All Over Albany

We have no words for what Rachael Ray did to this ear of corn

The Ray goes about her task with enthusiasm.

We know we pledged to go easy on the RR stuff, but this is, well, it's... well, it would just be wrong not to.

Is there video? Oh, yes, there's video.

And with that, Rachael Ray World Domination Watch may have met its natural end. Thank you, you've all been wonderful.

Now, will someone else from the Capital Region please start their own personal media empire?

Every (Freaking!) Day with Rachael Ray

You know how you can tell your campaign toward world domination is really making progress (aside, from, you know banking $18 million a year)? When the parody books start showing up. Here's how Every Freaking! Day with Rachael Ray is described on Amazon:

Hey kids! If 30-minute meals are good, wouldn't 30-second meals be even better? You bet they would! And EVERY FREAKING! DAY WITH RACHELL RAY makes this dream a reality!

The parody book goes on sale September 3. And, no, the Ray has apparently not seen it.

In other RRWDW news: viewers of the Rachael Ray talk show love Alan Alda.

Taste testing Rachael Ray Booscotti

Otto considers his choice.

Not content to merely take over the human world, Rachael Ray -- and her brand -- recently expanded into the world of dog treats and dog food. The Rachael Ray Nutrish line features "premium" dog food, chewy "Grill Bites," and crunchy "Booscotti" (as in Isaboo, Rachael's dog).

Here's how the Booscotti are described on the RR site:

It's fun to watch my Isaboo start her tail waggin' the minute she sees these treats. I'll bet your dog will go crazy for them, too.

Well, we'll just see about that. We put the Booscotti to the test with Otto, the AOA office dog.

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The $18 million woman

Back in the day -- thought it wasn't really that long ago -- Rachael Ray was doing local TV spots for $50 a pop. Well, she's making a just a little bit more these days.

Forbes reports that The Ray is now raking in $18 million a year from all her shows, publications and endorsements. That makes her the highest-paid cooking person in the nation (Forbes uses the word "chef" but Her Rachaelness doesn't describe herself as such).

That's more than Wolfgang Puck ($16 million), Mario Batali ($3 million), and Anthony Bourdain ($1.5 million). Clearly, the Ray needs new competition. So we decided to see how she stacked up against some other top performers in entertainment fields...

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"She can snuff me out at will."

As you might have heard, Tony Bourdain's not a fan of Rachael Ray. He even talked smack about her right here in her own backyard. But Bourdain does know to respect the power and beneficence of the Ray. From a recent interview in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

Bourdain has even chatted sociably with Ray.

"She did not punch me in the nose, so I figure it was a win-win," he says. "I wake up every day happy that she lets me live. She's huge. Incredibly powerful. She can snuff me out at will."

In other RRWDW news, there's now Rachael Ray dog food.

photo: Flickr user Neeta Lind, used under a CC license

A Rachael Ray memoir?

There's a rumor floating around this week that The Ray is working on a memoir about her rise from North Country girl-next-door to national media brand. And the proposed titled? EVOhNo.

The best joke about all this comes from Robyn Lee at Serious Eats: "Whether or not you'll be able to finish it in 30 minutes or less is yet to be determined."

photo: CBS / King World

Rachael knocks off Ellen DeGeneres

Not even affable, sneaker-wearing talk show hosts are safe from the steam roller on its path to world domination. Rachael Ray, the daytime talk show hosted by, well, you know, won the daytime Emmy for best talk show (entertainment) over the weekend. RR beat out The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which had won the previous four years and apparently was the favorite again this year. (DeGeneres did win best for best host, though.)

Upon winning the award, The Ray proclaimed, "Wow! Holy cat."

photo: CBS / King World

The Rachael Ray scarf saga cannot be stopped

The latest: a group is threatening to boycott Dunkin Donuts because it didn't the run the now infamous scarf ad with Her Rachaelness -- it says pulling the ad is an appeasement to racists.

There is no victory, only degrees of defeat. And to think, all this started because some stylist at a commercial shoot picked up one scarf and not the other. The lesson here: pick your neckwear carefully. You never know when it could prompt mass stupidity.

Earlier on AOA:
+ The dumbest thing you'll ever read about Rachael Ray
+ One even dumber thing than the dumbest thing you'll ever read about Rachael Ray

One even dumber thing than the dumbest thing you'll ever read about Rachael Ray

Apparently Dunkin' Donuts IS actually afraid we might mistake Rachael Ray for a terrorist
sympathizer. It looks like the folks at DD have yanked the ad in which La Rachael wears a scarf that Michelle Malkin and the folks at Little Green Footballs confused for some sort of terrorist fashion statement.

Now if only someone could could link Dunkin' Pizza to Al Qaeda.

The dumbest thing you will ever read about Rachael Ray

The conservative outrage machine has decided that Rachael Ray is a supporter of terrorism. Because of a scarf. (What, cheeseburger salad wasn't enough?)

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Oh, thank goodness

If you were worried about that alleged spat between Oprah and Rachael Ray, well you can tuck in to your cheeseburger salad unburdened by fear. Her Rachaelness has told professional Oprah friend Gayle King that the rumors "broke her heart," but just aren't true -- especially after the Ray sent the Queen of All Media "snack of the day" for her majesty's birthday.

Yep. Happy birthday Oprah, here's snack of the day. Maybe there is something to the rumors.

Behold, "The Rachael"

One more reason it's good to be Rachael Ray: your friends design shoes just for you. And then sell them on QVC.

Taking over the world apparently involves being on your feet a lot, so Gretta Monahan says she designed "The Rachael" to be extra comfy and practical. Because her Rachaelness is (circular hand motion) just like all of us.

The road to the White House goes through Rachael Ray

Yes, Rachael Ray and Barack Obama walked down the aisle to the same Stevie Wonder song. (No, not together.) These and other very important details are revealed in RR's up close and personal interview with the Presidential candidate and his wife. Yes, the guy who actually has a real shot at becoming President of The United States went on the Rachael Ray show yesterday.

Rachael and Bill's

NYDN is reporting that Rachael Ray is teaming up with Bill Clinton -- yes, really, that Bill Clinton -- to open a "pop-up" restaurant for one night only in the West Village. It's a fund raiser for the Ray's Yum-o! org, which aims to help families cook healthier meals.

This won't be the first time her Rachaelness and 42 have teamed up. They announced a partnership last year to fight childhood obesity. Bill even appeared on the Rachael Ray Show and -- maybe not surprisingly -- Rachael had trouble keeping him out of her kitchen.

Rachael Ray: I liked everything that old Italian men like

Time Magazine hit the Ray with 10 reader-submitted questions recently about gossip, what she ate as a kid (sardines and squid, thus the old Italian man comment) and whether she would punch Tony Bourdain if given the chance:

No, I actually love and appreciate Tony Bourdain's work, and I think everybody has the right to their own opinion.

Well played.

The good stuff from the interview doesn't actually show up in the printed interview, it's in the accompanying podcast. For example, she says in the audio version that Bourdain wasn't necessarily wrong to criticize her for hooking up with Dunkin' Donuts. That doesn't mean she thinks she's contributing to the country's obesity problem by working with the donut chain, but she seemed to understand why people might have concerns.

And, Andy S. White from Schodack, the answer to your question about fast food is: "There isn't a fast food that I don't like, really. [Laughs.]"

photo: CBS / King World

Rachael Ray, senior director for recipe policy

So, it looks like a bunch of "family" recipes posted on John McCain's campaign web site were actually ripped off -- verbatim -- from the Food Network. The campaign is now blaming an intern (maybe the kid confused Cindy McCain and Sandra Lee, they do kind of look alike). A McCain aide explained further:

"Apparently a web intern of ours appointed an unknowing Rachel Ray to be our Senior Director for recipe policy ... The intern was dealt with swiftly and the site has been taken down for revision. Our humble apologies to Food Network."

We're wondering if "senior director for recipe policy" is a cabinet level position. And if it's not, maybe it should be. We've heard the situation room could use better snacks.

photo: CBS / King World

Rachael Ray in Lake George

The Ray will be back at her alma mater, Lake George High School, for a fund raiser on April 25. Tickets are $25 (limit four) and you have to buy them at the school between 10 am and 1 pm this coming Saturday (they're expecting to sell out).

Apparently this will be the seventh year in a row that her Rachaelness has done the fund raiser. The money goes toward a scholarship fund and media equipment.

photo: CBS / King World

The Rachael Ray showcase at SXSW: pretty good

The word on the web is that the Rachael Ray day party at SXSW was actually a pretty good time (pics from the AP and Pitchfork). The seven-layer sliders were yummy (it seems "super tasty" was an understatement) and the bands did their thing. The New York Times has video from the party, including a short interview with the Rachael herself. Note the subtle signs of exasperation about being asked again why she's at SXSW:

NYT has a few more details in a blog post, including this great tidbit:

Sweating in the Texas heat outside, Ms. Ray drank beer from the bottle - but only partway; she likes it very cold, so she hands off warmed-over bottles to an associate for finishing...

Rachael Ray on the hipster haters

This just in: Rachael Ray is not a food robot. And she likes to rock. So reports MTV, which recently asked her Rachaelness about all the hipster hate spewing forth over her sponsorship of a showcase at SXSW. Quoth the Ray:

"I'm not aware about what blogs were saying about me," Ray told MTV News on Tuesday (March 4). "To be honest, I have five jobs, so I'm aware of what I have to do for them when we get up in the morning. But I don't see why we'd be out of place down there, when we're just fans of music who decided to put on a show. I guess if they don't like good music, and they don't like good food, they don't have to go."

And if you don't quit talking smack about her, she's going to throw a block party in Williamsburg with LCD Soundsystem and free PBR. Then you'll have nothing left.

You've been warned.

(via)

photo: CBS / King World

Rachael Ray at SXSW

When we first heard the rumors, we thought it was a joke. But, no, it really is true: Rachael Ray is hosting a showcase at South By Southwest. Here's the official blurb from the SXSW party listing:

Feedback With Rachael Ray
12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Beauty Bar (617 E. 7th St.)
Listen Records, Watch Entertainment and Everyday With Rachael Ray come together to bring you Feedback...a feast of hot bands and tasty foods, hosted by America's favorite cook and indie music lover, Rachael Ray. Join us at this merging of great food and even better music with performances by Autovaughn, The Ravonettes, The Cringe, Scissors For Lefty, The Stills, and Holy *&%$. DJ Efren "Pedro" Ramirez from Napoleon Dynamite will be DJ-ing inside. Drinks on us and lots of Rachael's Tasty Recipies. Open to all SXSW badgeholders or RSVP to feedbackrsvp@kingworld.com.

Yes, you really did read that the guy who played Pedro in Napolean Dynamite will be spinning at this soire. And those are some name-brand indie bands. And The Cringe, well, it's pretty well established that Rachael is sleeping with the singer. (Or, at least, we hope so -- they're married.)

The Rachael Ray Garbage Bowl. It's a bowl. That you put garbage in.

Now entered as evidence that we are, in fact, living in a decadent age: the $18 hand-wash-only Rachael Ray Garbage Bowl. While this might strike you as just plain crazy, or perhaps a sign that Rachael will slap her name on almost anything at this point, Lori Borgman writes in the Indianapolis Star that this designer receptacle might be a sign our own inner longing:

I'm not knocking the garbage bowl; it's a good bowl. It does everything a bowl should do -- it sits there without giving you any sass, holds things and looks very bowl-like.

I'm just wondering when we became so affluent, coddled and cushy that we need designer bowls to hold garbage? Bowls remarkably similar to the bowls we already have.

Perhaps the garbage bowl is like a consolation prize. If I can't look like Rachael, or cook like Rachael, at least I can make garbage like Rachael.

If I can't cook like Emeril, at least I can buy knives like Emeril and chop like Emeril. If I can't be a domestic diva like Martha Stewart, I at least can buy her stemware, dinnerware, 600-count sheets, towels, muffin tins and play like I'm Martha.

It's always so much easier to buy the gizmos and gadgets than to actually acquire the skills.

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Every Day with Rachael Ray everywhere

The org that tracks magazine circulation numbers reported recently that monthly sales of Rachael's mag hit 1.7 million copies last year. That's up 67 percent from the year before. And it was the biggest jump among major magazines.

It's still not Oprah-level, though. "O, The Oprah Magazine" had a circulation of 2.4 million.

Searching for Rachael Ray

According to Google Trends, here are the 10 cities with the most searches for "Rachael Ray" during the last two years (2006, 2007):

Albany's top spot in both years is even more impressive when you take into account that it's the smallest city on the list (except for Rochester and maybe Richardson, TX, which is a suburb of Dallas). But before we crown Rachael queen of the Capital District, let's check out how she stacks up next to Oprah for searches from Albany in 2007...

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Rachael Ray on ice

Yesterday's Rachael Ray Show was recorded on the skating rink in New York's Bryant Park. But that didn't stop her from cooking:

(You think Emily Hughes ever gets sick of hearing about her sister's gold medal?)

Apparently it took three hours to shoot the show, and people lined up hours before that to be in the audience. Crankiness ensued. From the New York Daily News:

"We waited for three hours, they finally ushered us in, and now we can't see anything!" said Paula Horne, 32, from New Jersey. She was stuck in a crowd about 10 people back from the ice with her friends. "Everyone else got a bagel and we didn't get anything. At least we get to see each other, because we sure aren't going to see the show from here."

And it's too bad, because she missed Rachael asking a woman from Seaworld, "You know what they say about a lynx with big feet?"

Um, no Rachael, tell us.

Dunkin' Donuts: Rachael still loves us

Because we know you were so worried about the relationship between Rachael Ray and Dunkin' Donuts after word got around about her 1) being a Starbucks drinker and 2) getting a little testy on the set of a commercial shoot. Of all that stuff, a DD rep tells the Boston Herald:

"It's absolutely, completely and totally false. ... Once it came to Dunkin' Donuts' attention, they spoke to several people at the photo shoot who denied that happened. They love Rachael over there."

And her Rachaelness apparently told OK! (yes, with an exclamation point), that it was all "ridiculous." But a Herald "spywitness" who claims to have been on the set of the commercial shoot reports otherwise:

"She's a total pain in the (bleep). ... Late all the time, a pain to work with and diva-ish beyond her standing as a quasi-celebrity."

Hey, we all get a little surly when we're not properly caffeinated.

When Rachael says she wants "her" coffee, which coffee is that?

You'd think Dunkin' Donuts, right? What with the endorsement deal and all that. But an anonymous tipster (who seems like they might have a santoku to grind) tells NY Mag's Grub Street that Rachael's a Starbucks girl... even on the set of a Dunkin' Donuts shoot.