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July 3, 2008: "Rachael Ray Employee Claims Anorexia Bias"
A former accountant for Rachael Ray�s TV cooking show has filed a $1 million lawsuit saying he was forced out of his job because he has an eating disorder. Aaron Ferguson says in papers filed in Manhattan�s state Supreme Court that he has suffered from anorexia for about six years. He says his supervisor repeatedly exhibited �hostile behavior� and made �vile,� discriminatory and hurtful comments. The comments included, �Anorexics are sick in the head,� and, �Anorexics should not be able to work,� his court papers say. Ferguson�s lawyer, William H. Kaiser, said Thursday, �The things that were said in front of my client were hurtful, and once they knew he had a problem with it they should have stopped.� Ferguson says he repeatedly complained about his supervisor�s use, in his presence, of discriminatory language regarding anorexics but their superiors did nothing that improved his situation. Ferguson said he began working in July 2007 for CBS Television Distributions Inc., a CBS Corp. unit and the producer and owner of the �Rachael Ray� show. After he complained about his treatment, he says, he was forced out in October 2007. Kaiser said the firing was retaliation: �He was punished for complaining.� The lawsuit, filed late Wednesday, names CBS Corp., CBSTD Inc. and three employees of the show as defendants. Ray is not named as a defendant. A CBS spokesman referred calls to show spokeswoman Lauren Nowell, who said she could not comment on pending litigation. *** March 13, 2008: "Rachael Ray's Animated TV Series" Rachael Ray is developing a cartoon, featuring herself as a young chief, for a January 2009 release throught Oprah�s Harpo Productions. �It�s in the very early stages of production,� an insider says. �Rachael is working with illustrators, trying to get the right look for her character.� Meanwhile, her reps for the Rachael Ray have shot down rumors that the her daytime show show is being taken off the air. "In fact our show is growing and renewed through 2010", says the rep. *** Television personality and author Rachel Ray (Rachael Ray) news and photo gallery. Birth name: Rachael Domenica Ray. Born: August 25, 1968 Glens Falls, New York, USA. Rachel Ray biography (bio): Rachael Domenica Ray is an Emmy-award winning television personality and author, who currently hosts the syndicated talk/lifestyle program Rachael Ray and two Food Network series, 30 Minute Meals and Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. Ray has also written a series of cookbooks based on the 30 Minute Meals concept, and launched a magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, in 2005. Prior to the launch of her talk show, Ray hosted two other Food Network shows, $40 a Day and Inside Dish. Ray is of Sicilian ancestry; her maternal grandparents were Sicilian. Her relatives on her father's side are Cajun from Louisiana. She was born in Glens Falls, New York. Her family owned a restaurant on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, while her mother managed restaurants in upstate New York. She grew up in Lake George, New York. Her first job was at the candy counter at Macy's in New York City, where she eventually managed the fresh foods department. She later helped open a New York City market. Moving back to upstate New York, Ray managed Mister Brown's Pub at The Sagamore, a famous hotel on Lake George. From there, she became a buyer at Cowan & Lobel, a gourmet market in suburban Albany. Ray credits the concept of 30 Minute Meals to her experience working at the store where she met people reluctant to cook. She began teaching a cooking course there showing people how to make meals in thirty minutes or less. With the success of her "30 Minute Meals" classes, WRGB, the local CBS TV affiliate, asked her to appear in a weekly segment on their newscasts. This, along with a public radio appearance and the publication of her first book, led to a Today Show spot and her first Food Network contract in 2001. Later appearances on the Today Show followed, and she and Katie Couric became very good friends. She also appeared in a few commercials for Schenectady-based grocery chain Price Chopper, which stocks all her books at their stores and retains her as an occasional spokesperson. Ray owns homes in Lake Luzerne, New York and Manhattan's Greenwich Village. On September 24, 2005 in Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, Ray married John M. Cusimano, the lead singer of the band The Cringe. Cooking: Ray teaches simple recipes that she claims can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. She uses garlic and chicken stock as simple ways to boost flavors. She often uses recipes that include her Italian, French, and American heritage, and Ray emphasizes using fresh herbs whenever possible. She believes that measuring "takes away from the creative, hands-on process of cooking" and instead favors approximations such as "half a palmful" and "eyeball it." On her television programs she has used catchphrases such as "E.V.O.O. (extra-virgin olive oil)", "yum-o," "so delish," "G.B." (garbage bowl), "Oh my gravy!", "stoup" (cross between a soup and stew), and "how good is THAT?" She often refers to sandwiches as "sammies." She states she cannot bake (because you have to measure ingredients), and to be notorious for burning bread under the broiler. Ray says her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, served as a strong influence on her cooking. To critics of her shortcut techniques, Ray responds, "I have no formal anything. I'm completely unqualified for any job I've ever had." The retro look of the set she uses on the Food Network features a yellow 1950's Model C Chambers stove. While this stove is rarely used on her program, it is noticed by viewers so much so that people selling them often refer to Chambers ranges as "the Rachael Ray stove". This has led to an increased interest in saving and restoring these stoves, inspiring two online discussion forums and fan websites, as well as numerous references to them in the media. Media: Reader's Digest launched Ray's eponymous magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray on October 25, 2005. The magazine featured seven issues in 2006. It will increase to ten issues in 2007. In addition to her television hosting and cookbooks, Ray has endorsed products for Price Chopper supermarkets and Burger King, and has appended her name to a line of cookware and cutlery. Her knife of choice was the W�sthof santoku, and as a result their sales rose dramatically. But lured by the prospect of a royalty check, she now endorses her own line of modified santoku knives made in China by Australian based cutlery company F�ritechnics. In 2003, she posed for the men's magazine FHM. The New York Times wrote, "The shots feature Ray in short-shorts with an exposed midriff, licking chocolate off a big wooden spoon, eating a strawberry and sitting in a sink, laughing as suds cascade down her thighs." One year later she was named number 92 on "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2004". Most recently, she was featured in "FHM-U.S.'s 100 Sexiest Women 2006," ranking at #71. In late 2005 Ray signed a deal with Oprah Winfrey and King World Productions to host a syndicated daytime TV talk show. The show, Rachael Ray premiered on September 18, 2006. Recurrent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show were used to fuel the launch, much like Dr. Phil's show was spun off based on his own frequent visits to Oprah. The show tapes in New York City. Ray said, in coordination with the syndication announcement, "People know me for my love of food, but I have so much more I want to share." On the September 19 episode of The Insider, host Lara Spencer characterized the ratings for the show as "a monster hit". In addition to Oprah, Ray has appeared on The View, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Larry King Live. In 2006, Ray's 30 Minute Meals received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show. Ray was also nominated for Outstanding Service Show Host, but lost to Suze Orman. Ray was also named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2006. She was nominated by fellow Food Network star Mario Batali. According to Forbes magazine, Ray earns about $6 million per year from her books and television shows (excluding her new show, Rachael Ray). On November 12, 2006 Mario Batali and Rachael defeated the team of Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis on an episode of the program Iron Chef America which featured the use of cranberries as the secret ingredient. In November 2006, Ray became a spokesperson for Nabisco crackers. She appears in commercials and on boxes for the many Nabisco products. Many boxes with Ray's picture have recipes written by her. In 2007, The Oxford American College Dictionary announced the addition of the term EVOO, short for Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to its dictionary, a term which Rachael Ray has helped popularize. Ray announced on her show, on February 21, 2007, that a wax creation was made of her. This wax figure will be on display at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York City. On March 18, 2007, Food Network debuted a Rachael Ray episode of their special Chefography series. In 2007 Rachael Ray has appeared on a Dunkin Donuts commercial as herself, describing Dunkin Donuts' coffee as "fantabulous". She has also teamed with AT&T, formerly Cingular Wireless. AT&T subscribers can now save Rachael Ray recipes right on their cellular phones thanks to the new "Rachael Ray Recipes on the Run" feature. TV Show(s): -30 Minute Meals. -$40 a Day. -Inside Dish. -Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. -The Rachael Ray Show. |
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