admits to being scared to cook for her brand new hubby. Sweet Pete Bakel, the winner of Hey Can you cook 2 shows Brandice how to make a comfort food dish of roasted pork loin, creamy polenta and brussels sprouts. He encourages her to keep it simply, make it tasty, and make it look great.

Is hubby impressed? Absolutely - he’s pleased and proud, and then they’re giving the Kenmore Elite Double Oven Range, of course. Hubby jokes “now you’ll have to cook for me!”

Next up, it’s the Birthday Party Lady. Rachel Calabrese gives birthday parties to kids that have never had one before, whose families are homeless. They go to shelters in Boston and through the Birthday Wishes foundation, and she’s given over 2500 parties over the past six years. She admits to being a horrible cake maker, and they have people who donate the cakes, including some of the local bakeries. Husband Gregory says the work is like their fourth child, but she has no intention of slowing down - the kids smiles make it worth it. Rachael, sharing the inability to bak, gives her a surprise gift of $10k to for the organization to help them buy cakes or whatever they need.

Then, it’s dinner time! Maple Cream Sweet Potato Soup and Griddled Cheddar-Apple Dippers.

We start out right away with Dr. (DOCTOR?) Denis Leary joining Rachael at the kitchen table, getting into it right away to promo his new book, “Why we suck.” His doctorate, of course, is from Emerson College, where he studied acting, and then taught there for a while afterwards. And, of course, when he became famous, they gave him a doctorate. He met his wife while teaching - she was his student - but made sure to clarify there was no sex until after the classes were over! Ha!

Denis admits that he didn’t expect to like Oprah as much as he does - much to his chagrin. He’s had to warn his guy friends, that there’s a whole book devoted to her! He says he always was asking his female friends and relatives if they KNEW her, because the way they talk - Rachael jokes “Now you ARE that girl!” He was shocked that Oprah talks about some of the things he does - like breaking your penis! “Did you know this could happen!? Why isn’t sports center talking about this? Why did I have to go to OPRAH?!”

The best use for his book though? A coaster! You can put 6 beers on it! Rachael says if you can put 6 of anything on it, it becomes a serving tray! She loves the book though, and says it’s like his brain threw up all over the page. He jokes about the recipes in there, and how they’re VERY Irish - you boil thing until there’s no taste, and add 18 sticks of butter. His sister once told his wife that the vegetables they served were “Too hard!” because they were steamed, and gathered them up, boiled them, and reserved them! “There, now they’re not too haaaaard!”

They talk about the election a bit, and how he wanted to vote for someone smart and “I’m not a chick! But as a straight man? That boy has a smile that lights up the room!” and also, “You know he still smokes.” HA! They’re impressed that he has reached across party lines already, and that’s one of the reasons we may ’suck a little less’.

Michael J Fox is going to join Rescue Me for a few episodes too, and he’s looking forward to it seeing him in the role. He says Michael is one of the smartest guys he knows, and is perfect for this role. He knows that Michael can do the comedy, but he’s doing dramatic things that are amazing for Rescue Me - so be sure to catch it!

Then it’s time for “Going too far” with Denis Leary - and the topic is Braces for dogs. uh - ok? The Pro lady in the audience admits that she likes her dog more then her kids, and would spend the money. The Con things it is ridiculous, spending thousands of dollars on doggy braces is going way too far. Denis agrees that it’s ridiculous as well, unless, of course, you’re going full-bore. Braces, whitening, etc. He jokes that they don’t know what attracts dogs to other dogs! What if it’s not sniffing the butt, but it’s the teeth is the important thing? Rachael things that as a cosmetic thing, it’s more torture, unless there’s a real reason for it. Denis asks what happens if the dog comes to her and SAYS “the other dogs are making fun of me! common man!” Everyone laughs, of course. Check out more backstage with Denis!

After a quick stop in the prep kitchen for some Guilt-Free Nachos, it’s time to ask the OB-Gyn all the questions you’re scared to ask your own doctor. Dr. Hilda is on hand to answer the questions, and says it’s common to have questions that you don’t ask - your nervous, and only have a couple minutes of face time anyway, and we tend to forget about the questions the minute she walks in the door too. There are questions that they SHOULD ask, but don’t - do I look normal down there?! Hilda says that what you see in the books - no one looks like that. And it’s normal.

Rachael of course is way modest - she doesn’t look down in the shower. Dr. Hilda says she needs to start looking. Ha! Time for the questions: Sarah asks about her cycles, they’re different between all her friends and her own varies, and she wants to know what’s normal. Dr. Hilda says it’s not uncommon to change from month to month - the important thing is the amount of blood lost every month. The average is 2-3 tablespoons, and a heavy cycle is 1/3 of a cup, and if it’s that heavy give the doctor a call. Anywhere between 21-45 days is normal, 1-7 days of flow.

Melissa wants to know how to know you’ve had the big ‘O’…Rachael goes to a break - to give her own answer during the commercial instead of life. Hahah! When we come back, Dr. Hilda says that 10% of women have never orgasmed - but the short answer is “When you do, you’ll know!” Then she walks through the cycle - Arousal, where you’re simmering, then it heightens, and the kettle is boiling, rachael says “That little arch in your back is going on…” and embarrasses herself. Then everything contracts and pulsates - and that’s when the kettle goes WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOW! Says Rachael then hopes Mama Elsie isn’t watching, as the final stage is relaxation. Or a nap. Or a snack.

It’s important to know that Orgasms shouldn’t be the goal, because so much pressure to perform decreases the pleasure you can get. 70% of women don’t orgasm through intercourse alone - but the good news is, MULTIPLES!

Sharon is up next and asks what happens during the gynecological exam - she knows the cracks in the season better then what’s going on during the exam. Dr. Hilda walks them through it - they look to make sure everyone looks alright from the outside, before the speculum exam. What woman don’t know is they come in different sizes - so if you have a lot of pain during a pelvic exam, it’s ok to ask for a smaller one! Size DOES make a difference, says Rachael “But here you want to go down, not up.” Hahahah! You can ask them to warm it up as well. (MY obgyn keeps them all under a warming light!). Anyway, they go in and look at the cervix, that looks like a donut, and they do a scrape to screen for cervical cancer, then another swab for the pap smear. And you should also be tested for HPV at 30 or older. It’s separate then the pap smear, so ask for it. As for the vacination - it’s a wonderful idea, from the age of 13.

Next up - of course - it’s dinner time! Tarragon Roast Chicken with Butter Roast Baby Potatoes and Vegetables.

We start out on the couch today, where we start out with a favorite - Save vs. Splurge with Gretchen. But first - Rachael plugs her new cards from Yum-o! and Tiny Prints, which will help raise money for Yum-o!

And now it’s Save vs. Splurge, the holiday edition! It’s glamorous looks for little price. Casual looks are first - the designer version is $2040 and the other is $167. The differences are in fabric, and investment pieces, but I’m with Rachael - who would spend the 2 grand?! “It’s fashion, they’re gonna change it next year anyway!” Rachael does guess the splurge outfit, and is 1 for 1.

Next up is the cocktail look, all shiny and glittery. One is $1365, and the other is $165 - and that was including the shoes. They’re all wrong this time! They picked the cheaper one as the spludge, which makes Gretchen giddy. Rock the faux leather - people can’t tell!

Formal event gowns are next, both dresses are stunning. She reminds us to buy things that can be re-used - the dresses can be fantastic cut down to 3/4 length, with a jacket, etc. They have a lot of lives, though one was $1775, the other $497. They guess it correctly, and it’s time to move on to decorations. Christmas wreaths, Trees, table settings, and so much more. Check it out here!

We’re in the kitchen early today, to start the double duty dinner - Briased (chuck) Roast Beef, and Beef and Barley Stoup with Fontina Grilled Cheese. A taste tester gets to try out the braised Roast beef, an gets all bigeyed and thrilled and chows down. Heh.

Before we see how to make it all, though, it’s time for an iCarly Christmas! Miranda Cosgrove has two Christmas specials coming up in the next weeks. HEY! She was the bandmanager in Jack Black’s School of Rock! I didn’t know that! But first off, she has an iCarly Christmas, wishing her brother was normal, and it turns out she doesn’t like it so much. The other is Merry Christmas Drake and Josh, which airs this week, where they try to help some foster kids, and her job is to keep the parole officer off their back. Ha!

She says she’s a horrible cook, but her mom is awesome so maybe she’ll start taking some lessons. Her family isn’t one that puts up the Christmas tree weeks ahead of time - but maybe a week. She loves the Christmas carols, but sings them wrong.

Its hard to believe she’s only 15, she’s been on tv for so long. She says Drake and Josh are her psuedo brothers, as she’s an only child, and they ask her who she’s dating and grill the boys she locks and such. They talk again about School of Rock - and apparently there’s going to be a School of Rock 2, and she did start playing guitar because of her roll with Jack Black. Check out the giveaway button for your chance at the first season of iCarly.

After a Double-Duty holiday tips, and then it’s back into the kitchen to finish off what’s for dinner.

We start off with “I can’t stand my Lips” segment, as we all want Angelina Jolie’s lips, but few have them. Makeup artist Mally Roncal is on hand once again to show women some tips and tricks to get lovely lips, without surgery or collegen which doesn’t look real at all.

Ann, 44, has always hated her thin lips that she feels just fade into her face without makeup. She wants a more professional appearance to help boost her confidence, and believes plumper lips would do that. Mally has her use a lip liner in the same shade as her lips to extend them in a natural way, then fills it all with a pink lip gloss. Mally points out that something with a bit of shimmer will help reflect the light and make the look fuller, fuller, fuller. Accentuate the look with a little more shine with Mally’s Light Wand on the bow of the lip and under the center near the bottom.

Lena is next up, and she thinks her lips woul be nice without the wrinkles around them. She’s a smoker, and older (46) and even her daughter tells her that her lipliner is too dark, and she feels like an old lady. Mally says shes making the problem worse by using too much foundation to fill in the wrinkles, insted enhancing them. She has her cover the skin around her lips with perfect Prep Poreless Primer, which is an invisible barrier that fills in the fine lines and wrinkles. A bit of natural liner, and thn Mally lip Illusion lipstick, which includes a highlight for the center of the lips. Top it off with lip gloss - but with caution, don’t go all the way to the edge where it could travel into the lines.

For Prudence, 45, she fees like she has no lips, without color and has even considered getting a tattoo so they’d always have color. Mally says it’s a common complaint, and recommends a lip stain instead of lipstick for a longer lasting color. It has more pigment and sticks to the lips. then linewith natural toned lip and lip tint. To choose the best color, pull down the bottom lip and match the stain to that color.

Next up, Rach talks about people being inspired to cook and eat, though she was shocked by a teenager who was inspired to exercise by the show. Miranda says that by the time she was 13, she weighd 186, and was being bullied so she was homeschooled. She lost her friends, and her body was failing her. One day she jumped on the treadmill, and lost 56 pounds in a year. She discovered the Rachael Ray show while she ran on the treadmill, and she was focused on being entertained instead of how tired she was, and also learned to cook and eat healthier.

She thought she’d get her friends back, but she feels more alone then ever. She looks up to Rachael, and her other favorite celeb is Amanda Bynes - and guess who gives her a surprise? It’s Amanda Bynes, as Room Service! Miranda is speechless, as Amanda says she’s inspiring, and Miranda says Amanda is her role mode. Amanda says she had bad acne when she was young, and knows how hard it is. Miranda is insecure, and says it’s hard feelin like people won’t like her. Amanda says it’s the attitude that needs changed - put out the positive vibes, and it’ll happen.

Amanda and Miranda join Rachael at the Kitchen Table and Rachel asks which one is the movie star? Ha! They want to help Miranda feel better on the inside. Miranda says that today has been amazing, to have her idol come and care about her when she doesn’t even know her was so amazing. Miranda thanks Rachael because without her show, she couldn’t have lost the weight, she couldn’t run 30 seconds before, and now runs for an hour easily. Rachael laughs and says she feels like a fraud a little, and will get on the tredmill and commit to getting healthier for Miranda, to be more like her.

Rachael wants to try and change a little bit of her low self esteem - some people in Miranda’s community are via video where a lot of people want to meet her, and the humane society want to meet her, as do the group at Culinary Kids, the Calvery outdoor club, and the Mayor declares it “Meet Miranda Month - get inspired, and Miranda, you go girl!” Rachael has the proclamation, and for the entire month, the entire city of Calgery is commanded to make friends with her. Aww! She also gets a copy of The Big Orange Book, and pots and pans to help keep her cooking on track.

Amanda sticks at the Kitchen Table, and says that she does like to go out on occasion now, she’s grown up, and has her priorities in order. She likes to look classy, and make sure she’s not the ‘norm’ for hollywood. She’s on the cover of Cosmo, which she admits was on of her dreams. Amanda is part of a new program, Break the Cycle - she is going to high schools in partner with Mary Kay to help end the cycle of teenage violence.

Next up it’s Survivor champion Ethan Zohn, who’s outside handing out today’s snack of the day, Native Yumberry Goji Currant Granola from Bear Naked. He’s currently kicking his soccer ball across the nation to raise money for his charity, and stopped by to pass out the snack on the streets.

Then it’s time for dinner - Spicy Chicken with Daes and Butternut Squash, with Citrus Couscous.

….hate that skirt. Just sayin. The shirt is cute, but that tweed skirt is horrible! Anyway, We start out with Justin Kredible! How cute is he? I adore him so! I love geeky little guys who make things fun, and amusing. He does a new trick with the mail order Magic Trick, which was cute and funny, as Justin “Magish” for us. He listens to the Pod Cast telling him how to do his new ACME Magic company trick. Ha! I adore him! He’s such a dork, and funny, and yeah. Cute. After the bandanna/banana trick, he does an iluuuuuuuuusion! The Magic Chamber - which of course involves an audience member stepping into the box, and the one and only Magic Johnson stepping out!

They move over to the couch, as Justin heads backstage - and hey, Magic may be the first person who’s feet actually reach the floor there! Ha! H says he was siting in LA having a coffee and BOOM! There he is. Ha! He has lovely things to say about the food he had back stage, where they made him some of his favorites. Rachael thank him for letting them put him in the box, and they move into talking about Starbucks and Gyms an how he’s doing in this economy, and he’s losing some but raising for his foundations, but he’s balanced pretty well, and is doing ok.

Magic cautions patience with the President Elect, as he takes one thing at a time, to help us start moving in the right direction. He’s doing a wonderful job of picking a team, and pick one thing to tackle first - economy, war, heathcare, etc. One step at a time. Magic commends him for picking mixed points of view - you don’t need yes people, you need people who aren’t afraid to say when something sucks. He hires people that are smarter, that won’t buy into the hype, but will work toward the common goal. In basketball, the ball was in his hand, he was in control of - but in business, there’s so many moving parts. you need a team of people to build a brand and business. He admits to being a control freak, he wants to know what’s going on, making sure what’s happening with your name, your brand, your game. They can make decisions, but he knows what’s going on.

They talk about the holidays, and it’s ALL women in the kitchen. Male? Don’t even try it. If you don’t get your drink and chips and everything before hand “It’s over!” They’re so organized and it’s a complete mystery to him when there’s 10 to 20 women in the kitchen. Organized chaos! He always makes sure he saves room for pie though - and learns that sweet potatoes are good for us - bring on the Sweet Potato Pie!

He gets the chance to pimp his book, of course - 32 Ways to be a Champion in Business. Hit up the giveaway button for your chance at a copy - signed! The main thing, he says, is do your homework, understand why the customers will come through your door. Rachael agrees - the customer is your boss, comes first. Magic says build a brand. You stop at brand name stores, and pick one thing - you can’t be everything to all people. Focus.

He says he’s been blessed, knows where he wants to go and will build his business slow and steady. Make sure you don’t get into a business that will kill your brand. Check out more Magic behind the scenes.

Next up, its Jillian Michaels from Biggest Loser! She’s so teeny, an cute, and SCARY. I kinda want her to come yell at me. But then again, I kinda like these corn nuts I’m noshing on too. Decisions, decisions. Jillian admits that she has to intimidate people into healthy behaviors, but when they realize they can do it, it’s worth it. She’s the ultimate cheerleader eventually. She admits that she has no control over her own family, they aren’t scared of her! She admits that she indulges, but smartly - she won’t blow 600 calories on a margarita, which blows Rachael’s mind. When asked about red wine, she points out that’s 100 Cals. a glass, can have SIX of those for one margarita.

Jillian, at 5′0″, was 170 pounds a her heaviest and her mother put her into martial arts - not because she was overweight, but because she had some struggles and it helped her focus and was an outlet. That’s where she developed her views on fitness and how to change your life. Rachael agrees - if you eat well, you can eat more, and your life feels richer. It’s a quality of life thing.

Jillian admits that she does cry behind the scenes, every single episode, and the season 7 coming up is awesome and for the first time, someone threw up ON her -which started the whole group doing the same thing. Nice. “It was not hot, at all,” laughs Jillian.

Jillian has a new workout - on the Wii! hit up the giveaway button for it too. Jillian says it’s fun, and she wanted something that she could say it’s a solution for childhood obesity. It’s a video game and its fun, while you get in shape. Some tips for Holiday Health:

• Revamp your meals. “White meat, not dark meat. Have salad and steamed vegetables instead of fattening casseroles. Go with baked sweet potatoes instead of candied yams. Fruit salad instead of fruit pie, and whole grain roles instead of biscuits.”

• Communicate with your family. “So many people have a lot of stress if they’re on a diet or trying to stay healthy,” Jillian says. “There’s food pushing going on, or grandparents who want to be validated and that’s how they show you love. Tell them what you need, and how to support you — say, ‘Grandma, I would love it if you could come up with a low-calorie cheesecake recipe for me.’”

• Stay in control. If you’re trying to watch what you eat, bring your own dishes when going to a party, or eat a healthy meal beforehand so you don’t arrive hungry and are susceptible to temptation.

• Get minty fresh! Chew on gum to avoid grazing while cooking — it makes it less conducive to overeating. And brush your teeth when you’re done eating so you don’t go back for seconds.

Squeeze in fitness whenever possible. If you’re traveling during the holidays, try to stay at a hotel that has a gym, or bring workout tapes with you.

She shows off some quick exercises - wall pushups, and Rachael demonstrates she can do regular pushups, then Jillian demonstrates isometrics for your behind - which has Rachael grabbing her ass.

….inorite?! Lucky Rach! Both Jillian and Rach are laughing hysterically, as Jillian explains that the producers wanted her to make Rach do it, but she’s sorry, and Rach just says it’s clearly the male producers, and she hopes Howard Stern is watching, and grabs on to feel the muscle clench. HahahHA!

Much laughter follows, and then it’s dinner time! Orange You Hungry Tangerine Dream Chicken with Curry-Carrot Couscous.

Love. Love. LOVE that skirt! Thumbs up, style team! It’s the season of Re-Gifting, you know, and one of the viewers takes the idea of re-gifting to a whole new level - one year he got a $4 bottle of wine, and regifted it to his buddy, a wine expert - by changing the label. AND he got away with it! Tsk tsk tsk! If that’s not enough, there’s two re-gifters in the front row. One says one person’s trash is another persons treasure. All the gifts she’s been given that she doesn’t use, she saves to re-gift. She headed a candle in her pile that she hands to her friend’s birthday dinner - and they opened it in front of the co-worker who had given it to her! It turns out, her best friend had given the candle to her co-worker, and then her co-worker gave it to HER, and she turned around and gave it back to her best friend! Kaaaaaarma! The viewer says if you re-gift - MAKE NOTES! That way you won’t get caught regifting to the person who gave it to you.

And then there’s the Rooster Lamp. Andrea says she won’t regift unless she uses something first, but she always re-gifts. Rachael is speechless. Bright it home. Use it. Then pass it on?! Oh. My. The perfect gift to give, she says as she wags her finger at them - give charity donations in a friends name instead. Ha!

Next up - it’s Mary Steenburgen, who is married to Ted Danson (Lucky woman!) and has a Holiday Movie coming up - Four Christmases. She brings a gift - but says Rachael better not regift it! Ha! It’s a beautiful throw from her store, Rooms & Gardens. Mary admits to regifting Wine, because everyone comes over bearing wine, and she can’t drink red wine, and Ted can’t drink enough of it, so she passes it on. We also have two more seasons to Curb Your Enthusiasm to look forward too, as well. Mary calls it a traffic accident waiting to happen. You bring your own wardrobe, they don’t get paid, and there’s no script. They say things like “You’re having a party. GO!” and it’s all about improvising, which she LOVES.

One of her favorite films she’s done was Stepbrothers with Will Ferrel, because she has a sense of humor like a 12 year old boy. (ME TOO!) She says Will is hysterical, but he’s really so normal and sane. He’s not ‘on’ all the time like others, he can be really quiet.. then one thing comes out and they’re all on the floor laughing. She’s got good tummy muscles from simply trying not to laugh at work. She’s a notorious giggle “I’ve ruined so many takes in my career it’s pathetic!”

She also has a line of soy candles, Nell’s Compass, which she developed to benefit Heifer International - they give people pairs of animals, and teach them to care and raise them, and then as they breed, they pass them along to others so it goes full circle.

Who discovered Mary? Jack Nicolson! She was a waitress, and was in an improve group, doing comedy for cab fare. She thought it might be what she did forever. She went to a casting meeting, and an inner voice said turn around, don’t leave… they were casting something but only famous people or gorgeous models. Mary managed to ask to see the script. She read it over, and heard a voice asking if she was waiting to see him - and it was Jack Nicholson. He called her back to read, and the rest is history. Click here for more backstage with Mary!

Check out Rach’s Yum-O! Holiday Cards too!

We stop off in the kitchen for a quicky Oven-baked Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Nuggets, it’s time for the next guess - NASCAR champ, Jimmie Johnson! Rachel tells him he’s a sharp dressed man, and he gives his wife all the credit. Big congrats for Jimmie for the big win - the third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Title, something that hasn’t been done in 30 years. He says it hasn’t really set in just yet. It took a lot of hard work, and he has all the confidence in his team to be able to do it next year for number 4.

When asked if he’s helping decorate the new house, is he part of the process? He says that there was a process that phased him right out, because he just wasn’t much help. He’s happy with a recliner in front of a tv - and his wife hid it in “Some cabinet looking thing”. The best gift he’s ever gotten was the car that he ever wanted. And yes, he’s been pulled over for speeding. He has an excuse for it though… “I was just on the race track at 200 miles an hour and my eyes are off, I’m sorry.” It worked!

Then, Gretta is on hand with some Holiday Shopping Tips - in an advice booth, like Lucy from Peanuts. Ha! (The Dove scented water for teenage girls instead of perfume? GENIUS! I’m so using that one!)

Then it’s dinner time with Cauliflower-Chedder Soup with Ham and Spice Mustard Pinwheel Dippers.

Everyone knows that Oprah has her big giveaway show (if a little smaller this year) and this time Rach is joining the fun, with the help of the Radio City Rockettes as she gives the audience a TON of goodies! (hit the giveaway button folks to enter for your chance at some too!) She’s giving away everything but the kitchen sink today! And in the current issue - over at Rachael Ray Mag - you can enter to win some outrageous sum of 91,000 bucks worth of stuff between now and Christmas. They start right away with the Sony Milo - and Silpada Designs Jewelry, and the Radio City Rockettes DVD. The crowd goes wild - and Rach tells them to pace themselves!

While they are passing that out, an audience member gets to play a game for a prize. Amy plays Name That Voice. It’s easy - Hulk Hogan, though Amy gets it wrong. Number two is Carol Burnette - and Amy gets it correct. Kelsey Grammer is number three - and she can’t figure it out. Amy is not too good at this. She has to get this one - it’s Fran Drescher! There’s no denying that one, and Fran comes out to join them from back stage, laughing all the way!

She has arguably the most recognizable voice in television, with Rach a close second most likely. She says her parents are always being interviewed about her, did they know her voice was strange? Her mom, who has the exact same voice, says “We never knew it was funny…” Fran, at 51, “finally has a boyfriend” (she was married before), and is now a Public Deplomacy Envoy for Women’s heal issues. Sweet! She was in Europe, and she and her boyfriend fell in love on the iChat! Who knew? She’s decided to carve herself a life again it was time to make room. And she slowed down, and then it happened.

The Nanny, which was actually only on for 6 years, has never been OFF the air for 15 years, and will be moving to Nick at Night in 09. She still wears some coats and boots that she helped herself too from the set. It was her show, her baby, and even now she Tivo’s it. Fran is a uterine cancer survivor - and has the Cancer Schmancer organization where she’s raising awareness and lobbying in Washington. She was misdiagnosed herself, and if she hadn’t gone for 7 second opinions, she wouldn’t be here. Cancer Schmancer teaches that Stage 1 is the cure - and help women learn to get diagnosed early, and raise survival statistics. If you can get treated in Stage 1, you have an almost 95% chance of getting to 5 year survival rate, where at stage 4, it’s only 25%. She has been extremely busy in Washington, and admits the next step would be to become an elected official, as we need more honest, hard working people in office.

After a quick stop in the Kitchen, where Rachael shows some easy “Nibbly Bits“, Fran’s back with some Stump The Rach! Today’s fun items include a Turkey Lifter, “Batman’s jock strap?” asks Rach, and Fran says “Batman is really well endowed!” Next up is an Ornament Hanging Kit to help you reach the top of the tree, and Rachael drops the ornament on demonstration. hah. Then there’s a Pie Gate - to keep the fillin in the pie for leftovers. As if anyone has that much pie left over! Last but not least - it’s an Auto Outfit - decorate your car as a reindeer. Someone had too much time on their hands for THAT one. Ha!

Giveaway time! It’s the Epson wireless printer/copier/photo printer.

Next up - time to crash the Rosie Live set! True to her word, Rachael brings goodies for everyone, it’s snack time! Ok, so it’s a buffet spread, not a few snacks, but oh yuuuuuummy, it looks fantastic. She also brought the jelly belly’s for Liza. Rosie says it’s going well, but she’s a little nervous. Alex Baldwin is gonna be by, and Rosie asks what she’s doing - and then says they have some surprised guests.. hm.. wonder who will be stopping by? (Rach, of course, makes an appearance in the final number. *L* She brings Rosie the Bird.)

Giveaway time! Aveno Skin Care basket, and the Dirt Devil Kruz. Then, in the kitchen - it’s the Rachael Ray 5qt. sauce pan, and her 3 pc Gusto Grip Knife set by Furi, Rachael gifts to everyone. THEN! It’s a super easy meal made with 5 ingredients: Spiced Pork Tenderloin Wellington with Sweet Red Onion Wilted Spinach, and Pear Galette.

A couple of more gifts - The Hamilton Beach All-Mtal Stand Mixer, and the Nescafe Dolce Gusto by Krups. And ONE last gift - the T-Mobile G1 with service for a year.

Whew. Hit up the giveaway link to enter for your chance at all of these, and they are all linked to help if you want to go shopping too. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Rosie’s back, taking a break from rehersals, to show us how to make the ONE O’Donnell meal she knows how to make, though she warns everyone that the build up may be better then the meal. She made a string bean casserole to go with it - homestyle, you know, the beans and the cream of mushroom soup, and the fried onions on top. in fact, she recommends eating the fried onion layer, and give the mushy stuff for everyone else. I agree! *L*

So Mom taught her sister how to make spaghetti, her brother roasted chicken, and her London Broil with the secret ingredient - 7 Seas dressing (Italian dressing). Click here to watch the Broil In Action. And watching these two cook together is like watching my family in the kitchen. Grabbing and tasting and moaning and searching and running into each other- Love it!

They move to the table for a little chat, and Rosie admits to being a little nervous about the show, especially with Liza and her opening number - she’s dreamed of it all her life. Rosie says she’s gonna ask Liza to serenade her. Rosie’s gonna have her sing when Rach comes in with the snacks - and Rach has another little surprise. Does she have still have a crush on Tom? Rosie admitted last time that she has a new Tom Cruise - It’s the guy from Escape to Chimp Eden! He’s sent her a message, she’s the proud adoptive parent to a chimp - he’s honored and flattered that he’s her new Tom Cruise! Awww!

It’s Rach to the Rescue Time! Bonnie needs Thanksgiving help! She wants her family to be surprised that she managed to pull it all off. Alex Boylan pulls up with Aida MollenKamp, the food Editor of Chow.com, to help her make a homemade dinner with all the fixings - to rave reviews from her family as they have an early dinner. And, of course, another Kenmore Elite Oven is gifted as they hit the road again.

After a quick stop in the kitchen where Rach shows us how to make a simple Ice Cream Tiramisu, Rachael admits to watching the Real Housewives of (Orange County, New York, Atlanta). These ladies don’t do a lot of baking, but sure know their dough! Ha! Vicki - Orange County, Jill - New York and NeNe - Atlanta, are given a big challenge. They never know what anything costs, don’t care either, and so Rachael challenges them to put together an A-list look on a “Real! housewife budget” - just $200 and only 45 minutes!!

They even took their credit cards away for the duration. Ha! Put a stop to the cheating possibilities there, hm? They did admit that it was more like 10 hours of torture, not 45 minutes, too. Ha! They certainly give it the college try, while making little digs at the others, and themselves - and Jill calls her stylist, asking for help. Ha! They even had a blackout while they were shopping! Vicki points out, though, it’s not how much money you spend, but your attitude and how you pull it off.

They even showed the prices of their Before Looks - Vickie went from over $14,000, looking stunning at $112.93. She learned that TJ Maxx is not just for luggage - you could buy a cocktail dress there too - maybe not all the time… but. She feels good.

NeNe’s before was over $18k, and downsized looking like a cougar for sure, for $126.53. Nene doesn’t love it, but says it’s ok. Honest to a fault, that NeNe!

Jill’s before was over $64k! (her BAG was $16k! Lordy.) She went down to $184.92 - and looks just as fabulous - if a little less blingy. heh. Jill says she’d definitely wear it, it feels great, but don’t tell her husband that. Ha!

She has a surprise though, for Rachael - and as a group, they knew Rachael was going in for surgery, so brought her a gift. It’s the DVD of course, with a gorgous robe that they bought on a budget. While they’re hugging - Vicki has a wardrobe malfunction as the strap on her gown breaks - to the amusement of everyone.

After all that - it’s Dinner Time with Florentine Meatball Calzones with Creamy Tomato Dipper.