We Need More Martha Stewart on TV. Really. We do!

[jarona]

Yes. I do realize that Martha is annoying, cloying and a total control freak. We all have our minor faults you know!
However, when I think of how technically precise she is in baking and other good and delightful recipes I've gotten from her over the years, I realize that she is a lot better and more valuable than some may think. Hey--Martha Stewart Egg Nog is a staple at our home on Christmas Day. It's practically my entire diet for that one day a year. I'm really sad though. Since FL network became the Cooking Channel, it has been almost impossible to find any show of hers in my area (philly) anymore. I have heard that the Hallmark Channel carried her program, but every time I channel surf, some sappy movie is aired on HC. Anyway, I was fortunate enough to catch an old Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Special over the weekend and realized that I do miss me my Martha Stewart so much. I miss that condescending voice. I miss her ultimate waspiness even though her roots are a nice working-class polish background. I miss the control. I miss the way she speaks to others and the way you can see her blood boiling when her guests are somewhat "messy".
I really wish one of the cooking networks would bring me my Martha back!!
What say you--you feel the way I do?

[Kagemusha]

Think I'd prefer a root canal sans local to watching the prissy old felon inflict her OCD lifestyle on another audience.

[chicgail]

The good news is that you don't have to ever watch her if you don't want to.

[rozz01]

Wow... what she do to you... cut you off in traffic? :)

[Kagemusha]

I dunno, just an insanely greedy one percenter who got more or less what she deserved--jail time and bigtime loss of face.

[juliejulez]

I too miss her really old Living episodes. I actually watched them when I was 10 or 11, religiously, and would get excited whenever she was featured on Oprah. I was a weird child.

[Chemicalkinetics]

Maybe I haven't watched Martha Stewart a lot because she hasn't annoyed me yet. I have a Martha Stewart cookie recipe book. It is awesome.

I do feel she is a lot more knowledgeable than many other hosts we have now.

[Manassas64]

You can tell how knowledgable/comfortable she is in the kitchen and with crafts because (a) she's doing a mostly live show (I think they tape a few episodes each week and do the rest live (at least they did in season 1) and (b) she knows how to roll with mistakes and goofs when someone dumps too much or the wrong thing in. She recovers nicely.\

As for the comments re her saying "um" a lot. She's cooking and trying to interview at the same time. I'd say "um" a lot, too.

[Chemicalkinetics]

"she's doing a mostly live show"

I don't watch her a lot, but that is pretty cool. I am going out on a limb here, but I much rather watch Martha than Oprah. When Martha talks about baking cookies and decorating for Christmas, I know she is an expert in her area and have something valuable to share (yes, I know she didn't invent all her recipes). When Oprah talks about foods, books, health..... Well, let's just say she is not an expert of any of these areas.

[rozz01]

I feel the same way about the appetizer book.

[JasmineG]

Both the appetizer book and the cookie book are amazing. And I love a lot of her recipes -- some of them could use a little more spice and garlic, but the techniques are great, and she explains things very well. Her macaroni and cheese recipe has been a staple ever since I've first made it (just made it this week for Thanksgiving).

[vafarmwife]

I love the old holiday Martha shows. I like Martha because she doesn't scream at you like many TV chefs do and she doesn't have weird hair or tattoos all over her arms. Wonder if Martha has a small tat somewhere though? Also she doesn't feel the need to flash her boobies like so many women chefs do on TV. Also most of Martha does is doable by the average person. Her recipes are simple with widely available ingredients and easy instructions. She's not the worst out there in my opinion.

[greygarious]

The post-prison shows featured more accessible recipes but she is clearly not engaging enough for a live-audience show, nor one in which celebrity guests who don't cook or craft or garden are made to do so. I much preferred what she created on the Martha Stewart Living shows, which were pre-recorded segments either with Martha on her own, or collaborating with other expert staff or guests. However, in those days, when far fewer homes had computers and online commerce was still in its cradle, the recipes often called for esoteric ingredients. Even when they didn't include "hummingbird lips";-D, she'd stress that the recipe required "the very best", be it cinnamon, vanilla, or chocolate. That was an intimidating turn-off to many viewers and eventually she dropped that habit. Also, I disagree about "doable by the average person". For one thing, she has innate great taste. She'll never pick a bad color combination or configure a platter unattractively. She also has excellent hand-eye coordination. She can wield a piping bag like a master calligrapher uses a fountain pen - the average person's attempt to write on a cake
will look like the work of a first-grader's first attempt at the Palmer method. Today we have so many painstakingly-illustrated baking/cooking blogs that watching someone like Martha making something in the kitchen is not as definitive as it once was.

I do miss even the "Martha" shows, though. I always learned something. I don't have cable so I haven't seen her in a couple of years now. I am really surprised that first ABC, then later FOX, stopped syndicating the show. Equally surprised that Nate Berkus was given a second season. Very nice fellow but his single niche is home dec. That not being enough fodder for 5 hrs of TV per week, they toss in fashion, pop psych, health, and kitchen segments wherein he is clueless.
The cooking bits engender slack-jawed amazement. Shows like that, the Chew, and Rachael Ray can't hold a candle to Martha (whose bees provide the wax for the candles she makes in the molds she created by making a cast of an antique finial she found at an estate sale - she did buy the wick, though.)

[vafarmwife]

I have to disagree with you on the never picking a bad color combination. On yesterday's show, she is was in some shapeless brown smock of thing that did nothing for her. :)

[vafarmwife]

OK I know I am fixating on her clothing, but today she is wearing some 80's kind of floppy bow blouse and sweater vest in such a non color that she blends in the backdrop of the set. No doubt she knitted the sweater herself from some kind of rare yak that she shears and cards the wool herself, but someone on her show please dress her in some color!

[chicgail]

She seems to have put on a bit of weight and every time I see her lately she is in some big shapeless sweater.

[Manassas64]

I follow her on twitter, she is out every night at some event (charity or otherwise). It's hard to maintain your weight when you eat out all the time and are being served incredible multi course meals by fabulous chefs.

[MGZ]

So, clothes are more important than corruption? Cleavage is less forgivable than crime? This thread is beginning to frighten me. We need more Martha Stewart on TV as much as we need more partisanship on Capitol Hill or more avarice on Wall Street.

[vafarmwife]

It's just a TV show dude- I don't expect it to solve the world's problems. She went to jail- She did her time. Move on.....

[MGZ]

Martha Stewart is the culinary world's poster child for just how far our society and its basic mores have declined. I was never a fan of her food or her schtick, but the four felony convictions really helped me to see just how foul she truly is. There are scores of chefs, cooks, celebrities, and food writers offering various thoughts and preparation suggestions through a variety of media. Why celebrate someone who has basically illustrated her belief in the value of greed over good?

[jarona]

She's no different than all the other republicans. That, of which I can overlook because she is one great baker/cook/crafts woman!

[MGZ]

I think you have basically just reinforced my point.

[jarona]

As my Martha would say " Viola"!

[EWSflash]

Viola or Voila?
The Furniture Guys used to say "Viola!"

[rozz01]

I don't think she's a republican, she donated a sum to H Clinton's senate bid in New York.

[Chemicalkinetics]

More than just that. One cannot be sure of Martha party identity based on one donation, but you are correct that she is a Democrat.

1) Martha is a registered Democrat.
2) Donated $128K to Democrat and $1K to Republican, and 53K to other interest groups (which, by the way, much is soft money to Democrats, such as the DNC-NON-FEDERAL INDIVIDUAL). Therefore, less than 1% of her donation was for Republican.
3) Donated to Democrats like Bill Bradley 3 times, Bill Clinton 3 times, John Kerry, Chuck Schumer 3 times, Al Gore twice, Hillary Clinton 3 times, Barack Obama, and many other Democrats. The only republican she has ever donated money to is Dan Burton.

http://www.newsmeat.com/ceo_political...

She did her crime, but she went to jail and did her time. We are not celebrating her skill for insider trading. Rather she does have talents for baking, decoration, and many others. I won't say I celebrate her as I have written that I don't watch her shows often. She has skills to offer, and techniques I can learn from. This is not the same as cheering Michael Vick. I certainly do not jump up and down and clap my hands when I read Martha's recipes.

[annaT]

I love Martha, I think she is a great person and I love her show!

[EWSflash]

Oh no she is NOT a great person, although I love her shows and her magazine and I don't need to feel that she is who she portrays herself to be, no more than any other actor. she is a razor-sharp wicked smart businesswoman and the fact that she can keep it together in the face of constant criticism means she is an ENTERTAINER. If you'd ever seen the April Fools' Day episode where she was vacuuming around the studio with a backpack full of potatoes plugged into the vacuum touting the virtues of green power, with that same benign smiling look while she explained- very convincingly, how it worked, you'd know she's a master of entertainment.

[Manassas64]

I believe Hallmark has 2 channels, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel.

Martha has the entire Monday-Friday daytime lineup on the Hallmark Channel starting with her show, Martha Bakes on Mondays, Emeril right after and then Mad Hungry, the pet guy and a bunch of prime time specials. Plus Martha is re-run several times in the afternoon.

Then she's also got her sirius satellite radio show.

We can't get away from Martha here, even if we want to. LOL

I love Martha Bakes. It goes back to the true core of what she does. Teaching you how to make baked goods.

[jarona]

Thanks for the info regarding the Hallmark Channel. I did manage to look it up and find it in my area. Bad thing is Martha is on at 10AM. Monday through Fridays, I"m at the office! Don't the powers that be realize that some of us who love to bake and cook also work?????:)

[buttertart]

Are there new Bakes shows? Great!

[Manassas64]

Yes, Martha Bakes is all new shows. Every Monday at 11 or 11 am. I tivo them. They are designed as a teaching course. They have not been re-running them, so I am wondering if they are going to release them on DVD or something.

[buttertart]

That's terrific, I'll get DVRing them too!

[EM23]

I miss that condescending voice. I miss her ultimate waspiness even though her roots are a nice working-class polish background. I miss the control. I miss the way she speaks to others and the way you can see her blood boiling when her guests are somewhat "messy".
______________________________________________________________________

This clip should give you a good "fix" of Martha in her full glory. In it she makes Willie Geist pipe hot scrambled eggs into egg shells cushioned in a silver egg candelabra type device. http://www.marthastewart.com/865391/s...

[jarona]

Thank you so much EM23!! WOW! Alarmingly, uncharmingly Martha!! That clip was sooo priceless that...well, I'm scared. I know..I know..that on Christmas day, after about 8 glasses of Martha Stewart Eggnog, I will announce to my family that I have the need to make scrambled eggs in their shells. I'll have to find one of those things that take the top of the egg off so elegantly. However, who the heck has those silver egg holders? I can't stop laughing at the way Martha pronounces "beahhhutiful" while her blood pressure rises.
Thanks for the great moment!

[IndyGirl]

I especially love the episode of her show with Julia Child... hahaha. She's great, it's true. Even though she is nuts.

[Roland Parker]

Was that the show in which she and Julia made the French croquembouche? Martha's was neatly constructed in the perfect funnel form whereas Julia's was a bit messy. Martha made a polite comment about the appearance of Julia's croquembouche and Julia's response was to give Martha a look that simultaneously said "hey, I'm a 90 year old woman, i can do what I want," and "ye gods, you are a control freak."

Still, there's no denying that Martha Stewart is an outstanding baker.

[chowser]

I don't care for her but I like her recipes. I'd say hold the Martha and just put her background crew on. She's just a front for their knowledge.

[pdxgastro]

Word! She can't deliver instructions smoothly anymore. Every other word out of her mouth is 'uhm'. Seriously.

[foodie_guru]

I couldn't agree more! I love and miss Martha too. And here in Canada we don't even have the opportunity to catch her as we don't get the Hallmark Channel. Bye bye Martha.