11-09-10 - Religion, Divorce, Conan and an Interview with Adrian Grenier

In case you missed it...

MRS. JACKSON ON OPRAH, JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, AND THE BUSH INTERVIEW
Rosie began today's broadcast explaining that they've been trying out other versions of the Rosie Radio theme song but because of that Bobby has been unable to sing along.  But today, they played the traditional theme song and Bobby sang along complete with choreography!  Not that the listeners at home could see it, Jeannie filled everyone in.  

Firstly, Rosie wanted to discuss the Katherine Jackson interview on Oprah yesterday.  Katherine Jackson is Michael Jackson's mother.  Rosie and the staff chatted about the interview. Bobby was surprised Katherine still goes door-to-door for the Jehovah's Witnesses.  In high school, Deirdre dated a boy whose parents were Jehovah's Witnesses and she described what she knew of the religion.  Pete wiki'ed the religion and described it for Rosie and the listeners.  Rosie said she always finds it interesting when people spend their time on Earth trying to get into Heaven.  In fact, when Rosie's ex Kelli came out to her parents one of the biggest issues her parents had with the news was that she was not going to be with them in Heaven.  Jeannie, who is a speech language pathologist, worked with a little boy with autism whose family is Jehovah's Witness and when he sneezed she said, "God bless you," and his parents asked her not to say that to him.

Rosie said there are quirky things about every religion.  She used the Immaculate Conception that Mary had as an example.  Bobby explained that the Immaculate Conception actually means Mary was born without original sin not that she got pregnant without having sex.  Pete said he used to know all the books of the Bible in order!  When Bobby was growing up he thought people who weren't baptized Catholic were going to Hell.  He remembers worrying the neighbors who weren't Catholic were going to Hell.  Rosie remembers being taught that the Jews killed God.  She was taught that.  She doesn't believe that so don't write to her and yell at her.

Rosie took a call from a listener who is a Jehovah's Witness.  He said the basic foundation of the religion is that the Bible (the King James version), is taught literally.  They differentiate from other religions because they don't believe in the Trinity.  They believe Jehovah is God and he is the father and Jesus.  They believe Jesus was the co-creator and the Holy Spirit is God's active force.  He explained that his religion believes 144,000 anointed Christians (of the Jehovah's Witness religion) will rule in heaven with Jesus and the rest (he estimated that at 6 million) will be living on the Earth in the hereafter.  Rosie asked the caller if he goes door-to-door for his religion and how many people are receptive to him.  He said he did go door-to-door bringing the message of the Bible and the good news that one day the problems we face on Earth are going to be solved and by Jesus Christ.  He said he sees a lot of apathy when he goes door-to-door but that most people are nice to him.  He said only about 20% of the people he visits are willing to talk to him.  He doesn't feel bad when he is turned away because he knows he's just doing what Jesus taught the Apostles to do.  Rosie asked the caller how Jehovah's Witnesses feel about homosexuality.  He said they believe everything the Bible says which means they feel the action of practicing homosexuality is the sin but not that the person is the one that is wrong.  

Rosie then asked the staff about last night's interview with Matt Lauer and George Bush.  She didn't watch it but everyone else in the studio did.  She also asked listeners to call in and share their thoughts.  Jeannie said she really wanted to watch the interview because she felt she was very hard on Bush when he was President.  She hoped to watch the interview and get a new perspective.  She wanted to feel compassion for him and at the beginning of it she did.  At the beginning of the interview she found him more human as he talked about his relationships with his parents, etc.  Then when Matt Lauer asked him about specifics of his presidency, he would defend his actions with "my lawyer told me it was legal" and "my intelligence told me there were weapons of mass destruction." Jeannie felt like he was saying, "So what!"  That attitude was exactly what drove Jeannie crazy during his presidency.  She also hated that he mispronounced words like "nuclear"  and that last night he said "inundated" incorrectly.  Jeannie said she doesn't ask for a lot from her President but she does ask that he be a good public speaker.

Rosie still finds it interesting that Bush found the most disgusting moment of his presidency the moment when Kanye West declared that George Bush doesn't care about black people.  Brendan said just reading the words in the interview doesn't really give the moment justice.  He said you have to listen to it to really understand how upset it made him!   

Matt Lauer talks to George Bush about Kanye West

Rosie took a call from a listener who was extremely moved by her movie All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise and wanted to tell her that.  Then the caller talked with Rosie about the interview with George Bush.  She said she was surprised by the first 20 minutes of the interview because she thought he seemed very real to her.  Then she said his defensive posturing started and she saw the George Bush that she remembered (and didn't like).  Bobby wanted to give Bush the benefit of the doubt but as soon as Bush seemed to get smug and started to act like he never made any mistakes Bobby remembered why he hated him so much and wanted to turn it off.   

Rosie took another call from a listener who didn't agree with them.  She asked who they are to judge a former president.  Rosie said we as citizens are supposed to judge our elected officials who are representing us and putting us in unjust wars, etc.  The caller felt they shouldn't be judging his character flaws and said Obama has done much worse things in his two years.  Rosie asked the caller how any person could fix in two years what took eight years to do.  She said the United States started with a $230 billion surplus when he started his presidency and when he left there was a $500 billion deficit.  She asked the caller how she can expect any president to get us out of the amazingly huge hole that was dug in two years.  The caller said they shouldn't be judging him because he's a poor public speaker.  Rosie explained how it's embarrassing when the person representing the nation mispronounces words.  She said you begin to think, "Yes, he'd be fun to have a beer with but maybe he shouldn't be the leader and representing us in international politics."  Rosie admitted she didn't like the Obama interview either and that she's sick of seeing him say, "I'm sorry."  And she's sick of the false promises our politicians make and how sometimes it seems nothing is able to get done.  

Bobby then read a list of things Obama has achieved while in office.  Pete recommended the site whatthefuckhasobamadone.com to see what the fuck Obama has done during the past two years.  Rosie wondered if it is about equal to what other presidents have done or if it's more.  Brendan said he's done more than past presidents in two years.  Brendan thought Rosie and Bobby's opinions of Bush might be very jaded because he went on television to specifically say he wanted to make a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.    



George Bush Declares to Amend the Constitution to Limit Citizens' Civil Rights.

(okay, perhaps I'm taking a tone with the title there...)

Rosie said the above statement by George Bush was the reason she and Kelli got married.  She said he made that statement while the country was at war and it was a masterful art of distraction.  Then she said she's never been a fan of the Bush administration, their policies or their politics. 

Rosie took a final call from a listener (who said Jeannie could be the host of her own show!  He called Jeannie Rosie's "Gayle").  He watched the interview and said he didn't like how Bush absolved himself of water-boarding because the lawyers advised him to do it.  He was stunned that the President of the U.S. relied on a lawyer to tell him it was okay.   Rosie thought Bush probably had to make those excuses to protect himself from some of the bad decisions he made. 

CONAN'S PREMIERE, DWTS, BLAKE'S CONNECTION TO ANIMALS AND DIVORCE

Rosie wanted to discuss Conan's premiere!  Deirdre and Bobby loved the opening. Pete and Rosie thought he seemed a little nervous but thought he did well.  Style-wise, Rosie and Deirdre think Conan should lose the beard.  Pete liked the set because he said the moon looked like the Death Star. Bobby said if you're watching the set on a talk show there's a problem with the set.   Pete announced that Jon Stewart was the highest rated late night show last month beating both Leno and Letterman.   

Rosie asked about Dancing With the Stars and Bobby gave an update on the performers that are left and described last night's episode.

Rosie told a story about her youngest son Blake.  She said her son Blakey loves animals and they are his area of expertise.  It fascinates Rosie how much Blake knows about animals and his strength has always been his visual abilities.  When they were driving home yesterday, he saw a flock of birds and identified a Gold Tailed Hawk and a Turkey Vulture by the way they were flapping their wings.  Rosie was amazed he could look at a sky full of birds and differentiate them by their flight and said it reminded her a little of the movie Rain Man.

Kelli recently asked Rosie if she could only allow the kids to sleep in her bed on the weekends.  She said the kids have been coming to her house and asking to sleep in her bed and Kelli doesn't get a good night sleep when the kids sleep with her.  Rosie loves it however and wants to spend as much time with them while they are little.  She talked about the difficulties the kids have been facing since living with divorced parents.   Rosie commented that she never thought she would be divorced.  Jeannie never thought she would ever be divorced either.  Rosie read from Nora Eprhon's piece entitled The D Word excerpted from her book I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections.  Rosie said it's one of the best things Nora's ever written and she said she's going to be on Rosie Radio soon. The piece really hit home for Rosie.  She said you talk yourself into thinking the divorce will be better for your kids because they won't be living around the fighting but then you see the reality.  Jeannie learned that a lot of her teenage daughter's emotional issues stem from her divorce and her dad not being around.  It was an amicable divorce for Jeannie and her ex-husband.  She said they were friends and they presented well as a tight family hoping it would make everything okay for Toni but the truth was it never did.  Her father was still gone and she was still a product of a divorce. 

For Rosie, her divorce from Kelli was a very civil divorce but the fact is you have to leave one parent in order to go to the other parent's house.  And she is coming to terms with the guilt that comes along with that.  One of the hardest moments for Rosie was when Vivi said Rosie lied to her because she told her they would never get divorced.  A few years ago, one of Vivi's friends parents got divorced and Vivi was asking about it.  Rosie told Vivi that would never happen to them.  The truth was, she never thought it would.  Rosie took a call from a listener who is a product of divorce.  She thought everyone should read a piece like Nora's before they get married and before they have children.  She's still affected by her parents divorce and she's currently 29 years old.  Growing up they were seen as the ideal American family and it was traumatizing when her parents separated. 

THE SNACK CAKE DIET, JANETTEISMS, ROSIE LOVES ADRIAN AND CHER'S NEW MOVIE

James suggested Rosie try the Twinkie diet.  A professor at the University of Kansas replaced his meals with Twinkies and snacks and lost 20 pounds, lowered his cholesterol and his BMI dropped 4 points.  Rosie wasn't sure about the diet but listened anyway.

Rosie asked the staff how everyone is doing with Janette being gone.  All the staff members have been going on Janette's blog to get updates from her.  Rosie joked that it's hard to manage in the studio without Janette's happy contributions to the show.  They then played Janette-isms like Janette saying, "I hate you and I wish you'd fucking die." 

Pete read the ratings from last night's Conan which were a 2.8 which is huge (apparently).  George Lopez scored a 1.1 (with the Conan lead-in) which is also huge.  I think they forget many people have no idea what 2.8 and 1.1 mean - at least I don't. 

Rosie said Adrian Grenier is going to be calling into the show today.  They talked about how handsome and talented he is. Rosie really enjoys Adrian's lack of pretense, how he's very curious about people and how he's so very honest.  She wrote to him after she saw his first movie he made entitled A Shot in the Dark, a documentary he made about finding his father.  She told him how much she liked the film and he asked her to be in his second film Teenage Paparazzo.  In Teenage Paparazzo, he documents the true story of a 14 year-old paparazzo. Rosie is in the film briefly giving her opinion on celebrity.  Rosie said she also thinks the HBO series Entourage does a good job giving an insider's look as to  what it feels like to have someone go from a typical life to super-stardom. 

Rosie asked Bobby if he's going to see the new Cher movie Burlesque and his response was HELLO!  (which is gay-speak for yes)  Rosie asked Bobby if he's gong to see it when it first comes out and his response was HELLO!  (gay-speak for yes)  He admitted he hadn't been invited to any premieres and Rosie hinted that she could make a call for him!  Rosie then started singing, "If I Could Turn Back Time" complete with her best Cher impression.

Brendan found it so interesting that both Rosie and Bobby have "hobb-knobbed" with people that were their "untouchables."  Rosie said her girlfriend Tracy has too!  Tracy's idol was Sharon Gless and when they first met, Tracy couldn't believe Rosie knew her personally!  Then they all got to go out to dinner!  Rosie said it's weird to meet the people you've loved growing up that have held a prominent place in your "dream life."  Deirdre warned about meeting people who you idolize because they might disappoint you.  Bobby has met and hung out with Cher and he said she did NOT disappoint.  Deirdre admitted she was a little disappointed in Stevie Nicks.  She said Stevie was really shy and she wanted her to be her best friend. Deirdre still loves her though.  Rosie then did a Stevie Nicks impression and then sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider" as Elvis. 

ADRIAN GRENIER: ACTOR AND FILMMAKER

Rosie then introduced Adrian Grenier who was on the telephone for the interview.  She started the interview telling Adrian how much she loved Teenage Paparazzo which she called brilliant.  He said it was very  important to him that she liked it so he was glad that she did.  Rosie also loved his film Shot in the Dark.  Rosie and Adrian chatted about "Teenage Paparazzo" and Rosie loved how Adrian didn't know how the film would end while he was making it.   That's one of the things Adrian loves about documentaries and how just like real life, you don't always know how it will end. 

Adrian, like Rosie, is a big fan of documentaries.  He said every documentary he's made has different influences.  In "Teenage Paparazzo", Adrian was heavily influenced by Wener Herzog and Orson Welles.  Welles made a documentary called F for Fake about how what we believe we see and what is reality differs especially with images in  media.  Adrian said as an actor, it's sometimes hard to watch a fictional film and ignore all the things you know went into making that film.  He really prefers to watch documentaries because they're based on real people and real circumstances. 

Adrian told Rosie about how he met the teen featured in "Teenage Paparazzo" and they discussed the teen's  parents in the film.  Adrian said he's not a parent so he cannot judge someone for allowing their child to be a paparazzo.  And he didn't want to judge being a paparazzo without walking in their shoes first. 

In the film, Adrian goes into the world of Paris Hilton and is able to show what it's like for her as the subject of the paparazzi.  Adrian said he really had to put his feet in her shoes to see what it's like to be her.  Rosie thought it was a fascinating perspective.  She also thought it was fascinating how the media then manufactured a romance between the two of them by just being photographed together.  Adrian said it says a lot about celebrity culture and the media today. 

Adrian and Rosie talked about how, in the end, the film shows us that everything in life is a bit of a presentation.  He's an optimist though and feels we can make the most out of the celebrity culture we live in today.  Adrian said there can be art behind paparazzi photographs and the film isn't simply about saying that paparazzi are bad and celebrities are good.

Rosie asked Adrian if he'd seen Smash His Camera which she thought was really fascinating.  He hadn't but said he was going to watch it today.

Rosie thanked Adrian for the interview and told him she hopes he makes more films because she said he has a great eye and really gets to the heart of what matters.  Adrian encouraged listeners to go to teenagepaparazzo.com for more information on the subject and the film itself.  Rosie thanked him for calling and told him to keep up the good work.

FAMILY FEUD STYLE GAME

Brendan listed off a question and the player had to give the answer they thought was the number one response in a survey of 100 average Americans.  

ROUND ONE
Rosie: Name a former president that most people say was honest.  She said Carter but the number 1 answer was Lincoln.
Bobby: Besides San Francisco, name a city with the word San in it.  He said San Diego which was number 1! 

Pete: The number one phrase for a person who is the most important in a group.  He said VIP which was number 1!
Jeannie: Name something pack rats have a hard time throwing out.  She said paper but the number 1 answer was photos.  

Shoshana: Name something that might annoy a gardener.  She said weeds but the number 1 answer was bugs. 

ROUND TWO

Bobby:  A reason a man might send his wife flowers.  Bobby said Anniversary which was the number 1 answer!  

Pete: A term used in football.  He said Touchdown which was number 1!

Jeannie: Name a special request people ask for when making dinner reservations.  Jeannie said dinner seat location but the number one answer was smoking/non smoking. 

Shoshana: Name someone you wouldn't want to get a phone call from.  She said IRS but the number one answer was the police.  

Rosie: Name a classic composer everyone knows.  She guessed Beethoven but the number one answer was Mozart.

ROUND THREE

Pete: Tell him something specific you should drink when you're sick.  He guessed water which was number 1!

Jeannie: Name something you'd hate to find at the end of your nose.  She said pimple and that was number 1!

Shoshana: Name the worst kind of shoe to run a marathon in. She said high heel which was number 1!

Rosie: Name something you wouldn't want in your house.  She said snake but relatives was number 1.

Bobby: Name a musician that goes by one name.  He guessed Cher but Madonna was number 1. 

ROUND FOUR

Jeannie: Something you think would be difficult about being a waiter.  She said rotten customers but the number one answer was taking orders. 

Shoshana: Name a currency used in another country.  She said Yen but the number one answer was Peso. 

Rosie: Name a reason a woman might not want to kiss her boyfriend.  She guessed bad breath which was number 1.  Then she joked that the woman is actually a lesbian and that's why!

Bobby:  Name something you wouldn't do in front of your husband or wife while you were dating.  Bobby guessed go to the bathroom but the number 1 answer was undress.  

Pete:  Name a common complaint about a pizza that was just delivered.  He guessed that it's cold which was the number 1 answer!   

Pete won!  Rosie said her family actually auditioned for the real Family Feud in the early 80s.  Rosie was the family spokesperson and she auditioned with Eddie, Danny, Maureen and Timmy.  They didn't get picked however and she was devastated.   Pete thought all of their personalities would have been great for the show!  Rosie said her Nana always wanted to have Mrs. Nordin next door be "Queen for A Day" because she was always taking care of her family after her mother died.  Rosie and Bobby loved that show too. Rosie said she'd regularly catch those shows because she'd cut out of school at least once a week after her mom died just for the hell of it. 

Rosie closed the show saying peace out! 

and that's what you missed -kw