I can't say I was surprised to hear that the Food Network has canceled "Emeril Live."
The rumor that the show was near the end of its run was already swirling when I visited the set in mid-November to watch Masaharu Morimoto appear on the program.
I asked a longtime Emeril associate how much longer he would be taping the program. I got the polite "he's been doing this for a long time..." response, but it seemed to be one of those read-between-the-lines answers.
I probably should have probed deeper, but the story that day was about Morimoto not Emeril. I did chat briefly with Emeril, but, no big surprise, the future of his TV show was not part of the conversation. Staffers that I talked to that day said that there were still big crowds seeking out "Emeril Live" tickets and, judging by the enthusiastic audience, I can believe it.
This I will say - like him or hate him - and Emeril has people in both camps - the man helped put the Food Network on the map.
I wasn't a big fan of "Emeril Live", but I have always liked Emeril. We met more than 10 years ago, just when he was gaining national attention. He was and is a kind, down to earth person. I've met many food celebrities and, believe me, they are not all so nice.
In person, Emeril can be very funny, but he's not as over the top as he sometimes seemed on the program. During a commercial break of a recent "Emeril Live" taping, he had all the children in the audience line up in the kitchen. He talked to each child and then gave them an ice cream cone from freezer. It was very, very sweet and the children were thrilled. After the taping was over, Emeril thanked the audience and he seemed very sincere. This is the Emeril I know.
The rumor that the show was near the end of its run was already swirling when I visited the set in mid-November to watch Masaharu Morimoto appear on the program.
I asked a longtime Emeril associate how much longer he would be taping the program. I got the polite "he's been doing this for a long time..." response, but it seemed to be one of those read-between-the-lines answers.
I probably should have probed deeper, but the story that day was about Morimoto not Emeril. I did chat briefly with Emeril, but, no big surprise, the future of his TV show was not part of the conversation. Staffers that I talked to that day said that there were still big crowds seeking out "Emeril Live" tickets and, judging by the enthusiastic audience, I can believe it.
This I will say - like him or hate him - and Emeril has people in both camps - the man helped put the Food Network on the map.
I wasn't a big fan of "Emeril Live", but I have always liked Emeril. We met more than 10 years ago, just when he was gaining national attention. He was and is a kind, down to earth person. I've met many food celebrities and, believe me, they are not all so nice.
In person, Emeril can be very funny, but he's not as over the top as he sometimes seemed on the program. During a commercial break of a recent "Emeril Live" taping, he had all the children in the audience line up in the kitchen. He talked to each child and then gave them an ice cream cone from freezer. It was very, very sweet and the children were thrilled. After the taping was over, Emeril thanked the audience and he seemed very sincere. This is the Emeril I know.
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