'The Rosie O'Donnell Show' features guests from 'The View'
As many of you with active lives may not know, Tuesday was Rosie O'Donnell's first day on ABC's "The View." She replaced Meredith Vieira after Vieira replaced Katie Couric on NBC's "Today" show. Couric had signed on to replace Dan Rather on the "CBS Evenings News." But that's old news by now. We're talking about Rosie's new show.
I despise "The View." I have hated it since it first premiered 10 years ago, yet on occasion I've tried to tune in, only to find myself thoroughly disgusted and irritated at the horribly cheesy transitions during their "Hot Topic" segment, abrasive co-hosts -- the combination of Star Jones Reynolds and Joy Behar, to be specific -- and high-pitched squawk-fests that debates often turn into. Good debaters do not interrupt each other.
While I think the concept of four different women discussing their opinions is great, I cringe at how poorly executed "The View" can be. These days, since Star's departure, the talking-over-one-another annoyance has lessened. There was this gem, though, where the conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck "loses her mind" about Plan B being sold OTC and is reprimanded by Barbara Walters for her outburst. Unfortunately, I can no longer find the original clip in its entirety on YouTube, but you get the point. Surprises such as this have made me tune in several times this summer, I'm ashamed to say.
All that said about the old "View" co-hosts, it's time to discuss Ms. O'Donnell. I like her a lot. Yes, she's loud and obnoxious -- a seemingly perfect replacement -- and constantly talks about her kids, but at the same time I find myself entertained. It also intrigues me how she's been called both the "Queen of Nice" and a crazy lesbian (paraphrase). Society doesn't like out-spoken lesbians; it's unnatural. They do like loud, New Yorker, Tom Cruise obsessed, give-away-happy, Broadway-star wannabes, though. Enter Rosie.
From my two days of watching -- Tuesday and Wednesday only, because yesterday the show was interrupted by former Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor's funeral -- I have concluded that Rosie might not be as good of a co-host as previously suspected. Rosie is simply not a CO-host kind of woman; she's a one-woman show. Already "The View" seems to be more like the old "Rosie O'Donnell Show," with Broadway-esque promos leading up to Rosie's debut, a louder, more prize-crazed audience (I heard today that the show has gained a million viewers already), and Rosie overpowering the three other women. I keep waiting for John McD to be the new "View" master.
In fact, during Wednesday's segment on kid-friendly pets, the audience and cameras were repeatedly distracted by Rosie's non-discreet attempt to stop one dog from humping another and her "rescuing" a kitten from under a display table. I don't know about anyone else, but maybe I wanted to hear about gerbils and hamsters (not really). However, the pet-expert guests and Elisabeth, who was co-hosting the piece, probably would've appreciated fewer interruptions.
While I support Rosie, her talents and her activism, I feel her character is too strong to be on a panel show like "The View." Of course, it could just be that it's her first week and the excitement is running high. I'd personally like her to stay, because I like to forget that I'm actually watching "The View," but I don't know if her head-strong co-hosts will like giving up the spotlight. And with luck, maybe Rosie's liberalism will set Elisabeth off soon. I can only hope.
I despise "The View." I have hated it since it first premiered 10 years ago, yet on occasion I've tried to tune in, only to find myself thoroughly disgusted and irritated at the horribly cheesy transitions during their "Hot Topic" segment, abrasive co-hosts -- the combination of Star Jones Reynolds and Joy Behar, to be specific -- and high-pitched squawk-fests that debates often turn into. Good debaters do not interrupt each other.
While I think the concept of four different women discussing their opinions is great, I cringe at how poorly executed "The View" can be. These days, since Star's departure, the talking-over-one-another annoyance has lessened. There was this gem, though, where the conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck "loses her mind" about Plan B being sold OTC and is reprimanded by Barbara Walters for her outburst. Unfortunately, I can no longer find the original clip in its entirety on YouTube, but you get the point. Surprises such as this have made me tune in several times this summer, I'm ashamed to say.
All that said about the old "View" co-hosts, it's time to discuss Ms. O'Donnell. I like her a lot. Yes, she's loud and obnoxious -- a seemingly perfect replacement -- and constantly talks about her kids, but at the same time I find myself entertained. It also intrigues me how she's been called both the "Queen of Nice" and a crazy lesbian (paraphrase). Society doesn't like out-spoken lesbians; it's unnatural. They do like loud, New Yorker, Tom Cruise obsessed, give-away-happy, Broadway-star wannabes, though. Enter Rosie.
From my two days of watching -- Tuesday and Wednesday only, because yesterday the show was interrupted by former Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor's funeral -- I have concluded that Rosie might not be as good of a co-host as previously suspected. Rosie is simply not a CO-host kind of woman; she's a one-woman show. Already "The View" seems to be more like the old "Rosie O'Donnell Show," with Broadway-esque promos leading up to Rosie's debut, a louder, more prize-crazed audience (I heard today that the show has gained a million viewers already), and Rosie overpowering the three other women. I keep waiting for John McD to be the new "View" master.
In fact, during Wednesday's segment on kid-friendly pets, the audience and cameras were repeatedly distracted by Rosie's non-discreet attempt to stop one dog from humping another and her "rescuing" a kitten from under a display table. I don't know about anyone else, but maybe I wanted to hear about gerbils and hamsters (not really). However, the pet-expert guests and Elisabeth, who was co-hosting the piece, probably would've appreciated fewer interruptions.
While I support Rosie, her talents and her activism, I feel her character is too strong to be on a panel show like "The View." Of course, it could just be that it's her first week and the excitement is running high. I'd personally like her to stay, because I like to forget that I'm actually watching "The View," but I don't know if her head-strong co-hosts will like giving up the spotlight. And with luck, maybe Rosie's liberalism will set Elisabeth off soon. I can only hope.
posted by Claire C. Cake at 8:56 AM
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