5-19-10

In case you missed it...

AMERICAN IDOL, RELIGIOUS CULTS, GLEE
Bobby sang the opening theme song and did such a good job! Rosie began the show talking about last night's American Idol. Rosie seemed impressed and surprised by Lee DeWyze! He's been my favorite all along, just sayin. Rosie said if Casey James doesn't get kicked off tonight she's not watching the final. She played Lee's performance of Hallelujah from last night. If you haven't heard it, OMG listen to it.

Lee DeWyze sings Hallelujah

Rosie said it really wasn't fair because he was given a choir. She also played Crystal Bowersox's I'm Amazed. They were impressed that Ellen picked the song for her though Janette doubted that the judges actually pick the songs. But Rosie pointed out how adamant Kara got when Simon questioned her song choice for Casey James. Kara selected John Mayer's song Daughters for Casey. Deirdre didn't think it was fair that Lee and Crystal sang those huge songs and Casey sang a slow John Mayer song. Deirdre predicted that Simon is going to end up managing Lee. Rosie said that Simon's hair looked weird last night. She said it looked like "hair from the nether regions." They took several callers who gave their opinions on last night's show.

Rosie asked everyone if they watched Glee last night and Deirdre said she didn't have time because she's been reading books for work. She read Francesco Clark's book Walking Papers in preparation for him to come on the show again. Francesco was injured in an accident and was on the Radio show to talk about it in 2009 and has since written a book about his life. Here is an article by Francesco Clark and how he coped with his accident and the spinal cord injury that followed. He's coming back to the show so stay tuned for that. She's also reading the Amy Scobee book "Scientology: Abuse At the Top." Amy was a Scientologist for 17 years, left the religion and has since written a book about it. Rosie said that it's hard to get a book about Scientology published in America when it presents Scientology in a negative light. Rosie read her book but said it's hard for her to understand why someone would stay in an organization for 17 years that they saw as abusive. Deirdre said Amy was only 14 years old when she entered Scientology so she was at a formative time in her life. Rosie knows Tom Cruise well (who is a Scientologist) though she has never talked to him about his religion. She does admit that Scientology has fascinated her to a certain extent. Rosie said they were thinking about having Amy on but she's not sure what there is left to say. She also said that the Scientology community goes "ballistic" when you say anything against their organization. She worried that if she has Amy Scobee on, she may be considered an oppressive person and that anyone in that religion is now not going to be allowed to talk to. Rosie said that cults, in general, fascinate her.

Deirdre said that her cousin was in a cult once and they had a deprogrammer come and kidnap her cousin and kept him in a room for a week to get him out of it. Rosie spoke about and recommended the documentary Children of God: Lost and Found. Rosie said she would rather Amy talk about why she stayed rather than the misgivings that she has about the church itself. Rosie said that a man who wrote an article in Newsweek against the Scientology church was harassed and audited and the person that wrote the Rolling Stones article against the church was harassed. Kelli, Rosie's ex, would throw all of Rosie's books about Scientology away. Rosie said she has found a lot of helpful things in the religion/discipline of Kabbalah. She's read the books on Scientology and has also read Operation Clambake that states that Scientology is a cult.

Rosie took a call from a woman named Shirley who was a Jim Jones church member in the 60s. She did not go to to Guyana. The caller told Rosie that after the Cuban Missile Crisis her mom was sure they were going to have a nuclear holocaust. Jim Jones believed the same thing and fit into what she believed.

She moved with her family to join the church. She said that Jim was a very charismatic man and she was drawn to him. Her mother questioned the church at one point and Jim called for a special meeting where all the church members went against her mother. The children were asked if they would like to stay or to go with their mom. They chose to leave with their mom and thought lightning was literally going to strike them dead as they walked to their car. The caller said she lived on "pins and needles" for about a week and then she realized that she was going to be okay. The brainwashing was that strong.

Janette explained the the whole training of a cult is that the self doesn't matter and how it must be really hard to bring it back, perhaps that was why Amy didn't speak more about it in her book.

So, that was the reason that Deirdre did not get to watch Glee. Rosie watched it and loved it and thought that Neil Patrick Harris was incredible. They played a few songs from the episode including Dream On and I Dreamed a Dream. Rosie loved it that Idina Menzel was brought in to play Lea Michele's mother! She said that whole show is like a "Broadway wet dream." Rosie said the episode was a bit intense because she watched it in a house full of kids that were adopted. She later asked her oldest daughter Chelsea if there was anything she wanted to talk about and she said no. They also thought it was beautifully shot and beautifully written. Rosie took a caller who saw Glee in concert and said how amazing it was. Rosie is going to see Glee in concert in 9 days and said she is counting down the days!

They went to commercial playing Euan Morton's version of Hallelujah which Rosie (although she liked Lee Dewyze's version) thinks this is the best recording of the song ever.

Euan Morton singing Hallelujah from the RFamily Cruise!

BEING POT FREE AND OTHER ADDICTIONS

Rosie asked Janette for an update on how she is doing being pot free. Janette said it's been a month since she smoked and in some ways, it's getting harder. Rosie thought it should be getting easier. Janette explained that it was really hard in the beginning then got easier but now it's become hard again. She said this is because she's being faced to face what she was smoking to avoid. She used pot when she was anxious and to face some deep personal issues and the anxiety and the issues remain. Janette started smoking marijuana in 1985 because she was a comic on the road and she used it to sleep. She used pot like that for 25 years but during the last two years she found herself using it more often and for other reasons. She likes to write when she's high because she feels like her creativity is enhanced by it and it opens her mind.

What began Janette's decision to stop was the day that Rosie came into the studio and said that her doctor had told her that smoking pot increases anxiety. She said she could also tell she was doing it too much because she could feel it in her lungs. She said that smoking is smoking, no matter what you're smoking and it's not good for you. Rosie asked Janette if she ever thought about entering rehab and Janette said no. She said she doesn't like groups and she thinks if she wants to stop it bad enough she can do it on her own. When it became to paramount in her mind she talked to Rosie about it and Rosie suggested she just stop and she literally just picked a day to stop until - the day they go on vacation - June 27th.

Rosie said she didn't drink for 8 years in her 20s because her first girlfriend said she was an alcoholic. Rosie went to AA and the people there were telling these very tragic stories and she couldn't really relate. She came home and got a 6 pack of Miller Light (which was her beer at the time) and drank it in 2 days and then didn't drink again for 8 years. She rationalized and denied her way out of it.

Then one day her youngest daughter Vivi said she wished into her Magic 8 ball that her mommy would stop drinking beer. She wondered where the line of alcoholism/addiction is drawn. Rosie asked Janette if there is a way to regulate her marijuana use? Janette said not today and maybe never. Janette said that she feels safe that she won't do it until the 27th and she doesn't want to be on her death bed and think she missed out on her own life and caused her own death. Rosie asked Janette if she feels better without doing it. Janette said that she feels like she has more time in the day. She said she also feels better about herself intellectually because this is something she wanted to do for a long time. Janette said that her Nutritional supplements are also helping her. Her Nutritionist told her that marijuana use suppresses serotonin and that causes anxiety. She said the supplements are helping her anxiety . She is also getting a lot of support from listeners who are facing the same issues quitting. She said it's shocking how many people are writing to her that are going through the same thing.

Rosie asked Bobby if he related to Janette's feelings of addiction at all with his own addiction to food. He said, "Not really." Janette said that anytime she made a mistake or saw a personal flaw it disturbed her so much and the pot made it go away. Bobby said he understood that concept because he was upset recently by a phone-call and he just opened the refrigerator because he was angry not because he was hungry. Bobby didn't realize that he was eating to suppress those emotions until that day.

A listener called in and asked Janette why she is afraid of group rehab. Janette couldn't really say but Deirdre said that rehab doesn't always work for everyone. She said a lot of people swear by it some people think it's a cult. Janette said that in a way she's designed her own rehab because she's made a commitment to herself and she had her nutritionist's support. She also knows she won't lie and if she were to cheat she would tell. Janette said that she's hoping the upside of quitting will be health and energy and that maybe she'll find another way to deal with the issues that she was trying to hide from.

Someone then brought up the book Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Anything. Rosie said she had just ordered this book off Amazon.com. Deirdre asked her why she doesn't let her get these books for her! Janette said that in the end it's just a way of trying to escape from ourselves. She wished she could just say, "I'm fine and forget about the self-hatred." Janette said she wishes she would be able to do that before she kicks the bucket. Janette said she used to smoke cigarettes and still misses them. Deirdre said she has tried to stop smoking before and what stops her is the fear that she'll never be able to have a cigarette ever again. Janette encouraged her not to think like that and to think of it in small manageable goals.

THE MISSING ALARM CLOCK TO SLEEP APNEA TO FAT AMERICA?
Rosie said some sort of alarm clock is missing somewhere in her house. She said every night around midnight it goes off and she can't locate it. She then said she needs to get Blake a sleep study because he is up every night. She said he gets up and walks around confused. She said he's sleep walking and he's been doing it for years and he must be so tired all the time from waking up so much. Janette asked if Rosie still sleeps with the sleep apnea mask. Rosie said she does not sleep with the mask anymore but that she uses these two filters that she places in her nostrils that allow her to breathe in but not breathe out. She said they have been as good as having the machine and they stop the snoring and the sleep apnea. They then talked about how sleep apnea is more common in people who are overweight and Janette said that 65% of Americans today are obese. She then recommended the book Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People on Earth.

JANE FONDA

Rosie then introduced Jane Fonda who was on the phone. They began their conversation continuing the topic they were just discussing - obesity in America. Jane said that what really interests her the most is what happens to you psychologically when you start to tackle obesity. She said if they can get across the message to children it changes the way they look and feel about themselves in a positive way.

Jane and Rosie hadn't talked in a while so they caught up! Jane is no longer living in Atlanta. Although she said her kids, grandkids and her support system is still there. She said she came out to LA to get a new knee and met a new boyfriend while she was out there! She also has to be there to work. Jane is doing two films back to back. The first movie is a French film with a cast full of iconic French actors. She said the film is about getting older and how you deal with it. Jane will then come back to the states and begin another film 3 days later.

Rosie asked Jane about her most recent plastic surgery. She told Jane that she's beautiful and even without it she's one of the most gorgeous women on the planet. Jane had originally told Rosie she would never do it again (plastic surgery) and then she felt like she always looked tired and how she looked on the outside didn't match how great she felt on the inside. Rosie sent Jane an email that said something like "what the hell did you do?" in reference to her recent surgery. Jane said she is ashamed of herself that she wasn't brave enough not to do it. She said it's so hard to work if you don't have work done.

Rosie saw Jane perform in 33 Variations and said how unbelievably great she was in it. Jane said she loved doing it. Jane said she hadn't done a play in 48 years and her father always came back to Broadway. She thought she wanted to be her father's daughter and she knew when she read it she was supposed to do it. She said when she stepped back on Broadway she felt like she came home. Jane said that they will be doing a run out in California of 33 Variations from Jan-March of 2011.

Rosie and Jane talked about their kids and Jane's grandchildren. Jane said she's living out in California with her son and daughter-in-law and her daughter is getting married June 12th! Jane said she feels very blessed. Jane said she's going to be in Upstate New York in the summer and that she had written Rosie an email and said she was worried she was mad at her because she hadn't heard back. Rosie said she can't remember her AOL password and it's not because she isn't writing back. Rosie assured Jane that she will never leave her and they will be friends for life.

They briefly talked about their mutual friend Christine Ebersole and Rosie said Christine is the best living stage actress we have right now. Rosie thanked Jane for calling in.

ROSIE'S EMAIL ISSUES, JANETTE STUTTERS AND ROSIE'S A GREAT BOSS
Pete said that the AOL email password is not the issue and they talked about how it works from her Miami computer but not when they're in New York. Rosie said now all her accounts have the same password and that's causing a problem because if she gives a kid the password to download a song on iTunes they will have a password to everything! Rosie talked about how her kids are always trying to scam her into allowing them to have more computer time.

Rosie said that since it's the end of the school year and Parker has so many things due. She said he will be working every moment until the last day of school. Parker applied to a difficult high school and he got in but they're suggesting that he go to a summer school to learn how to succeed in that school. He wants to go but Rosie's unsure because it's a 5 week sleep away school. And she doesn't like them being gone that long! Rosie said if he's gone for that long she knows she will be driving up there every weekend to see him. She did admit that he's 15 now and he needs to learn to be organized.

Janette said something and stuttered and Rosie asked her why she stutters so much because she never used to do that. Rosie asked if it was like that when she did the Up Close and Personal and Brendan said he edited it out! Brendan said "there was some smoothing out in the editing process."

Rosie handed Janette her phone recently to show her a popthatzit video and Brendan said he has never seen anyone immediately look as if they were going to throw up. He said she looked as if she would throw up right in the studio.

Rosie asked if she's a difficult boss to work for. Deirdre said not at all. Pete has had worse. Bobby said she's totally predictable. Bobby said that he knows what is going to flip her out and he knows what she wants or doesn't want and that makes her easy to work for. He said any electronic problem (with her phone or computer) will freak her out and not having anyone at the airport to pick her up freaks her out. He also said she once got upset because all the digital clocks weren't the same. Janette likes Rosie as a boss because she sees her job as very clearly defined. Deirdre said that if there's a problem Rosie will listen to it and then fix it and she's very fair. Deirdre also said that if something were really wrong with one of them she would be there for them. Deirdre said that if she were ever in a car accident, for example, she would care more about her than the fact that she couldn't come to work. She said "Do you know what I mean?" and Rosie said "No, but I did love on Glee when Neil Patrick Harris said "Do you want to have sex? I have a room upstairs just like Letterman." Hmmmm, wonder which boss Deirdre was talking about?

ROSIE RADIO RANDOMOSITY
Rosie said that they are planning Parker's baseball birthday party. Janette said she's never been to a baseball game. She said she did once go to a Giants game and that was horrifying to her. Janette said she doesn't like team sports. Rosie asked them if they all liked Urijah Faber. They all thought he was the cutest boy in the world. Rosie said he could be like "The Rock" in children's movies. She said she sees big things happening for him.

Rosie then started talking about how James (the call screener/segment producer) can't hear the callers names anymore. She said she will answer the call and say "Hi Sue" and the caller will SAY "it's Bob." She said he's not even close with the names. James said it has only been two times and everyone else said it's been more like 3 or 4. James said it is extremely loud in the control room and sometimes Karen sounds like Keeren. James did bake some awesome Smore cupcakes that seemed to make it all better with Rosie. And next week he's making fondant like Spot did. Rosie asked James if he could become their "Spot" so they can kick Covino and Rich's ass next year in the cupcake contest. Rosie said, "Bobby, you need to step up your game Mr. Tony Nominated Costume Designer."

Rosie closed the show.

and that's what you missed -kw