Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I usually only see Oprah Winrey's show if I'm still up blogging or something and the late-night encore comes on. But Wednesday's show looks like it will be worth catching in the daylight hours: called "Gay Around the World," among Oprah's guests will be the articulate John Amaechi, the first NBA player - retired or active - to come out as a gay man. John is the kind of articulate, even-keeled and well-evolved person you like to see and hear talking about life as a gay man.
Oprah's website provides a PREVIEW and describes the others guests as someone was arrested and spent a year in jail. Another says she was so fearful, she moved to a different country. And, a prince's secret was so taboo, it ripped his royal family apart."
I guess the happy gay stories will be on another show - or maybe that will be John's roile.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"As the World Turns" was unbelievable today! Luke and Noah kiss and it's a pretty good one...at least it was until daddy dearest shows up. Check out the clip which also includes the events leading up to the smooch!

p.s. Thanks to the readers who pointed out that in a recent post, I refered to Noah as Nate. Just one of those stupid mistakes.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The outspoken Joy Behar has a new book out (above) and appeared on Larry King Live on Friday to talk about that and other topics. Of course, the stuff that perked up my ears were when she discussed anything that had to do with "The View" including fellow co-hosts, past and present.
On Rosie: "She left sort of abruptly...She's Rosie O'Donnell, she's got a lot of money, she can do what she wants...I like to concentrate on the fun we had this year, and we did have a lot of fun."
But she added that it was also "a year of stress." There were also moments when "things went to hell in a hand basket." And the stress did get to her, Behar admitted. She attributed a case of shingles she had this summer to it.

On the Rosie-Elisabeth on-air fight: "It's not pretty. I don't think that's the original concept [for 'The View' that Barbara Walters had... I couldn't understand why they didn't go to a commercial."
On Rosie writing that Barbara Walters is tired and should retire: "That's so not true! Barbara is not tired, she's raring to go...the woman is never tired, the woman does not tolerate anyone else being tired...If there's negative things in the book I'd assume Barbara wouldn't be happy about it - Why should she be?"
On Star Jones: "I wish her well. I don't have animosity toward her." But they're not in touch although Behar did see an episode of Jones' new show on Court TV. "We never really had fights off the air...we had different ways of seeing the world...we were not friends off of the air." She said she was "shocked" when Jones announced on the air that she was leaving because even though she knew something was happening, it wasn't supposed to be announced for several more weeks. Of Jones' departure announcement and subsequent media interviews: "I think she tried to take the high road."

On Donald Trump dissing her: "Donald Trump says I have no talent...what talent does he have? ...I've had 20 years of psychotherapy so when someone says something that's not true, I dismiss it...it's a non-issue for me."
On new moderator Whoopi Goldberg: "I'm getting real friendly with Whoopi now. I love her."
On former moderator Meredith Viera: "I miss her tremendously...she's a good, good person."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wednesday's episode of "As the World Turns" was terrific as the Luke and Noah storyline continues to unfold. Noah's dad is being portrayed as an extremely loathsome man as I'm sure some parents of gay kids are. But it has made me think about how much kids want to not disappoint their parents even well into their adulthood. We as gay people have suffered for it forever and it takes a lot of courage to move beyond a disapproving parent. I'm glad that Noah's dad is contrasted with Luke's mom.
Here is a lengthy YouTube clip from Wednesday's show:

I've really appreciated the live-blogging of these episodes pn the AfterElton.com site whch will blog again tomorrow. Check it out!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As I suspected, Sherri Shepherd DOES know that the world is round. This morning on "The View," she admitted that she was nervous yesterday when Whoopi asked her the question and had something of a brain freeze. She was pretty funny in explaining it and the show, in general, had a more relaxed and loose tone without den mother Barbara Walters at the table. When Barbara is there, she undercuts Whoopi's position as moderator and Whoppi defers to her too much. But, I think that will change with time. I hope!
The women also addressed the Barry Manilow controversy but it wasn't anything too juicy. Whoopi just reiterated that you sit with one host, you with them all and Joy piped in with some remarks about it being a free speech show. Whoopi tried to close it then but Elisabeth piped in with some remark but I didn't jot it down because I was half-asleep. Had gotten up early to blog then fell back asleep! Yikes.
I think all the Manilow jazz has emboldened Hasselbeck a bit because she also mentioned that the day of her big fight with Rosie, guest Alicia Silverstone had not intentionally snubbed her and had later sent her a note saying so. okay, that'll do for now I guess but I have a feeling the Hasselbeck factor may rear its ugly head again, and again, and again.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OK, promise this is my last "View" related item of the day. It's gotta be because I'm going home to get ready for the 40th Anniversary part for The Advocate at Republic in LA.
So, I tuned in this morning with much anticipation thinking the gals would gab about Barry Manilow's snub of Elsabeth. But nooooooooooooooo. They drifted into a strange and rather dull conversation that veered toward religion and pitted Sherri and Elisabeth against Babs, Whoopi and Joy. Sherri has made cleare that she doesn't believe in evolution and Barbara seems to just be mystified by this. So after discussing this a bit, Whoopi asked Sherri if she thought the world was flat.
Silly question. Should have gotten a silly answer.
Nope.
Sherri said: "I don't know. I never thought about it Whoopi. Is the world flat? I never thought about ...I...I...No....But I'll tell you what I have thought about. How I'm going to feed my child, take care of my family. 'Is the world flat' has not been an important thing to me."
OK. Sherri. All you have to do to see the world is round is to leave it and view it from a distance, like astronauts have been doing for about four decades. Ever seen a globe?
Sherri is funny, she makes me laugh. But I'm wondering if she is really that dumb or just got flustered and defensive by Whoopi's tone.

BTW, the other bit I scribbled down during all this was a line from Hasselbeck who said: "Just because something is your right doesn't necessarily make it right."
This was her reaction to the ACLU supporting Sen. Larry Craig in his airport bathroom arrest mess. Whoopi and Barbara tried to explain to her that the ACLU is a good organization overall because it fights for everyone's rights. But all Elisabeth could focus on was that they fought for the rights of Nazis to march in a Jewish neighborhood in Skoke, Ill. and that they once defended NAMBLA. I think she threw NAMBLA in there three times.
Is it me or is it a pattern of ultra-conversative types to bring up unrelated inflammatory bits of information in a debate rather than just discussing an issue head on? Do they not have the facts on their side? Have they become so defensive that they lack common sense?
Do they think they are so "right" that they can overlook people's "rights"?

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

When I was chatting with Lorraine Bracco Friday night at the pre-Emmy party for nominated performers (she lost in the supporting actress category to Katherine Heigl), I told her how much I enjoyed her most recent guest host stint on "The View" which came post-Rosie during the summer. Bracco has that terrifically distinct voice and I like how she wasn't shy about expressing her opinions about whatever "hot topic" was on the table.
I wanted to know what she thought about the new line-up of co-hosts which now includes Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepard: “I have a lot of fun with those ladies. I caught a little of it the other day. I’m great pals with Whoopi who is really smart and hip and cool. How bad could it be?”
Then I wondered what she thought of the staunch conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck whose on-air showdown with Rosie O'Donnell led to Rosie leaving the show three weeks early: “I think Elisabeth is a smart little cookie. Listen, this is America and we are all allowed to our opinions, thank God, and we’re not gonna be chastised and killed if we voice them.”

Bracco makes a good point and it resonates even more in light of Barry Manilow's refusal to appear on "The View" with Hasselbeck. Post-911, saying anything against the administration was considered non-patriotic and it was a scary time. So to have Hasselbeck say her piece each day - as much as it iannoys me - is her right. As long as she works on the show, she HAS to be able to speak out as much as any of the other ladies.

Related post: The View on Paris' early release

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sheesh. I thought Susan Sarandon's chilly attitude toward Elisabeth Hasselbeck on "The View" last week was newsworthy but this sure trumps that: TMZ.com is reporting that Barry Manilow's scxheduled appearance on the show was cancelled by producers because the singer demanded that Hasselbeck not be present.
Said Manilow in a statement to TMZ: "I strongly disagree with her views. I think she's dangerous and offensive. I will not be on the same stage as her."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is a terrific YouTube video of the Luke/Noah/Maddie storyline from Friday's "As the World Turns." My favorite line comes from Maddie to Noah: "I know you have feelings for Luke that you wish you didn't...and that you wish you had feelings for me that you don't."

Here is the latest:

Boy, Noah's daddy is creeeeeeeeeeeepy!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It looks like Whoopi Goldberg is as big a ratings draw for "The View" as the controversial Rosie O'Donnell was - at least in her first week. The Oscar winner's debut week as moderator nearly tied Rosie's debut week a year ago. An average of 3.5 million viewers tuned in each day, just 2 percent less than fall 2006 premiere week.
I'm digging Whoopi in the job and wish her continued success...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you've been following the superb love triangle of Luke-Noah-Maddie on "As the World Turns," tomorrow would be a good time to tune in. Below is a clip of an intense scene between the two guys that just rings so true. I am amazed at the quality of this storyline, and so, so heartened by it.
AfterElton.com, which has been leading the coverage of this, will be live-blogging about the episode beginning at 2 p.m. ET. I know I'll be reading!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Kathy Griffin was on "The Ellen DeGenres Show" yesterday and Ellen wondered what would happen if the D-lister would do if she ever ran into any of her targets. AfterElton.com has posted a transcript of the exchange which includes Ellen saying: "After I came out, I was the butt of everybody's joke. So I know what it feels like to be talked about all the time."
Repiled Kathy: "... I don't make fun of people who have a sense of humor about themselves, I don't make fun of people — honestly, what I do is I make fun of people who created a situation. I don't say about Star Jones, 'Uhm, she's fat. Goodnight everybody!' I say 'I worked with her and my experience was she was a [censored].' That's my experience with her, we all know it. Don't act like I'm the first one to say that ... but, also, if you were puking all over in nightclubs or get out of the car without the panties that's a different story because that's something you're controlling ... and it's fun. Honestly, I make fun of people's behavior more than I make fun of how they look. And I've been that person too, I've had the nasty pictures and had the 'worst dressed' and all that too."

Click over to AfterElton.com for some YouTube clips of the appearance...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

When I work from home, one cool thing is that I get to watch "The View" which I'm interested in again with the additions of Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd. Whoopi is gaining control of the "hot topics" portion and is a stabilizing presence in a way that was difficult for Rosie to be - as much as I love her. I see her steering the conversation here or there, cutting people off when need be, and doing what a moderator should do. She's not as much fun as Rosie but that's what they have Sherri for.
Anywho, I can't really hide my contempt for Elisabeth Hasselbeck. It's not that she's a Republican, it's that she's a "I have drunk the Kool-Aid" Republican. She will defend the Bush administration policies no matter how wrong-headed and disastrous they prove to be. If it were a Democratic president in power and screwing up this badly, would Joy Behar be defending him (or her)? No way. She's an intelligent woman with opinions.

I write of this because Susan Sarandon was one of today's guests and it wasn't hard to see that this outspoken actress/activist could not stand a lightweight like Hasslebeck. Sarandon, promoting her film "In the Valley of Elah," seemed annoyed with anything Elisabeth had to say even if it was complimentary. It seemed painful for her to even be in the same studio as Hasslebeck. It made perfect sense to me though. Sarandon is a passionate woman, someone who has lived long and seen a lot and wants to make our country better. She's been on the front lines speaking out for a long time.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck was on "Survivor."
In "Elah," Sarandon plays a woman whose two sons are killed in the Iraq war. It's based on a true story and the Oscar winner wanted to do it to shed light on the "55 soldiers a day who are killed, injured or sick" and who she says are not being taken care of by the government.
Sarandon says there is a "disconnect" between that reality and what is being addressed by the government and the people of this country.
"[The film] is just saying, 'Let's get real about this war...they come back and see us acting like nothing is going on."
Sarandon was asked if she was still not a fan of Sen. Hillary Clinton. She's still not. As for who she is supporting for the Democratic nomination, she said: "I like Edwards and I'm waiting to see what Obama says."
We know who Elisabeth will support: Any moron of a nominee they put in front of her who shares her "values."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Luke and Noah storyline continues to progress. Maddie is putting two and two together and in this clip, asks Luke is something is going on between he and Noah. When he says "I can't answer," she knows all she needs to know.
Take a look:

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Luke and Noah storyline continues to progress. Maddie is putting two and two together and in this clip, asks Luke is something is going on between he and Noah. When he says "I can't answer," she knows all she needs to know.
Take a look:

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry for a lack of postings this morning. Had some interviews to do. But get ready for a steady flow. So, watched the first 20 minutes of "The View" this morning to see Sherri Shepherd announced as co-host in what Barbara Walters acknowledged as "the worst kept secret in history." Sherri came out all excited and bubbly and kept screaming for a minute or so before she could collect herself.
They showed a video of her life and we learn that her mother died when she was young and she and her three sisters sort of raised themselves. She is very honest: her dad got his girlfriend pregnant, she and her hubby split because he cheated on her etc." She described herself as the only black girl on a series of sitcoms with a buncha white people. ("Less than Perfect," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Suddenly Susan.") Then at one point during the hot topics, Elisabeth (miss goody two-shoes) Hasslebeck was speaking disapprovingly of young girls who get famous for making sex tapes (Paris et al) and Sherri pipes in with a story about how she once dated a guy who was in prison for arson and had sent him risque photos. She joked: "I HOPE they get out, I looked good!"
It's a new day on "The View."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Watch this YouTube compilation and it will get you all caught up on the latest between Luke and Noah on "As the World Turns." The writers are getting this storyline scarily right and the actors are perfect. I can't believe the quality of this storyline and since I lived elements of it, it is really touching a personal cord.
I love the self esteem Luke has in saying to Noah: "I am so done. I've got to move on...You made a choice. You chose Maddie. I have to find someone who chooses me."
Meanwhile, Noah's dad is so bizarre, popping up all the time to make sure his son is straight. So pathetic but, sadly, not entirely unrealistic.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Los Angeles Times is reporting what I predicted yesterday: Sherri Shepherd will be the fifth panelist on "The View," filling the spot left vacant when Star Jones was fired more than a year ago.
I think it's great!
She's funny and fresh and she and Whoopi Goldberg bring some much-needed divsersity to a panel that now includes Goldberg, Joy Behar, the annoying Elisabeth Hasselbeck and the show's producer, Barbara Walters. Walters had said on yesterday's show that the fifth co-host would be named on Monday but how could Baba Wawa expect such a thing to be kept under wraps???

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I caught "the View" this morning for Whoopi's second day. Rosie is right, the new set is horrible! Very claustrophobic and beige. Yuck. Whoopi had gotten herself in hot water on her first day by seeming to defend discgraced football star Michael Vick's participation in dog fighting. Whoopi made clear that she is not pro-dog fighting. She merely said that it may have been a case of dog fighting not being frowned upon culturally where Vick grew up.
I don't really care. Whoopi is a smart gal, she's not going to endorse that. She joked that people are acting like she eats dogs or swings them by the tail.
Anyway, as far as the ratings go, Whoopi's debut drew an audience of 3.4 million, the 10-year-old show's second-best season premiere ever. Still, it came up about 5 percent short compared to Rosie O'Donnell's debut a year ago.
Producer and part-time co-host Barbara Walters said at the end of the show that next Monday, Sept. 10, another new panelist will be announced. That will be for the long-vacant seat once occupied by Star Jones.
My hunch is that it's actress-comedian Sherri Shepherd.
Who do you think it will be???

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I caught "the View" this morning for Whoopi's second day. Rosie is right, the new set is horrible! Very claustrophobic and beige. Yuck. Whoopi had gotten herself in hot water on her first day by seeming to defend discgraced football star Michael Vick's participation in dog fighting. Whoopi made clear that she is not pro-dog fighting. She merely said that it may have been a case of dog fighting not being frowned upon culturally where Vick grew up.
I don't really care. Whoopi is a smart gal, she's not going to endorse that. She joked that people are acting like she eats dogs or swings them by the tail.
Anyway, as far as the ratings go, Whoopi's debut drew an audience of 3.4 million, the 10-year-old show's second-best season premiere ever. Still, it came up about 5 percent short compared to Rosie O'Donnell's debut a year ago.
Producer and part-time co-host Barbara Walters said at the end of the show that next Monday, Sept. 10, another new panelist will be announced. That will be for the long-vacant seat once occupied by Star Jones.
My hunch is that it's actress-comedian Sherri Shepherd.
Who do you think it will be???

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here are some YouTube clips from the future president's appearance with Ellen DeGeneres which aired yesterday. Ellen was at her best, asking right up front about gay marriage and wondering: "Do you think it's possible for someone to run and win and be in favor of gay marriage?" Clinton gave a rote response about civil unions always being her position, about it being left up to the states (same cop-out position as most candidates). I like what Ellen said during the segment: "I live in this world just like everyone else and these things are important to me."

I watched Sen. Clinton at a campaign stop in New Hampshire late Sunday on CSPAN (nerdy, I know...) and I am so impressed with how much she has improved as a candidate - far more engaging. She's already got the smarts...if only she had the courage to go all the way and support gay marriage.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Whoopi Goldberg was in place as the moderator as "The View" kicked off its 11th season this morning. Her reviews were mixed, according to the various stories I have scanned but I have no doubt that she will hit her stride and be a big success.
Meanwhile, former moderator Rosie O'Donnell caught the show and said in her video blog what she thinks of the show that she quit last spring amid fireworks with conservative co-host Elisabeth Hasslebeck.
Said Rosie: "It was alright. It was good. Whoopi was good. It was okay."
But Rosie was not as enthused about the new look that includes a different set: "That," she said, "was an error in judgement."
Despite the addition of Goldberg, there remains a co-host seat vacant. The show has never replaced the fired Star Jones. Producers said they plan to fill that seat before the end of the year before Hasslebeck goes on maternity leave.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had some guys come up to me at the NLGJA convention and say they are now hooked on "As the World Turns" because of my updates of the Luke and Noah storyline. I'm just following the lead of AfterElton.com and trying to keep up with this well-acted and well-written show.

I lived this storyline in my mid-20s and some of my confrontations with my closeted lover sounded much like this clip from an episode that aired last week. I was not near as composed or articulate as Luke though. I'd say things like, 'You're a complete fraud!"
Real classy.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

That Ellen DeGeneres is just a kick. Love her. During a year that Ellen won a Daytime Emmy for outstanding talk show for the fourth consecutive year and hosted the Oscars, she is keeping up her high-profile accomplishments by snagging Sen. Hillary Clinton to be the first guest when her talk show has its fifth season premiere next month. Ellen is in NYC for that interview and other segments of the show. "People keep asking me, 'Why Hillary Clinton and why New York?" Ellen said to In Touch magazine. "Because New York has the best nightlife and she promised we could go clubbing!"
On a more serious note, she said of Clinton's presidential ambitions: "It's always nice to see a woman running."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That Ellen DeGeneres is just a kick. Love her. During a year that Ellen won a Daytime Emmy for outstanding talk show for the fourth consecutive year and hosted the Oscars, she is keeping up her high-profile accomplishments by snagging Sen. Hillary Clinton to be the first guest when her talk show has its fifth season premiere next month. Ellen is in NYC for that interview and other segments of the show. "People keep asking me, 'Why Hillary Clinton and why New York?" Ellen said to In Touch magazine. "Because New York has the best nightlife and she promised we could go clubbing!"
On a more serious note, she said of Clinton's presidential ambitions: "It's always nice to see a woman running."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here are some post-kiss clips...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The producers of "As The World Turns" are a shoo-in, I think, to win a GLAAD award next fall for the Luke and Noah storyline going on right now. Their hot kiss took place last Friday and been shown in flashback two other times and guess what? The world has not come to an end. The clip below, which I found via AfterElton.com, is from today's episode and eerily reminded me of a real-life drama I had going on in my 20s. I thought it was true love then I heard the words: "I just want to be straight." I'm not naming names, of course, but I'm glad both sides of the story are being handled with sensitivity - Noah's determination to be straight despite his feelings and Luke trying to be true to himself. They are in for a rough road but one many of us have traveled...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oh Star, I'm all for second chances and think you've come off well in your recent appearances on Good Morning America" and "Larry King Live." You seem more honest and humble since you were fired from "The View." So I ask you, why are you starting your new Court TV talk show off today with fired "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington?
Does this man have anything left to say that he hasn't already said? Maybe he will say that Sandra Oh should have been fired instead of him. Or Chandra Wilson! He's aleady dumped on T.R. Knight in some really classless interviews earlier this summer. He referred to Knight as a "fa***t" last fall during an on-set squirmish, publicly apologized, then publicly denied having said the gay slur by repeating the word at the Golden Globe Awards then apologized and got sent to some kind of treatment center to deal with his demons.
But once ABC fired him, Washington took the gloves off and began saying disparaging things about Knight showing, I think, how low he can go. Still, NBC execs acted oblivious to the controversy and hired Washington to appear on their new show "Bionic Woman."
I'm hoping that Star will ask him the tough questions and not alllow Isaiah to prattle on with his tall tails the way Larry King did. Then I might have some respect for her new ventures. But if she throws him softballs, she's gonna shoot herself in the foot.
UPDATE: Here is what Jones tells Entertainment Weekly about booking the controversial Washington:
'[Washington is] clearly in the middle of a story that involves law and ethics and values and judgment,' Jones said. 'But also, he has a brand-new show that brings up ethical considerations. We're excited about The Bionic Woman, but there are ethical considerations [there] because we in our technology right now are moving to replacing limbs, and we're moving in the whole area of stem cell research, we're moving in the area of cloning and whether or not it can actually be done with a human. And in reality, that's what you're doing with The Bionic Woman, you're playing God. And so I get an opportunity to talk about those kinds of issues.'"

Greg's two cents: Yawn.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Poor Dustin. Thought he had made some friends in the Big Brother house after his screaming ex-boyfriend Joe was evicted. But no. Supposedly put up as a pawn against the awful Dick, Dustin thought he'd just be a "courtesy flush" as the gang gave that piece of "crap" Dick his walking papers. But in a 4-2 vote, with Eric and Jessica breaking rank with their alliance, Dustin was dusted.
Then, assuring that we will get at least two more weeks of evil Dick, his daughter Daniele wins head of household. That means Amber and Jameka go up next. Amber is a disgusting person so I want her to be voted off but frankly, I do not care. I have no emotional attatchments left to any of the contestants. But I'll keep tracking the show because I'm this far in already! I'd like to see Jameka win the whole darn thing but she is so hindered by not being able to compete in HOH competions for at least three more weeks I think!). Dustin (pictured below with Zach) really only has himself to blame. He offered to be put up and he also lost the veto competition by just one strokme against Dick. Gotta work on your croquet dude! Now he heads to sequester house...it woulda been so much more fun if Nick or Mike had been there waiting for him...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hereis a YouTube of the Luke and Noah kiss from today's episode of "As the World Turns." It is sweet and romantic. Also on this clip are quick Entertainment Tonight interviews with the two actors who it seems represent a younger generation completely comfortable with taking on gay roles and not feeling the need to assert their heterosexuality:
Jake Silberman (Noah): "It's a real story, it's an every day story. It's one that millions of people are going through."
Van Hansis (Luke): "If you're gonna show a gay relationship, you should show it as it is...don't dumb it down."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, today is the day of THE KISS on the CBS sudser "As the World Turns" between Luke (Van Hansis) and Noah (Jake Silbermann), two very fine young actors who are really doing this breakthrough storyline of gay teen romance justice. They have not hit any false notes yet.
AfterElton.com has a terrific Q&A posted today with Silbermann that is a must-read. I'll give you a few nibbles:

AfterElton.com: As the World Turns is one of TV's oldest daytime dramas. You're making history as the first gay male teen couple on the show and, in fact, on daytime TV. How does that feel?
Jake Silbermann: I'm really proud to be a part of that kind of storyline, that kind of history. It is kind of a milestone for daytime television. As an actor, you hope you can play a role with meaning, but I never even hoped it would have this kind of significance, so I'm thrilled.

AE: I assume you knew you were auditioning for a gay role? How did you feel about the prospect of playing a gay character?
JS: I was excited. It sounded like a really different role for daytime, which it is. I was really excited about that.

AE: Did you read with Van to see what your chemistry was like with him?
JS: Yeah, we did. Van was present at one of our final auditions. We read together, and it was very natural.

AE: Gay fans have worried that the relationship between Luke and Noah would be treated differently than the relationship between the show's straight characters. Was there a lot of discussion about that on set?
JS: Definitely not. No one ever said to me we're going to treat this differently than a straight relationship. Nobody ever came to me. I knew the story we're trying to tell, and it has to be told the same as it would be with anybody. I mean, maybe it's a little more careful just in the sense that it is the first gay [teen male] couple on daytime television.

Click HERE to read the entire interview!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I should do a big SPOLER ALERT thing right here but you KNOW you want a heads-up on when those two teen hotties, Luke and Noah, have their first kiss on "As The World Turns." AfterElton.com reports that it is happening on Friday! Set your TiVo or DVR or call in sick from work and watch it live. Me? I'll just grab a YouTube clip and post it for you all asap.
Here are some nice clips that sort of set it all up and, from personal experience, does a pretty good job of dramatizing both sides of the story: the gay guy who wants his "straight" friend and feels the chemistry and the "straight" friend who also feels the chemistry and it terrifies him.
My guess is that after the kiss, Noah freaks out. But he'll certainly come back for more.
They always do...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just love it when two of my favorite girls get together. Ellen DeGeneres will kick off the fifth season of her wildly successful daytime talk show on Sept. 4 with a pretty impressive guest: Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president and a smash hit at The Abbey in West Hollywood last week, will join Ellen in New York where DeGeneres will broadcast from on Sept. 5 as well. It must be so great for Clinton to be able to book high-profile gigs like this while candidates like Bill Richardson try and keep their foots out of their mouths and hope that someone, somewhere, still cares what they have to say.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So Star Jones begins her new daily talk show next week on Court TV. That means she's back in the news - well, even more than usual - and doing an assortment of interviews promoting the new project. I wish her well. I liked her until she turned into bridezilla on "The View" and got so full of herself. Still, they have never really been able to replace her which I think says a lot. She was a smart, strong woman then and I think what will help her now is that she might come across as more authentic. I say this because she has FINALLY admitted the obvious: she had gastric bypass surgery and lost 160 pounds. Her lack of candor about this, even as she wrote a self-helf book and talked about her marriage ad-nauseum, are what turned off viewers and let to her getting the boot.
I'm going to share with you some quotes from her interview in the new issue of TV Guide then after the jump is part of her Q&A with Newsweek.
Enjoy!
On why she wouldn't admit to having surgery: "I was angry with myself and embarrassed. Emotionally, it was a long road to forgive myself for not being perfect. And I was worried it wouldn't be successful."

On why she had the surgery: "I didn't lose weight for the public eye. I did it because I didn't want to die. I couldn't walk a block without using an inhaler. I weighed almost as much as my friend Shaquille O'Neal!"

On if she's heard from former co-workers at "The View": "Elisabeth [Hasselbeck] and I are friends. I'm happy for them and I hope they're happy for me, because I got exactly what I wanted [with my new show]."

On sending flowers to new co-host Whoopi Goldberg: "I was encouraging her to do what's good for Whoopi - she's my friend. The View was my home for nine years. Why would I do anything to try and destroy it? I've not made a nasty comment since I left over a year ago."

Continue reading "The skinny on Star Jones..." »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Whoopi Goldberg, seen walking along Greene Street in Soho, doesn't plan to be the kind of moderator on "The View" who picks fights because that's not the kind of person she is. Good luck with that Whoopi, just wait until Hasselbeck REALLY gets your goat!
According to JustJared.com, here is what Miss. Goldberg told Ryan Seacrest in an interview: “I disagree with a lot of stuff a lot of people say, but there is a dialogue to have with people that I was taught by my mom – how to be respectful and listen. You can get loud and move on after you are finished with it, that is how I work.”

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It seems that Rosie O'Donnell may have had a real impact on Elisabeth Hasselbeck's conservative views, at least when it comes to same-sex marriage. On today's edition of "The View," she described marriage as "on the verge of extinction" and noted that "there are people who don't have the legal right to get married, it;s not there for them. They're fighting to get married and the people who are allowed to get married are opting out. What is wrong with this world?"
Here is the complete clip:

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, I'm not sure what's going on here but I like the looks of it. Gee, it seems like yesterday I was wondering what was happening with Luke and Laura ("General Hospital") never imagining that one day we'd have a Luke and Noah ("As the World Turns").
Sure is great, isn't it?
Michael Jensen over at AfterElton.com has the scoop on this image and a clip so check it out!

Here is a clip of Noah confessing his true feelings:

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Was flipping through my copy of Daily Variety a few days late and noticed a little article the paper had where Rosie O'Donnell had answered some questions about her professional future via e-mail. So, I'm sharing the highlights...
On the controversy she stirred up during her tenure on "The View" Rosie says: "I grew up watching "Donahue" where all kinds of opinions were allowed and encouragted. It feels like the 1950s - in many ways we have gone backwards as a society."
Ultimately, she didn't want to gig hosting "The Price Is Right" badly enough to uproot her family from the East Coast to California. So, she is weighing her future saying that "Carol Burnett meets Ed Sullivan once a week has always been a dream." ..."I'm getting a clearer sense of what I don't want to do. I feel too old and busy as a mom to do a daily show."
Variety notes that O'Donnell is "TV's most sought-after, if volatile free agents, and one of the few personalities with a track record of ratings success in daytime television."
Whatever Rosie decides next, I know a lot of us will be watching!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Since Whoopi Goldberg has been a big star for about 25 years, it must be a bit strange to suddenly be a big paparazzi target. But here she is, making her way around NYC and the focus of everyone's attention as the new moderator on ABC's daytime soap...I mean talkfest, "The View." She is replacing Rosie O'Donnell.
Rosie, who hasn't yet decided on her next regular TV gig, said Wednesday of Goldberg: "Whoopi is fantastic in every way and perfect for the job. She's amazing and one of my favorites."
And Star "Yes, I had gastric bypass surgery" Jones also weighed in on the selection of Goldberg, just the second African-American co-host on the show in its 10 year history.
"Whoopi is a smart women with an opinion, and an excellent choice," Jones said.
I can't wait until Whoopi starts pissing people off! This is not a woman without opinions...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't watch this soap but AfterElton.com reports that gay teen Luke finally confesses his true feelings for his friend Noah. Here is the exchange:
Noah: (to Luke's back) "Why are you treating me like I've got the plague? I mean, do you just not like me?"
Luke: "No, I like you Noah."
Noah: "Then why do you keep pushing me away?"
(Luke pauses, laughs to himself, and turns to face him)
Luke: "Because. i like you, Noah." (Noah looks hard at Luke) "Yeah ... like that."

The preview then shows Noah saying to Luke "I'm not gay." Luke replies: "Yeah, I know, but there's nothing I can do to help it."

I suggest you go over to AfterElton for some context to all of this! All I wanna know is this: when are they gonna kiss???

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is absolutely no surprise and yet, it's kinda cool now that it's official: Barbara Walters has announced that Whoopi Goldberg will be joining "The View" beginning Sept. 4. She will replace Rosie O'Donnell as moderator.
Walters teased the audience by not announcing the new host until well into what was a fairly routine episode of the show with Jon Voight guesting. Then...the announcement finally happened and Goldberg jogged down the aisle of the studio, slapping hands with members of the audience.
"I love this show," said Goldberg, an Oscar winning actress who hosted her own talk show in the the 90s. "I love coming out here and hanging out with you guys."
Goldberg, 51, may not reach O'Donnell's level of controversy, but she is no stranger to political controversy. She was dumped from a Slim-Fast advertising campaign in 2004 after making a speech mocking the Bush administration at a political rally, at one point using the president's surname as a sexual reference.
"This is a big old thrill for me," Whoopi said. "The thing I'm looking forward to the most are the hot topics and everyone trying to get in at the same time."
Said Walters: "We are thrilled. She is creative, she is funny, she is an enormous talent."
That, is very true.
No "official" word yet on Sherri Shepherd replacing the long-vacant seat once occupied by Star Jones but it seems likely that will come soon.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ya gotta wonder if Star Jones had been this forthcoming about her obvious gastric bypass surgery while she was still on "The View," she might still have a job on the daytime talkfest. Her decision to be evasive over how she lost 160 pounds made her seem inauthentic as she was sharing every detail of her wedding.
Anyway, bygones. We had Rosie for awhile, we are likely getting Whoopi and Sherri and, ugh, we still have Elisabeth "George Bush is God" Hasslebeck. Star is having a new start with a new show on Court TV and as part of that, she has written a candid essay for Glamour magazine sharing why she wasn't upfront about the elephant in the room:
"I admit that when asked about my obvious weight loss over the past four years, I was intentionally evasive. Lying was never an option for me, so I called it a 'medical intervention,' which was true, but it was really a pathetic attempt to tell only the truth I could handle at the time."
"I was afraid to be vulnerable, and ashamed at not being able to get myself under control without this procedure," she writes in the magazine.
Well, the truth has set her free!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It really will take two women to replace the irreplaceable Rosie O'Donnell on "The View" and even then, it probably won't be enough. But it could be good enough because those two women, according to several credible reports, are Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd. I've seen them both sub several times and Shepherd is a HOOT! She brings a lot of life and light to the show. I was initially anti-Whoopi for the roile of moderator even though I like her as an actress and a talk show guest. But I like her politics and she has a way of taking the wind out of that knuckle-headed Elisabeth "George Bush is God" Hasslebeck in a way that Rosie could not and Joy Behar could not. Whoopi is cool, people respect her, she's lived, she's won an Oscar, she's a grandmother...she is a real woman who was once a welfare mom. She's always found a way to re-invent herself whether it's on a sitcom, on "Star Trek," hosting the Oscars or making movies like "The Color Purple," "Ghosts of Mississippi," "Boys on the Side," "Sister Act" and, of course, "Ghost." This is her latest chapter and it feels right. And, good God, to have TWO women of color? Hooray! Good move and not because it's politically correct - it's just smart because of what these two women bring to the table. We will see if they can make this a water-cooler show again and help ratings soar - something Roisie was able to do so magnificantly.
The trade papers reported late Thursday that ABC is in final negotiations with Goldberg. Brian Frons, the daytime president of ABC, told Variety that there was no closed deal but that he thought Goldberg was terrific during her guest hosting stint on The View. Variety also reported that ABC is in talks with Shepherd to join the show. She is best known for her role in the sitcom "Less Than Perfect" and in the recent short-lived ABC show "Wedding Bellles." She was also the guest host in June when O'Donnell and Hasselbeck had an on-air argument so severe that O'Donnell ended up leaving the show three weeks ahead of scheduled.
With Hasslebeck about to give birth to a little Republican and Barbara Walters closer to 80 than she is to 70, "The View" is badly in need of some fresh faces.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I remember the days of Luke and Laura on "General Hospital." But how cool it would have been to have a Luke and NOAH. Well, it's happening, right now, on "As the World Turns" with out teen Luke (Van Hansis) and his friend Noah (Jake Siberman) about to embark on a romance. Thank God for You Tube where there is this wonderful compilation of some of their moments together so far...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm home sick today and was watching "The Price Is Right" just now (a rerun w/Bob Barker, of course) and I was thinking how different it would be with Rosie O'Donnell as host...how fun! Then I read the following, via Tolweroad.com, that was posted on Rosie's blog making clear that Ro does not want to uproot her family from NYC to LA even for her dream job :
"Here's the thing. I don't really need a job. I'm in a weird position. I don't need the money. But I'm just saying I don't. So to get my entire family uprooted from their lives and move them across the country so that I can have a fantasy childhood indulgence job just doesn't seem fair...If they were able to do it in New York it would be a different story. But it looks like it ain't gonna happen."
Oh well. Looks like Drew Carrey will probably get it..

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rosie O'Donnell, c'mon down!!!
OK, just wishful thinking on my part. The producers of "The Price Is Right" met with Rosie yesterday to talk to her about possibly replacing Bob Barker as host of the 30-year-old game show. I think Rosie would be perfect but not sure if the producers, with whom she had a "nice lunch," are sold. Here is what she said on her blog about the meeting:
"I don't know if it's gonna work out," she told fans. "I just think it's a part of American nostalgia, and it's what America needs right now. It would be good for me, but I don't know if it's right for them."
I'm reading that Drew Carey is now the front-runner. Yawn. I mean, he's an improvement over all those professional game show hosts because he does have humor going for him, but is he someone people want to see day in and day out. Rosie is, especially when she's having fun. She has the best track record in daytime TV of anyone besides Oprah.
All Rosie would say on her blog about her new rival was:? "I love Drew Carey."

RELATED POSTS:
- Rosie's Price Is Right Competition
- Barker on Rosie Taking Over His Job

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you know, I think Rosie O'Donnell is THE perfect replacement for Bob Barker as host of "The Price Is Right." Mind you, I haven't watched the show in ages but I would if Rosie hosted. It would be a blast. Was flipping through a copy of Variety just now and spotted a story in some of the MEN who have already auditioned so I thought it would be fun to list them and give you my opinion of them:
- Ian Zeiring (actor) I read he just auditioned this week. He's pretty charming, has got great teeth. He could be someone fun and different to have as host. But again, only if Rosie didn't take the job.

Mario Lopez (actor/host/hottie) He's got energy, personality, charisma and God knows he's got the body. (We'll that doesn't matter for this gig I guess) Plus, he's Hispanic. How cool would it be to have a game show host who is not a middle aged white man. I have nothing against middle aged white men, trust me. But I'm for diversity whenever possible. Mario would be a good choice if things with Rosie don't work out. But is he a tad too young maybe? Not to me! But I fear the network suits might think so.

- David Price (weatherman on the "CBS Early Show") WHO the heck is he? I watch "The Today Show" and "Good Morning America" like everyone else.

Mark Steines (co-anchor of "Entertainment Tonight")
He'd be a safe choice. He's even better looking in person than on TV but he lost me when he spent WAY too much time on that Anna Nicole Smith story. I still rarely watch "ET" because of the obnoxious way they milked that story.

Mark Kriski ("KTLA Morning Show") He's on Los Angeles morning television for about four hours each morning and has been for more than a decade. And, I sat next to him during a big group dinner at Maggiano's given by a mutual friend a few years ago. I think he's great where he's at.

George Hamilton (actor) Uh, no. He might appeal to a certain older demographic but I don't see him wearing well day after day. Plus, where would h find the time to keep up that fabulous tan?

John O'Hurley (actor) Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! All wrong. Sure, he can dance and he can probably host. But I don't want him. He just doesn't send me.

Todd Newton (host)
Quite capable, but also quite uninspiring.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An interview with Elisabeth Hasselbeck aired last night on "Access Hollywood" that I grabbed off their website this morning. "The View" co-host and George Bush fan club president was asked if she would define Rosie O'Donnell, who she had an on-air showdown with last month, as a friend.
"You know, truthfully, I think a friend is someone who you have positive communications with, so I don't know if I would define us as friends right now. I did define us as friends, but I'm not going to make the leap to assume that we will or will not be friends in the future....We had so many conversations and a true friendship...If you looked at the big picture I always looked at us on the same team, even though our politics were so different.”
But as Barbra Streisand said to Robert Redford in "The Way We Were" : "People ARE their politics!"
She described her relationship with Rosie off-camera as “one of the closest relationships [she] had with anyone on the show” and went on to explain how she benefited from working with her saying, “We really did challenge each other, but I loved that. I found such meaning in this job because we were able to turn the lens on one another, as good friends should do.”
In response to a post by Rosie on her blog which said, “I never tried harder to be friends with someone. I don’t think we ended up there,” Hasselbeck said: “She sent me two emails right after that and I sent her one back. It was a really great email, so hearing these things after really surprises me.”
Anyway, with the Rosie stuff sure to die down (until Rosie's book this fall!), we try and move on to who might replace the irreplaceable O'Donnell. Here are Hasselbeck's thoughts on some of the recent guest co-hosts:
Whoopi Goldberg: “I thought she did a great job when she was here. She has a very calming personality.”
Sherri Shepherd: “I love Sherri Shepherd. I think she is such a good soul! I love to talk to her about being a mom, I think she's funny, and I think she's easy to talk to.”
Kathy Griffin: “Funny, so funny. I think that she would actually bring that fire, that spark. She's a bit of an instigator.She would instigate sharp discussions, so I think that would be a lot of fun as well."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blame the desert sun. My little Palm Springs holiday must be melting my brain. I shared just a snippet of Bob Barker's thoughts on the possibility of Rosie O'Donnell taking over his job on "The Price Is Right" which he just stepped down from after 35 years. I thought he sounded a bit sexist in his "lady host" comment but now that I see a more complete version of his remarks on JustJared.com, he certainly seems to be open to it, as is CBS.
“I believe they’re going to have a meeting with Rosie,” Barker told The Associated Press backstage Friday night at the Daytime Emmy Awards, where he won his 19th trophy. "She knows the show.There’s no doubt in my mind she could do the show. Now, whether they want a lady host, I don’t know. I’ve never heard that discussed. As far as I know, they’ve only auditioned men.”
“She told me she loved ‘The Price Is Right’ and wanted to host it one day,” Barker added.

I'm just gonna say it: I say Rosie gets the job if they come to terms. They'd be crazy not to give it to her. She is a ratings magnet and very familiar and accepted by the daytime audience. There is no dude who can match her widespread appeal and charisma. I think she would be perfect. But I wonder if they would move the show to NYC since Rosie lives there. I live about a block away from where the show is filmed in LA and I would miss seeing the people lined up along Fairfax in their crazy T-shirts but if it meant Rosie gets the gig, I'm all good.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of my readers was ranting about Mario Cantone's appearing on "The View" this morning. Since I was in the shower washing what is left of my hair, I missed his interview with Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and guest host Lorraine Bracco. Thanks to AfterElton.com, I am now up to speed on what the outspoken and high-strung comedian said about his lack of desire to have kids:
CANTONE: Most stars (perform in animated movies) for their kids, 'Oh, it's something to show my kids.' First off, I don't have kids, I don't want kids, I do not care. I do not want them in my life. So I did this for me... for me!
BEHAR: But Mario, if gay guys don't have kids who's going...
CANTONE: Look, I don't want children. Let me tell you something, I... the gays might turn on me... if you're a man, adopt a child -- there are so many children and if you have a best friend that's a woman, have a child with her. But when it's two guys who mix the sperm up and shoot it into some strange woman and then then have the baby and it's like 'We don't know who the father is because we...' That's crazy! Crazy! I would want to know who my father is, 'Is it you daddy? Is it you daddy? Is it you daddy? Is it you daddy? Which daddy is it?'
WALTERS: But that could be a heterosexual couple.
MARIO: No, it couldn't be, because that's a man and a woman. No, it's too weird. It's too weird.... A lot of my friends are having children now. My friend, Pam, has a beautiful little daughter, Tess and she brought her over and I'm hung over that day on tequila. I was just like 'Ugh!' and she had pizza grease on her hand and she was going for the lampshade. I was like 'That's not oil proof!' and this vase, 'That's Versace!' I was horrified. I was so horrified. And then, at one point, she was playing peekaboo under the glass coffee table -- I have a glass coffee table. She was like 'Peekaboo.' I was like 'I can see you... it's glass.' I was like, 'Call me when your peekaboo technique gets a little better.'
BRACCO: Call me when you're 21 and we can go and have a drink.
CANTONE: Yeah, call me when we can have a conversation.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What a treat it was to see Neil Patrick Harris on "Regis and Kelly" this morning. This was the third time he has stepped in and he will do so again tomorrow (Friday)!
"I've always wanted to be a talk show host and a game show host like Regis Philbin," he confessed to the audience.
It's Broadway week on the show since the Tony Awards are on Sunday and nominee Christine Ebersole and her "Grey Gardens" co-star Erin Davie performed a number from their smash show.
NPH gushed about it and about several other shows he has seen this season. He himself is a Broadway veteran with stints in "Cabaret," and "Nine" and a role in the touring company of "Rent."
"I love being here on Broadway week," said NPH who is planning to see "The Pirate Queen" tonight and will be a presenter on the Tony Awards for the second straight year.
The out actor keeps a home in NYC where he tries to spend time when not shooting the LA-based sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." "LA's fun but it's so [show] business-centric," he said. "New York is a wonderful melting pot because you're around people...I love riding the subway."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"The View" was a hoot this morning with a great broad sitting in as guest host: Lorraine Bracco. She is opionated, loud, funny and goofy and was certainly a fresh air as this show continues its transition to God knows where. So Barbara Walters, who has been looking old and haggard this week (she's 76 not used to working every morning anymore!), opened with the news that Paris Hilton had been released from prison. This is something that makes my friend James very happy over in Ohio because ever since the blonde airhead...er, I mean heiress, was incarcerated a few days ago, he's been sending me "Free Paris!" e-mails! (as a joke...I hope!).
Joy Behar, of course, is a riot: "This girl can get out of more things than David Copperfield!" Joy then wondered aloud if the "medical condition" Paris had in jail that resulted in her serving out her sentence in house arrest was a flare-up of Herpes.

Continue reading ""The View" on Paris' early release..." »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm not sure if Barbara Walters will look too kindly at Sherri Shepherd - one of the contenders to replace Star Jones OR Rosie O'Donnell - dishing to TV Guide about what went down the day Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck had their final face-off on 'The View." Sherri, who is guest co-hosting the show again today, was sitting next to Rosie on that day and tells the magazine:
"I could tell it was somethng that had been brewing for awhile. It was bound to happen. We could have said, 'Hey, there's a cracker on the floor,' and Rosie might have said, 'Elisabeth, yes or no?'"
Shepherd had arrived on the set May 23 aware that there had been tension brewing "but it wasn't like I sensed there was going to be any kind of explosion. It sort of came out of nowhere. I was going, 'Wait, what's happening? Where's all the banter, the fun, the lollipops and sunshine?"

Continue reading "Sherri Shepherd dishes about "The View" meltdown..." »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Who knew it would be so tough to find a replacement for Star Jones on "The View"? After one full year, her spot has been filled by various guest hosts including the likes of Kathy Griffin, Sherri Shepherd, Whoopi Golberg etc. And NOW the even bigger question is: who will replace Rosie O'Donnell who replaced Meredith Viera?
I'm going to speculate because, as we know by now, I'm kind of obsessed with this right now. A reader wrote in last week with the suggestion of Margaret Cho and I am really into that! I think she would be most excellent. She's smart, outspoken, beyond gay friendly, so, so funny, and would provide the show with some much-needed diversity. So go Cho!
Sadly, it will not happen because 1) I am quite sure Barbara Walters does not want someone who will likely be as controversial as Rosie was...or maybe she does? It helps ratings! But 2) I don't think Cho would want to tie herself down like that.
But if she did, it would be magic!
Gayle King may be best known as Oprah's best friend but she is also a terrific television personality who has great humor, experience and confidence. I like her a lot and she is the kind of person who would be nice to see day in and day out. "The View" is crazy to not have tried to snap her up already back when Star left. Marc Malkin of PlanetGossip.com reports that a source close to King says she's not exactly campaigning, but "if they ask her, I'm sure she'd seriously consider it."
Malkin reports that an insider tells him that both King and comic actress Sherri Shepherd ("Less than Perfect") both had several recent conversations with Walters about joining the show. "Sherri and Gayle want it really bad," the insider says. "I mean, really bad." Shepherd's rep says, "Nobody knows what's going on. Shepherd, who was guest co-host the day Rosie and Elisabeth Hasselbeck had their last on-air showdown, will cohost again next Wednesday.
Kathy Griffin would obviously move off of the D-List for good if she could snag one of those coveted seats on "The View." She guest-hosted the day after the Rosie-Elisabeth meltdown and was quite funny about it showing that she could bring levity to any situation. Griffin is smart and quick and funny and even though she would join Joy Behar as a second comedian on the panel, I think she would be a big draw for the show and give it the jolt of energy it needs in Rosie's absence.
How Rene Syler was phased out of the CBS "Early Show" and not that robot Julie Chen (oh wait, she's married to the head ofd CBS!). Anyway, Syler would be a solid addition because she's a real broadcaster and interviewer which Behar and Hasslebeck are not. She is a woman of substance and brings a lot to the table. The panel is in desperate need of someone who can contribute intelligently to hot topics but also ask intelligent questions of guests - something Hasslebeck simply cannot do.

Continue reading "The Race to Replace Rosie...[Updated]" »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The terrific site AfterEllen.com has probably the best analysis of Rosie O'Donnell's time on "The View" that I've read. And yes, I'm kind of obsessed with this whole thing right now. Could I be a candidate for RosieRehab?
Here's how the piece begins:
Rosie O'Donnell's stint on The View was amusing, frustrating and, above all, surprising. When the 2006–07 season first began, no one could have predicted that Rosie would find herself in a shoving match with Donald Trump or a finger-pointing contest with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck. No one could have foreseen that The View's ratings would soar, that its audience members would go ballistic for free trips on gay-friendly cruises, or that its formerly tame hot topics would actually catch fire.
And no one could have guessed that Barbara Walters' hand-picked new hire would jump ship so early and so dramatically, leaving the others to reach for bailing buckets marked "I'm just as interesting as she is."

The article gives seven reasons why Rosie didn't fit in..
1. She's too real.
It all comes down to this. Rosie is too real to fit the standard celebrity molds. She's both a mess and a saint, and that confounds the hype machine. She's overweight; she loves Broadway; she's against the war; she's worried about autism; she's prone to malapropism; she's too tall for those standard-issue chairs. Shortening the chair legs made her fit in visually, but she was still a misfit on all other counts.
To find out the other six reasons, click onto AfterEllen.com

Rosie figured it out as she went along, and she eventually figured out The View wasn't the right place for her. I'm not sure where she belongs, but I'm glad she lets us see even the clunkiest misstep as she follows her convoluted path. Her wanderings are vastly more engaging than the tentative, sedate discussions of paparazzi and porn, which is what the first post-Rosie View gave us. (You could almost hear the collective lunging for the remote.)
I'll tune in for whatever Rosie does next, because I'd rather be wincing at Rosie's latest gaffe than yawning at someone else's tepid chatter. For nine short, scintillating months, The View had vision. Now it just has a void.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You can learn a lot by reading the "Ask Ro" section of Rosie O'Donnell's blog on Rosie.com. I was sitting here waiting for Memorial Day weekend box office numbers and started scrolling down just to pass the time and wow! Then I watched the video blog she made Saturday night and there really are no questions left unanswered.
Of her stint on "the View" Rosie said: "I was really like the foster kid for a year, I came and we considered adoption, but I really didn't fit into the family, and then it was time for the foster kid to go home."
It is clear that she feels betrayed by Elisabeth Hasselbeck ("friends...in show business...it's hard to tell sometimes" and "A mom bond truly isn't enough for a friendship")), the two have been briefly in touch via e-mail. She says: "She called and Kelli spoke to her for a long time. And I haven't spoken to her, and I probably won't and I think it's just as well. And I wrote her an email, and she wrote me back. And there you have it...I never tried harder to be friends with someone than I did with her fro, the get-go, but I don't think we ended up there, anywhere close."

Continue reading "Why Rosie REALLY left "The View"" »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

ABC has just announced that Rosie O'Donnell will not be back on "The View."
The network issued the following statement:
"We had hoped that Rosie would be with us until the end of her contract three weeks from now, but Rosie has informed us that she would like an early leave. Therefore, we part ways, thank her for her tremendous contribution to 'The View' and wish her well."
Barbara Walters said "I brought Rosie to the show. Rosie contributed to one of our most exciting and successful years at "The View." I am most appreciative. Our close and affectionate relationship will not change."
For her part, Rosie said "I'm extremely grateful. It's been an amazing year and I love all three women."

Maybe she loves Elisabeth Hasselbeck a little bit less than the other two, huh?

Anyway, Rosie posted this on her blog today: And on her blog, Rosie said:
"When painting there is a point u must step away from the canvas as the work is done."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This item, posted on Queerty.com, sounds like something out of a kindergarten class: Page Six reports:
Yesterday, Rosie O'Donnell's chief writer, Janette Barber, was allegedly escorted from the building after she was caught drawing moustaches on photographs of Hasselbeck that hang in the "View" studios.
The Post's Adam Buckman reports ABC confirmed in a statement only that "photographs at 'The View's' offices were defaced.

The Post's gossip column also reports that Rosie may not be returning to The View to complete her contract:
When one fan wrote [to Rosie], "Work isn't worth that battle," Rosie replied, "Agreed." Another wrote, "Please walk away. It's not worth it." Rosie replied, "Well, you know when it's time to go."
To a fan who asked when she would return, O'Donnell answered, "No idea."
O'Donnell's contract officially ends on June 20th.
I wonder about Hesselbeck now. She showed that she is a tough cookie in her showdown with Rosie so she will never again be thought of as helpless. She is backing such an unpopular administration that I imagine she is becoming quite unpopular herself. I've been reading accounts that two of the show's guests, Doug Savant and Alicia Silverstone, pointedly avoided Elisabeth when greeting the rest of the panel.
I hate her politics...but a mustache? C'mon!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We didn't get to see Rosie and Elisabeth kiss and make up or tear each other's heads off this morning on "The View" since Rosie did not appear today because it is Kelli's 40th birthday. Good timing! Both those gals gotta cool off! Ironically, the show got pre-empted in the East because President Bush was holding a press conference that I could only stomach about two minutes of. But we got the show on the West Coast and Barbara Walters opened things up by saying: "Barbara is back and there is peace in the kingdom."
Kathy Griffin was filling in as a guest host and quite eager to rehash the whole Rosie-Elisabeth showdown: "Cut the crap Barbara, let's get to the good stuff!"
Walters said: "ARE YOU CRAZY?" and she pointed out that such feuds are not necessarily good for ratings. She said "The View" had its highest ratings all season in February, a rare month when Rosie was not involved in any kind of a feud.
Griffin: "I really loved that this is the only place where you can see women debating these topics." Walters responded by saying: "Women could talk and argue and debate without it getting personal and nasty."
But Kathy was undetered: "I'd love it if Barbara punched me in the face and I'd be on all the shows tomorrow. Go ahead!"
(Walters gives her a kiss on the cheek instead)
Elisabeth chimes in: "Would it have had as much attention if it had involved men?" Barbara responds: "I really don't want to rehash yesterday."
But Kathy loved the fight and confesses "I watch it on TV again and again, on TiVo."
Good thing Kathy Griffin was there to lighten things up but I think when Rosie returns on Tuesday, it will be fascinating to watch the interaction between her and her "friend" Elisabeth!

TMZ.com has some funny bits from Kathy Griffin from this morning. Click HERE to see 'em!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I watched a clip on TMZ.com of Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck slugging it out so severely this morning on "The View" that I doubt they will have any klind of "friendship" once Rosie ends her stint on the show next month.
This was not the run-of-the-mill sparring match these two women have engaged in over the months, this had real anger laced through it and I hate to say it because I HATE her politics, but Hasslebeck got the better of Rosie who stuck her foot in her mouth earlier this week and seems quite hurt that her remarks are being misconstrued to indicate that she is not supportive of the troops in Iraq and that Elisabeth did not help clear things up.
Rosie: "What you did was not defend me...I asked you if you believed what the Republican pundits were saying - you said nothing, and that's cowardly."
Elisabeth [furious]: "Do not call me a coward because No. 1, I sit here every single day, open my heart and tell people what I believe."
The argument was lengthy and bitter. It started when Joy Behar went on a very good rant over president Bush, listing his various blunders and incompetent decisions, and Rosie was initially reluctant to join in: "You want to know why I don't want to do this? Let me tell you why I don't want to do it - here's how it gets spun in the media: big, fat, lesbian, loud Rosie attacks innocent, pure, Christian Elisabeth. I'm not doing it."
Then, of course, she did.
Rosie: "Do you believe I think our troops are terrorists Elisabeth? Do you believe yes or no?"
Elisabeth: "Excuse me. Let. Me. Speak!"
Rosie: You're gonna double-speak. It's just a yes or no answer
Elisabeth: "I'm not a double speaker and I don't put suggestions out there that lead people to think things then not answer my own question...You're an adult ands I am certainly not going to be the person for you to explain your thoughts to. They're your thoughts - defend your own insinuations."
Rosie: "I defend my thoughts but every time that I defend my thoughts it's poor little Elisabeth that I'm picking on."
Elisabeth: "Poor little Elisabeth is not poor little Elisabeth."
Rosie: ":I'm not going to fight with you anymore because it's absurd. So for three weeks, you can say all the Republican crap that you want."
Elisabeth: "It's easier to fight with someone like Donald Trump, isn't it? Because he's obnoxious."

Oh, I do miss Meredith Viera...

To see the TMZ.com clip, CLICK HERE.

This Youtube clip is the lead-up to the argument which features a brilliant anti-Bush tirade by Joy Behar:

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rosie O'Donnell is a moody one. After she announced that she would be leaving "The View," she had seemed lighter, happier, and funnier. But on this morning's show, she was somewhat subdued with unhappiness all over her face. I figured she was tired from wife Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell's 40th birthday shindig the night before. But then I get wind of some stuff she wrote on her blog after yesterday's where she got into a contentious debate about terrorism not only with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, but the entire panel!
Rosie wrote an entry on her blog in which she says she must focus.
"a senior in highschool, its sunny and i wanna stay home, be done, move on," she wrote Monday. "gotta kill the questions for a while, the end is always rocky, one must focus."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I ripped her a new one last week for drinking the Kool-Aid the Bush administration has been serving but "View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck certainly is not a homophobe - even if she doesn't come right out and support gay marriage and supports a political party that has done nothing for the LGBT community.
In an interview with Will Wikle (he was a contestant on 'Big Brother' a few years back and did a terrific job with his questioning), Elisabeth said of Rosie and Kelli O'Donnell: "To be able to witness the love in their family is outstanding...I do believe in this day and age, we need to re-evaluate and think about what is best for the children."
Here is my favorite comment though and makes me believe she is not a total right-wing zealot: "I would challenge people who don't know, or have chosen not to spend time with someone who is gay, to get to know them. I can say that from experience [with] Rosie and other friends too. I have other friends who are gay. I know them. It's much more easy to not know someone, not to engage with them on a daily basis and then go on a campaign to shut down rights and also morally condemn."

Continue reading "Elisabeth Hasselbeck shows a different side in Logo News interview..." »

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rosie O'Donnell, who on her videoblog last week said Ellen DeGeneres was contractually unable to discuss gay issues on her talk show, has corrected herself after it was pointed out to Rosie that she was WRONG!

Here is what Rosie posted on her blog about it:

i said it
cause i believed it true
when i said it
i have been told i am wrong
and remembered incorrectly

OK then. But Rosie has to be careful because unless she is 100 percent sure of something when making a controversial comment, she loses credibility even with those of us who really like her!

Related links:
ROSIE SAYS ELLEN FORCED TO CENSOR HERSELF
SOLID GOLDIE ON TODAY'S VIEW

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, what would a day be like without Rosie O'Donnell saying something interesting or controversial. Earlier this week, she confessed that she had often gotten behind the wheel of her car after a few drinks and driven home impaired. This was when she was in her early 20s and working comedy clubs. She was being honest, not advocating drunk driving - anyone who heard her say it and keeps it in context, knows that.
Anyway, I do wonder how Ellen DeGeneres feels about what Rosie said on her Rosie.com videoblog, claiming that Ellen has signed a contract forbidding her to talk about being a lesbian and gay issues: "Ellen's not allowed to. She signed a contract that said she wouldn't. It was on the heels of my show.
Right? So that's why she doesn't! But, you know what? She also paved the way for a lot of gay people, especially on TV. There were no gay shows on TV. She was pre-Will & Grace, remember that. So, you know, I talk about 'gay' because I like to and she doesn't talk about it because she doesn't want to or she can't. But, who cares? It's fine. Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay!"
TMZ contacted a rep for Telepictures, producers of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," who jokingly said "She's gay? Who knew?" The rep then added that this is completely untrue, and that they have no such contracts with any of their hosts, saying,"Ellen is free to talk about whatever she wants and we encourage her to do so."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Finally got a chance to watch a video of Rosie's announcement on "The View" yesterday morning and have some observations. Didn't she look awfully happy and relieved? It's clear that she didn't want to do the job anymore! If she did, her reps and ABC would have made it happen. So it was kinda ringing false the way she and Barbara Walters went on about negotiations going awry etc. Of course Walters would want to distance herself from Rosie's decision after coming off as a bit of a dragon lady last summer when Star Jones was dropped from the show. But I would expect total candor on Rosie's part. Something along the lines of: "I've decided that one year is enough! I'm movin' on!"
Rosie added about 500,000 more viewers to the show's audience and whether they stick around after she leaves will depend on who replaces Rosie, I think. So who? They have never replaced Star Jones by the way so there are two seats open. I'd like to see a broadcast pro along the lines of Meredith Viera as the moderator - someone like Gayle King maybe or what about Jane Pauley? Actually, i could see Connie Chung in the moderator role. She's got strong news credentials but also can be goofy and fun as demonstrated on her Letterman guest spots and, most imfamously, the way she signed off from her short-lived MSNBC show last year by singing from atop a piano. I thought it was a scream.
Someone is going to have to break the news to Donald Trump that even if he wears a wig, he is not officially a woman and is not eligible to be a host. Besides, as "The Apprentice" proved this season, Trump is the ratings kiss of death.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a really good interview in the new issue of People magazine with Elisabeth Hasselbeck who I have bagged on for her conservative political views. But in recent months, I have softened a bit because, well, I sometimes have felt sorry for the girl when she's up against the liberal (and correct!) views of her co-hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Joy Behar. But it turns out that Elisabeth doesn't need my concern, she can take care of herself just fine.
Here is part of the Q&A:
On How she feels about Rosie: "Everyone's always thinking Ro and I don't get along, we're 'enemies.' Politically, we're rivals. That is clear. However, we are personally friends. We are on e-mail all day long with each other."

On buzz that she feels ganged-up on: '"Oh poor Elisabeth. She's upset. She's being ganged up on.' That's not true. Under these blonde highlights, i consider myself a pretty tough person. So, don't cry for me, Argentina."

So Rosie hasn't brought her to tears? "I keep reading it, but it didn't happen. My mom's calling me, 'Oh, you were crying?' No! I'm fine! I've been to rosie's house. We hang out. It's a nice friendship, and it's one that no one would have expected - even us."

Will she be back on The View next year? Will Rosie be back?: "I hope things stay the same. I really do. We have something special here. Every single morning i wake up and look forward to coming in. So I hope Rosie stays, I think we have a lot more to talk about."

When I was reading Elisabeth's interview, i thought about two of my closest friends from college who both happen to have birthdays today (happy b-day Scott and Bill!). We have been thick as thieves for close to 20 years and have had political arguments both large and small (things got particularly ugly after the 2000 election and the lead-up to the Iraq war). But we have had to learn to seperate the political views from the friendship in order to preserve our brotherhood forged so many years ago when we were still figuring out who we were and how we felt about the world. I now know that it can be done. It's not easy during these volatile times but in the end, it comes down to this: friendship is more important than politics. And people who have stuck by you, through thick and thin, deserve your loyalty.
But could I get close to a new friend with these views? Doubt it. Scott and Bill are grandfathered in!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

How awesome is this?
"As the Worlkd Turns," which already has the 17-year-old gay character of Luke Grimaldi (Van Hansis), is giving Luke a boyfriend! AfterElton.com is reporting that Luke’s new love will be Noah, played by Jake Silberman (pictured above with Hansis at last night's GLAAD Awards). Noah will make his debut on the show's May 31st episode. This will be the first male same-sex teenage couple on daytime TV.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This picture of Neil Patrick Harris is from a long-ago appearance on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" that I came across as I was trying to find am image of him filling in for Regis Philbin the past two days on "Live With Regis and Kelly."
I missed yesterday's show because on the West Coast, much of it was preempted for the Elizabeth Edwards press conference. But today I watched and Neil was great! He's quick, charming, funny and has a great sense of fun. What came across the most was this: he's a man who is comfortable in his own skin. He's a confident man who I am so proud of because he acknowledged being gay last year then went on with his life and career. Kelly Ripa had terrific chemistry with Neil and it only underscored all the more how off the mark Rosie was a few months ago with all that Clay Aiken silliness (the handn over mouth thing). Regis, who is recovering from heart surgery, told NPH he was "doing a great job" and Neil joked that he had switched all of Regis' Notre Dame memorabilia with USC!
In an odd bit that was saved by NPH, Kelly and Poppy Montgomery of "Without a Trace" did a duet and Neil showed his musical ability by doing various vocal music sound effects. He was also very sweet to "American Idol" castoff "Stephanie Edwards" who sang "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and reminded everyone why she should still be on that show!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It was a lovefest this morning on "The View" which was devoted to Rosie O'Donnell's 45th birthday. The casts of the Broadway musicals "Les Miserables," "A Chorus Line" and "The Color Purple" all performed in honor of Rosie, one of the biggest boosters Broadway has ever had.
Said Rosie: "Come to New York! See a Broadway show. You will love, love, love it!"
Rosie's co-hosts gave her presents including Joy Behar who gave Rosie a toy dump truck that had Donald Trump's face in the drivers seat. Dump Truck is O'Donnell's nickname for Donald Trump. To see a video of that gift exchange, click HERE.
Elisabeth Hasselback gave Rosie a very personal gift: a pair of clogs decopaged with the names of Broadway shows. Such a thoughtful gift comes a day after Rosie and Elisabeth had one of their biggest verbal sparring matches while discussing guest Rory Kennedy's "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" documentary for HBO. While asking Kennedy a question, Hasselbeck continued at length her opinions on the detention facility angering O'Donnell.
"You have to stop," Rosie stated. "You can't just blather on your opinion. She's here to talk about that, ask her a question."
Apparently the two made up after a series of emotional emails after the show: "I know that I'm loud and I know that I'm twice your weight," Rosie said to Elisabeth, whose conservative views often clash with the very liberal O'Donnell's. After blowing out the candles of her birthday cake, Rosie wished "for the rest of the season there are no feuds!"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

She's done a lot in four-and-a-half decades from winning countless Emmys for her classic talk show, co-starring in movies ("Sleepless in Seattle," "A League of Their Own," "The Flintstones"), appearing on Broadway ("Grease") and hosting the Tony's better than anyone ever has. Now Rosie is bringing some real buzz to "The View" which is must-see TV and has not backed away from being controversial. On that show, Rosie shows America each and every day who she really is.
Thanks for being you Rosie!
Happy birthday...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

AfterEllen.com writer Kim Ficera was so incensed by Donald Trump's recent comments to "Entertainment Tonight" about Rosie O'Donnell's battle against depression that she sent a passionate e-mail to the co-host of "The View" seeking an interview. Much to her surprise, Rosie agreed to answer some questions via e-mail and I am happy to share it with you:
AfterEllen.com: You haven't agreed to an interview on the Donald Trump situation until now. What changed your mind? Rosie O'Donnell: i don't do interviews as i have a blog u asked nicely so i said yes
AE: Why do you think that a man who has nothing valuable to say won't shut up? RO: he is showing his true self
AE: Why do you think that the media is ignoring the deeper harm caused by Trump's hurtful words? RO: no one takes him seriously
AE: I think Trump continues to bash you because he's a homophobe and a misogynist. What do you think? RO: i think u r wise
AE: What bothers you most about what Trump has said? RO: 2 many 2 choose all he says = same same same
AE: The media continues to call your situation with Trump a "feud," which is a ridiculously innocuous way to describe abuse. How do we teach people to stop treating each other so badly if we can't admit we're treating one another badly in the first place? RO: tabloids of all kinds love a feud truth has been silenced -- by the media -- since 9/11 -- america is waking up -- the art of distraction is making dt and me news
AE: How do you feel the gay community has treated you in the aftermath of these Trump statements? RO: again -- no one really cares what he thinks or says he is a rich guy's son all smoke and mirrors
AE: How do you balance being a comedian and a very passionate social commentator? RO: i say what i think what is often obvious yet unspoken
AE: You're very open on The View about being a lesbian; how have viewers responded? RO: so far no issues really i have some postings on my blog along the lines of STOP PUSHING UR GAY AGENDA
AE: Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you about the rumors that you're going to get your own talk show again in fall 2008. Are they true, and if so, what can you tell me about the format? RO: i have no plans to do my own show at the moment however as a concept -- the donahue show of the 80s appeals 2 me.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rosie gets all the attention these days but from the early days of "The View," I have always found Joy Behar to be an absolute riot. And as the years go on, she has shown herself to be intelligent, perceptive and articulate...and still a riot. TV Guide.com's Michael Logan had a chat with Behar and she lets loose about Rosie and her show's losing streak at the Emmys with the show scoring 10 nods this year including best talk show and best hosts.
Here is much of the Q&A:
Will "The View" finally win some Emmys?
Behar: "Are you kidding? We never win! Our show might win this year, but the host thing is the problem. The judges don't go for multiple hosts because there's always someone to hate. The only time Regis Philbin won was when he was hosting his show alone [after Kathie Lee Gifford and before Kelly Ripa]. The voters have issues, you know? It's weird. We'll see what happens. It's just an award. A doorstop. Still, we're on a roll, aren't we? "
TVGuide.com: Nobody but a fool would miss The View these days. It's train-wreck TV. We can't not watch.
Behar:" Did you see us all flip our hair together in solidarity against the Donald? He's thrown down the gauntlet again. [Trump made wisecracks on Entertainment Tonight about Rosie O'Donnell's battle with depression.] He's very small. And you know what they say about guys like that: small-minded, small… well, you know where I'm going. He's a pain. But you know what? It juices up the show because Rosie gets mad. She can't take it."
TVGuide.com: As a comedian, you've always had balls, but you're in a whole new place now. It's like you're finally owning the right to be mouthy and outrageous and tell it like it is. Do you credit this to Rosie's arrival?
Behar: "There is something going on now that's very different. Rosie has been a big shot in the arm. It's like we've gone radical. There were certain restraints before — I won't go into what that dynamic was — but the restraints have been lifted and Rosie and I encourage each other to say whatever we want. Can you call her and tell her to stay? People were afraid. They said, "Two comedians? No way. They'll be competitive." Well, it's not true. It's a much better match than people thought."

TVGuide.com: As funny as you both are, there's also an urgency and passion to your opinions now. You're rabidly political and hyperemotional.
Behar: There was a time at the beginning of this administration where we had to walk on tenterhooks. Not anymore. This administration is done! We're exercising our First Amendment rights every day on our show. It's important, and nobody else is doing it except for Bill Maher. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are scripted — I'm talking about off-the-cuff stuff. "
TVGuide.com: Since Rosie showed up, we're liking Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and Barbara Walters has warmed up nicely, too. She's more relaxed and not so schoolmarmish. So this is looking like the perfect combo. Do you really need these guest hosts?
Behar: "I'm not wild about the idea unless it's someone the audience already knows really well, like Whoopi Goldberg. That way we can jump into the hot topics immediately without having to explain who the guest host is and take up time interviewing her."
TVGuide.com: So there's no need to find a permanent replacement for Star Jones?
Behar: I say leave it alone. It's working the way it is!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What would a day be without a couple of Rosie O'Donnell items?
Rosie makes the world so much more interesting. Sometimes, I worry that she goes to far but overall, I share many of her sensibilities.
On her blog, Rosie had a litte something for "American Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe who her remarks about his being show being racist and weightist "absurd," "ridiculous," "self-promotional" and "without thought or knowledge."
This is from Rosie.com:
what can u say really
from the coca-cola red couch

i call it as i see it
nigel l - sam r
same same same
1985 - 2007
blah blah blah blha
blha blha blah blha

Rosie appears to be equating Lythgoe with Sam Riddle ("sam r"), the producer of "Star Search," where O'Donnell got her start by winning several weeks in a row.

On Friday's episode of "The View," which was pre-taped earlier in the week, was devoted to women and depression and Rosie shared that she began treatment for depression after the Columbine school shootings and hangs upside down for up to a half-hour a day to improve her mental state.
When teen gunmen killed 13 people at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, O'Donnell said she felt as if it had happened to her children.
''I couldn't stop crying,'' she said. ''I stayed in my room. The lights were off. I couldn't get out of bed and that's when I started taking medication.''
She says anyone concerned about the stigma of taking medication for depression (like her one-time boy crush Tom Cruise?) should know that ''it saved my life,'' she said.
When she began taking antidepressants, Rosie says she began yoga and ''inversion therapy,'' where she hangs upside down by a swing for 15 to 30 minutes a day. She demonstrated it on the show.
O'Donnell said she also has seasonal affective disorder, often called SAD, the wintertime blues that can strike when the days grow short. SAD is characterized by recurrent major depressive episodes during the fall and winter. She says she is ''instantly happy'' on sunny days but feels as if she's being tortured when it's cloudy. She feels the most important thing to do when you're feeling depressed is to get up and move.
''Like in 'The Wizard of Oz' the color goes out,'' she said. ''That is what happens in depression. Everything gets gray.''

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think Elisabeth Hasslebeck is wrong a lot politically but I also think she is entitled to her opinion. This week on "The View," I saw Rosie O'Donnell go a little too far in shutting Elizabeth down when discussing the Patriot Act. Rosie went very "Crossfire" on Elisabeth and apparently has apologized.
"Elisabeth, you are very young and you are very wrong," Rosie said to Elisabeth after Hasselback said she supported the government eavesdropping.
Using her website Rosie.com, O'Donnell blogged, "I said some of Elisabeth's comments were ignorant, which was ignorant itself. "It is a hard job there on ‘The View,'" Rosie continued. "The lines between TV and truth overlap and blur."
Rosie blogged the two have moved past this week's word play: "I love Elisabeth. I hurt her feelings," Rosie wrote. "I feel badly. She has forgiven me."
She also brought up her feud with Donald Trump: "Fame is odd," she continued. "Why would Barbara Walters be involved in my ‘feud' with the dump truck? She was not on the show that day. She had nothing to do with what I said. Why did he involve her?
Rosie even suggests her new blog post, which references Trump will continue their public war of words. "If I didn't blog about him anymore he would leave me alone. Yes . . . well, no deal Howie," she wrote.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know that watching news specials at 10 p.m. on a weeknight is not everyone's idea of a fun time! But I watched Bob Woodruff's "To Iraq and Back" special last night on ABC and was first of all, so moved by the recovery of this newsman who nearly died from head wounds suffered in a road bomb blast that occured while he was working on a story in Iraq. The special made no attempt to sugar-coat his injuries and we saw incredible footage of his road back. The love of his wife and family, that's the real deal. We all want to be loved that well. His handsome face is still intact but with obvious scars and as a reporter, on this story, he showed depth and caring. The look in his eyes said it all when he questioned U.S. military and government officials about the ACTUAL number of injured Iraqi war veterans (a little over 200,000) which was intentionally being kept from the press and the American public. Woodroff humanized the numbers by visiting several of the injured and their families, many who are struggling to kind the kind of care and attention the anchorman got. It's a moving hour, not boring for a minute. Check it out online on ABC.com.
A clip of the Woodruff special was shown on this morning's episode of "The View" and boy, did it lead to some HEATED discussion. Rosie was on fire. She compared the government trying to keep the true numbers of those injured in Iraq with the government's ban on any photos of flag-draped coffins being published. This led to the followijg exchange between Rosie, Elizabeth Hasslebeck, and a very agitated Joy Behar:
Hasselbeck: "Rosie, I hear you. I agree with you. I'm saying I think the recall on those photos was just a reaction to the fact that people were using them as false propaganda."
O’Donnell: "It's not false propaganda when there are dead human beings inside those coffins."
Hasselbeck: "I'm not denying that."
O’Donnell: "Every other president has met the bodies and attended the funerals."
Hasselbeck: "He should be there."
O’Donnell: "Every other president has. This is the first president that has not."
Hasselbeck: "He should be there."
O’Donnell: "It is a disgrace. This administration is a disgrace."
[Cheers and applause]
O’Donnell: "It’s not democracy."
Behar: "That’s right. I agree with that. I don't want add fuel to the fire, but I don't know what it’s going to take for people to really wake up and understand that they are liars and they are murderers. I’m sorry."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Regular Out In Hollywood reader James F. Mills tips me off that on Tuesday's installment of the NBC soap "Passions," viewers will learn the identity of Chad Harris' secret lover! Here's the best part: it's a character already on the show. I don't watch "Passions" but those of you who do, how 'bout some guesses?
Chad (portrayed by dreamy Charles Divins), is the illegitimate heir to the soap’s rich family who just married his long-time sweetheart Whitney Russell. It was revealed earlier this month that Chad is having an affair with a man.
“Chad’s coming to grips with this side of him, the sexual need of his and what that means to him and what that means with his relationship with Whitney,” Divins tgells Mills in an interview for NotesFromHollywood.com. "Obviously he’s going through the different stages of denial. That’s what you’ll see as far as the story goes...The underlying drama of what’s going on is Chad’s denial and coping with it. We’re really trying to make sure that’s a really strong undercurrent to the main story.”
Even though Chad has been sneaking off to the no-tell motel for months, Divins says he only learned that Chad was on the down low four days before shooting the scenes revealing his paramour to be a man. “We get the script four days in advance of the shooting. I opened the script and read it and realized I was going to be on the down low.”
 The 31-year-old Dallas native is straight off-screen and sought advice from gay friends for this storyline.
 “I didn’t have a whole lot of time to go out and hang out and prepare. I made some phone calls to my gay friends and just kind of talked about it. How do you approach a character like this and as a straight guy how do I play a convincing gay character? And in the context of it being on "Passions," how do you make sure it being represented correctly and honestly? I’ve seen the Oprah episode with the down low. Especially in black culture, it’s something that’s known that happens. What it is is a comment on what happens in society.”
 

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is really cool:
A cast of six real transgender people will appear as a support group for a new character's recent coming-out as transgender on ABC's daytime soap "All My Children." In the episode to air March 9, Zoe, played by Jeffery Carlson, will visit a support group to help with her transition. Jennifer Boylan, a transgender author, was cast as the support group leader. During the support group scenes, the cast will speak unscripted dialogue about their experiences as transgender men and women.
In 2004 the show also received its third consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series Writing, its third Writers Guild Award, and its third GLAAD Media Award.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rosie O'Donnell told the girls on this morning's pre-taped edition of "The View" about meeting blogger Perez Hilton in Miami at a fundraiser party at Gloria Estefan's house. "I had never met him. I had seen his web site - actually Kathy Griffin is the one who told me about it...He's an out gay man who talks a lot about who's gay and who isn't."
Barbara Walters asked Rosie what she thought about Perez's practice of outing such celebrities as Lance Bass and Neil Patrick Harris as well as repeated mentions of Clay Aiken, Jodie Foster, Queen Latifah in recent months.
Responded Rosie: "He does that I think because he's 28 and grew up in a culture and time where there were gay people on television. Ten years ago, who was on?...He is the next generation of gay Americans where he doesn't think there's anything wrong with it and just assuming everyone should say it."
I was a bit surprised by Rosie's non-chalant feelings toward Perez's controversial outing practices. I wondered how she would have felt like 10 years ago, when her talk show was THE hottest thing on television, if a blogger had been on her that way. She deftly avoided the topic in those years with a mostly sunny and funny personality and crushes on Tom Cruise (before he got crazy). I loved Rosie then and I love her now but I think she might've wanted to seriously punch him out.
One cool thing though. Rosie says she did encourage Perez to "add the light" to his blog, more positive news. "Imagine how succcessful the blog would be," she said.
Joy Behar, ever the realist, said: "Nobody will want to read it! Everyone wants to read it when it's kind of dishy."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It was good covering the Grammys for the first time in my life on Sunday but doing so meant I had to miss what has been one of my favorite award season events each year: The Writers Guild of America Awards. It's always such a cool event, unpretentious and filled with smart and talented people. A few years ago, my friend John and I sat at George Lopez's table with his wife only a few months before the whole kidney donation thing! That was the year Felicity Huffman bumped into John and made him spill his drink. At first, she was going to offer him one of her drink tickets then she decided that an apology was enough! WhatEVER.
But, I digress. This year's event was most noteworthy for the major screenplay awards which are often the best indicators for the Academy Awards. This year, "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Departed" took the top prizes. What I was not aware of until I read it on the AfterElton.com blog, is that "As The World Turns" won for Best Writing in a Daytime Serial. Tthe three episodes submitted for consideration all featured gay teen Luke (Van Hansis) and his coming out story. Luke continues to get screentime with an episode this week featuring him talking with his grandmother Lucinda about being out at school and how his teammates are treating him.
Good going!
Other WGA winners on Sunday: The writing teams of "The Sopranos" (TV drama), "The Office" (TV comedy) and "Ugly Betty" (best new TV series) as well as Amy Berg for her documentary "Deliver Us From Evil."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I should know better than to watch "The View" without a notepad nearby. So I'm checking out the hot topics portion of the show and suddenly the conversation turns to Ted Haggard miraculously being cured of his gay urges or whatever. So I start taking notes on a Chinese takeout menu.
The discussion progresses and Rosie tells Barbra, Joy and Elizabeth that she believes that sexuality is on a spectrum and that very few people are 100 percent homosexual or 100 percent heterosexual. Rosie then shared that when she was in her late 20s, she had a heterosexual relationship lived with a man who she lived with for two years. She recalled how fun it was to do simple things like go to the grocery store and be able to tell the checker that she was buying food for a party she and her boyfriend were having. But after awhile Rosie says "I realized it wasn't really for me. I think most people are on a continuim."
When discussing the Haggard transformation, Rosie said: "I don't think you can pray gay away. I haven't been able to in my 44 years!"
Barbara Walters was incredulous over Haggard's claim: "He went for a whole three weeks for treatment..and Jesus put him back together again." Walters then wondered if the treatment was similar to when parents are trying to prevent their kids from smoking so they let them smoke all they want until they are sick of it, or drink all they want until they don't want to drink any more.
"I want to know WHAT they did in those three weeks," Barbara said, getting a big laugh. Ever the class act, she added: "We wish him well."
Joy Behar, bless her heart, had a few things to say on the topic. She confessed that she had never had a lesbian encounter since playing doctor when she was five with a girl named Daisy: "I was the doctor," she said. Behar added this anecdote: "I know a guy who once said, 'I'm bisexual. I like gay men and straight men!'"
As the discussion wrapped up, Rosie pointed out that the reason so many people feel the pressure to hide is because of preachers like Haggard while Joy points out that families also need to be more open and supportive: "The parents need to ask the child, 'Listen, are you gay?' ...If you have the impulse, you should follow your heart - that's why the priesthood is such a mess right now."
Added Rosie: "We're all human and we're all capable of loving each and the body parts are irrelevant."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've never seen an episode of the NBC daytime soap "Passions." Never. But I'm gonna check it out tomorrow after reading this little tidbit on AfterElton.com: So here’s some good news for you "Passions" lovers: the show that brought us vampires, martini-shaking living dolls, witches, and just about anything else you wouldn’t normally associate with a daytime soap is getting its gay on. In tomorrow’s episode, Chad (played by Charles Divins) will be revealed to be having an affair with — gasp — a man!
The show has been cancelled so maybe they will really push the envelope on this storyline. That would be fun!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm sure Barbara Walters has had her moments of wishing Meredith Vierra has never taken that job at "The Today Show" and she might even miss Star Jones a wee bit. That's because when she hired Rosie O'Donnell to be the new moderator on "The View," Walters hired the most formidable co-host she has ever dealt with in the show's 10-year history.
But, according to the latest daytime ratings from Nielsen Media Research, the ABC talk show has drawn the biggest audience in its nearly 10-year history. Itaveraged 4.2 million viewers for the week of Jan. 15-19. The previous high, of 4.1 million, was posted nearly three years ago. Overall, ABC said, View viewership is up 15 percent this season.
The running feud Rosie had with Donald Trump may have caused backstage tenstion between Walters and O'Donnell, but it helped ratrings. And Rosie has not become a shrinking violet post-Trump: she indicated that she believes Paula Abdul was driniking during auditions and media interviews for "American Idol" and, the day after the State of the Union Address, called for the impeachment of President Bush!
You go, girl!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I have a feeling this was taped before the latest fiasco involving Isiah "I did not call T.R. a faggot" Washington's outburst Monday backstage at the Golden Globes, but T.R. Knight (pictured w/McDreamy Patrick Dempsey) will appear on Wednesday's "Ellen DeGeneres Show." According to the show's Web site, Ellen has landed an exclusive interview with T.R. who has kept a low profile since coming out publicly last fall. The site states: "Grey's Anatomy star T.R. KNIGHT who sits down for his first one-on-one interview to discuss his choice to publicly come out and the factors that led him to make that decision. T.R. also talks about how his personal life is affected by being part of the most talked-about cast on television."
Cool. T.R. FINALLY SPEAKS!!!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, we know what Donald Trump's New Year's resolution was NOT: to actually behave like a mature adult and stop thinking his stupid feud with Rosie O'Donnell is going to help the ratings for the new season of "The Apprentice." I'm not watching anyway, was never gonna, and now I'm encouraging anyone I know to skip it because this man is completely off the rails.
Here's what he had to say to "Entertainment Tonight" this morning about Miss O'Donnell: "I have no interest in making up with Rosie," adding that she's "not a smart woman, she's crude and disgusting." Trump says that he's had conversations about their spat with "View" Executive Producer Barbara Walters, who he calls "a great friend of mine and a great woman." During their talks, "she said 'Donald, I've got to put up with [Rosie], I can't stand her,'" he says. He went on to say that "ultimately she'll be dismissed" from her duties on "The View."
Gee, I wonder how Barbara Walters feels about her "great friend" now. Let's say that what Trump says is true, what kind of "friend" blabs details of that kind of conversation to a national television show?

Meanwhile, today on "The View," Walters addressed the feud, saying, "Donald Trump [claimed] that I am not happy with my decision to bring Rosie O'Donnell to this table. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have never regretted, nor do I now, the hiring of Rosie O'Donnell. She has brought a new vitality to the show, and the ratings prove it."

Now Donald, really. Grow up and shut up.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Barbara speaks!!! Miss Walters, the co-producer of "The View" on which she also appears on several times a week, weighed in Thursday on the Rosie vs. Donald Chump feud. The Donald, with all the maturity of a third-grader, was quoted as saying that Walters "hates" Rosie and regrets hiring her to be on the show.
Walters, in a statement to In Touch magazine, begs to differ:
"Donald Trump is a personal friend of mine and has been a good friend to The View for many years," she tells In Touch. "I'm sorry there is friction between Donald and Rosie. That said, I do not regret for one moment my choice to hire Rosie O'Donnell as the moderator of The View. I certainly hope and expect that this tempest will pass quickly."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Donald Chump's viscious personal attack on Rosie O'Donnell's weight, looks and intellect yesterday also included this doozy on "Extra" : "Look at her life. Her life is a mess. She's a mess. Believe me, her girlfriend cannot be happy...She can't be thrilled kissing Rosie O'Donnell. What's worse than that?...Can you imagine what Kelli has to put up with? Living with a pigface is very tough."

Does Donald Chump REALLY think his beautiful wife would have even given him the time of day is he weren't loaded. No way! So Beauty and the Beast comparisons are not the wise way to go cuz Donald, you are NOT very pretty. Proving this point is a picture posted today on TMZ.com. (see below).

Rosie pointed out Kelli in the audience on today's "View" and said said, "I was afraid to leave her home in case someone with a combover [ahem] came and stole her from me." She had earlier posted these remarks on her blog: "i will let u know if the donald sues me or if kelli leaves me for one of his pals. dont u find him charming."

Not at all.

Anyway, there is head-scratching over what Mr. Chump thinks he can sue Rosie for. Free speech is legal in America. She said he cheated on his wife. He did. That he went bankrupt. He did. That he has awfiul hair. He does. That the whole Miss. USA thing is a publicity stunt for his show. It was.

Stay tuned.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oh, this is rich.
Donald Trump is set to sue Rosie O'Donnell after she branded him a "snake-oil salesman" and called his staging of a press conference - in which he decided to allow Miss USA Tara Conner to keep her crown despite underage drinking - a publicity stunt.
"Because his show ‘The Apprentice' is starting again in January, he held a big press conference to see if he was going to allow Miss USA, such a prestigious title," Rosie said on "The View" while rolling her eyes. "It's basically a model competition . . . They have one question in Miss USA, yeah and they're like ‘I'd like to cure cancer and end world hunger – and then I'd like to go to Studio 54 and do some crack.'"
"There he is, hair looping, going everyone, everyone deserves a second chance," Rosie said. "He's the moral authority? Left the first wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affair, had kids both times, but he's the moral compass for twenty year olds in America. Donald, sit and spin, my friend."
She also said she expected him to sue her but added "he'll probably be bankrupt by that time so I won't have to worry."
So Donald fired back on the various entertainment shows later Wednesday. On "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider" he called Rosie "fat" and "ugly on the inside and outside" and on and on. And he said this to "Access Hollywood": "She says things that come to her mouth, she's not smart, she's crude, she's ignorant and to be honest I look forward to suing Rosie. I'm gonna sue her and I look forward to it. She's really very dangerous for the show."
Real dangerous. Ratings are through the roof and feuds like this only pump them up more.
Trump also branded Rosie "a loser." "Rosie's been a loser for a long time. Her magazine failed, she got sued. She folded up like a tent. Rosie is somebody out of control who really just doesn't have it and she ought to be careful because I'll send one of my friends to pick up her girlfriend and I think it would be very easy."
Can you BELIEVE this dude? How old is he? Three? You'd think a man with that much money and that bad a hairdo would have a much thicker skin. I was considering checking out the new season of "The Apprentice" since it takes place in L.A. and reportedly has two gay male contestants. But I don't think I'll be able to watch this bore - especially after he started calling names at a woman who has a bigger heart than most and is far more deserving of our respect than Donald Chump.
And Mr. Chump, maybe Rosie's wife Kelli isn't as shallow as you are and will resist temptation unlike you, who left Ivana - the mother of your three children - for a younger woman. They have four children and you should have more respect.
Meanwhile, "View" Executive Producers Bill Geddie and Barbara Walters weighed in on the verbal fracas releasing this statement: "Both Rosie and Donald are high-spirited, opinionated people. Donald has been a friend of "The View" for many years and Rosie, of course, is our enormously popular moderator. We cherish them both and hope the New Year brings calm and peace."

Gee Barbara and Bill, way to stand behind your gal.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm working from home today so had "The View" on in the background. After watching the first half-hour of the show, I gotta say, Rosie O'Donnell on that show is helping to change the world and cure it of homophobia. Think about how so many times someone who was anti-gay or whatever finds out one of their friends/family members is gay and it changes them. I see it that way with Rosie. So many people feel like they know her and seeing on this show, as herself, is changing their attitudes - and they might not even be aware of it.
For example: Just after the women sat down for the opening 'Hot Topics' segment, Joy Behar looks at Rosie, wearing a sparkly and rather dressy red jacket and casually says: "It brings out your feminine side." Rosie explains that she is wearing it to a dinner later and just wanted to get used to it. She said the last time she had gone to this particular dinner, she wore sweats! So, "I wore it for (wife) Kelli."
I thought, cool. But then Rosie goes further (of course): "When Bette Midler was on the show last week she whispered into my ear: 'I'm so glad you're over that butch phase!" Rosie then admitted that one of her shorter haircuts during the period between the end of her own talk show and joining this one "scared a lot of people."
Anyway, then the BEST part of all. As they cut away to commercial, Rosie showed video of her family (Kelli and their four kids) decorating their Christmas tree. To the sounds of Barbra Streisand's version of "Do You Hear What I hear?" you see the family (and Rosie as Santa!) being a family, a happy, wonderful family. Even the da,ned dog looked happy!
God bless ya Rosie for being you, for sharing your family with America, and for helping to change the world - one viewer at a time.

ONE MORE THING: As is that weren't enough, Behar later welcomed comedienne Judy Gold on to talk about her show "25 Questions for a Jewish Mother" currently playing at St. Luke's Theater in NYC. I had no idea who Gold was but now I do and she is a riot. She's also a lesbian. she just started talking about how her kids have "two Jewish mothers" and Joy interrupts her and says: "You didn't set up that you are a lesbian." Gold says, "Oh yeah, I'm gay. I'm a lesbian mom. Who else is a lesbian mom?"
The camera flashes to Rosie who is sitting in the audience with Elizabeth Hasslebeck (who has calmed down in a good way). Rosie smiled and raised her hand.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Rosie O'Donnell can't stop generating headlines for herself and ABC's morning chatfest "The View." Whether she's letting a drunken Danny DeVito sit on her lap, fighting with Kelly Ripa about Clay Aiken or getting some Asians angry at her for using the words "ching-chong" when she was pretending to speak Chinese. On Monday, she told everyone to lighten up and get a sense of humor.

That's why I love Rosie (pictured as Betty Ruibble in 1994's "The Flintstones") being on this show: she's at a point in her life where she is confident in herself personally and professionally and she's just not gonna censor her. She's a smart and evolved woman and mother married to the woman she loves and comes out every day and shows us who she is. ROSIE ROCKS!

Anyway, the ratings for "The View" were up by 15 percent during the recent November ratings sweeps period (when ratings are measured in order to set future ad rates) compared to the Nov. 2005 sweeps when the show was moderated by the terrific Meredith Viera (now co-hosting 'The Today Show) and Starr Jones Reynolds who seemed to wear out her welcome somewhat on the show and with the public. The other regular panelists are the very witty and wise Joy Behar and the oh-so-annoying Elizabeth Hasslebeck who almost makes ya miss first-season disaster Debbie Metanopolis!

"The View," produced and created by frequent co-hoist Barbara Walters, is number 4 in daytime ratings and with Rosie, the show has garnered its largest audience ever: 3.4 million viewers. There were rumors that O'Donnell was going to leave the daytime talk show for other projects but Rosie has quashed that speculation: "Don't anybody worry where Rosie's going," O'Donnell said on air recently. "She's right here."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

With my day tied up with covering the American Music Awards yesterday, I didn't get to weigh in on this whole silly controversy that has erupted between Kelly Ripa and Clay Aiken and now Rosie O'Donnell. It all began wikth Clay, filling in for Regis Philbin, rudely put his hand over Kelly's mouth during an interview with " Dancing with the Stars" winners Emmitt Smith.
A clearly ticked-off Ripa looked at Clay and said, "That's a 'No, No'. I don't know where that hand's been, honey."

I took it as just a little tiff but Rosie O'Donnell, God bless her, has turned it into a national incident, accusing Ripa of making a homophobic remark. Now, we don't know if Clay is "officially' gay or not and I personally don't much care anyway, but Rosie felt compelled to basically out him with her concerns over Ripa's comment. If Clay ain't gay, then why would the remark be at all homophobic?

Kelly called Rosie on live TV a few moments later Ro's remarks to defend herself saying it's FLU SEASON and that's why she made the remark. "He's shaking hands with everyone in the audience ... It's cold and flu season, that's what I meant, and to imply that it's anything homophobic is outrageous, Rosie, and you know better."

O'Donnell shot back that she's not convinced the remark had anything to do with cold season. She went on to say that hosting a live talk show is difficult for anyone who isn't used to doing a live show. "I feel for the kid," she said. "He's in a very difficult space."

Clay, not missing a beat, appeared on Tuesday night's AMA's with Tori Spelling spoofing the incident so it looks like Rosie was more bothered about it than him. While Clay jabbered on, Tori clapped her hand over Aiken's mouth, saying, "I'll tell you where that hand's been later."

Now let's make a pact that this whole stupid thing goes away. Ripa is a doll, Rosie rocks and Clay, well, I don't know what Clay is. On Wednesday's edition of "The View," Barbara Walters tried to put the entire thing to rest: Walters said Ripa and ODonnell spoke again off the air Tuesday and everybody was happy! (Walters had Tuesday off.) O'Donnell later in the show said she spoke with Aiken and was apparently satisfied no homophobia on Ripa's part.

So that's that!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this morning's "The View," moderator Rosie O'Donnell talked about telling Warner Bros. execs that she is a lesbian when she started her old talk show back in 1995, and said that she kept it mainly under wraps to avoid controversy. "At the time when my show was on, there was no Drudge Report, there was no Perez Hilton, there was no TMZ, and you could be gay and have a big successful career and no one would ask you -- no journalist ever asked me," Rosie said.

In response, TMZ defends itself on its website saying: "We're not in the business of outing people -- so back off, girlfriend!... Not that there's anything wrong with coming out of the closet, but -- yo, Ro! -- get your facts straight! TMZ has, for the record, never outed anyone; gay, bisexual, alien or otherwise, and that's really not what we're about."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While Rosie O'Donnell gets most of the attention on "The View" these days, I'm glad to see that comedian Joy Behar, usually the best part of the show, is still getting in her two cents and regularly taking on resident conservative Elisabeth Hasselback.
.
"Even though Rosie's on 'The View' now, same-sex marriage hasn't come up yet. I'm waiting. I'm waiting!" Joy writes in the new issue of Instinct magazine. "I think Elisabeth will say that she doesn't believe i it. She'll say that marriage is between a man and a woman - you know, the old rap they give....When it comes to elisabeth, I want to be democratic - people should express themselves from their heart. However, I think that people who believe the stuff she does can be cornered. But then they pull the religion card out and what can you can't fight that. Either you believe or you don't. Some of these people believe that life begns at flirting. What can you do?"

Joy says 'The View' is a gay-friendly show: "If it was up to me, the whole show would be gay! "Somebody said to me, 'Gay men don't love you, they want to BE you.' I think gay men just like to have a good time...I'm an outsider. Gays are outsiders. And people like us have to stay together and have fun. Life's tragic enough. You have to have a few laughs!"

Behar began her career playing small gay clubs in Staten Island and New Jersey and remembers: "Sometimes they were making out while i was on stage. It's hard to make people laugh when they're turned on, but I tried my best. I did a lot of gay clubs. They're the greatest audiences, I have to say. You can talk about smart things and they get it."

Here! Here!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rosie O'Donnell may not be everybody's cup of tea but she sure is making ABC's morning chatfest "The View" into a must-see experience. Since Rosie replaced Meredith Viera in September, ratings are up by 14 percent. Even more importantly to ABC, viewership in the key advertising demo of viewers 18-34 is up a whopping 34 percent.
Personally, I like Rosie so much better on television as an openly gay woman with a wife and kids as opposed to the "Queen of Nice" persona from her old talk show when she had a crush on Tommy Cruise.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rosie O'Donnell famously faced-off with Tom Selleck several years ago over gun control on her old daytime chatfest. That was just a warm-up. On a recent episode of "The View," the liberal anti-gun Rosie took on resident conservative Elizabeth Hasselbeck. The shooting at an Amish school in Pennsylvania led to a fiery debate over gun control:
Rosie: "I think the horror of imagining six to thirteen-year-old girls handcuffed together and shot execution style, one by one, is perhaps enough to awaken the nation that maybe we need some stricter gun control laws."

Elizabeth "So you can’t- You can't take way the right to, to bear arms...It is a right. It’s in our Constitution. It’s the Second Amendment."

Rosiel: "Well, let’s talk instead of yell."

Elizabeth "I’m not yelling."

Later...

Rosie: "Well, what about this? The firearm death rate among children in America 0 to 14 is 12 times higher then all 25 other industrialized nation combined. Combined."

Elizabeth: "What about the fact that firearms- Well, firearms are used 60 times more to defend people then they are to take a life in this country, too. That’s another statistic. This is why we have the debate."

More back and forth follows with neither woman backing down. Finally Joy Behar breaks the tension with some of her humor:

Behar: "I think people want to hunt, that's a right as you’re describing with their rifles. Why do they need an AK--47? Are these deer in the Israeli army?"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just finished reading a Q&A with Rosie O'Donnell in the new issue of TV Guide. I really like the bigger format don't you? (the magazine, not Rosie!) Besides, she has trimmed up a bit for her stint on "The View." Rosie says that before she started her talk show in the mid-90s, she had "a mini neck thing done" because the producers kept asking her, "What are we going to do about your neck?" They really meant, "your fat," Rosie tells the mag with her typical candor.

TV Guide's Mary Murphy asks Rosie how things are going at "The View" and Rosie says "It's been a great few weeks. Everyone was nervous - including me - and wondering how it would be. It is very very hard to come into an ensemble in the 10th season. But I think it's working."

Rosie admits that her wife, Kelli, was afraid her spouse would be overpowering on the show.
"I was told that 68 percent of the people said they thought I was going to be bossy. And Kelli said, 'They're right.' The reason I don't watch myself on things where I am being myself and not acting is that I find myself annoying. I find my voice grating. I think, 'I would not enjoy her if I were a fan."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As predicted, Rosie O'Donnell hasn't been shy during her first few weeks as a co-host of "The View" going so far as to say that Oprah Winfrey "might be a little gay." She made the comment after a clip of Oprah and best friend Gayle King from their cross-country trip was shown. The two had declared in a recent issue of "O Magazine" that they are not gay.

“I think that’s very typical of gay relationships — not saying they’re gay,�? Rosie said. Then, calling Winfrey "Opie" as if she were actually there in the studio, she added: “You might be a little bit gay. You’re just not doing it.�?

I'm pretty surprised that Rosie, who replaced Meradeth Viera as moderator on the show, would not have more respect for Oprah and Gayle. As a high-profile lesbian with a daily platform, she's should have better sense than to make those kind of remarks - especially since Oprah and Gayle felt they had to come out and say they're not gay.

Co-host and producer Barbara Walters was not pleased and told the New York Times: “Rosie’s opinions are her own. They’re very strong. And I don’t mind opinions. But I don’t want us to be bashing anybody. We’ve talked about that, and Rosie is very conscious of it.�?

For the complete NY Times article, click HERE.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

There are many people who are wondering what the heck happened to Lucas Jones on "General Hospital," the gay son of Bobbi Spencer and Tony Jones. It was just this spring that Lucas came out to his friends and parents. His friends were cool with it but Bobbi's first instinct was to get him counseling. Tony easily accepted his son's sexuality.

"Bobbi was not homophobic, but it wasn't an easy situation," longtime "GH" writer Dave Goldschmid told me this week. "It was always clear that she loved him and he loved her."

So, why would Lucas go through all the trouble of coming out only to disappear from the show?

Goldschmid, who I met Wednesday at the Writer's Guild of America rally, said actor Ben Hogestyn (pictured, right), left for a full-time gig on "Bold and the Beautiful." Goldschmid was a recurring character but not on contract to "GH" which enabled him to make the leap.

"The response to the Lucas storyline was heartwarmingly positive," Goldschmid said. "We thought we'd get some people against it but we got a lot out of it. It was cool and interesting. If it's dramatic, we will consider doing it!"

The role of Lucas Jones was originated by Ryan Carnes (pictured, left), who has a recurring role as the boyfriend of Andrew Van De Kamp. Carnes, who also starred in the independent gay hit "Eating Out," left the show before Lucas came out but his reps denied that it had anything to do with his character being gay.

Goldschmid told me that with the sudden departure of Hogestyn stopped the story in its tracks and they are still figuring out what to do with the character which is expected to be recast as some point. Right now, the writers are focused on the November return of Genie Francis as Laura Weber Baldwin Spencer - the love of Luke Spencer's life.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Whenever I hear the talented Megan Mullally speak in her real voice, it makes me wish she really talked just like her delicious comic creation, "Karen Walker," on "Will & Grace," who was far more squeaky vocally. But hey, time marches on and Mullally, fresh off her second Emmy win, has entered the world of daytime television with her new talker-variety series "The Megan Mullally Show."
The seed for her to join the world of Ellen and Oprah came a few years back when she subbed for David Letterman. "I doubt people could take five hours a week of Karen's voice - maybe I'm wrong but - but I think I may be doing a public service by not doing Karen's voice," Mullally told OK Magazine this week.
But she does miss doing "Will & Grace" which ended its eight-year run last spring. "I'm not a very weepy person but I was bursting into tears at the weirdest times because if the whole 'Will & Grace' grieving process. A lot olf us were. It's just a testament to what a great time we had."

So what about a reunion show down the road?

"I'd be fun," she told OK. "I think there would be a chance to do something like that. Unfortunately, I will age in real life whereas Karen is not supposed to age. So, we'd have to employ some kind of prosthetics!

Good luck with the show Megan! I just hope you'll do the Karen voice every once in awhile, especially if a star comes out in a bizarre outfit or something: "What's that? What's going on here honey?"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Somebody stop those overzealous photo shoppers at the networks! First they trim down Katie Couric in a publicity still - as if she needs it - and now Rosie O'Donnell, who is clearly a bit wider than her co-hosts on "The View."

On her blog, Rosie.com, she wrote:
"i saw the view black suit photo on drudge and i vote yes it was photo-shopped. look at the amount of white space
between my arm and body barbara and elisabeth seem to vanish there in my underarm thinnest. yes i say
photoshop."

"the suit i wore that day is a size 16. it was very expensive which means it is really more like an 18."

"they retouched katie …yea….and they airbrush everyone in everything we see on tv or in print
EVERYTHING"

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Actor Van Hansis plays daytime television's most visible gay teen, Luke Grimaldi, who is figuring prominently in the current storyline on "As the World Turns." His character and the return of Erica Kane's lesbian daughter, Bianca, on "All My Children" more than makes up for the fizzle of the gay teen storyline on "General Hospital" that seemed to go nowhere.
"I remember when I was sixteen years old. And no matter whether you're straight or gay—you're trying to figure the world out," Hansis, 24, told AfterElton.com this week. "You have so many things pulling on you—popularity, pleasing your parents, hanging out with the cool kids, growing up and being your own man. Luke's experience is definitely very heightened, but I try to get myself into his head. "

While Luke's coming out has been filled with melodrama but the storyline has been getting kudos in general with Luke considered a believable and realistic gay character. CBS also teamed with GLAAD to create a Public Service Announcement to encourage viewers “to be an ally and a friend�? to gay people.

Here are a few excerpts from Hansis' chat with AfterElton.com:

AE: How has the role of Luke Grimaldi affected your life?
VH: Well, being on a TV show, more than playing a gay character, has really changed my life. You get recognized, and all of a sudden you're put in a public medium you've never been in before. So that's been very interesting. As far as playing a gay character, it's nothing that I've ever had any negative feelings about. I love my character. In the end, I'm really glad they made my character gay. I'm able to do so much more than the average soap guy gets to do.

AE: Have you had a lot of reaction from gay teenagers?
VH: Yeah, I have. It's actually been very good to hear from people—teenagers, and even older men and women who are gay—who say I wish I had this storyline when I was a teenager. And I hear from teenagers who say they come back right after school because they have it DVR'ed.

AE: I can see that happening a lot.
VH: It's very flattering. The other thing that is really cool is that I've got a lot of mail from straight people, and also people who thought they wouldn't like the storyline because of whatever prejudices they held."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 8:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...in Pine Valley. Actress Eden Riegel will reprise her role as the lesbian daughter of Erica Kane on "All My Children" after more than a year away from the soap. Reigel will make her first appearance on the show's Oct. 11 episodes. In an interview in this week's "TV Guide," Riegel didn't reveal whether her character would still be romantically involved with Maggie, played by Elizabeth Hendrickson. Bianca and her former love, Lena, had one of the most-publicized kisses in the history of daytime television. (thanks to the alert reader who pointed out it was Lena, not Maggie, who Bianca had that smooch with.
Riegel did say "It's the kind of story I'm very excited about. Bianca has some challenges, heartache and new beginnings."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Writing about Ellen DeGeneres and the success of her daytime show earlier today led me to wonder how that force of nature, Rosie O'Donnell, will fare when she joins the women of "The View" this fall. Will the liberal Rosie and the conversative Elizabeth Hasellbeck be able to get through "hot topics" without killing each other? Will Rosie and Joy Behar be knocking each other down for laughs? Will Barbara Walters wish she'd have hired Hugh Downs instead?

Tune in this fall!

Seriously, it is fantastic to have two of the world's most high-profile lesbians hosting shows in daytime. The world, and Rosie, have changed a lot since she debuted 10 years ago as "The Queen of Nice" on her own show which had a successful six year run. Since she pulled the plug on the show in 2002, Rosie has become very public about her private life, a life she shares with her partner Kelli O'Donnell and their children. The couple flew from the East Coast to get married in San Francisco in 2004 when the city was briefly granting licences to same-sex couples. They also recently made the documentary "All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise" on the maiden cruise of R Family Vacations, a travel company the couple founded.

I think it will be GREAT to have Rosie back in our lives on a daily basis. I have a feeling her thoughts will make headlines and will often find themselves posted on "Out In Hollywood."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Belated kudos for Ellen DeGeneres whose popular daytime show has been guaranteed a run through the 2009-10 season on NBC-owned stations in 10 major U.S. cities including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. The show is currently renewed in 90 percent of the country through 2008-09, and 70 percent through the following year which assures us of many more afternoons with Ellen.

Warner Bros. executives described DeGeneres, one of the highest-profile lesbians in the country, as a host who "connects with the upscale, suburban soccer-moms that advertisers pay a premium to reach."

Who would have thought that Ellen, who has won multiple Emmys for her current show, would be such a commodity in mainstream America? Especially since her ABC sitcom was dumped from the airwaves not long after her landmark coming out episode? Her follow up CBS sitcom, "The Ellen Show," lasted less than a season in 2003.

But now, the dancing, funny and charming Ellen is the toast of daytime television. It seems, that in the long run, it pays to be authentic!

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Not that there's anything wrong with it, but Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King use the August issue of O Magazine (the theme of which is 'Best Friends') to proclaim, once and for all, that they are NOT GAY!

Says Oprah: "I've told everything there is to tell. All my stuff is out there. People think I'd be so ashamed of being gay that I wouldn't admit it? Oh, please."

Says Gayle:"...I used to say, 'Oprah, you have to do something. It's hard enough for me to get a date on a Saturday night. You've got to go on the air and stop it!" And then you realize you can't really stop it."

Adds Gayle: "I have to admit, if Oprah were a man, I would marry her."

I've read the entire Q&A and it is clear that these two terrific ladies are amazing friends, closer than most sisters probably. It is a beautiful thing, it's just not a gay thing.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)