12-17-10 Brendan's last day and Christmas Wishes

In case you missed it...

PERSON OF THE YEAR AND EACH STUDIO MEMBER SHARES THEIR APPRECIATION
Today was the last live show before the Christmas break and it was also Brendan's last day!  Rosie said it's a sad day but she is really happy and excited for Brendan too for his new job as producer on Keith Olbermann's show. 

Rosie announced that Mark Zuckerberg is Time's Person of the Year.  She's happy for him after being almost vilified in the Facebook movie The Social Network.   Rosie and Janette also thought Mark giving 100 million dollars to the New Jersey school system didn't hurt either.  Janette said anyone who achieves great things will have people that hate you and people that love you.  Rosie agreed.  And she said it's a waste of time trying to analyze why people hate you because it's usually more because of something they hate inside themselves rather than anything to do with you. 

Rosie asked everyone in the studio to share their favorite memories about each other.  First everyone shared about Pete.  Janette loves Pete's ability to be enthusiastic, excites, and passionate about even the little things in life.  Bobby and Rosie agreed and love that about him too.  Rosie loves Pete's honesty about parenting because she feels most people aren't willing to be as honest about how hard parenting can be.  Shoshana loves Pete's stories about his kids.  She said his stories are so funny to hear because she's not a parent. James likes it when Pete brings in yummy food in the morning.  Lou loves that Pete is so very proud of being a bit of a dork and he doesn't care what anyone else thinks.  Brendan loves Pete because he reminds him of his brother and hanging with him makes him feel like he's hanging out with his brother. 

Then everyone shared what they love about Bobby.  Janette loves that Bobby will say to her every morning, in the exact same tone and inflection, "Good Morning, Janette Barber!"  She also loves that Bobby will come through in a pinch whenever he's needed and he's very funny.  Rosie loves that Bobby will cheat at the games every day in order to help her win.  They've been friends for 17 years and still going strong.   Pete loves Bobby's attention to detail and is jealous of his creativity and talent.  Shoshana loves Bobby's preparedness and said he's the guy to go to when you need something.  Lou admires the way Bobby's so obsessed with Cher and said it reminds him of his own love/obsession with Pearl Jam.   He also touches his mic 12 times a day and Lou loves him so much he can never correct him for doing it.  Brendan loves the way Bobby makes him laugh when they're calling out the time during the broadcasts and Bobby's sense of humor.  James loves to make fun of Cher and seeing how Bobby defends her.  Deirdre loves Bobby's jokes about her.  She also loves to come to him for advice about what to wear. 

They all said what they love about Shoshana.  Rosie said Shoshana is always fully prepared, competent, always on time, always in a good mood and just a good person.  Bobby loves that Shoshana will always tell you the truth.  Janette loves how smart Shoshana is and that she will always give you an honest opinion.  Janette called her wise beyond her years.  Pete loves how Shoshana sings along to all the songs on the radio on the drive to work in the morning.  Lou likes Shoshana's speaking and singing voice.  James likes trading notes on stories with her in the morning.  Deirdre loves Shoshana's dry, sarcastic, sense of humor that comes out of the blue.  Brendan loves Shoshana's dryness and how she can be snide and snarky when she's not working. 

Then it was Deirdre's turn.  Rosie loves that Deirdre's so willing to share what's going on in her personal life.  She said she enjoys and respects that and needs that in her employees.  Shoshana likes Deirdre's willingness to go against sexual conduct rules.  Rosie said that's why she became so famous when she worked at The Rosie O'Donnell Show!  Bobby loves Deirdre's bravery and said she's never afraid to go there.  Janette loves that she's such a loyal friend.  Pete loves that he's seen her ass more than anyone in the studio and said he will always be indebted to Deirdre for helping him with his job.  Lou loves Deirdre because she gives great relationship advice.  Brendan loves Deirdre because the same things drive them both crazy.  He said it's a cathartic, bonding experience being friends with her.  James said when he first started working at Rosie Radio he was sure she hated him but now he just knows she doesn't give a fuck about anyone and that's what he loves about her. 
Then it was Lou.  Rosie said she loves everything about Lou especially his friendship with Jeannie.  Shoshana loves Lou and how easy going he is if she makes mistakes with the mic.  Bobby loves Lou's laugh and how he turns beat red.  Janette loves Lou and called him a "handsome Yoda."  She said he's incredibly gentle, kind and competent.  Pete loves Lou because he's his friend.  He told him so in a text message.  Deirdre loves Lou because he covers her ass all the time, gives her his cigarettes and has a calming presence.  Brendan said Lou's a producer's best friend and a dream board op.  James loves Lou because he gives him cigarettes and they talk about radio together.

Rosie loves James' baking skills, his enthusiasm and his commitment to working out despite his smoking.  She wishes they grew up together because she knows they would have hung out.  Janette loves James because even though he wasn't chosen for the job in the beginning and he joined the staff late with no attitude and complete competence.  She loves his professionalism.  Pete likes that he and James are both Italian yet very different.  Shoshana likes how James owns who he is.  Bobby loves James' commitment.  Brendan loves their shared interest and knowledge of pop culture.  

Rosie said after 24 years of friendship there is nothing she doesn't enjoy about Janette.  She loves her insanity and said it makes sense to her.  Rosie enjoys Janette on many levels and said she's professional, never misses a day of work and a phenomenal friend and worker.  Shoshana loves that Janette is crazy and knows it and will laugh about it with you.  Bobby likes how Janette is like a bull dog because she latches on and never lets go of an issue.  He loves that about her.  Pete called Janette a "case study in interesting" and he loves that about her.  Deirdre loves Janette and is depressed when she's not working with her.  She said she's loyal, non-judgmental and she "gets" her.  She also loves her sense of humor.  Lou said Janette is a wonderful person, a brilliant producer and finds it funny that she claims she hates kids so much but will cross the globe to go and help them.  Brendan loves how Janette is a phenomenal reader of people and chemistry.  James never met anyone quite like Janette and loves how she can take a horrific description of a story (like the description of the plague) and deliver it with a smile on her face.  

Then it was time for everyone to say what they love about Rosie but Rosie limited them to only one word and if they went on too long she cut them off!  Shoshana loves Rosie's creativity.  Bobby loves Rosie's honesty.  Janette loves that Rosie is never boring and that she's incredibly smart.  She loves her for empowering them as an ensemble and a group.  Pete said Rosie is funny and said thank you.  Lou said Rosie is fuuuuuuny.  Deirdre said Rosie is honest, loyal and loving.  Brendan loves how trusting Rosie is. He said he appreciated how much trust she put in him at the beginning of the radio show and said for the rest of his career that is what he'll remember most about her.  James loves that Rosie is so open and real and said he's told her things he's never told anyone before.  Bobby loves Rosie's honesty but said it's what he loves and worries most about her.  He said he wishes sometimes she wasn't so honest all the time and then knows that is what he loves about her the most!   

GAME
During this game, designed by Bobby, each player reached into a box and pulled out Christmas lyrics.  Then they pulled out a song title out of another box.  Each player had to sing the lyrics to the tune of the song title they pulled out.  Jeannie thought it was going to be really hard and said it's like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.

Rosie went first.  She pulled the lyrics to Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire and had to sing those to the tune of Do you Hear What I Hear.  And she totally did it like she does this on a daily basis at home!!!  And she didn't just do it she did it PERFECTLY!  The whole staff was shocked that it came so easy to her and Rosie had no explanation for why it was so simple for her brain to figure out. 

Deirdre had the lyrics to Have a Holly Jolly Christmas to the tune of Frosty the Snowman. She said she felt challenged doing it and could barely get through the first couple lines.  She tried. 

Jeannie had Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer lyrics sung to the tune of Winter Wonderland.  She did a great job!  

Janette got Silent Night lyrics sung to Joy To the World.  And she could NOT do it.  She started to sing it to the song of We Three Kings which wasn't even one of the songs.  Rosie cut her off because she said dogs were covering their ears with their paws while she was singing.  Janette then told a very funny story about how she was out to dinner recently with a group and  she told a woman how she used to weigh 275 pounds.  The woman said, "And you weigh less that that now?" 

Pete got Frosty The Snowman lyrics sung to the tune of Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer. He did it (sort of).  Everyone was laughing hysterically during this game!

Lou got the Jingle Bell lyrics sung to the tune of Silent Night.  He did it and then said "Fuck" as he screwed up and apologized to Carnie Wilson's daughter.  :)

Brendan sang Deck the Halls lyrics to the tune of Jingle Bells.  He did it really, really well!

James got lyrics to Joy To the World and sang them to the tune of Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.  James kind of did it but no one could really recognize the song. 

Shoshana got the lyrics of Do You Hear What I Hear and sang them to the tune of Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. She did it! 

Rosie did one more since she did so well and proceeded to sing Winter Wonderland to the tune of Deck the Halls.  She did it again perfectly as if she practiced it at home the night before or does this everyday. 

JIM BREUER
Rosie then introduced Jim Breuer who was in the studio for a second interview this week.  Rosie told Jim how much she loves him and his love of his father.  She also loves his new book I'm Not High and said it's a book full of stories some people might not expect from a comic.  Jim said the older he gets the more he gets tired trying to appeal to people.  When he wrote the book his intention was to tell the stories of his life because he felt people could really relate to them. 

Rosie then asked Jim to tell the story of his nephew.  Jim proceeded to tell a beautiful story of his nephew Steve that he took into his home after he was released from prison. Jim said he was always worried about his nephew getting into trouble and once he was out of jail he really wanted to help him.  He took him on the road for 6 weeks trying to decide how he could help him and if he would be okay to have around his family.  It took him 1-2 years but he eventually bonded with him and helped him get his own job and car.  Now he's with a lovely woman from a great family and just had a baby!  


They talked about his documentary about Jim's dad that Rosie loved.  And Jim told Rosie all about his connection to the teens at Daytop Village that he's worked with and a particular teen that he really connected with. 

Rosie talked about how hard it is to help kids with addiction issues because relapse is often a part of it.  She said when she sees Eminem, Robert Downey Jr. and Natasha Lyonne she knows there's always hope when it comes to addiction. 

Rosie asked Jim where he gets his look on life and Jim said he's big into not judging others.  He said it's been powerful and instead of judging someone for what they've done he wants to know why they are where they are.  He also prays and knows every action causes a reaction and lives his life very aware of that.  He said anyone in life can give you a moment that can change your life or open your eyes.  Jim likes to learn from everyone he meets and said every person can enhance your life.  Rosie thanked Jim for coming in and sharing his life stories.  She encouraged listeners who would like to learn more about Jim to go to JimBreuer.com and listen to his shows every Friday on Raw Dog on Sirius/XM.   

SECRET SANTA
First each member guessed who they thought their Secret Santa was.  Janette thought her Secret Santa was Pete because she thinks she got old crap from his house.  Rosie thought hers was Bobby.  Shoshana thought hers was Bobby too!  Bobby thought his was Shoshana.  Deirdre thought hers was James.  Jeannie thought hers was Janette.  James thought his was Lou.  Lou thought Deirdre was his and Brendan thought his was Jeannie. 
And here are the final Secret Santa reveals....
Pete had Janette and gave her a Comedy Legends DVD as her final gift. 
Janette had Pete!  She gave him gourmet cookies and a Star Wars Pez Dispensers as his final gift. 
Bobby had Shoshana!  She said she knew it day one and he gave her fingerless gloves and nail polish. 
Jeannie had Brendan!  Jeannie wrote the poems and wrapped the presents herself!  She gave him a Christmas ornament with a pregnant bear and a baby name book for his final present. 
Shoshana had Jeannie!  She got her apple cinnamon tea lights as her final present. 
James had Deirdre!  She got gum, a protein bar and a lighter as his final presents. 
Rosie had Bobby!  She got him a stuffed, animated chipmunk as his final present. 
Brendan had Lou!  He gave him 6 Amstel Lights as his his final present. 
Deirdre had Rosie!  She gave her an Elton John Christmas ornament for her tree for her last present. 
And Lou had James!  Lou got him an iTunes giftcard as his final present. 

Brendan had written down his predictions and had every one correct except two!  Shoshana and Pete guessed who everyone had exactly correct! 

CHRISTMAS WISHES
Rosie mentioned where you can submit your Christmas wishes online that will be used as confetti in Times Square on New Years Eve.  Bobby's wish was that everyone he knows and loves will stay healthy until next year.  Pete wished that his kids stay happy.  Rosie wished all her kids are able to find their place in the world and know they're valued and loved.  And that Missy will stop peeing and pooping in her house.  Janette wished that she loses weight again next year. Shoshana wished to find a new apartment in the new year that was big but doesn't cost a lot of money.  Lou couldn't think of one on the spot.  Brendan wished for a nice transition to his new life new job.  Deirdre wished for a peaceful year and Lou wished Brendan the best of luck because he's the smartest and best producer he's ever worked with.  James wished for a good transition into his new position. 

GOODBYE, BRENDAN
Then it was time for the staff to share their favorite Brendan moments as they said goodbye to him on his last day.  For Jeannie it was Brendan making funny jokes about Pete at the Culinary Institute.  Rosie remembered Brendan's first day and she thought he was only 12 years old!  Deirdre remembered Brendan's great impression he did of Oprah one day and then asked him to do it for them all.   Bobby loves how Brendan played Angry Birds in the car ride every day on the ride home from work.  Pete remembered a funny moment from the convention they went to and the crazy woman they met there that thought she had a sister who was a unicorn.  Janette said she doesn't know what she would have done without him this year.  She talked about how impressed she was with him after only 5 minutes of meeting him in his interview because even though he was so young looking he was full of wisdom and so articulate.  Lou remembered Brendan's impersonation of Michael McDonald so Brendan did that and they all laughed!  James too loved Brendan's love of playing Angry Birds.  But even more, James said he learned so much from Brendan as a producer because there's nothing he doesn't know.  Rosie told him to stop because he was being too "ass-kissy."  Shoshana remembered Brendan's calm driving in a horrible snowstorm about a year ago. 

Brendan thanked everyone for everything and said he'll miss the show and promised to listen whenever he can.  He said he feels really proud about working at Rosie Radio and of what they built together from scratch. 
And Lou played this goodbye song to Brendan...

Rosie closed the show wishing all her listeners Happy Holidays and saying she'll be back in 2011.

Rosie Radio will resume live shows on January 3rd, 2011.  
Happy Holidays to my readers!
and that's what you missed -kw  

12-16-10 The Craft Contest Winner and Donny & Marie Osmond!

In case you missed it...

ROSIE RADIO RANDOMOSITY, THE SING OFF AND THE CRAFT CONTEST WINNER
Rosie started today's program talking about how she was not really dressed appropriately for the Sirius studios in New York City.  She said she had a silk shirt on but no bra!  And then she started talking about her nipples and Pete and Bobby pleaded with her to stop!  lol  Janette wished her longtime boyfriend Barry a Happy Birthday!  Janette's been with Barry for many years but says they have no desire to marry.  They discussed civil unions that are becoming quite popular in Europe today.  Rosie didn't get to see Barbra Streisand on Larry King last night but said she has it tivoed.  She got home late because she was at a fundraiser for her charity Rosie's Theater Kids.

They then discussed the Sing Off and the various competing teams.  Lou played the group who sang Landslide last night.  Rosie said she thinks Glee has changed the face of television and without it, The Sing Off wouldn't be as popular as it is.  Janette finds the overacting of the competitors on The Sing Off distracting and likes it better just hearing them sing rather than watching them perform.

Landslide from The Sing Off 

Rosie Radio then announced the Craft Contest Winner!!!!  The winner of the craft contest was Derek Hartley!   Janette and Rosie both thought Romaine was going to take the top prize.  Pete read the final votes and said Romaine had 25.18% of the votes and Derek had 25.26%!  There was under a 50 vote difference.   Romaine and Derek were on the phone to talk to Rosie.  Romaine said she's fiercely competitive and went on the air and lobbied hard for her craft.  She thinks maybe her listeners wanted to teach her a lesson in humility.  Derek said the win made him feel very ambivalent.  He said he was excited to enter the contest because he listens to Rosie Radio every morning but when it got overly competitive he felt the competition lost the holiday spirit. Rosie chatted with them both for a bit and thanked them for participating.  Romaine didn't win anything but Rosie offered to send her some of her Secret Santa gifts she's received this week.  Derek on the other hand, won a gift bag with a copy of Rosie's Crafty U and lots of other goodies!  Rosie thanked them both for playing and wished them a happy holiday. 

Rosie said Lou was the winner of all the Rosie Radio staff members and she thought Paul Kodila should win something because his craft was overlooked.  The at home listener was Kathy Martin!  Rosie said her craft was "unbelievable" and if she doesn't work for Martha Stewart she should!

Janette said Bobby, Rosie, Jeannie and herself have all donated their crafts to an online auction created by her Facebook friend Petra.  You can bid to win one of those crafts HERE and all proceeds will benefit Janette's charity Medical Missions for Children! Janette thanked Petra and the "blogtourage" and Pete promised to put up a link to the auction on Rosie.com

DADT AND DISCRIMINATION OVER BEING GAY
Rosie then wanted to discuss how Don't Ask Don't Tell has been repealed in the House.  Brendan explained how it now has to go to the Senate for a vote.  He said there are five Senators who are "fence sitters" that might go either way with Mike Brown (in the Kennedy seat) being one of them.  Brown is a Republican but has voted for Massachusetts which is typically a Democratic state.  It is believed Brown will vote to repeal the bill.  Brendan said the Senate will be voting on it soon.

Rosie is still shocked that this is an issue in our country.  She said throughout history, gay people have ALWAYS served in our country's military.  They talked about a recent article that asks if gay rights are actually civil rights.  Janette said it's important for straight people to know the discrimination that goes on if you're gay because many times straight people simply have no idea.  Rosie mentioned a book entitled 8 bullets by Claudia Brenner about two women lovers who go hiking on the Appalachian trail.  They see a strange man watching them so they go further up the mountain to avoid him.  The guy finds them and shoots 8 bullets into the tent trying to kill them because he said their lifestyle was an abomination and an act against God.   They pretended they were dead and one woman carried the other woman down the mountain.  One woman died but one survived the shooting.  At the trial every gay person in the town came to the courthouse wearing a pink shirt to prove how many people in the town were actually gay.  The shooter was found guilty.  Rosie said she wanted to buy the rights to the book and make it into a film one day.

Rosie thinks if everyone that supports gay rights would make a similar statement like this it would make a huge impact on the way our country is run.  She said she wished Obama would come out and simply say it's time for DADT to be repealed.  She said many people who voted for him are questioning if Obama's done enough in his first two years of presidency and if he would just make a strong statement about this it would say so much about him.  Rosie said as the first African American president, Obama should empathize with gay citizens because there was a time when no one believed an African American should be treated equally in this country either.  Rosie said it's time to take a stance on the issue.  She said how Obama has handled this issue leaves her wondering if anyone who gets to be President is strong enough to follow their own moral beliefs. 

Pete read the statistics of the states that permit discrimination based on someone's sexuality.  He said only 21 states prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.  In more than half of the states in this country you're allowed to discriminate against someone based on their sexuality.  But in no state are you allowed to discriminate against someone because of the color of their skin or their religion.  And in only 23 states, are you legally considered a family member and can visit your loved one in the hospital if you're gay. 

Rosie told the story of Janice Langbehn who wasn't permitted to visit her wife in a Florida hospital when she was dying.  Rosie said President Obama called her and promised her they changed that law so it will never happen again.

Rosie took a call from a listener whose gay brother was fired for being gay from Home Depot in Virginia.  She said he worked in the paint department and was fabulous at his job.  He had been employee of the month many times too.  She said they were aware he was gay when he was hired and he worked for them for three years until a retired military chief was hired as his superior.  The retired chief was uncomfortable working with him and they were worried about a harassment lawsuit so they fired her brother for being gay.  She checked into it and found out it's legal to fire someone in the state of Virginia for being gay!  Rosie couldn't believe it and thanked the caller for sharing her story. 

Rosie mentioned a speech by Congressman John Lewis about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.  I believe I found the text of that speech on HRC's website.  In his own words...

Rep. John Lewis: “Madam Speaker, I for one fought too long and too hard to end discrimination based on race and color, not to stand up against discrimination against our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. During the 1960’s, we broke down those signs that said ‘white’ and ‘colored.’ Call it what you may, to discriminate against someone because they are gay is wrong, it is wrong, it is not right. There’s not any room in our society for discrimination. Today we must take this important step after more than 30 long years and pass the employment Employment Non-Discrimination Act. It is the right thing to do. It is the moral thing to do. Let us do it. Not just for this generation but for generations yet unborn. Today we have an opportunity to bring down more signs. Now is the time to do what is right, what is fair, what is just. The time is always right to do right. Let us pass this bill.”


SECRET SANTA AND THE NY AMAZING RACE
Rosie and the staff then opened their Secret Santa gifts.  Rosie got a loofah and some nail files.  Bobby got a utility tool kit for his bag.  Pete got Nutella, a Dr. Suess book and Hanukkah gelt.  Shoshana got cupcake bakeware that makes giant cupcakes and everyone guessed hers was Jeannie.  Deirdre got a $5 NY lottery ticket.   Someone opened Jeannie's present for her and she got a grab and go something (I missed it).  Janette got a book entitled Call for Action: A Survival Kit for New Yorkers published in 1973!  Lou got a bottle of Miller High Life. 

As they were opening gifts Rosie invited some people who were on a Sirius radio tour into their studio!  She chatted with the tourists who were with the New Jersey Mercedes Benz headquarters.  First Rosie said she never felt comfortable enough to buy a Mercedes because she finds them "too show-offy."  Then she found out they were a big sponsor at Sirius and said she took it back!  She also found out that a Mercedes costs about the same as her Volvo.  The tourists were taking the Sirius studio tour and then competing in the NY Amazing Race.  The tourists said they were going to Tony's DiNapoli for lunch and Rosie raved about the owner of that restaurant.  She said he's often hosted her fundraisers at his restaurant and called the owner a lovely guy.  She recommended the Chicken Francese and gave her Secret Santa loofah to the woman who spoke on behalf of the group. 

After the tour left the studio Pete talked about the NY Amazing Race and said he would "fucking rock that" game!

Continuing with the opening of the gifts, Brendan received two chocolate bars made with dark chocolate and a poem and  James got chap-stick, candy and Warheads (the candy).   

DONNY AND MARIE OSMOND!
Rosie then introduced Donny and Marie Osmond who were in the studio for the interview!  Rosie and her girlfriend were at opening night of Donny and Marie's A Broadway Christmas and she told them it was FANTASTIC!  Rosie said she cried at the nostalgia piece they did during the show.  They joked about the time in 1996 when Marie convinced Donny to come apologize to Rosie on The Rosie O'Donnell Show wearing a puppy dog suit after he called her fat. 

Marie and Donny have been performing in Vegas for 2 and a half years but have taken a short leave from their permanent gig at the Flamingo to perform on Broadway.  They start back at the Flamingo on January 18th.  Marie moved her entire family to Las Vegas but Donny still lives in Utah and commutes back and forth.  Marie said it was too hard for her to commute because she's a single mom and has to be there for her kids who are in school.  Rosie said she heard Las Vegas has fantastic schools and Marie agreed.  Donny talked about his three grand-babies who Rosie gooed over.  Donny said despite the fact he's a grandfather he still feels like a teenager and will probably never act his age. 

Rosie talked with Marie about her interview on Oprah.  The interview was the first time Marie sat down with someone publicly to talk about her son Michael's suicide.  Rosie called the interview unbelievably honest, cathartic, human and brave.  Marie said she didn't think she was really quite ready to talk about her son but she wanted to give Mike credit for who he was as a person.  They talked about the scrapbook Mike made and left behind and what a gift it was for Marie.  Marie cried and talked to Rosie about what a special kid Mike was and how difficult his death has been for her other children.  All the proceeds of Marie's latest album I Can Do This go to help kids with depression.  Rosie talked about her own battle with depression which she said got worse after the Columbine tragedy.  She said after Columbine she couldn't sleep and couldn't believe children were getting killed in  public schools in America.  She wanted to fix the world and when she couldn't it made her spiral into a depression.  She went on medicine which helped her tremendously.  Danny talked with Rosie about his own struggles with anxiety that he talked about in his book Life Is Just What You Make It: My Story So Far.  Donny thanks God that he came through it.  Marie shared about her own struggles with postpartum depression and said all of the bad things we go through in our lives teach us compassion for others' struggles.  She applauded Rosie for speaking out about depression and keep going forward.  Marie said she believes serving others is one of the greatest things we can do when we're depressed.  She said depression robs you of your life.  Rosie agreed and said depression feels like you are under water and can't get to the surface.  Rosie talked to Marie and Donny about how she went off her depression medication for a while recently and how her children noticed.  Marie attributed her getting through her own struggles to God and praying and said that is proof to her that God is real. 

Rosie asked Marie, who also has adopted children, how much she thinks being adopted played a part in her son's depression.  Marie thought it definitely played a part in it and Rosie agreed and called it a "primal wound."  Marie told a story about her own adopted daughter who, when she was a little girl, said, "I can't believe my mom sold me for less than the family car."  When she heard her daughter say that she said "her heart died" and she had a long talk with her about honoring her birth mother because of the very difficult choice she made. Marie and Rosie talked about how adopted children must learn to honor their past and remember their birth parents are heroes. Marie also talked about what a gift her brother Donny has been for her kids.

Marie and Donny said they had a difficult childhood because they never went to public school with peers and grew up in show business.  Donny, Marie and Rosie all talked about the struggles they have parenting teens.  Marie talked with Rosie about her son Mike's struggles with addiction.  Donny spoke about the need to serve others and how that's what God wants us to do.

Donny used to call Rosie from the parking lot when Marie was on Dancing With The Stars!  He was so nervous for her!  When Marie was doing DWTS her son overdosed and went into rehab, her dad died and  she was going through a horrible custody battle with her divorce.  Marie said the show is a lot of work and she warned Donny of this before he did it!   

Rosie talked with Donny and Marie about their Christmas special on Broadway and how they wanted to incorporate Christmas music with music from the Donny and Marie Show.  Donny said it was important for them to bring back the music of the past because people want to remember happier times.  Rosie told them it's a great show!  Rosie also said she was stunned by the amount of people with Donny and Marie merchandise in the audience! 

Donny called Jeannie Weenie during the commercial break!  He said Jeannie told him she was speechless but Donny said she was anything BUT speechless.  Rosie told Donny all about how Jeannie's wanted to marry Donny since high school and how upset she became when she found out Rosie was going to their opening on Broadway and not taking her!  Rosie promised she and Jeannie would go see their show before it closes so she could meet Donny.  

Rosie asked Donny and Marie if there's ever a chance they would do a Christmas show with all their kids.  Rosie thinks it would be HUGE and said their fans would love to see their children perform with them.  Donny and Marie said they hope their Broadway show might be an annual event with special guests and Rosie volunteered!  Rosie and Donny then started to sing Walking In a Winter Wonderland

Then Howard Stern walked by the studio!  Rosie told Donny and Marie how Howard got her the job on Sirius and about when she decided to go on his show.  Her only promise to herself when going on his program was to be honest with him and that's what she did.  Donny also did Howard's radio show and he too made a promise with himself to just be honest.  Now they're all friends.

Rosie thanked Donny and Marie for coming in and told them she'd come out to Vegas to see their show soon!

Donny on Rosie for old time's sake

Funny...

Donny and Rosie sing!


Rosie closed the show.

and that's what you missed -kw

12-15-10 Serial Killers, Jackie's Book Pick and an interview with Maureen Langan

In case you missed it...

CHRISTMAS PLANS, ROSIE'S TALK WITH SHMULEY AND ROSIE DEFENDS HER SINGING
Rosie and the staff started today's program counting down the days until Christmas.  Janette sometimes  counts down how many Christmases she has left in her life.  She said she hopes she'll die at 86, the same age her father was when he died.  Rosie told Janette her mom was 36 when she died so her theory was flawed.  Rosie is going to another land until Christmas for the show Who Do You Think You Are.  Pete suggested Rosie shop for Christmas while she's overseas but Rosie said she would be too nervous trying to get the things through Customs.  Pete suggested she just have it shipped directly to her house in Miami - where she's going with her kids for the holidays.

Last night, Rosie did a talk with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.  Janette heard Rosie was fabulous!  They did a question and answer session with the audience and talked about family, war, religion, homosexuality, etc.  During the questions someone in the audience asked about the war in Iraq and Rabbi Shmuley said he was in favor of the war because the world is better off without Saddam Hussein.  Rosie thought this was an absurd line of thinking for a Rabbi to have to think the ends justifies the means and they got into a heated debate about it.  She said it was like crossfire for a minute of last night's debate.  Shoshana thought the Rabbi mistakenly got into that topic of conversation after talking about his support of the repeal of DADT.  Pete said the United States helped Saddam when it was beneficial for us and we helped The Taliban when they were beneficial to us and when they weren't we went to war with them. Rosie said the conversation about war started during a conversation about bullying.  Rosie thinks our culture is set up for bullying with political commentators like Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly leading the charge.  She continued to say if the U.S. government allows us to discriminate against gay people with DADT, not allowing gays to get married etc, how can we expect the children of this country to respect its gay citizens?  Bobby said it is still legal in many states to be denied housing, be denied service in a restaurant because of being gay.  When Rosie mentioned her distaste for Glenn Beck many of the audience members applauded but some hissed at her comment.  She said  those people in the audience must of heard O'Donnell as a speaker of the evening and thought they meant Christine O'Donnell not Rosie O'Donnell.  Bobby said Beck is like a bad off-Broadway show and Rosie agreed.  She asked Janette if she had ever seen Jon Stewart's impression of Beck which she called SPOT ON!  Janette has never watched Glenn Beck so she really wouldn't know a good impersonation of him.  Rosie said it was hard to argue with a Rabbi because she felt like he has direct access to God (like a DSL line) while she's still using dial-up. 

Stewart does Beck

Rosie said when she was singing along to Adele during yesterday's broadcast about 25 people wrote in to her on her blog and asked her to not do that.  Deirdre said the audio people on The Rosie O'Donnell Show used to turn Rosie's mic way down during the musical guests' performances.  Rosie joked that she was extremely hurt by those comments and said she has two Christmas albums out!  She then asked Lou to play some of them.

WIKILEAKS, COMMON EMAIL PASSWORDS, ROSIE IN O MAGAZINE AND DIVORCE
Rosie wanted to discuss WikiLeaks again because she said she still really doesn't get it.  She mentioned how she heard Michael Moore is posting bail for Julian Assange, the creator of WikiLeaksPete explained WikiLeaks for the listening audience and for Rosie.  Rosie and asked Pete and Janette if they thought Assange believes he's truly exposing the wrongs of this country.   They both think he does.

Pete read an article that talks about the most commonly used passwords people use for their accounts such as: 123456, password, lifehack, qwerty, monkey, letmein, trustnoone, passw0rd and cheese.  Janette had such an obvious password (her cat's name) Rosie busted it on air during one of the broadcasts and Janette had to run to her computer and change it!  Now she has something totally different that no one would think of.  Deirdre uses the same password for everything.  Pete has many passwords for accounts and changes the numbers in them regularly.  Bobby puts the place where he is (such as J.Jill.com) and his password for every site he enters so that it's never the same.



Rosie asked everyone if they had seen her picture in O Magazine!  She said she also took one where she was holding Pete's newborn baby that they didn't use and wanted to know if she could still get a copy of it from the photographer.  The kitchen in the photo is the radio studio kitchen all "done" up!



photo belongs to O Magazine

Rosie said she was sad to hear that Dexter actor, Michael C. Hall and his wife are getting divorced.  She said she isn't sure why but it just makes her sad to hear.  Janette said divorce can be a great thing if a marriage isn't working.  Bobby said the stress of Michael's illness may have been very hard on their relationship.  Rosie was also sad to hear that Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds were getting divorced.  Pete was happy because he crushes Scarlett and Shoshana was happy because she crushes Ryan.  Their significant others might not know this however. 

And every time someone on the Rosie Radio staff says a swear word they apologize to Carnie Wilson's daughter.  This is because, one day Carnie called into the radio show and said she listens to Rosie Radio while taking her daughter to school in the morning.    So now anytime someone says "Fuck" they follow it up up wit,h "Sorry, Carnie Wilson's daughter." 

ROOM THE NOVEL AND SERIAL KILLERS
Rosie said she's reading Room and really likes it.  She said it's so unbelievably riveting she can't put it down.  She said she's obsessed with finding out why this little boy and his mom are trapped in this room and can't stop thinking about it. 

This then led to a conversation about serial killers.  Rosie said there's possibly a serial killer loose on Long Island, New York.  James explained that four bodies have been found along the beach in Suffolk County.  The bodies are in varying states of decay (meaning they weren't just all killed recently) but were all just dumped there.  They believe the killer is familiar with the area and possibly from Long Island.  All of the victims were women.

Rosie said there was a time she was so obsessed with serial killers and read every book about them.  Her therapist told her for every male serial killer book she read she needed to read one about a crime a woman committed.  Rosie was once at a party and a documentary on serial killers was on in the background on mute and she realized she knew every serial killer they were profiling just by their faces!  She came home and looked at her bookshelf and thought she better get rid of all the books on murder because if anyone she knows ever goes missing they're going to look at her bookshelf and suspect her!  Janette said the thought of a serial killer is a creepy concept to her because nothing a victim can say will dissuade them from killing you. 

Rosie said her BFF Jackie will be the head of her book club on her new OWN show and she was the one who recommended she read Room!  Rosie said Jackie also protects Rosie's from certain books like The Dive From Clausen's s Pier.  Jackie told Rosie to never read that book because it would be too upsetting for her.  Rosie said she loves non-fiction but she also enjoys fiction by Fannie Flagg, Anne Rice, Pat Conroy, Margaret Atwood, etc.  But she especially loves biographies and memoirs too.  Rosie's brother Eddie recommended Rosie read Cleopatra.  He read it on their trip to another land.  Rosie said she's been reading a lot lately on her long flights overseas. 

On her last flight to "the other land"  they had touch screen video games on the back of the seat in front of her and the kids behind her played it for an entire two hours.  So, essentially she was being poked in the back relentlessly for two hours!  Rosie said she was just happy the kid wasn't screaming and she tried to pretend she was getting a massage.  Janette asked Rosie why she didn't say anything to the parents and Rosie said she was just understanding of how hard it probably was for them to travel with kids.  The guy next to her even offered to switch seats with her.  On her last trip Rosie read Patti Lupone's Memoir and Steve Martin's An Object of Beauty.

Going back to the serial killer topic, Rosie said when the Son of Sam serial killer was on the loose she was in the 8th or 9th grade and remembered hysterically crying while her brother was making out with his girlfriend in the car in the driveway because Son of Sam was killing people in that very situation.  She said she had a real fear she would be murdered and would even move the dresser against the door when she was on the road doing standup.  Janette remembers it.  Rosie also hated sleeping in a hotel room alone and would ask friends to sleep in her room so she didn't have to be alone at night.  Rosie said she's afraid of stranger violence but she's not necessarily afraid of strangers who are fans.  She referred to the Connecticut home invasion and Oprah's interview with William Petit.  Rosie said the interview was heart-wrenching and almost like watching the "walking dead."  She wondered how anyone ever survives what he has been through.  Bobby also saw the interview and said it was as if William has been gutted.  Rosie said the interview is a testament to how good Oprah is at what she does.  Rosie said all she would be able to do is cry if she tried to interview Dr. Petit.  She talked about how hard it was for her to hold back her emotions the first time they had Christopher Reeve on The Rosie O'Donnell Show.  Rosie loved Oprah's interview with William Petit and how she asked the really tough questions with such warmth.  Here's a link to a video from Oprah.com about Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela Petit

Rosie then took a call from a listener who also used to put the dresser in front of his bedroom door when he slept and stayed awake all night until the sun came up.  Rosie said that was her life for 10 years.   The caller talked with Rosie about the things that happened in his childhood such as watching his brother get murdered when he was only 3 years-old and witnessing his sister getting sexually abused.  Rosie listened lovingly and told the caller that memories as traumatic as those come to you in fragments and not always in a clear way and to not be surprised if he never gets a full picture of what happened.  They chatted about going to therapy and antidepressants.  The caller thanked Rosie for having comedienne Judy Gold on the show and for Janette sharing her worries she has about death because he worries about it too and she's helped him.  Rosie and the caller talked about recovery programs such as AA and sponsors and addictions.  Rosie told the caller not to give up and to keep up with the healing process and wished him the best.  

SECRET SANTA
Then it was time to reveal the Secret Santa gifts!  Rosie received tweezers with a magnifying mirror and dental flossers and was positive her Secret Santa was Deirdre.  Janette got sparkle balls for her cats.  Bobby got a bar of soap that smelled beautiful!  He was sure it was Shoshana because the soap was vegan.  Pete got a robot alarm clock that projects on the wall. Brendan got a poem and candle holders in "exquisite wrapping."  Deirdre got a wine cork that preserves wine once it is opened.  Pete got an Italian cake and soap.  Shoshana got something Rosie wanted!  She got the Ove Glove!  No one really believed that Rosie wanted an oven mitt as a gift but Rosie swore she sometimes makes cookies and would really use it so Shoshana gave it to her!  Jeannie got lip-gloss in various shades.  James got M&Ms, Tootsie Rolls in an ornament, a Slinky Jr. and a candle.  Lou got a bottle of Toasted Lager made on Long Island and was beginning to feel insulted because he kept getting beer!  Rosie said she was sure Deirdre has her and Pete was sure Lou has James. 

MAUREEN LANGAN
Rosie then introduced Maureen Langan who was in the studio!  Maureen and Rosie chatted about life, comedy and their recent show they did together at the NY Comedy festival!  Maureen said she saw Rosie and Roseann Barr perform at the Lincoln Center two years ago and it was her dream to perform with her someday.  So, when she was asked to do the gig with her this year she was beside herself.  Maureen said Rosie has the best audience ever and called them smart, appreciative, edgy and fun!  She also complimented Rosie on how gracious she was to her and how she set her up for success that night.  Rosie told Maureen that it was Janette that told Rosie she would love Maureen and she was right!

Maureen said she used to work as a broadcast journalist doing "man on the street" interviews for Bloomberg.  But when he started running for mayor some of the stuff she was doing was too edgy so she decided to start doing standup so she could branch out on her own.  Maureen said standup gives her the courage to speak and own her own opinions instead of hiding behind them. 

Maureen and Rosie joked about family and their Irish heritage.  Rosie asked Maureen to do a few bits from her act about her difficulties trusting people and how she was raised that if you worked hard, life would reward you.  Maureen called it BULLSHIT and mentioned all the crazies that never worked hard a day in their lives yet have these amazing careers.  Maureen said one of her goals is to get on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Rosie remembered wanting that gig so badly so she said she'd make a few calls for her.  Maureen thanked her! 

Maureen and Rosie talked about how men can find a woman at any age and how that's not true for women.  Maureen said it doesn't matter how old or ugly a man is if they're wealthy or famous they'll always get a woman.

Rosie thanked Maureen for coming in and for the interview and let listeners know they can see her perform on New Years Eve at the Marin Showcase in San Rafael, California.  Maureen will also be performing tonight at Caroline's on Broadway!

CRAFT CONTEST AND A GAME
Bobby quickly reminded listeners that the Craft Contest voting ends tomorrow and encouraged listeners to vote for their favorite on Rosie.com

James then introduced a game.  He had a list of the greatest books ever and each player got a point if they could name a book on the list and two points if they could name the author. 

ROUND ONE
Pete: guessed The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky which was not on the list.  0 points.
Janette: guessed Tale of Two Cities which was not on the list. 0 points
Bobby: guessed Diary of Anne Frank by Anny Frank which was not on the list. 0 points
Shoshana: guessed Moby Dick which was not on the list. 0 points
Rosie: guessed The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald for  3 points!

ROUND TWO
Pete: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck which was not on the list. 0 points
Janette: The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway which was not on the list. 0 points
Bobby: Les Miserables which was not on the list. 0 points
Shoshana: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger which was on the list for 3 points.
Rosie: Great Expectations which was not on the list. 0 points

ROUND THREE
Pete:  Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck which was on the list for 3 points.
Janette: For Whom the Bell Tolls which was not on the list. 0 points
Bobby: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell which was on the list but he only got 1 point because he didn't remember the author.  1 point
Shoshana:  Romeo and Juliet which was not on the list. 0 points
Rosie:  The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath which was not on the list. 0 points

ROUND FOUR
Pete:  Lion Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis which was on the list for 3 points.
Janette: Alice and Wonderland which was not on the list. 0 points
Bobby:  Frankenstein which was not on the list. 0 points
Shoshana:  Harry Potter which was not on the list. 0 points
Rosie: Huckleberry Finn which was not on the list. 0 points

Pete won the game! 

What was on the list was To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, 1984, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Catch 22, Are You There God It's Me Margaret, etc.  Rosie didn't think it was a specific enough list and wasn't really fond of the game. 

Rosie closed the show saying tomorrow they will be at the Sirius radio studios in Manhattan and Donny and Marie Osmond will be guests!! 

and that's what you missed -kw

12-14-10 The Culinary Giveaway, The Sing Off and Adele 21

In case you missed it...

THE CULINARY INSTITUTE AND BIGGEST LOSER
Rosie and the staff started today's program talking about their trip to the Culinary Institute last Friday.  Jeannie said the people at the Institute asked them to send in quick meals they would typically make at home and they would teach them how to revamp them.  Jeannie told them she always makes a pasta with some kind of vegetable at home so on Friday they gave her a better recipe!  The Culinary Institute then offered to give away classes to listeners so Rosie invited listeners from California, Texas and New York to call in and try to win the prizes!    Pete then went on to describe the Culinary Boot Camps they offer at the Institute. 

Rosie and Jeannie then talked about how tonight is the Biggest Loser finale.  Rosie's son Parker again mentioned how he thinks Jeannie and Rosie should go on that show.  Jeannie said after looking at her pictures in her Culinary Institute apron she said she looks like a Mack Truck and begged Rosie to go on the show with her.   Jeannie said she wants to go on it because she wants to be a hottie and Rosie said she has no desire to be a hottie!  She asked about it and sounded interested for a minute but who knows...  Rosie said 2011 will be her year of focusing on self-care. 

Rosie then took two calls from listeners who won boot camps for themselves and a friend.  One caller was suffering from depression and Rosie could immediately hear it in her voice.  They discussed antidepressants and various treatments for depression.  

THE HAMSTER'S FOUND, THE SING-OFF, 311, DONNY OSMOND AND HOWARD RE-SIGNS
Vivi's hamster Chip, the one she got for her birthday, went missing a few days ago and Rosie announced that she was found sleeping under Chelsea's bed.  Then Rosie said they had a terrible hamster incident.  First Vivi came in to Rosie's room last night crying saying they needed to take Vampire (the replacement hamster Kelli bought for Vivi the last time Chip went missing that they ended up giving to Blake) to the Vet because of a gash in her leg.  Rosie took a look at Vampire and thought she looked okay and she would heal and didn't need to go to the hamster hospital.  Then Vivi came back into Rosie's room crying even harder and then admitting that she and Tracy's daughter thought Chip and Vampire should meet so they put them together and they almost killed each other!  She was crying so hard she could barely speak!  Savannah, Tracy's daughter, had to pull the hamsters apart and Pete said it's a good thing she did because they could have killed each other!  Vampire has a bite in her leg but she's going to be okay.  Vivi made Rosie promise she wouldn't tell Blake what happened and promised to never do it again. 

Rosie and the staff then discussed last night's episode of the Sing Off.  Everyone loves the program and Rosie was amazed that there are no instruments used in the songs.  They discussed the groups and played various songs from last night's show such as Kyrie Eleison, Come On Eileen and Creep.  Rosie said she thinks the show is going to make the art form really take off.  They all feared even though the judges have such reverence for the older group, they will go home soon because America will vote them out.   Janette said she thinks Street Corner Symphony will win and while she likes the show she thought two hours was a little too long.  Rosie and Jeannie loved all two hours of the program.  Rosie then compared the style of singing to Manhattan Transfer and Lou played a couple of their songs.

Rosie quickly announced that Barbra Streisand will be on Larry King on Wednesday!  Set your TIVOs!

Rosie then asked who in the studio has ever called 311 in New York.  According to Wikipedia, 311 is a non-emergency telephone number in New York that provides quick access to non-emergency municipal services or a Citizen Service Center.  Dialing the number allows city residents to obtain important non-emergency services through a central, all-purpose phone number.  Rosie, who kind of thought it was an absurd concept, said her good friend Jackie would be the type to use this service because she is also the type who calls the number on the back of trucks to report them if they're driving poorly.  She then called her a "loserama."

Bobby defended the use of 311 and said he's used it before when he has questions about city parking, there's a strange package or he's seen something out of the ordinary on the streets of New York.  Once he saw 6 bicycles abandoned outside his building and watched them be repeatedly vandalized.  Rosie pretended to be the 311 operator and told him he was being absurd!  Pete also defended the service and said he called it once when there was a dead cat on the sidewalk in front of a school.  Rosie thought the concept was ridiculous and said so.  Jeannie said she'd be too embarrassed to ever call it.  Pete said it's his civic duty to report these matters!  Rosie took a call from a listener who called it her "tattletale" line.  She's reported her neighbors barking dogs, people who water their lawns during water shortages and a sink hole in her neighborhood.  She said the service makes her feel very important.  Pete also used the 311 service one time he smelled a strong smell of natural gas.  They transferred him to 911 to report it to the police.  Rosie laughed hysterically!!!  Janette talked about all the times she's ever called 911 and Rosie thought she sounded crazy and said 911 probably has her name flagged on some list. 
 
Rosie just casually mentioned that Donny Osmond might be on Thursday's show and Jeannie freaked OUT on her!  She said "ROSEANN, how could you not tell me?!"  Jeannie was PISSED because she can't be in the studio on Thursday and she almost started to cry.  Jeannie said she doesn't just want to see  Donny in concert (which she has many times) she wants to sit and have a conversation with him and get to know him on a personal level.  Jeannie was sad she couldn't be there on Thursday and pissed at Rosie for not giving her more notice.   

Rosie was happy to announce that Howard Stern has re-signed his contract with Sirius/XM!  Rosie, Janette and Jeannie feared he wasn't going to.  Rosie said Howard is IT. She said he defines satellite radio.  Rosie said Howard brought millions of people to satellite and his show is the number one radio show in the history of the world.  Janette felt a sense of loss at the mere idea that he might not re-sign.  Rosie wondered if Howard truly knows what a prominent part he plays in his listeners day-to-day lives?  James agreed and said every morning since in high school he's listened to the Howard Stern Show and said when he thought he might not continue he didn't know what he would listen to in the mornings.  Janette said Howard defines the medium and said there is simply no one else even close to him to compare to.  The staff discussed when Sal, the Howard Stern Show staff writer, came into work late that day Howard told him he was retiring from radio as a prank.  You can read about it and listen to the audio HERE. Sal cried and the prank continued and then Howard yelled at him for being late and told him that he signed for 5 more years and that's what happens to people who come to work late.  Rosie said if Howard had gotten Sirius to pay her a little bit more money she would have stayed!  And she mentioned the day Howard re-signed millions of people renewed their Sirius subscriptions.  She said it's a testament to Howard and the power of his audience. Janette said the Howard Stern Show is "the best produced show - period."

BERNIE MADOFF'S SON AND SUICIDE
Rosie and the staff then discussed how Bernie Madoff's son, who he hadn't spoken to in two years, committed suicide.  They discussed the details of the story and Rosie said it's unbelievably sad to her. Rosie wondered how Bernie must feel after everything he's done and now that his son is dead over this.  Pete was livid because the man killed himself with his two year-old in the other room.  He said he can't imagine his own pain being so great he would put his child's life at risk.  Rosie said the baby was safe in his crib and the nanny was on her way.  Pete worried if something happened and no one was there to help the baby and what if the nanny didn't show up?  Bobby said Pete obviously can't imagine the amount of pain he must have been in to do that.  Jeannie said when someone is on the brink of suicide they're not thinking rationally.  They discussed whether or not the legal proceedings will continue now that Mark Madoff is deceased.   

Rosie then took some calls on the topic of suicide.  One caller's father committed suicide and she spoke directly to Pete.  She said she too was really angry at her father for a while after his death and said Mark probably wasn't thinking of his kids because he wasn't thinking at all.  He was in so much pain he couldn't think about anything else.  Rosie thanked the listener for calling in and sharing her story and gave her $711 from Seven Eleven and the caller was so grateful.   

The second caller first mentioned how she was flipping through January's O Magazine and Rosie is in it!  The caller told Rosie she looks amazing!  The caller's boyfriend killed himself 9 years ago and had a 3 year-old and a 1 year-old at the time of his death.  Everyone commented on what a selfish act it was but she read his note and she found him and she said the pain in his note was unbearable.  The caller's boyfriend had gambled and lost almost 1 million dollars and killed himself over it.  Rosie said she didn't ever understand gambling addiction.  She once won $3,000, when that was more money then she was making at the time but she never got the high from it that she's heard about.  Rosie thanked the listener for calling in and sharing her story with her and told her she was sorry for her loss.   

Rosie ended the conversation wondering how Bernie Madoff must feel now looking at all the destruction he caused.  Rosie said it's almost as if he was drunk driving and killed everyone around him, including his son, yet he survived.  Rosie recommended the movie Boy Interrupted to callers interested in a documentary about suicide.  She said it's an unbelievable story and gives the viewer a glimpse into suicide that she's never seen done before.   

SECRET SANTAS, THE CRAFT OFF AND A GAME
Then it was time for the staff to open their Secret Santa gifts.  Deirdre got play-dough from her Secret Santa, Jeannie got a picture frame that said "Family," and Rosie got a fake tattoo "to do list."  Pete got a bottle of Downy Wrinkle Releaser, Belgian waffle snacks and a fruit and grain bar.  Rosie got a Milky Way, M&Ms, a Hershey Bar and "the stupid cookies Bobby loves from Holland" and she screamed, "Bobby, it's YOU!!"  Bobby denied the Stroopwafels were from him and said he wasn't Rosie's Secret Santa!  Shoshana said there were some leftover Stroopwafels in the radio studio kitchen and said someone might be giving them to Rosie to throw her off.  Janette got Chapstick and Bobby got lip balm and glitter glue pens.  Brendan got a poem and scratch out wipes for DVDs.  Rosie was sure Brendan's Secret Santa was Lou and his girlfriend Maral.  Shoshana got sugar cookie mix with cookie cutters, Lou got a large can of Redbull and 3 cigarettes and James got Stella, a $5 beer. James guessed his beer was from Pete but Pete said he would NEVER buy Stella which he said was "only for people who think they're cool."  He called it European Budweiser.  Everyone then all at once, started guessing whose Secret Santa was whose but not one person thought Rosie was theirs.  Hmmm....

Janette, Bobby and Rosie reminded listeners to go to Rosie.com  and vote for their favorite Christmas Craft!  Janette learned that listeners are wanting to purchase her "hand of crap" so she's going to have a Facebook friend Petra, auction it off and have the proceeds go to MMFC.  All the other members of the staff donated their items to Petra to auction off for MMFC too!  Looking to bid on a Rosie Radio craft donated for MMFC?  Check The After Ro Show for more information.  Bobby encouraged listeners to vote for Lou's craft on Rosie.com if they think it's the best.   

GAME: WHO WAS BORN ON LONG ISLAND
During this game, designed by Pete, Pete listed off three famous people and the player had to guess which person was born in Long Island, New York.  He clarified that it meant the person had to be born in Suffolk and Nassau Counties not Queens or Brooklyn.  Pete said the game is in honor of Jim Breuer who will be on the show again on Friday (12/17)! 

ROUND ONE
Jeannie: Steven Baldwin, Steven Dorf or Steven Colbert.  She knew it was Baldwin and that was correct. 
caller: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck or Ed Burns.  He guessed Affleck but it was Ed Burns so he was out. 
Bobby: Craig Bijou(??), Jose Raius (??) or Wade Boggs.  He guessed Boggs but it was Bijiou so he was out.
Rosie: Mariah Carey, Celine Dion or Cher.  She knew Mariah and that was correct.
Janette: Larry Bird, Julius Irving, or Kobe Bryant. She guessed it was Irving and that was correct!

ROUND TWO
Jeannie: Edie Falco, Cameron Mannheim, Portia DeRossi. She knew it was Falco and that was correct.
Rosie: Chuck D, Vanilla Ice or Snow. She guessed it was Chuck D and that was correct.
Janette: Angela Lansbury, Patti Lupone or Kristin Chenoweth. She guessed Patti and that was correct.
Jeannie : Lou Reed, Tom Petty or Warren Zevon.  She guessed Tom but it was Lou Reed and she was out.

ROUND THREE
Rosie: Robert Frost, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman. She it was Whitman and that was correct!
Janette: Erica Badu, Ashanti or Rihanna.  She guessed it was Rihanna but it was Ashanti. Janette was out.

ROUND FOUR
(for the win) Rosie: John Waters "Divine", Ricki Lake or Nikki Blonsky.  She knew it was Nikki and that was correct! 

Rosie WON!

ADELE
Rosie wanted all her listeners to know that one of her favorite artists, Adele, has a new album dropping in February.  It's entitled 21 and you can pre-order it now on iTunes.   

Adele: Rolling In the Deep

They listened to "Rolling In the Deep" and Janette and Rosie loved it.  Rosie asked Janette if she had ever heard Adele's version of Make You Feel My Love, a Bob Dylan cover.  Janette had not so Rosie asked Lou to play it for her.  Rosie said when Bob Dylan heard Adele's version he said he feels as if he sang the song for her to sing. 

Adele: Make You Feel My Love

Rosie said she enjoys Adele in every capacity. 

She also asked Lou if for the next couple days he can play a few of Rosie's Christmas songs from her Christmas albums!  Rosie said her girlfriend Tracy put one of the CDs on for her kids and they couldn't believe it was Rosie singing! 



Rosie closed the show. 

and that's what you missed -kw

12-13-10 Cooking, Self-Care and and Interview with Jim Breuer

In case you missed it...

BRENDAN'S LAST WEEK, ROSIE'S WEEKEND AND THE CULINARY INSTITUTE
Rosie and the staff began today's program talking about how this is Brendan's last week of Rosie Radio!  Everyone said they're going to miss Brendan terribly.  Brendan is leaving because he was hired to produce Countdown with Keith Olbermann.  James, who has been promoted to Producer, was in Brendan's chair today taking over his duties.  Congratulations, James!   

Rosie and her girlfriend Tracy went and saw Donny and Marie Osmond perform in A Broadway Christmas on Thursday night.  She talked all about the evening and how lovely it was.  She said Marie looked beautiful when she went backstage to see her and Donny.  Rosie said it's weird to think they've been performing as long as she's been alive!  Jeannie, who is a HUGE Donny fan, couldn't believe Rosie is personal friends with Donny and has never introduced her to him.  Rosie talked all about the night and said Donny and Marie sang beautifully.  She said it felt like it was 1974 all over again. 

Rosie also went to the Z100 Jingle Ball hosted by Elvis Duran.  There's a picture of her son Blake and Elvis on the front page of Rosie.com!  Rosie didn't realize what a hot event the Jingle Ball was and how hard it was to get tickets!  She took her son Blake and a friend of his because she wouldn't allow him to go to the Eminem/Jay-Z concert she went to a few months ago.  Rosie said they entered through the back and the event people asked her if she'd stop by the press room.  She told Tracy and the kids to go to the seats and she went through the press line.  First there was a S.W.A.G. room.  She said it felt really wrong to take any of the free gifts they were giving out so she told the people she would pose with the products instead.  Rosie met Ryan Cabrera and joked with photographers about how they were dating.  She also met Pauly D. from the Jersey Shore.  She called out to him and they chatted about fame and his latest interview with Barbara Walters.  She said he looked and acted exactly like he did on the television show.  Then she went through a press line that she said seemed bigger than the Oscars!  Rosie was surprised at how talented Justin Bieber was!  She said he's a great dancer and singer but she still doesn't like his hair which she compared to Donald Trump's hair.  She also enjoyed Michael Buble, B.O.B. and Katy Perry.  Blake was a bit disappointed that Lady Gaga wasn't there this year but he had a great time.  Click here to see pictures of Rosie at the Jingle Ball concert and the Donny and Marie concert. 

I feel like I wasted 4 minutes of my life watching this
but for a 2 second clip of Rosie FF to 2:57...

Rosie's son Parker went to his first formal but don't expect pictures because Parker refuses to allow Rosie to take his picture anymore!  Jeannie said her 19 year-old daughter Toni is the same way and wouldn't pose for their family Christmas picture this year.  Parker went to the dance alone but only because he waited to late to ask anyone.  

Rosie also went to a holiday party at Linda Dano's house!  She said she went to the party alone because her children didn't want to go because it was so cold and rainy.  And it was a good thing she did because she said Linda's house is so nice she would have made them stay in the car!  Rosie said Linda has the most spectacular home and it's as if you've been taken back to the 1700s.  She compared it to a museum and said it is filled with beautiful antiques.   

Jeannie, Janette, Pete James, Brendan and Shoshana went to the Culinary Institute of America for a cooking class this weekend!  Phil Crispo was their instructor and they all loved it.  Jeannie said she's just getting to know Brendan and she's so sad he's leaving!  Brendan made some inappropriate jokes under his breath during part of the instruction and Jeannie couldn't believe it was coming from Brendan.  Brendan said whenever he's sitting in a lecture situation he feels the need to crack jokes.  Jeannie seemed shocked that Brendan, the one they always see as so professional, was the one goofing around during the class.   Shoshana was known as the "trouble maker" of the class by the time it ended.  She told the story of her attempt to make triangular pasta and how it didn't exactly turn out as planned.  All the staff members talked about how they made pasta from scratch, ice-cream, decorated cupcakes and so much more!  Three staff members brought their cupcakes into the studio for Rosie to see.  Rosie guessed whose cupcake belonged to who but she only got one correct.  The staff recommended listeners who are interested check out the list of available classes and take part in one themselves!  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.  Jeannie, who loves to cook, said she had such a good day she wanted to make a whole weekend out of it.  They showed Rosie some of their pictures from the day and Rosie wished she liked cooking more so she could do it too. 

Rosie said she loves Adele's new song and is excited about her album 21 that is available for pre-order now.  She was watching a talky-blog where Adele answers questions from fans and Adele mentioned learning how to cook and Rosie wished she could learn to cook too!  Janette said she taught herself how to cook and said cooking can really be about self-care and about having control over what you put in your body.  And there's also an art to cooking that Janette thinks Rosie would really enjoy. 

Rosie said she's been thinking a lot about the self-care and ordered more of the sweaters everyone loved her in off J.Jill.  She also walked into a hair salon and got a trim and a blow dry which she hadn't done in ages.  Normally, her friend and stylist, Eric, does it for her.  She typically blames her poor self-care on not having a mother but she's worried she may be teaching her children her poor self-care habits.  This year, taking more care of herself is Rosie's big resolution.  She talked about a learned helplessness that has come along with her celebrity and with age.  Jeannie said Jackie often takes care of Rosie and that may have been why Jackie felt so entitled to comment the time Rosie came to Blake's birthday party in her nightgown. 

In Rosie's defense, Jeannie used to be a single mom and did everything herself.  Now that she has a husband who does certain things for her she said there are some things she's completely forgotten how to do!  Rosie said Kelli used to do a lot of things for her too.  Rosie said she knows one of the only reasons she's doing Who Do You Think You Are is because Tracy bet her she would cancel it.  Tracy told Rosie that she thought when the filming got close and she'd have to travel out of the country, Rosie would cancel it because she gets anxiety over traveling. Rosie said when she was in the "other land" taping the show she realized the only reason she was there was because she was trying to prove Tracy wrong.  Rosie said Tracy's life is totally her own and she chooses not to be pampered.  She talked about the time they flew first class and Tracy told her she'd never do it again because it was an insane waste of money.  She said next time she'd take the ticket in coach and take the money that she would have spent on first class and give it to charity.   One time Rosie had to change one of their flights and had to change a ticket and it cost $8,000!  When Tracy found out she put her hand over her face and said "Do you know how many prosthetic limbs you can buy with that?"  She had just read an article on prosthetic limbs.   


Adele's Rolling In the Deep

SECRET SANTA, CRAFT CONTEST AND JIM BREUER!
The Rosie Radio staff is doing Secret Santa gifts for each other so every member of the studio opened their Secret Santa presents on air.  Jeannie got a festive serving tray.  Deirdre got a bag of mango chips.  Rosie got lottery scratch offs.  Shoshana got an indoor planter.  Brendan got a gigantic bag of wrapping paper and gift bags.  Janette got the Consumer Guide to Protecting Everything You Own.  Pete got a Yo-Yo, smarties and Copenhagen Butter Cookies.  Bobby got a beautiful holiday ribbon and a Slinky Jr.  James got a dozen eggs (because he eats 5 eggs a day).  And Lou got a big bottle of Samuel Smith Pale Ale.  EVERYONE thought their gifts were from Bobby except Rosie who thought she got hers from Lou. 

The staff reminded listeners to vote for their favorite crafts in the Rosie Radio Craft Contest


Rosie then introduced her friend Jim Breuer who has a new book out called I'm Not High: But I've Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior  it's about his life, standup and how he met his wife.  Rosie and Jim talked about everything from raising kids, to losing weight, to how he met his wife.  Jim told a beautiful story of how he was friends with his wife for years before he ever considered her as a possible girlfriend.  He told Rosie all about their relationship as friends and the concerts they used to go to.  When he saw her again years later he had a feeling come over him and thought, "OMG, that's my wife!"  He couldn't get over the feeling and they eventually fell in love and  married!  

Jim also told Rosie about his big brother who always worried about Jim because he didn't have a steady job.  The night he got his television show Jim was so excited to call his brother and tell him that he didn't need to worry about him anymore because he now had a steady job.  Jim decided not to call him because it was too late at night.  At 5am the next morning his phone rang and he got the news that his brother had died.  After his brother's funeral he came to Jim in a dream and told him he was okay but asked him to look after his kids and their mom.  Rosie loved both the stories and loved having Jim there for the interview.  She thanked him for coming in and recommended her listeners get his latest book I'm Not High.  You can also catch Jim Breuer on  Raw Dog every Friday at 4pm

Rosie closed the show.

and that's what you missed -kw