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Valerie Bertinelli on Rachael Ray’s Show

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows

Valerie BertinelliI guess needs some celebrity support on her show—why else is she bringing on actress ? Bertinelli will soon join the chatty talk show host/kitchen diva/magazine queen/cookbook author/insert other ridiculously popular Rachael Ray item here. The former One Day at a Time star is being called a “celebrity content buddy,” which sounds like a really lame title for her. She’ll bring her single mother/working mom sensibility to the show, but it seems a bit unnecessary, really. Ray already has this talk show thing all sewn up with her extreme likeability and charm. What’s Bertinelli going to add to the mix? Don’t get me wrong—I grew up on One Day at a Time, so I’m not hatin’ on Bertinelli at all! I just don’t get it. Bertinelli has recently made a comeback of sorts as the spokeswoman for Jenny Craig. Her first segment on Rach’s show airs tomorrow, October 23rd, and according to Terry Wood, president of creative affairs and development at CBS Television Distribution, the two gals “get along like sisters.” Be on the lookout for twice the bubbly enthusiasm when Bertinelli joins the fold.

Read More | Entertainment Weekly

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Bonnie Hunt Talk Show in the Works?

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, NBC, Syndication

Bonnie HuntThis is great news for fans (which I count myself among)... she’s currently working on developing a talk show. Anyone who’s ever seen Hunt as a guest on talk shows knows she gives great interviews. Then again, I’m not sure how this will all turn out. Yes, Hunt has appeared in many films and been great (okay, I’ll forgive her for Cheaper by the Dozen 2), but she’s also tried time and again to get a variety of television series off the ground only to be canceled—remember Life with Bonnie or The Bonnie Hunt Show? Nope, didn’t think so. So, how will a talk show work for the actress? Will she flourish a la Ellen DeGeneres or wither away like Megan Mullaly? I think she’s got the chops to do it (after all, she’s filled in for David Letterman without incident), but I’m not sure she has the huge appeal of an Ellen. Not even sure she can compete with the powerhouse that is Rachael Ray—although I’d much rather see Hunt interviewing the stars than Ray with her super grin and cheesy questions. Bonnie Hunt’s show is expected to hit the air waves in 2008 on NBC. I know I’ll check it out and I hope others will give it a chance as well.

Read More | Yahoo! News

Rachael Ray’s Search for a Top Chef

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Food & Home, Prime Time, Talk Shows, Cable, Syndication

Rachael Ray I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—Rachael Ray has “accessible” all sewn up. Really, can you think of any other television personality that is as all-around accepted as Rachael Ray? Even if you’re not a big fan of hers, there is no denying that she is on the fast track to fame. And it’s all because she just has that nice girl, easy-going vibe that so many people connect with. Heck, even my kids look forward to watching her cooking show on Food Network. I could do without her many abbreviations and terms (“EVOO” and “Yummo” come to mind), but I watch her shows and have one of her cookbooks. I’m not a big fan of her talk show because she just seems like she’s whacked out on caffeine or something. It’s too hyper for me. Anyway, she’s looking for the next great chef, er… well, cook in her search called “So You Think You Can Cook?” on her talk show. According to Ray, “We just want to give a person — a real person, not a chef or somebody specially trained to do this for a living — a shot at showing everybody their personality and how much fun you can have with food.” Seems that’s a recipe that Ray can relate to, as she’s never had any formal training and has built her empire largely on her personality. She and show producers will whittle the cooks down to five, then they go through the rigors of two weeks of competition before the winner is crowned in November. And, what does the winner take away from this? The lucky cook gets to co-host Rachael Ray’s show (just for a day) and will receive training at a U.S. culinary institute. Also, one of their recipes will be in her magazine, Every Day With Rachael Ray.

Read More | Yahoo! News

Rachael Ray Throws a Prom

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, Syndication

Rachael Ray OK, there’s no disputing that Rachael Ray is a do-gooder. And in this case, she helped a high school where eight students and the school were lost in a tornado on March 1st. Not only did she plan the meal and help prepare it, but she also paid for the prom for Enterprise High School in Alabama. She filmed the whole thing and will air it on the April 30th episode of her talk show. “The students of Enterprise High are so courageous, given all that they’ve gone through,” said Ray. “When I heard about what happened to their school and classmates, we wanted to help.” And that’s not all—Mandy Moore showed up to sing three songs at the end of the shindig. The memory of their fallen classmates was not forgotten, as they displayed pictures of the students and honored them. Still, students found it hard to celebrate, with one senior commenting, “It makes it a little harder for me. I’m used to all of them being around.”

Read More | Yahoo! News

Rachael Ray to Hawk Dunkin’ Donuts

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Food & Home, Talk Shows, Cable

Rachael RayIn her attempt to take over the world, Rachael Ray has just signed on as a spokesperson for Dunkin’ Donuts. Dunkin’ is launching a new “health-conscious” menu and wants Ray to sell the heck out of it. Not only will she be the face/voice/whatever of the new line of healthy food and beverages, but she will also help to develop the products. Basically, with the recommendation to avoid trans fats, Dunkin’ is steppin’ up and yanking the trans from their lineup. Ray, of course, is excited (when is she not?)—saying, “I am excited to work with Dunkin’ Donuts’ team of chefs as they expand their menu to include new items for customers looking for more health-conscious options.” Dunkin’s president, Robert Rodriguez, said, “Rachael’s philosophy of creating quality meals quickly and without pretense for busy people living busy lives is the same driving force behind the Dunkin’ Donuts brand.” Oh yeah, he forgot to mention that she is a household name and all around American girl that people are strangely drawn to. Cha-ching!


Former Survivor Contestant Joins Rachael Ray Show

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Reality, Talk Shows, Syndication, Survivor

Colby DonaldsonFollowing in the footsteps of Survivor contestant Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who co-hosts on The View, Survivor castaway Colby Donaldson will be joining Rachael Ray. Perhaps an effort to appeal to the male demographic, or just another personality to cut Ray’s over-the-top persona? His job is “content buddy”—he’ll give viewers more of a male perspective and conduct interviews. Donaldson told Us magazine that he is “thrilled to now be with Rachael Ray enjoying this daytime adventure with real people. I love hanging out with Rachael and the food perks are pretty great too! It’s good to know my days of eating bugs are over!” Ray’s show has done very well in the ratings and earned a renewal, so seems Donaldson will be sitting pretty on the daytime talk show. You may remember him from his runner-up status on the Australian edition of Survivor, or from the all-stars edition, where he was the seventh to be booted. You could have seen him on Curb Your Enthusiasm, or maybe you know him from the razor ads. At any rate, he will be a handsome addition to the show.

Read More | Reality TV World

Rachael Ray’s Show Renewed Through 2010

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Food & Home, Talk Shows, Syndication, Ratings, Renewals

Rachael Ray Brace yourselves… we’ve got two more seasons of Rachael Ray-isms to endure. Her daytime gabfest has been extended through the 2009-2010 season. Don’t get me wrong, I love her recipes and can sorta stomach her 30 Minute Meals program on the Food Network. An hour of her talk show Rachael Ray is just way too much to endure though. Her personality seems over the top—maybe it is genuine, but there is just too much hyper energy behind it for me to stick through an entire hour of her show. Folks love her though—she really appeals to the masses and she’s the polar opposite of stuffy Martha Stewart. Her show is the top new syndicated show of the season, so she certainly has a following. Roger King, CEO at CBS Television Distribution, said of the renewal, “It’s clear that Rachael’s devoted fans are happy to welcome her into their living rooms every day and the positive response from our affiliate stations has been tremendous. We look forward to many more years of fantastic shows from Rachael and the show’s talented creative team.” Can she keep the energy up for a couple more seasons? My money says yes, and then some.

Read More | Zap2it

Celebrity Jeopardy Contestants Announced

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Games, Specials, Syndication

Alex Trebek Jeopardy I’m not a huge fan of Jeopardy, but I’ve been known to pause while flipping to see if I can answer any questions. It still baffles me that contestants need to provide their answer in the form of a question, but that’s the twist of Jeopardy, I suppose. I do always enjoy the celebrity appearances though for a few reasons: (1) it’s refreshing to see celebs flub up the answers, (2) the money they earn goes to charity, and (3) it always reminds me of those Saturday Night Live sketches with Will Farell as Alex Trebek (and the hilarity of contestant Sean Connery).

This time around the star power is a fun assortment, with Martin Short, Susan Lucci, Regis Philbin, Rachael Ray, James Denton, Doug Savant, Christopher Meloni, Drew Lachey, Carson Kressley, Neil Patrick Harris, Jane Kaczmarek, Joely Fischer, Dana Delany, Mario Cantone, Bebe Neuwirth, Paul Shaffer, Sam Waterston, Soledad O’Brien and Isaac Mizrahi. I look forward to Short and Mizrahi the most—Short is just not around enough these days, and well, Mizrahi just has something kooky that keeps me watching. The show will be taped at Radio City Music Hall on October 5, 7 and 8, with the show to begin a two-week run on November 8th. There are no losers, especially since its all about charity—each celeb is guaranteed to get $25,000 for their choice of charity.

Read More | Yahoo! News

Weighing in on Megan Mullally and Rachael Ray

Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Daytime, Talk Shows, Syndication

Rachael Ray Well, now that I’ve caught a bit of both Megan Mullally’s and Rachael Ray’s new daytime offerings, it’s time to weigh in. I have always enjoyed Mullally’s character on Will & Grace and find her very entertaining when she’s on other talk shows. So, she definitely has a likability-factor. She’s quirky and fun, nice but not too nice, and has a lot of energy. Overall, I found her to be delightful (at the risk of sounding old-fashioned), but I do think she has to find her groove. There were a couple of moments on today’s show with guest Eva Mendes, where I found she could have interjected more into the conversation. Her interview with Jenny McCarthy yesterday was fun though, and I find her show opening to be interesting enough.

Rachael Ray also has a lot of energy—and perhaps too much! I’m wondering if they will tell her to scale back the intensity because she is over the top with enthusiasm. I do watch her Food Network 30 Minute Meals because I enjoy cooking, but have never been able to stomach her other shows on the Food Network. With her new talk show, it’s almost unwatchable—perhaps because of her mile-a-minute chatter or just the fact that she is so completely overexposed. Food TV shows, cookbooks, magazine, daytime talk, guest appearances… just too much of Ray for my tastes! The Hollywood Reporter is even calling her show “potentially annoying.”

Read More | Yahoo! News

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