Archive for November 2014

November 7, 2014

Hot Topics:

  • Shoe Cam Update: Don’t forget to check out pics of Whoopi’s fancy shoe choices on her Facebook page! She wore shoes today made by Charlotte Olympia. She said she started the unique shoe trend because when she started The View, the ladies were all dressed so fancy and she’s more of a casual dresser, she felt like she needed to do something to spice it up!
  • Home DeDon’t: Hardware stores are reporting a steep decline in sales and one theory points to men not being as handy today as they once were. Whoopi asked if this was a sexist theory. Rosie P thinks if you want a man who is going to take out a garbage and fix a light bulb, make sure you find that kind of man. But she said not every man is going to be like that and you shouldn’t assume they will be. Nicolle thinks men should do the male chores like shovel when it’s snowing because that is one of their “jobs.”  She said she has a terrific husband but he is not handy. She has her husband and then she has the guy she calls who changes her light bulbs. Rosie P said she’s very fortunate because her man is very handy. Rosie O called herself a crafty person but not a handy person. She can’t fix anything but she has a “rented husband” named Brian whom she can call anytime she needs him. If the CO2 detector goes off in the middle of the night, she can call him! Whoopi said you can marry a guy and hope for handiness, but you can’t expect it.
  • Observation Affects Reality: A new restaurant study finds when chefs can see the diners at the table, the food tastes better. Rosie O believes this theory. She said her wife is a “foodie” and will often get them a table right near the kitchen so they are able to taste a little bit of everything the chef makes and it’s some of the best food she’s ever tasted. Though she wasn’t sure this theory held when it came to fast food. Rosie P thought the study was “silly.” Nicolle thinks for any job, the performance or behavior can be affected when they know someone is watching so she thought the theory might be valid. Speaking of watching behavior, Rosie O said she’s concerned a little about the new nursery monitors with audio, video and a two way intercom speaker. She said sometimes she will speak to their baby Dakota and say, “Dakota, mommy sees you. Lay back down and go to sleep.” The baby will look around to see where the voice is coming from! She’s worried that’s going to make her paranoid about big brother always watching over her. Whoopi said if they had that when she was growing up she probably would have thought it was the voice of God and most likely would be a nun right now.
  • New Found Fame: In a recent interview, Lupita Nyongo has stated that she hasn’t figured out how to be a celebrity yet. Nicolle also pointed out that Lupita goes on to say how much Whoopi inspired her in her role in The Color Purple. She encouraged all the viewers to read the entire article. Rosie P believes and understands what Lupita is saying regarding fame. She said fame can be difficult for some people because some actors get into it for the art and not to be famous. She said no one teaches you how to deal with it or how to handle your fans. Rosie O said she had done a few movies before her TV show The Rosie O’Donnell Show but after the show aired her entire life changed in a week. She wasn’t complaining but it was really “trippy” for her to not be able to go out or to get recognized at Target. Whoopi went from no one knowing her to people literally yelling her name out in the streets. She said she never wanted to be rude to fans because she was happy to be recognized but sometimes fans don’t realize how scary it can be for their kids having them run up to her. She thinks Lupita is very sweet though and said she knows she’ll be fine.

 

Guests:

Lisa Kudrow: Lisa Kudrow joined the ladies of The View to discuss her series The Comeback which has “come back” to HBO! Rosie O was one of the show’s original fans and was a major voice in trying to get the show back on the air. She called it “one of the most brilliant shows she’s ever seen!” Lisa said the people at HBO were big fans of the show too and called her into their office to tell her how much they missed her character Valerie. They asked her what Valerie would be up to if they brought the show back. Lisa said she came up with the idea for the show, a celebrity doing a reality series about her life, back when the show Survivor started years ago. She thought the concept of reality television was pretty much the end of the world as we know it. Then she saw The Amazing Race and thought, “Oh NO! Couples are arguing, vomiting and crying and it is going to be broadcast for the entire world to see.” She thought it was fascinating and yet couldn’t fathom who in the world would sign up for that. However, she’s since realized how wrong she was because everyone is now into broadcasting their life now. Lisa and Rosie O discussed the show’s producer Michael Patrick King and one of her hilarious costars, Robert Michael Morris. Rosie P was a big fan of the show Friends and excited to talk with Lisa about the Friends reunion on Jimmy Kimmel. They discussed Lisa’s son who is now 16 and not particularly interested in anything she does professionally which cracked everyone up. And they discussed her Showtime series Web Therapy that Rosie once did a cameo in! You can watch that here. SO FUNNY. Lisa joked about her character in the show Web Therapy and said she plays a therapist who has absolutely no interest in actually helping people. Her character was much more concerned with how people can help her. The Comeback returns November 9th at 10pm on HBO. Don’t miss it!

Kalief Browder: When Rosie O first heard Kalief Browder’s story, it shook her to the core. Kalief was walking home from a party, minding his own business one day, when an officer told him and his friend that a man accused them of stealing his backpack. Kalief denied ever stealing anyone’s backpack and the officer told him to just come into the station and discuss it with him. When he got to the station he was arrested and charged with robbery. The bail was set at $3500 but his family didn’t have the money to bail him out. He was the baby of the family and his mother was devastated she couldn’t come up with the money to get him out. Kalief was taken to one of the toughest jails in the country and spent 3 years without a trial, for a crime he didn’t commit. He endured physical beatings and even attempted suicide. He was a victim of gang violence and spent 900 days in solitary while he waited for a court date that never came. The Judge told Kalief that if he simply plead guilty to the crime he would be released the same day but he wouldn’t do it. He refused to plead guilty to a crime he didn’t do. In June of 2013 all charges against Kalief were dropped. But he missed his junior and senior years of high school, his senior prom and graduation.

Kalief and his lawyer Paul, joined the show. Kalief said he was nervous but at the same time, happy to have his voice heard. He said it’s hard for him to explain the feelings of what it has been like for him over the years. Rosie O told Kalief what he went through, no human being should ever have to go through. She told him how inspiring he was and that he was a true hero for having survived it. She asked Kalief why he ended up in solitary and he said he would have to defend himself in fights or when corrections officers would beat him and oftentimes that would land him in solitary confinement. Kalief was only 16 years old when he was sent to prison for this crime. His lawyer said it’s tantamount to child abuse.   Kalief said after everything he had been through he couldn’t just admit to something he didn’t do and walk away even though most of the other prisoners he was incarcerated with told him to do so.

Before Kalief was arrested he liked sports, he liked to go to the park, go to school, workout and go to parties with his friends. Now he can’t even have fun. He said everything he does is in an attempt to try and catch up on everything he’s missed out on in his life. He’s now working and going to college and he thinks he wants to go into business management though he’s still young and unsure. Rosie O wanted Kalief to know that everything in the world is available to him now. She told him that many people have now heard his story, feel the injustice and want to help. She told Kalief how proud she was of him and how strong he was to survive what he did. Rosie O and The View gave Kalief a laptop to help him with his studies and promised to keep in touch with him. She gave him a little kiss on the cheek and a hug and told him what an inspiration he was. Rosie O updated the audience and let them know that the city has denied all wrongdoing in this case.  To read more about Kalief’s story, check out this article in The NewYorker.

 

rosie-odonnell-kalief-browder

Rosie & Kalief Browder

 

The heroic Kalief Browder and how you can help:
http://Gofundme.com/gymy4g

Watch yesterday’s interview with the brave Kalief Browder here: http://tinyurl.com/k7pqyhq

Join the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #Justice4KALIEF

 


Hot Holiday Toys:
Nicolle and Whoopi shared the hottest toys this season with a Toys R Us spokesperson! To see the toys in the Christmas book go to Toys R Us online.

Cutie Patootie: Cutie Patootie, Iain Armitage, who is a 6 year old theater reviewer with his own YouTube channel joined the ladies of The View to discuss his favorite Broadway plays! Rosie O and Iain met each other last weekend at Sideshow. He loved it and so did Rosie! Iain talked about Broadway, his all-time favorite shows and told Rosie about his father who is an actor. It turns out, Phantom of the Opera is one of Iain’s favorite shows so Rosie O got him the Phantom of the Opera monkey. He was delighted and told Rosie he’s always wanted that! Rosie O just adored Iain and told him to come back and do his theater reviews on the show anytime. You can watch Iain’s theater reviews on YouTube here!

 

Take a little time and enjoy The View.  

 

 

November 6, 2014

Hot Topics with special guest host Jordin Sparks:

  • The CMA’s Wrapup: The ladies discussed the CMA’s last night. Country music star Miranda Lambert had a big night last night taking home 4 CMA’s including Best Female Vocalist of the Year! Rosie P has a girl crush on Miranda Lambert and followed that up with, “Your husband ain’t bad either, honey, mmmmmm.” Nicolle offered to take Blake if things work out for Rosie P and Miranda. Whoopi called dibs on Brad Paisley. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood cohosted the CMA’s for the 7th time and some thought their jokes were a bit risqué but Whoopi thought their commentary was very funny. She said there is very little “color” in the audience of the CMA’s and she appreciated them acknowledging that. Jordin Sparks grew up loving country music and wanted people to know there’s so much more to it than the twang. Whoopi agreed and pointed out that the roots of country music come out of Gospel music. Nicolle likes country music and labeled herself as a “stereotypical Republican country fan.” She joked about that republican candidates could only ever get the country artists to come perform at their events, so she’s familiarized herself with a lot of it. She liked Underwood and Paisley’s commentary and that they pointed out the “elephant in the room, saying the thing that everyone’s thinking but won’t say.”
  • Alex Rodriguez: Alex Rodriguez used to say he never did steroids but now he’s saying he may have admitted to using performance enhancing drugs this past January in exchange for less of a suspension and immunity. Rosie P was very disappointed as both a Latin and a baseball fan. She thinks he should have admitted it in the beginning and the forgiveness would have followed. She thinks he tarnished the Yankees. Nicolle said the worst part is that the Yankees are now “stuck with a drug using liar.” Rosie O mentioned a great documentary entitled The Armstrong Lie where a documentary filmmaker chronicles Lance Armstrong’s fall from grace and really shines a light on his public lying. Whoopi thinks as a public figure, it’s hard to keep up with your lies. She said if you know you did “it” and eventually it could come out, you should admit to it because it will.
  • Woman Found: Carlesha Freeland-Gaither has been found after a video of her being brutally abducted was released this week. The ladies applauded and were so happy Carlesha is resting comfortably at home! Rosie P is a big fan of the show Investigation Discovery and thinks this result makes the case for increased surveillance. Rosie O said if it wasn’t for that camera that young woman might never have been found. She thanked God they had the surveillance cameras that helped catch her kidnapper. Nicolle agreed. She said she learned on the television show The First 48, if you’re not found in the first 48 hours of when you go missing your chances of survival drop to about 1%.  She pointed out that in London there are cameras on almost every corner. Whoopi doesn’t mind it especially if the cameras help them catch the bad guys.
  • Rosie P Rocks: All the ladies were extremely proud of Rosie Perez because last night, at the New York City’s Council on Puerto Rican Heritage celebration, she received a proclamation for her outstanding career in entertainment and being an activist for the AIDS crisis and her dedication to the education of New York City’s youth. Congrats Rosie P!!!
  • Viral Video: A California mom was approached by a woman who told her to calm her child down and she punched her in the face for it. Rosie P doesn’t condone violence but thought it was really funny. Whoopi said the last thing you want to do is piss off a frazzled mother! When Nicolle got the job at The View her husband told her the first thing she has to do is “quit screaming at strangers” who tell her to keep the baby quiet. Once she and her husband were on a plane and their toddler had a tantrum and the woman sitting behind them was huffing loudly at the disruption. Nicolle’s husband wouldn’t let her confront the woman so she just yelled at him. Whoopi thinks maybe Richard Branson should start a special airline for parents called Mommy Fly. Rosie O said when she’s on a flight and she sees a mom frazzled by her baby, she will offer to take the baby for her. She loves babies and loves to hold them. Jordin had a lady with a newborn sitting behind on a plane once who showered the other passengers with gifts of candy as an apology. Rosie P said a screaming baby on a plane is “annoying as hell, let’s be real” BUT it’s not the baby’s fault, so she asked people to have some compassion.
  • Migraine Awareness: Jordin Sparks gets migraines and she’s partnered with Excedrin Migraine for the past two years to raise awareness about the condition. Rosie O heard Jordin’s story and didn’t realize migraines could be triggered by stress. Jordin told the ladies about an app called My Migraine Triggers where you can track what triggers your headaches because it’s different for everybody. Whoopi gets migraines and knows when they’re coming so she said she’s going to download the app and start tracking them.
  • Don’t Fart In An MRI: The ladies discussed a hilarious blog that tells the story of farting in an MRI machine written by Elaine Ambrose. That exact experience had never happened to any of the ladies at the table but they had a good laugh about it and Rosie P said she’s tried to hold her farts before but said you shouldn’t do that!

 

Guests:

Cedric The Entertainer: Cedric the Entertainer joined the ladies of The View to discuss his new movie with Chris Rock entitled Top Five. Rosie O and Cedric reminisced about the time they sat next to each other at a dinner at Jerry Seinfeld’s house and Rosie cracked the antique chair she was sitting in! Cedric said he plays a reformed drug dealer in a new Chris Rock comedy. They discussed the film, his role and the many cameos you will see in the movie. Cedric chatted with the ladies about his wife of 15 years and their two children. And because November is American Diabetes Awareness Month, Cedric is promoting a program called Step On Up that brings awareness to diabetic nerve pain. He encouraged viewers wanting to learn more to go to the website StepOnUp.com and take the assessment test to see if your symptoms could be related to diabetes. His new movie Top Five is out in theaters in December. Go see it!

Boy George and the Culture Club: From one of the most groundbreaking groups of the 80’s, that helped put MTV on the map, Boy George from the Culture Club joined the ladies of The View. He said he is celebrating a recent weight loss and his seventh year of sobriety. Boy George said he’s performing again with Culture Club because he wanted a chance to rewrite the ending. He wanted the chance to do it over and go on tour and actually enjoy it. Rosie O quoted Boy George and one of his most famous lyrics that states, “Fame is the impending, glittering, disaster.” She agreed and he said that’s because it’s true. He said when you’re young you spend all your time invested in your career. He has learned to have more of a work/life balance and take time out to do nothing. For him, it’s a skill he had to learn. Boy George and the Culture Club have a new album out entitled Tribes. They sang More Than Silence from their new album and the 80’s classic Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.

Rosie-Odonnell-Boy-George

 

Quoteables:

Nicolle: “There’s power in saying the thing that everyone’s thinking but won’t say.”

Rosie O: “If you mess up, fess up. Simple.”

Whoopi: “The last thing you want to do is piss off a frazzled mother!”

Rosie P: “You shouldn’t hold your farts. Let it go! Let it go!”

Boy George: “Fame is the impending, glittering, disaster.”

 

Take a little time and enjoy The View!

Melissa Etheridge On Tour!

Melssa Etheridge On Tour!

Fan-Fucin-Tastic!

Do Not Miss Her!!!

November 5, 2014

Hot Topics:

  • Midterm Election Results: Nicolle began the show today discussing the midterm elections and she said, “The republicans won and they won big.” She said not only did the Republican Party win but “there was an actual anti-democrat, anti-Obama feeling about these election results.” (so says the republican, but whatever) She said there were some exciting firsts and the Senate has become younger and more female. The republicans are sending their first ever black woman from Utah to Congress. She said the wins yesterday don’t necessarily represent a win for conservatives but a win for republicans. The republicans carefully selected the candidates that would represent them to ensure “no more tea party shit-stirrers” would be selected to be the voice of the party. And on a good note, pot is now legal in Oregon and DC! Nicolle said, “The mood of the country is so sour that these gains will not be enduring unless something changes.” Rosie P said we had a “do nothing congress” before and she worries that we now have an even “do less” congress. She admitted she voted democrat but really wants the country to come together. Nicolle said, “Presidents sometimes have an easier time governing when their party loses control of Congress because it becomes just the White House negotiating with one other side.” Whoopi felt like the democrats deserved to lose yesterday because they didn’t stick by their president. She thinks they should have stood by Obama and what they originally stood for. Nicolle said if the people had turned out to vote in the midterms that turned out in 2008, the vote may have gone very differently. She said the Democratic Party may now be wondering if they had called upon the president to campaign with them, if the election results would have been different. Rosie O remembered going with her mom to her elementary school to vote when she was a child. Whoopi remembered doing that too and what a big deal is was. Rosie P was in the care of child welfare services for much of her childhood so doesn’t have any memory of voting with a parent. If you want to learn more about Rosie P’s harrowing childhood story, I encourage you to read her book Handbook for an Unpredictable Life: How I Survived Sister Renata and My Crazy Mother, and Still Came Out Smiling (with Great Hair).
  • Shoe Cam Returns: Whoopi has officially brought back the shoe cam! If you want to see daily pictures of Whoopi’s amazing shoe choices, check out Whoopi on her Facebook page. And if you really want behind the scenes photos and videos you seriously need to follow The View on Twitter!
  • Frozen’s New Record: Rosie’s favorite movie just scored big again! Apparently, there have been more than three million Frozen costumes sold this year. Rosie O was hardly surprised and admitted her daughter owns a couple Frozen costumes herself. In fact, she wears them quite frequently! Rosie O thinks her youngest is extremely smart and talented and said she could be the next Shirley Temple. Whoopi asked Rosie O if she’s heard of the conspiracy theory that says Frozen is actually the same story as The Shining. Rosie O was a bit offended and scared too at the comparison! 😉
  • Peterson’s Plea: Adrian Peterson avoided jail time by making a plea deal in his child abuse case. Some are asking why Hope Solo, who has been charged with domestic violence for a family dispute, is still allowed to play her sport while Adrian Peterson has been suspended. Rosie O thinks it’s because Solo was accused of hitting her sister and a 17 year old family member in a dispute while Peterson was accused of hitting his very young child. She thinks the age of the victim might be the difference. Rosie P hopes Peterson receives counseling. She thinks he dodged a bullet because most people who have been accused of that crime would have gone to jail. She said children have been hurt and even killed because of child abuse and we can no longer use the “this is how I was taught to discipline my kids” excuse anymore. Whoopi seemed to understand both sides, in a way. She understands that some people in the black community once had to discipline their kids so severely in order to keep them in line so that they wouldn’t fall victim to acting out in a racist society. She referenced the Emmett Till case in which a young black man sassed a white woman and was brutally murdered for it. However, she agrees that the black community needs to find a different way to communicate with their children. Nicolle said state and local government need to play a role in protecting children in all instances of abuse. She believes the right to play in the NFL is a privilege and any NFL player (or citizen, for that matter) should go to jail for beating a child so badly they need to go to the doctor. She said, “You would go to jail for beating your dog like that!” In fact, Rosie O pointed out, the first child abuse case ever prosecuted was done so based off of our animal abuse laws. In 1874 it was illegal to abuse animals but there were no laws protecting children. Rosie P said when she was beaten she was like “hit me and I’ll hit you back.” Whoopi said older black women and black parents today need to understand that just because they were raised a certain way doesn’t make it okay. And yet she understood that they often raised their kids with an iron fist for fear that if they didn’t stay in line, they might end up dead.
  • Viral Video: Lea DeLaria joined the ladies of The View to discuss a recent video of her confrontation with a homophobic preacher on a New York City subway that has gone viral. Rosie O just loves Lea and was excited to have her on as a guest of the show. Lea discussed the video and what prompted her to confront the man. She said she was trying to memorize a scene from Orange Is the New Black as she was riding the subway to work when the man on the subway started spewing such hatred, sexism and homophobia, she couldn’t keep quiet. The ladies were all proud of her for standing up for herself! Lea said being on OITNB has been a dream gig for her. She joked that her entire career has been pretty much “don’t judge a butch by its cover.” Nicolle praised Lea for her outspokenness and called it an “international message against bullying.” Lea said she still regularly performs standup whenever she can find the time and will be singing at Lincoln Center’s American Songbook on February 5th! Click here to find out when tickets will become available! Rosie O asked Lea to perform a bit of the song I Can Cook Too from the role she originated in the play On the Town. You can follow Lea on her Facebook page to find out more about her standup schedule and where you can see her next! Also, check out this video flashback of Lea on The Rosie O’Donnell Show when she sang I Can Cook Too with Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

    Rosie O'Donnell & Lea DeLaria

    Rosie O’Donnell & Lea DeLaria

 

Guests:

Stevie Wonder: The amazing Stevie Wonder joined the ladies of The View to clear up some rumors and promote his Songs in the Key of Life tour. He cleared up a recent rumor about him supposedly having triplets with his girlfriend. He said the rumor is not true but they are expecting a baby girl in December who will be named Nia, which means “purpose.” Like he said in Superstition, “When you believe in things you don’t understand, you suffer.” Regarding his 11 city tour that begins tomorrow, Stevie said he decided to do the tour now because when he first created the album there was so much going on in his life. As the years have passed, and he’s reminisced about his life, he’s realized he wants to really show his appreciation to God, his friends and his family. When they asked him about his songwriting process, Stevie offered to create a song for The View! They sang together at the piano and the entire audience joined in. He said when he writes a song, the melody typically comes first and the lyrics come to him depending on what’s on his mind at the time. Regarding the rumor that he has stacks of unreleased music, he said that rumor is true! Whoopi mentioned the heartfelt performance of the song As that Stevie sang at Robin Williams’ memorial service. The song As was Stevie’s mother’s favorite song and he also played it at her funeral service when she passed away. The Songs in the Key of Life tour begins tomorrow! Stevie played the song As for the studio audience as they went to commercial.

Oscar De La Hoya: The Golden Boy of Boxing who’s won 10 World Championship titles, Oscar De La Hoya joined the ladies of The View! Oscar’s promotion company, Gold Boy Promotions, has kept him in the ring as one of the most powerful figures in professional boxing today. Oscar said it was important to him to get into management because fighters are people and he believes in treating them well and with the respect they deserve. He said the best lesson he’s learned in life is, “Ego is not my amigo.” He said his promotion company is not about him but about helping others trying to make it in this business. They discussed the Bernard Hopkins and Sergey Kovalev fight that will take place this Saturday November 8th and air on HBO. Oscar said Hopkins, at 49 years old, proves that age is just a number. After the commercial break Rosie O and Nicolle battled it out on a punching bag that rated the severity of their punch. The republicans may have won yesterday but Rosie O won the punching contest today. She received an autographed pair of boxing trunks signed by Oscar De La Hoya!  Watch a video of the contest on The View’s Facebook page here.

 

Audience Gift: Everyone in the studio audience received a copy of Disney’s Planes Fire and Rescue on DVD!

 

Take a little time to enjoy The View.

Ask Sabi-Ro – November 5th, 2014