Controversy: May 2007 Archives

Little dribs and drabs conitnue to roll in regarding the O'Donnell-Hasslebeck showdown on "The View" last week which resulted in Rosie leaving the show three weeks ahead of schedule. I could post as item each day about some of the idiotic things Donald Trump says on whatever show will have him, often resorting to junior high school insults about Rosie's appearance. But I've decided that Trump has no clothes. He's an embarrassment and obviously no one close to hiom will tell him so.
Anyway, jn the new issue of People Magazine, "Dancing With the Stars" hunk Maksim Chmerkovskiy (he was Laila Ali's partner) tells what he saw from backstage on that infamous day. He says there were producers running out of the room with stone faces trying to deal with the escalating situation (I wonder if any of them suggested cutting to a commercial) and that Alicia Silverstone was "hypervenilating" because she had to go on stage and be interviewed by these warring women in the segment after the blow-up. She pointedly did not greet Hasdslebeck when she came out, but warmly greeted Rosie and Joy Behar...By the way, I've been watching the hot topics of "The View" post-Rosie and well, kind of a snooze now isn't it?

I'm not endorsing this, merely sharing the news. A new site has been launched called FireElisabethHasslebeck.com which seeks to have the co-host of "The View" replaced after her on-air showdown with Rosie O'Donnell last week which resulted in Rosie leaving the show three weeks early.

The site states: Iif you have watched the actual footage of the discussion that occurred on 05/23/07, you can see that it was Elisabeth who was the aggressor throughout the entire discussion. Elisabeth began by interrupting Joy with sarcastic comments as Joy attempted to provide some facts about the George Bush presidency, and then continued as Elisabeth angrily defended her refusal to respond to the Republican pundits who incorrectly said that Rosie called the U.S. troops terrorists. As the discussion progressed, Rosie repeatedly tried to de-escalate the situation and not get into a disagreement. However, Elisabeth angrily continued in her blind defense of this administration and her criticisms of Rosie’s views. While many have portrayed this fight as one over politics, it was really a fight about friendship and Elisabeth’s refusal to support Rosie by denouncing what these pundits were attempting to say about her.

No, this is not an item from 5-6 months ago. I was scrolling dow the "Ask Ro" section of Rosie.com and several of the former View co-hosts fans asked her about Donald Trump's recent appearance on "Larry King Live" in which he calls her, among other things: "sick."
Of this, Rosie writes: "From him, it is a compliment. He is everything I abhor."
She is also disgusted with Larry King for even giving Trump a forum to bash her: "Stick a fork in him, Larry is done. And the [Trump] dump truck, a dumb rich boy who wishes to be king."

I gotta say, maybe one positive thing in all this is now that Rosie is off "The View," Trump will have to find another way to stay in the public eye. His show "The Apprentice" got cancelled even though he pathetically tried to make it seem as if HE had decided to move on. He's been exposed to be a very pathetic man.

Also in the Ask Ro section, Rosie writes that she has exchanged emails with Joy Behar and Barbara Walters but reiterates that she has only exchanged a single email with feud-mate Elisabeth Hasslebeck who on Tuesday's show (Whoopi Goldberg guest hosted) indicated that they had been in constant contact.

This will all fade soon, I'm sure. But until then, it's kinda fun dishing about all of it!

Isaiah "I did not call T.R. a f****t" Washington will be saying some far more soothing words tonight during REPEAT episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" in a public service announcement intended to combat intolerance based on sexual orientation, race and gender.
Here is what his script says:
“Words have power. The power to express love, happiness and joy. They also have the power to heal. When you use words that demean a person because of their sexual orientation, race or gender, you send a message of hate. A very powerful message. But we all have the power to demand better from one another and from ourselves. We have the power to heal and change the world by the words we use.”

OK, I feel bitter...I mean better.

Anyway, it is still not known whether this psa or anything else is enough to save Washington's job. It is being widely reported, but not confirmed, that he wll return to the show next season only as a guest star. Andy Towle of Towleroad.com checked in again with Washington's publicist Howard Bragman this morning who reiterated that they have received no indication that he won't be back on the show. Of course, there's been no indication that he WILL. All this as T.R. Knight, the target of Washington's anti-gay slurs, publicly wonders aloud if HE is coming back next season.
Gee, what a happy place to work...

After today's absolute warfare with Elisabeth Hasslebeck, Rosie O'Donnell seems hurt to the core and one does wonder if she will finish out her final three weeks on "The View." In her blog, Rosie addressed the split screen producers went to once her verbal battle with Elisabeth got really heated:
"a split screen...new heights or lows...depending on who u ask."
And later she adds: "loud...always loud...the soul shakes...the heart awake...like it or not."
Rosie notes that tomorrow is her wife Kelli's 40th birthday so she will not be at work...Friday's show is already pre-taped. Will she be back on Monday???

After Isaiah Washington's shocking behavior at the Golden Globe Awards when he denied ever calling T.R. Knight a f*****, Katherine Heigl did something show-runner Shondra Rhimes and all other cast members had never done: she slammed Washington for it in an interview saying, in part, "I am NOT OK with it."
Heigl, promoting her feature film comedy "Knocked Up" which is expected to be a big hit, talked about the controversy and her part in it in an interview with USA Today:
"To me, I wasn't making a political stand ... I was making a stand about hurting people's feelings. It's very simple in my mind. You do not actively seek to hurt other people's feelings. I don't care what their sexual orientation, race or gender. You don't do that. We are all human beings, part of the human race, and we need to be compassionate and giving and kind with one another"
Heigl does not slam Washington again though saying "I know that he was very ashamed and that was a necessary emotion to move forward and not backward. His attitude and behavior and thought process needed to change, and the only way to do that is to be self-aware and honest. And I think he was. I have forgiven."
And speaking of T.R. Knight, his remarks to Access Hollywood this week are a bit curious when he was asked it he would be back for the show's fourth season: "I literally don't know. It would be nice to know if I'm supposed to report back soon...If you're suppose to report back to work in a month and a half, I would really like to know, because I would like to know if I can shave my head."
Clearly he and Rhimes are not the best of friends and I have found her handling of the entire situation quite appalling actually. But neither she or the network would cut themselves off at the knees by getting rid of Knight...especially if Washington returns...

Thanks to AfterElton.com for posting comments made by Bill Maher about the late Jerry Falwell. I think they are right on:

"Now, I know that you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead but I think we can make an exception because speaking ill of the dead was kind of Jerry Falwell's hobby. He was the guy who said that AIDS was God's punishment for homosexuality and that 9/11 was brought on by pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and the ACLU, or as I like to call them – my studio audience (wild clapping and screaming).

But I found it surreal this week watching people on the news praise Falwell, followed by a clip package of what he actually said. Things like homosexuals are part of a vile and satanic system that will be utterly anahiliated. If ... you're not a born again Christian you're a failure as a human being. Feminists just need a man around the house. There is no separation of church and state. And of course, everyone's favorite - the purple Teletubby is gay.

Jerry Falwell found out that you could launder your hate through the cover of God's will. He didn't hate gays. God does. All Jerry Falwell's power came from name dropping God. And gay people should steal that trick. You know what? Don't say you want something because it's your right as a human being. Say you want it because it's your religion."

Uh boy.
It seems that a girl and her grandparents are suing the Chicago Board of Education, alleging that a substitute teacher showed "Brokeback Mountain" in her eighth grade class. The lawsuit, which seeks around $500,000 in damages, claims that 12-year-old Jessica Turner suffered psychological distress as a result of seeing the film last year at Ashburn Community Elementary School.
The grandparents, Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, filed the suit Friday in Cook County Circuit Court.
"It is very important to me that my children not be exposed to this," Kenneth Richardson said in an interview with a local newspaper. "The teacher knew she was not supposed to do this."
The lawsuit also names Ashburn Principal Jewel Diaz and a substitute teacher, referred to as "Ms. Buford." The lawsuit alleges that the substitute asked a student to shut the classroom door saying: "What happens in Ms. Buford's class stays in Ms. Buford's class."
Richardson said his granddaughter was traumatized by the movie and had to undergo psychological treatment and counseling. This is not the grandfather's first beef with the school. Two years ago, he complained to about reading material that he said included curse words.
Obviously, no teacher should be showing an R-rated movie in class without the permission of parents - even one as terrific as "Brokeback Mountain. But this grandfather does sounds like a piece of work.

It's like the line in "A Few Good Men" that Jack Nicholson snarls to Tom Cruise: "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" That's how I feel about the military leaders who, it was reported today, have discharged petty officer second class Jason Knight from the Navy because, gasp, he is gay!
Knight's story is so interesting had been called back to active duty even after telling military officials that he annulled his marriage because he was gay. According to Towleroad.com, Knight was notified yesterday that because of his recent media interviews, his services will no longer be required.
Knight had this to say in a statement today: "I have now spent five years in the Navy, and I have loved every minute of it. It is unfortunate that in our country, which prides itself on being a beacon of liberty to the world, discrimination is still alive and well, even in our own government. I am proud to be among the one million gay veterans who have answered the call to duty, and I look forward to working alongside them to topple this un-American and counter-productive law."
Sharra E. Greer, director of law and policy for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said Knight is being discharged "because he dared to tell his story and put a public face to the courage of lesbian and gay service personnel. Our nation should be embarrassed that our armed forces are forced to respond to Knight's selfless service with a government-sanctioned pink slip."

Ya know, as a singer, I think George Michael is terrific. But as a mature adult? Notsomuch.
George blamed his being found slumped behind the wheel of his car last October on "tiredness and prescribed drugs." In court Tuesday he said: "I am perfectly aware that I did something very wrong and got into my car when I was unfit to drive. I was not in my normal physical state and I'm perfectly prepared to accept the correct punishment for that and I would have accepted it a long time ago. It was fairly predictable considering how much work I had done that week."
OK, I gotta ask the likes of George Michael, Paris Hilton and these other impaired celeb drivers what good all that money is if they can't HIRE A DRIVER when they are tired or drunk or whatever.
Grow up!