Stay tuned...

Dear Friends,

I promised to let you all know if I got an opportunity to write for the Rosie Show when she moves to OWN. Well, last week I got the call and I AM going to be writing/working on the new show's website! I don't have a lot of detail but wanted to let you all know as soon as I knew for sure. I got so many amazing emails when the radio show ended and I cherish them all. Thank you for all your kind words, about my son Thomas, about the blog and of course, about our mutual affection for Rosie. I promise to come back and keep you posted where I land next!

Thank you for your continued support.

You are all always in my thoughts,

xo
Kelly W.

6-1-11 - Rosie's Final Show

In case you missed it...
here we go...

ROSIE DISCUSSES HER NIGHT LAST NIGHT, EMAILING NAKED PHOTOS AND CALLERS
Rosie started today's broadcast, her final Rosie Radio appearance, saying this morning's pre-show meeting felt really weird knowing it would be the last time they would all be meeting in that way.  She said a final, "It's Wednesday, all day as my Nana would say." and began the broadcast.  Janette said she's loved doing Rosie Radio and Rosie agreed that it's been a really wonderful experience for her too.  Janette thanked me and all the other listeners who have followed them so faithfully and she reminded everyone that the show isn't really ending but just morphing into something else.  Rosie Radio fans can still listen to "Best Of Rosie Radio Moments" Monday through Thursday, Janette's Show every Friday, and Rosie's OWN show on Sirius in October!  

Rosie said she went out with Sharon Gless for her birthday last night.  Tyne Daly was there too and they had dinner at Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse.  Deirdre said that is a very famous restaurant in New York though Rosie had never heard of it.  Rosie said it was lovely and there was dancing there! And she talked about how much she loves her friends Sharon and Tyne.

Rosie also went to therapy yesterday and on the way out she heard women screaming.  Later she saw a 15 year-old girl who was all shaken up and looked like she was recently in a fight.  Rosie pulled over and offered her a ride after assuring her she was just a mom from the neighborhood.  She drove the girl to her house and talked to her about what the fight was about.  The girl said her boyfriend had recently been with the other girl, who was his ex-girlfriend.  Rosie talked with the girl and whether or not she should be involved with someone who would cheat on her with an ex and then she wondered why she feels the need to get involved in these situations!

Then when she got home she saw the naked photos of Blake Lively on Perez Hilton's website.  Rosie wondered what was happening to the youth in this country and said it made her feel really old.  Then she wondered why anyone would pose for naked pictures in the first place.  Pete looked at them and said he was pretty sure they've been photo-shopped or were faked in some way.  Then they discussed Anthony Weiner's pictures of his wiener!  The accusations are that he emailed a photo of himself to a young college-aged girl who tweeted him.  Pete said Mr. Weiner follows a lot of young attractive looking women.  Deirdre said he didn't deny the photograph but he got livid when reporters asked him about it!  Rosie found it odd that a Congressman would take such a photo but Janette said, "Humans are humans" and it doesn't matter what your job is, they are human therefore they are inherently flawed.  (though I think she actually used the words "fucked up" but I changed it to "inherently flawed".... :)  Janette said she wouldn't look at the photos because she's never recovered from seeing Dr. Laura's naked pictures!  

Rosie took a call from a listener who reminded Rosie to keep fans updated about Jeannie's husband's test results.  She went on to say she thought the photos were real and not faked.    Rosie said if she looked like Blake Lively when she was naked she would do everything naked!  She said she'd be naked right now!  

Rosie took a call from a listener who called to talk with Rosie about girls having sex at such a young age.  She said HER girls never had sex in high school because they weren't allowed to!  Rosie didn't sound that convinced.  She said Kelli's parents were also very strict yet had no idea what she was really doing and that she was sneaking out when she was younger. Rosie said parents like to believe that their daughters would never do anything bad but she doesn't know how accurate that belief always is.

One caller was so glad Rosie chose to give the girl a ride home last night.  She said such a simple act might change that girl's life forever.  Her mother discovered she was gay when she was in high school and kicked her out of the house.  It was the mother of another girl at her school who took her in and gave her the parenting and acceptance she never had from her own mother.  She and her mother are still estranged today.

Rosie said when she was about 20 years old, she picked up a young female hitchhiker in LA who was about to get in the car with a strange man.  Rosie said she scolded the girl for almost getting into the car with a man she didn't know and drove her 40 minutes to a hotel while lecturing her about being safer.  This story sparked an entire hitchhiking and stranger-danger conversation.  Rosie said she's never hitchhiked because she would be too afraid. Bobby said stranger-danger is a good rule but ROSIE never follows her own rule!  Rosie said because she's famous she feels like she's not a stranger and therefore people don't need to worry with her.  

One caller was raised Catholic and said her motto was "Lie till you die!"  Even today she doesn't admit all the things she did as a teen to her parents.  One caller said 9 times out of 10 the celebrities are in some way involved with the release of these types of photos.  Rosie wasn't sure but said if the photos of Blake were real, they're not going to ruin her career.  She said celebrities have overcome much worse scandals and survived.  

FAVORITE ROSIE RADIO MOMENTS
James asked everyone to give him their favorite Rosie Radio moments before today's show and he gathered up the audio and the staff went around and shared their favorite moments with each other and the listeners.  Janette's favorite moment of the show was when Pete yelled, "Quantum Leap Accelorator!" during a game and the time they played Howard mentioning Janette's unlimited head offer on The Howard Stern Show.   Deirdre and Jeannie's favorite moment was the time Rosie put the contents of the Fish Oil capsule on her face during a live broadcast thinking it was Vitamin E!  Her second favorite moment was when Janette chugged a beer in 9 seconds on the air and no one could believe it!  Pete's favorite moments were getting the truckers to toot their horns.  He even remembered the day their first trucker named Deb blew her horn on air and how excited they all got.  Janette and Rosie remarked about how great it's been getting to know an entire culture of truckers they have never known.  Rosie said when she sees truckers now, she wonders what they're listening to on the radio and if they've listened to their show.  Janette said if it weren't for truckers, the stores would be empty and we would have no food!  Janette said truckers are very important and we must remember to thank them.

James' favorite moment was the day Janette referred to the lead actress in The Sound of Music as Julie Armstrong instead of Julie Andrews.  And he loved how irate Rosie got at the error!  Then Janette said something about the movie she was in as the nanny and Rosie was all fired up and yelled, "It's Mary Poppins you asshole!"  Shoshana's favorite moment was when they spray-painted Shady the squirrel during an interview with Super Nanny Jo Frost.  Janette said because of that little squirrel Pete started ShadyChat on Ustream and an entire group of people became lifelong friends!  All because of a little squirrel!   Lou's favorite moment was when the American Idiot cast sang "Wake Me Up When September Ends" in the studio.  He said it's the greatest performance in radio he's ever been a part of and he actually got teary hearing it live.     Amanda's favorite moment was the time they talked about the video of the woman who fell when she stomped the grapes!  She said they got tons of response from listeners who almost peed their pants or drove off the road they were laughing so hard.  

Rosie took a couple of callers.  One caller lost 100 pounds from walking during Rosie Radio!  He said his favorite Rosie Radio moment was when Rosie had Shirley Maclaine on.

They went to commercial break playing Bobby's favorite moment of the show when Betty Buckley sang As If We've Never Said Goodbye live in the studio!

CELL PHONES CAUSE CANCER, DRUG TESTS FOR WELFARE AND THE REAL L WORD
Janette read an article that stated that cell phones can increase your risk of cancer.  They discussed the cancer it causes called a Glioma which has a 20 year incubation period.  Janette said what's scary about that finding is that cell phones have really only been prevalent for the last 15 years so we're only now going to be seeing the health effects.  The first person she thought of was Deirdre, who lives on her cell phone for her job!  Deirdre said the study had her concerned and she was going to get a real phone in her house and use an ear phone attachment when she does use her cell phone.  Bobby didn't understand all the distress over something that may or may not happen.  He said he's not going to sleep with his cell phone next to his head now but he might star using an earpiece.  

They also discussed a recent news story that they may start drug testing welfare recipients in the state of Florida.  Deirdre is all for it but Janette, while she thinks there should be welfare reform, she believes in our right to privacy. She said it's sanctimonious to sit back and say poor people have to hold a standard that most  of us can't even meet.  Bobby said to Janette that our government makes sure we all obey the laws not just the poor people.  Janette said we should have the right to privacy and our own bodies regardless.  Rosie said oftentimes with poverty comes addiction and the desire to escape reality. She said we're all addicted to one thing or another whether that's drugs, food, porn, the Internet. But Bobby pointed out that all those things are legal while street drugs are not.  Rosie wondered where we draw the line when it comes to passing a certain standard to receive aid from the government.

Rosie then took several callers.  One caller understands the addiction but thinks welfare needs to be there to help someone get better and do better.  She said we cannot just hand out money and not expect the recipients of it to try to do better in life.  Rosie said not everyone has that same internal fortitude to get over life's obstacles. She said no one really knows why some who have suffered great challenges in life succeed and some do not.  She said it's a difficult thing to understand but we must try not to pass judgment.

Rosie took a caller who said if you work for the government of Florida you have to pass a drug test, so someone who gets money from the government should have to take a drug test too!  Rosie thought that was a good point.

One caller told Rosie how a convenience store near her home was recently busted for buying people's food stamps from them.  They estimated they cashed out 6 million dollars in 6 months in food stamp fraud!  The caller thinks there should be better oversight and possibly drug testing because she's pretty sure those people weren't selling their food stamps to go pay rent.  Rosie said there are always going to be people who try to beat the system.  She agreed that welfare perhaps needs more oversight too and compared it to Foster Care which was created to help the needs at the time but needs to be changed in order to accommodate the world we live in today.  Janette said we shouldn't get rid of all welfare because we hear of one anecdote that paints welfare in a bad light.

And finally, Rosie said she received an advance copy of Season 2 of The Real L Word.  She said they've kept two characters from the first season but the show itself has pretty much changed.  Rosie said she was completely shocked when she watched it and she called it "pure pornography."  She said it's pornography complete with "shaved hoo-has," people pleasuring themselves watching porn, and women using strap-on's.  She said the show scared her a little bit.  Rosie said she heard the women get paid about $500 an episode to essentially be a porn star.  She said it seemed to her like they only cast women who were willing to have sex on camera.  Rosie thought the show was manipulative, exploitative and promoting every worst stereotype about gay women.  She wondered how much Ilene Chaiken, the show's creator, had to do with this season.  Rosie called it "Dysfunction 101."

ROSIE RADIO TRIVIA GAME
ROUND ONE
Rosie: One time when they broadcasted from the fishbowl, the staff finished with a sing-a-long.  What song did they sing?  Rosie couldn't recall the answer but Janette stole it.  They sang Cabaret.
Pete:  He taught Jeannie how to sing with a private singing lesson.  He knew it was Seth Rudestsky.
Bobby: Deirdre took heat from callers when she advocated this hair treatment.  It was called the "Brazilian blowout" and he got it.
Deirdre: Rosie and Jeannie were both beside themselves the day this star called in from their youth. She couldn't remember but it was Peter Lemongello.

ROUND TWO
Rosie: Pete made this absolutely disgusting food item with pumpkin for their contest.  It was a pumpkin shake and she remembered!
Pete: Which two scored the highest ego test.  Pete guessed Rosie and Bobby but it was actually Rosie and James.
Janette: Rosie felt the brunt when Rosie Radio was canceled because of snow.  How many snow-days did they have?  Was it 7, 9, or 10?  The answer was 7 but she guessed 9.
Bobby: They had one intern.  What was her name?  It was Miko and Bobby didn't know it but Rosie did.
Deirdre: She's the guest who made the most in-studio appearances.  It was Judy Gold and she got it.

ROUND THREE
Rosie: James got into trouble for making the answers too easy in this game.  Rosie couldn't recall the game but it was "The Board Game."
Pete: She was the only guest to ever smoke in the studio.  Pete said Liza Minnelli and that was correct!
Janette: He's Blake's baseball coach who called in and made peace with Rosie.  She couldn't recall his name but it was Ron Nathanson.
Bobby:  Rosie used this gift from Howard as a footrest.  He said a Sibian which was correct!
Deirdre: Name any 3 songs that Rosie played "to death" on the air or on her laptop before a show.  She said Adele's Rolling In the Deep, Imogen Heap and Macy Gray.  

Rosie took a moment to thank Howard for the radio show.  She said if she never had done his program she might never had done Rosie Radio and now going back to television!  She said, "Thank you Howard!"

Rosie took a caller from Chicago who recommended that Rosie and Parker stop at Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio on their road trip!  Rosie thought that was a great idea and said she was going to a meeting immediately following the show today to figure it out!  

One caller wanted to tell Rosie she wasn't sure in the beginning that she would like Rosie on the radio but she has come to not only like her but admire her as well.  She thanked Rosie for her stance on abortion because she saw first hand what women went through in the 1960's.

Rosie took a caller who said if it wasn't for Rosie's show she wouldn't have the life she's living today. Rosie gave her the courage to come out and create a life with her girlfriend!  Today she feels free and Rosie gave her that gift.  She told Rosie she is a teacher and she's inspiring to many people.  Rosie thanked her for calling and said she hopes she can live out the rest of her years knowing she's valuable and worthy and that gay is okay.

Rosie then wished her girlfriend Tracy a Happy Birthday and played Say Hey I Love You by Michael Franti for her!  

On their way back from commercial they played the song Video Killed the Radio Star.  Rosie said that is the one thing she's not looking forward to - the fact that she now has to worry about what to wear! She said just picking out clothes to wear to the pre-show meetings is stressing her out.  Deirdre recommended Rosie bite the bullet and just hire a stylist!  Rosie thinks maybe Eileen Fisher is her answer and Janette said it would be her answer but she has to wear the clothes and not just hang them in the closet!

Rosie took a call from a listener who said she is so much more interested in politics and questioning our media now because of listening to Rosie Radio.  One caller said Rosie kept her company for two years while she was on unemployment but she was happy to say she just got a new job too!  So, she was happy Rosie was leaving so she wouldn't miss anything.  Janette reminded the caller that they will be airing "best-of Rosie Radio" Monday through Thursday and on June 10th Janette's Show will start! Janette's Show will air every Friday and Rosie's OWN show will broadcast on Sirius too.

Rosie took a call from Kristy who is a friend of Janette's on Facebook!  She is a proud member of the blogtourage!  Kristy told the staff how much she's enjoyed them over the past two years.  She called into the show once to share her story of battling cancer and Rosie sent her Suzanne Somer's book. Kristy said because of the show and that book she's changed her cancer treatment.  Kristy said she's pretty sure she's still here today because of those changes and she wanted to thank Rosie for that. Rosie thanked her for calling and sharing her story.  She said Suzanne Somers has done so much to raise awareness and she's a pretty amazing woman.  Rosie promised to tell Suzanne Kristy's story the next time she sees her.

Rosie and Janette then thanked all the listeners!  Janette said without them, they would just be sitting around talking to each other!  Rosie said Rosie Radio has been a beautiful way for her to connect with the world.  She remembered her mother going into the grocery store and making all the cashiers laugh and thinking she wanted to do that when she grew up.  Rosie said when you get famous you miss that conversational human interaction and this experience has given her the chance to get it back. And for that, she's extremely grateful.  Rosie said she hopes to maintain the conversational authenticity that the radio has allowed on her new show with a presentation that remains authentic.

Rosie then thanked the staff and said "we did it" and "you kicked ass."
And Rosie closed her final show.

Dear Rosie Radio listeners,

I just wanted to thank you for coming here and reading my recap blog every day.  I, like almost all of you, have loved Rosie for years and followed her as she shared her life and her heart with all of us through her blog.  I can't even write here what she's meant to me in my life because no words would really do the feelings justice. I'll just say I've loved her, as many of you have, and at the same time I've felt extremely passionate about making sure she's represented truthfully in the media as the brilliant, quick-witted, kind-hearted, generous woman we all know and love. 

I started this as a way to keep my friends up to date with the shows they missed and realized there was a large audience out there for it.  I knew not everyone could listen to Rosie Radio every day and people would want to know what Rosie and the staff were up to.  Janette was my biggest supporter in the beginning and without her I'm not sure I would have gotten the opportunity to do this for Kid Ro Productions.  I will never know how much she pushed for me and cheered me on behind the scenes.  I am forever in her debt and she probably will never know how much I love and adore her.  Then finally on June 10th of last year, almost exactly a year ago and thanks to Timmy O'Donnell, Rosie gave me the thumbs-up to write this blog on behalf of the show.  I still click on Rosie's blog to see her updates and get a little twinge of nervousness when I see my blog linked to hers.  It is unbelievable to me to see where this all has gone and I know years from now, I will still need my friends to assure me that it really happened.  Even now I can't believe it.  It did happen, right?

What's next for me?  Well, I have my resume out to a few places and I've traded some emails with people, but I don't have anything concrete yet.  For now, I'm going to take a day off to mow the lawn on Thursday and then I'm going to get my butt up to the school to volunteer for my 5th grader who will be graduating from elementary school on June 16th.  I cannot believe my little baby, the one I sat gestating for 6 weeks on bed-rest while watching The Rosie O'Donnell Show in 1999, is going to middle school. I'm happy I now get the opportunity to cherish these last few days of elementary school with him and all the other 5th grade moms before saying goodbye to the innocence of it all. 

And this weekend? I'm headed to my hometown of Cleveland to celebrate the homecoming of my brother-in-law who just returned from his third tour in Afghanistan and Iraq.  I've known him longer than I've known my husband, since preschool actually, and I couldn't be prouder to call him my friend.  I can't wait to give him a big hug, buy him a beer and hear all about whatever it is he would like to share with me about his trip over there.   

Then?  I will bum off my friends who belong to country clubs around here and beg them to let me tag along as they go to their private pools. :)  I will be laying in the sun this summer, listening to my iPod, trying to figure out what's next.  

I am not sad.  I'm not.  I am happy I had the chance to do this and I am happy to have met so many wonderful people through this opportunity.  If you want to keep in touch with me you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kellyw516.  I promise to let you all know what's next for me.   

And this seems to me the most fitting quote to leave here as I exit the stage door...
"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  - Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan. Oh, and you didn't think I'd leave here without a song, did ya? 

"We won't say our goodbyes, you know it's better that way.
We won't break, we won't die, it's just a moment of change."
All We Are - One Republic

Lastly, I want to thank my friends Michele and Liz.  You don't know them as well as I do because they have done all their work behind the scenes. Literally, every day when I finish a blog I pick up the phone and call Michele and she signs in here and proofreads the blog before  publishing it.  Liz then comes home from work and reads the blog later for grammar mistakes and punctuation errors that Michele and I missed.  They did this for me for nothing.  I got my paycheck from Rosie but literally they did it for me, just because I asked them to. I can't really even say how much their support has meant to me over the past two years.  Thank you to both of them and I know  I am better today because I knew you.  

And if I had one piece of advice for readers that may feel inspired by my story it would be that your life is not a dress rehearsal.  If you have a dream, you've got to go for it because this life, the one you're living right now is all you've got .... so make it a memorable one.  

Thank you for reading.
(one more time for good luck)
and that's what you missed - kw

Kelly Weist
kellyweist516(at)yahoo.com
http://www.twitter.com/kellyw516

5-31-11 - Brendan Returns, Deirdre Vows to Quit Smoking and Rosie takes Calls

In case you missed it...

BRENDAN'S RETURN AND INTRODUCING BABY OWEN
Today's show started as Rosie introduced Brendan who was back in the studio one final time!  Brendan was Rosie Radio's former Executive Producer who left the show for a job with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.  When Keith left his show Brendan and the rest of the staff went to work on Ed Schultz's show on the same channel.  He's really loving his new job too!  But the most exciting news he had to share was about his newborn baby Owen who is only 10 weeks old and just a little over 6 pounds. Brendan joked that it feels like it's been 10 years since Owen was born and he said he cannot remember his life without him.  Jeannie and Rosie totally related to that statement.  Brendan said this past holiday weekend he and his wife took the baby out for a walk and they remembered, "Oh yeah! We used to do things on this holiday!"  He said everything in his life has completely changed but he loves it.  Brendan raved about what a great job his wife is doing as a new mom.  He said he's more in love with her than he ever has been.  His wife had pitocin induced labor but declined the epidural! Rosie joked that she needed an epidural when she adopted!  Jeannie said seeing the baby made her miss having a baby but she doesn't miss lugging around all the things you need to take with you when you have a baby or the sleep deprivation.  Brendan said he's used to sleep deprivation and getting up at crazy hours because of the years he's spent in radio, so that part isn't that hard for him.  He said his wife is only struggling with the feeling of isolation you get when you have a newborn baby at home. But other than that, they're both doing great with the adjustment.

Rosie was so excited to be able to hold Brendan's new baby.  She talked about how cute babies are until they become teenagers, lol.  She told Brendan to enjoy every moment because she thinks the first 6 years are such a gift.  Brendan said he and his wife are looking forward to every milestone.  He said his parents are coming down once a week and helping out a lot.  He's excited to celebrate the holidays again in a new and special way with their new baby too!  Brendan said when Owen was born it was like he immediately knew what his job was to be now, to take care of that little baby.

Rosie and Jeannie were sort of jealous and envious of the time Brendan and his wife were getting to live. But  Janette wasn't! :)  But Rosie said she knows Janette's all for show and she doesn't actually hate kids.  Janette quietly admitted that was true and even admitted to touching Owen's little feet! Rosie joked how she is a "baby hogger" and offers to hold strangers' babies on airplanes.  She said 80% of the time it works and she gets to hold the babies and Jeannie said that's only because Rosie is famous.  Brendan said Owen, by far, is the best thing he ever produced!  See a picture of Brendan's baby Owen HERE.

Brendan said he's enjoying television a lot!  He said he enjoys working for The Ed Show on MSNBC and he even gets to run into Rachel Maddow (one of Rosie's favorite journalists) every once in a while.  Brendan said Rachel is very nice, hardworking, and a real journalist.  Brendan and Rosie also love Lawrence O'Donnell and what he said about Donald Trump and his fake run for Presidency, in particular. (watch video below)

Lawrence O'Donnell rips Trump a new one and demands NBC fire him.

Rosie asked Brendan if he still likes politics.  He said he does but he gets frustrated with them when they start having to cover "theatrical" political topics like Donald Trump's fake run for Presidency.  He said the day Obama presented his birth certificate the story became top news while stories that really had to do with the lives of Americans didn't get the airtime they deserved.  

Rosie asked Brendan what he thought of the legality of the way we captured and killed Osama bin Laden.  Brendan had a very long explanation for this but basically he said the rules of the war on terror are broad and in that respect, the way we got him was part of our war on terror.  What Brendan thought was most amazing about the story was that the government felt the need to tell us as much as they did about how the mission was carried out.  He said it was mind-blowing that the government needed to tell us their covert strategy in order to get people to believe it.  Janette asked Brendan about how we chose to get rid of Osama bin Laden's body and why we threw him into ocean.  Brendan said the U.S didn't want to bury him and create a shrine for him and they also didn't want his body to become collateral for terror organizations to bargain with. Rosie spoke of the celebrations that followed the death of OBL and how she questioned their appropriateness and the backlash she received from doing so.  Brendan said the celebrators were very young and had grown up with OBL being the ultimate boogieman.  He said it was like when Bill Maher lost his show because someone said the terrorists who flew the airplanes were cowards.  And Bill said they were many things but they weren't cowards. That statement made him lose his show.  Brendan said there are certain touchstones in culture that people simply cannot accept such as comments like these, for whatever reason.  Rosie said the mood became "McCarthy Era-ish."

Rosie took a call from a listener who asked Brendan if she can see him on MSNBC and he said that he strictly works behind the scenes as a producer on the show.  One caller told Rosie how she's started a Facebook and Twitter page and donates a penny for every mile she drives (she's a trucker) as a way to give back since she cannot donate her time.  Rosie thought that was a great way to give back and wished her luck!    Rosie took several calls from listeners who simply expressed their love for Rosie and the staff and said they are looking forward to her show on OWN.  One caller told Brendan to keep doing what he's doing because he's so fantastic in the political arena.  She said she cannot wait to see where he ends up!  Rosie commented on how they often wished they had Brendan around when something political happened because he was able to explain it so well.

A caller asked Brendan how Ed Schultz got a show on MSNBC.  Brendan said Ed started in radio and then branched out to MSNBC as Rachel Maddow did.  Ed used to be a sports-caster and was a "Reagan era Conservative" until he met his wife and she took him to her job at a soup kitchen.  He said that changed Ed and what he believed forever.  

One caller asked Brendan how he got into producing.  Brendan said he's been in radio since his college days and he recommended any kids interested in producing to start on their college radio stations. Rosie said she used to be on her college radio station too!  She said it's a great way to meet the other artistic people interested in the same kinds of things.  

Rosie and Brendan talked for a little while about Judd Apatow and how Rosie and Judd used to work in area clubs together when they were young.

Janette asked Brendan if he's missed Rosie Radio and he said he has missed it but he's been able to keep up with everyone on the "Recap Blog!"  :)  He said it was very bitter sweet to make the drive up to Nyack again today.  Rosie thanked Brendan for coming in and introducing his baby to everyone. She promised to keep in touch and call him whenever she needed something political explained to her. Brendan joked that he can be Rosie's "phone-a-friend" on her OWN show when she has a question about a political topic.

GNOMEO AND JULIET, WHAT'S NEXT, QUITTING SMOKING AND JUICING
Rosie said she and Vivi watched Gnomeo & Juliet last night and they both really liked it!  When it was over Vivi asked Rosie if when her knew television show ends, if she could have a big party and invite Justin Bieber to it so she could meet him.  lol  Janette said she thinks Vivi will be the one of Rosie's kids that ends up in show business.  Rosie thought so too.  She said Vivi is very competitive with a little girl in her class who is doing a musical all summer with her mother and getting $200 a week for her work.  When Vivi found this out she was beside herself!  Rosie said it's thrown her whole world off its axis.  Rosie had to remind Vivi that the little girl has to go to rehearsals every single day and won't be swimming at the pool with friends all summer like Vivi will.  It was still mind-blowing to Vivi that a child her age can make that much money.  Rosie said Vivi's very thrifty with her money unlike her older brother Blake who likes to spend his money.  She said her older two kids Parker and Chelsea also aren't big savers.  Rosie said Parker spent last summer as a busboy and this summer he'll be working as a lifeguard.  Jeannie said her son Ryan is obsessed with money, so much so that he jokes about charging her for hugs!  He even gave her a birthday card with a used Chapstick taped to it and then "charged her" $3 for it.  LOL!  She thinks it stems from the fact that he loves Legos but is often told they cannot purchase them because they're so expensive.  

Rosie asked what everyone will do on Thursday since the show is over tomorrow.  Jeannie said she'll be back working at her "day job" as a speech-language pathologist.  Deirdre will have about a week off until she starts on Janette's Show next Friday but said she's going to quit smoking on Thursday!  She will be using the Nicitrol Inhaler that was prescribed to her from her doctor.  She said the patch made her shaky but she's hoping this won't because you only use it when you feel the desire for a cigarette. Rosie said her girlfriend Tracy knew someone who tried the "fake cigarette" and it helped them quit smoking.  Deirdre heard the "fake cigarette" wasn't good for you and Pete said, "Much like smoking isn't?"  Jeannie said she's a situational smoker and said she could quit at any time.  In fact, Rosie didn't even know Jeannie smoked until they began working on Rosie Radio together! Jeannie said her kids have never seen her smoke and she never smokes in her house.  Jeannie gave an update on her husband who has a neurofibroma in his back.  She said they will find out the results of his cat scan tomorrow. She said her husband noticed she was smoking the other day and said she needs to start taking care of herself now because he doesn't know what's happening with him right now.  Deirdre said another reason to stop smoking is cigarettes are so ridiculously expensive!  Rosie was stunned to see the price of cigarettes!  Rosie said she never smoked because her mom died of cancer and she's always associated cancer with smoking.   She also hates the smell.

Rosie and Deirdre took a call from a listener who quit smoking two months ago after reading the book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-smokers Using Allen Carr's Easy Way Method. He said the book gave him a good perspective on quitting and helps you get mentally ready to set a date to quit.  Deirdre said she really likes the author of those books and said she may have read excerpts from it before.  James said his boyfriend successfully quit smoking just six weeks ago! Not only has he quit smoking but he's made other changes to his life for his own health. James said it's done wonders for their relationship and it's great knowing his partner is taking control of his life.  He said he's so proud of him.

Rosie took a call from a listener who used Chantix to quit smoking and really liked it.  He said he didn't have any withdrawal symptoms with it.  Lou had horrible nightmares when he used Chantix but said he did successfully quit smoking while using it for about 4 months.  He said his girlfriend Maral made him quit and then she dumped him and he went back to smoking.  Now that they're back together they're both smoking!   Rosie said she's considering juicing.  Jeannie is buying her juicer this weekend! She heard what James had to say about being proud of his boyfriend and she thinks her husband would be happier if they were both healthier.  She said she hopes to get her kids involved in juicing and make it a family affair.

MORE SUMMER PLANS AND LOTS OF CALLERS
Janette said she is learning to Tweet this summer!  She is officially Janette's Show on Twitter and you can keep up with her there!  This Thursday Janette is going on a beach vacation with Barry's family and she's really looking forward to it.  She said they get a house with 20-25 family members and there's not one moment of tension in the house.  And she even has a special little child she bonds extremely well with when she's there!

Rosie said she'll report for her first day of work on July 8th and she promised to call into Janette's Show on some Fridays with updates!  In June, Rosie said she's driving to Chicago with Parker and making stops along the way.  They'll get their first look at her apartment that is being completely furnished by Ikea!  She said she has a vacation to Florida and the Jersey Shore planned and then she'll travel back and forth to Chicago for the show.  She said she's trying to imagine herself working there and she keeps getting stuck on what she's going to wear! :)

Rosie took a call from a listener who has followed Rosie since 1999 when her son was born and she was on bed-rest.  (My first son was born in 1999 too!!! And I was also on bed-rest and watched TROS faithfully.)  This caller also lost her mother to breast cancer when she was 21 years old.  She said she's excited to get tickets to the new show and she asked how they're going to  give tickets out.  Rosie said they will most likely use the same system that is currently in place for The Oprah Winfrey Show.  She said her staff will mostly be the same as Oprah's and as soon as they have a plan in place for how they're going to give tickets away, they will put that information on the website.

Rosie took many calls from listeners who said the same thing in their own loving way.  They love the Rosie Radio staff, they will miss Rosie Radio terribly, they were happy Janette is getting her own show and they're excited Rosie is going to OWN.  :)

One caller thanked Rosie for changing his life.  He and his partner decided to "foster to adopt" because of Rosie's advice and beautiful cruise documentary All Aboard: Rosie's Family Cruise.  He said Rosie changed their lives and he was forever grateful to her.  Rosie wished them luck and thanked him for calling and sharing his story with her.

Rosie asked Pete if he's going to move to Chicago.  He said he's still trying to figure out all the details with where he will live but he's going to be the new Web Content Producer for the Rosie Show website!  He and his family just purchased a house in New York but he said he's going to make it work.  He said a lot of pieces are still up in the air for him.

Rosie then asked the staff to give an update on what they will be doing career-wise after Thursday. Deirdre will be going with Janette to Janette's Show.  James will produce the Janette Show as well as act as the Brand Manager of Rosie Radio as they continue to air composite shows of their favorite Rosie Radio segments all summer!  Lou will be producing for Jim Breuer's show, as well as working on Janette's Show.  Bobby will be a Consulting Producer of Broadway segments for Rosie's show on OWN!  And Amanda will work on Janette's Show, while filling on for people at Sirius and working at Trader Joe's part-time.

Rosie took a call from a listener who thanked Rosie for all her shows on talking to your kids about coming out.  She said her teenage son came out to her and she said she was very accepting because of Rosie's advice on Rosie Radio!  Rosie congratulated her on reacting so well and said there are many children who suffer so much with having to tell their parents they are gay.

Rosie spoke with a caller about her love of Barbra Streisand.  Rosie said in 1972 when she saw What's Up Doc, she saw Barbra Streisand and remembered thinking she was the most beautiful woman she ever saw.  Rosie remembers thinking Barbra was perfection and the epitome of beauty.  Rosie said her mother had loved Barbra and that movie affected her in a profound way for the rest of her life.

Rosie took a call from a listener who had a baby while Rosie Radio has been on the air!  She was on bed-rest and her mom got her a subscription to Sirius so she could listen while she waited for her baby to arrive.  She said she listened every day, had her daughter and then came home from the hospital and has listened ever since.  She promised Rosie that she and her mom will come to Chicago and see her OWN show.  The caller made a quick joke about breastfeeding and she promised Rosie that she would flash her boobs to her to remind her she's the one who made the boob joke on air.  Rosie told her not to do that!  She said on The Rosie O'Donnell Show someone once tried to show Rosie the decoupaged t-shirt they had made and mistakenly lifted her shirt and showed her boobs on LIVE TELEVISION! She said the poor woman got thrown out of the studio and was forever humiliated!  Word to the wise! Don't flash your boobs on live TV.

Rosie took a final call from a listener who said she's politically opposite of Rosie and used to consider herself  open-minded, until she listened to Rosie.  She loves Rosie's openness, what kind of mother she is and how she talks about raising kids.  Six months ago she found out her 21 year old daughter was gay and because of Rosie Radio she said she handled the news beautifully.  She told her daughter, "I love her for who you are, not for who you love."  Rosie said, "There are no accidents," and thanked the caller for sharing the story.

Rosie closed the show reminding listeners that tomorrow is the final show.

and that's what you missed - kw
Well... until tomorrow.  

5-30-11 - Memorial Day, Documentaries, Swimsuits and Callers

In case you missed it...

MEMORIAL DAY, DOCS AND JANETTE'S COMMENTS TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT
Rosie and the staff started today's show discussing the history of Memorial Day and honoring our troops that have served and will serve.  Rosie said last night Parker made sure with her she was going to honor the soldiers today and she assured him that they would.  

Rosie said she watched the documentary Wartorn 1861-2010 on HBO this weekend about our soldiers and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  She said it was an amazing look at how many soldiers suffer from PTSD and how it's almost impossible to get out unscathed.  Each of the staff members shared a story about a family member who served in the military who suffered with nightmares or startled easily after serving.  Janette mentioned a New York Times article she read about how difficult reentry into everyday life is for today's soldiers.  There is high unemployment and an incredibly high rate of suicide.   They discussed how today's wars are almost invisible to the majority of Americans because so much war is being fought by so few.  Rosie and Janette expressed their love and appreciation for the military.  Janette said the military is often the first stop for humanitarian aid.  Rosie said people have asked her how she feels about Parker being interested in the military since she's anti-military.  Rosie said she is not anti-military at all and she doesn't understand why people think she is.  Janette said just because you're pro-military doesn't mean you're pro-war.  And Rosie agreed.  She said the soldiers shouldn't be blamed for fighting in a war their government forced them to fight and war should only be an option after every other option has been exhausted.

Speaking of being misunderstood, Rosie said she received a lot of incoming links this weekend about something Janette said about abortion last week.  Janette's comments last week were taken out of context and she didn't properly explain a story.  Last week Janette was trying to tell a story about when she was just 12 years old and she didn't know how you got pregnant.  Her father had instilled the belief in her that getting pregnant out of wedlock would be the very worst thing in the world, but Janette didn't know how you got pregnant or what sex even was.  She thought you got pregnant from something you ate but she wasn't sure what.  She had a plan that if she ever got pregnant (keep in mind she was 12 at the time) she would either kill herself or secretly give birth to the baby and bury it in the woods because her father would kill her!  Well all she said last week was that she used to have a plan to kill the baby if she ever got pregnant.  They didn't mention how she was 12 at the time and she thought you got pregnant from eating something.  Janette said what she said may be upsetting but not saying it doesn't make it true.  She said that's the emotional truth of some young girls, too young to know any better or think of the consequences of such an act.

DOCUMENTARY ON CHINA, ABORTION AND CALLERS
Rosie said she also saw China's Stolen Children which talks about some of the ramifications of the one child policy in China.  Rosie said it's really unbelievable to hear that thousands of children are kidnapped every year in China.  Rosie said if you have a baby in China and you don't have a birth permit, they report you to the government.  You then have to pay a fine which is about 3-5 years of a person's salary.  To avoid being caught mothers will go to a farm to have their babies and sell the child to traffickers who then sell the child to wealthy families.  Rosie called it "heartbreaking" and discussed how commonplace abortion has become in China.  

Rosie then took a call from a listener who had an abortion when she was only 16 years old.  She said she never had any regret or shame about it because she knows her life is better now because of it.  She said it saved her life at the time.  Today she is very open about talking about the importance of birth control and safe sex with her daughters.  Jeannie said she received a lot of judgment from friends for putting her daughter on birth control when she was a teen.  She said people said it was as if she was condoning premarital sex.  For Jeannie, she knew she could handle putting her daughter on birth control better than she could handle taking her to have an abortion.  Deirdre said her mom put her on birth control when she was 16 and she's thankful she could go to her mom about the topic.  Jeannie's parents found birth control in her bag when she was a senior in high school and Jeannie told them it was Rosie's!  Jeannie and Rosie started laughing at the thought (since Rosie is a lesbian and didn't really need birth control) but Jeannie said she blamed Rosie because she could get away with anything with her parents.

Rosie took a call from a listener who volunteered at a Planned Parenthood in Texas for a period of time.  She was a clinic escort for young women - some just there for a health scare but they still had to battle through protesters to receive an exam.  She said it was very sad to see the lack of knowledge by the protesters.  Rosie recommended the documentary 12th and Delaware for anyone interested in this topic.

Rosie took a call from a listener who lives and listens from South Korea!  She's a teacher who originally called in at the beginning of the show almost a year and a half ago.  She said five years ago she got pregnant and was not in a relationship at the time.  She knew she had made a terrible mistake and she had an abortion.  To this day she has no regrets about it because if she hadn't done it, she wouldn't have the life she has now.  Rosie thanked her for sharing her story and told her she was very brave for doing so.  The caller told Rosie how much she is going to miss the show and Janette reminded her when Rosie goes to OWN she can still listen to it because it will be broadcast on Sirius!  

Rosie took a call from a listener who said Janette couldn't be any more wrong about this topic.  She was adopted and is a private investigator who located and met with her birth mother.  When she met her birth mother, her birth mother couldn't stop crying.  She told her she was realizing that if abortion had been legal at the time she was pregnant she would have aborted her and she realized she would have taken away the wonderful life she's lived.  Rosie said people ask her how she can be pro-choice when she's an adoptive mom because the thoughts seem contradictory.  It's because mothers chose not to have abortions that Rosie has her children.  Rosie said she doesn't begrudge any woman the right to make the decision about her own body.  The caller said in the big picture it is only 9 months out of your life and that many people would be grateful if you gave the baby to a loving family.  Rosie said she feels the same way when she thinks about birth mothers.  She said a woman who knows she can't have a baby yet has the forethought to have that baby and give the baby a chance at life with a loving family is an amazing person.  But she also knows not every woman has the strength to do that.  Janette said she understands if a person's religious beliefs say abortion is wrong and she respects the religious beliefs of all people but said people should also respect her right to not believe in any particular religious ideology.

Rosie took a call from a woman who had two abortions in her lifetime and said no one should judge her for it.  She said we all have our own situations, our own lives and if she knew then what she knows now she would have never put herself in the position to get pregnant in the first place.  But she cannot turn back time.  The woman said she was shaking telling the staff her story because she has never told anyone before.  Rosie thanked her for trusting them and for sharing with her.

ROSIE TALKS ABOUT HER WEEKEND, SWIMSUITS AND GREETING CARDS
Rosie said she hung out with Madonna and her kids this weekend.  She said it's interesting to have a friend the same age who also lost her mother when she was very young who is also now a parent.  She said they've always had that bond and now that they're both parents, it's even more special.  She said to see Madonna with the two children she gave birth to and the two children she adopted is beautiful. Rosie said she had never felt the need to have a biological child of her own but she remarked on the incredible similarity of Madonna to her children.  Rosie said Mo has never been in a better place than she is right now.  Madonna threw Parker his baby shower when he was born and she said he was the tiniest baby she ever held at the time.  And she looked at a picture of him today, the strapping 6 foot tall man he's turned into, and she was so shocked at how grown up he is!

She also went to her friend Robin Ruzan's mother's birthday party.  Rosie said she was neighbors with Robin's mom when Parker was a baby and she used to come over all the time to hold him.  She became a huge part of her life.   Robin threw her mom a surprise birthday party at The Palm Restaurant in the city and invited Rosie and Parker to come.  When Robin's mom saw Parker, she immediately came over to him and started crying at the sight of him.  Rosie said she saw Janeane Garofalo and David Steinberg at the party too.  She said she knows Janeane and has always respected her work but never really got the chance to know her personally.  Rosie thinks she's absolutely stunning in person!  They ended up having a conversation about body image and Rosie commented on how great Janeane looks and how she must never have body image issues anymore.  Janeane couldn't even receive the compliment and thought Rosie was delusional.  Deirdre understood it. Deirdre doesn't have a weight problem but said she has serious body issues.  Rosie said when she was talking to Janeane she was thinking, "She's missing it! She's skinny and she's missing it!?"  Rosie said someone could be looking at her and thinking that too.  Jeannie looks back at her wedding pictures and thinks the same thing.  At the time Jeannie got married, she felt like the fattest bride in the world.  She said she'd love to be that weight today.  

Rosie said her friend Michelle's wife is in the swimsuit business and sent her a few bathing suits to try.  She talked about how hard it is to find plus-sized bathing suits and said she always orders suits that are too big for her.  She also read an article in O Magazine about swimsuits for every body and felt frustrated that they didn't show a suit for a body like hers, one with a big belly. Rosie said she used to wear shorts and a t-shirt when she went swimming but she decided she had to stop doing that in front of her daughters.  She said it felt like she was telling them, "My body is not okay. In fact, it is so bad I will hide it from everyone including my own family."  Rosie didn't want to send that message to them. 

Jeannie brought in beautiful handmade cards that her friend Judy made for everyone on the staff!  She said she used to go to card making classes at Judy's house but hasn't been there in a while.  Janette said her friend Petra from the blogtourage, makes handmade cards as well!  Here are links to Judy's handmade card business and Petra's handmade card business.  Rosie also recommended the website Etsy to buy specialty craft items like these.  Rosie thought the gift from Judy was very sweet!

Rosie said she and Vivi went out for ice cream on Friday and 3 women came up to her and Vivi and asked Vivi if she was the child that only liked to eat fruit.  They had listened to Rosie tell that story on the radio that day and Vivi was NOT happy about it later in the car.  She asked Rosie why she is telling everyone her business!  Rosie remembered being little and the neighbor seeing her in the shower and how horrifying that was to her!  And this weekend her old assistant came over with her daughter who has a secret crush on Blake. Rosie mentioned it to the little girl when Blake wasn't in the room and she was so mad at her mother for telling her secret!  Rosie said it was very sweet to see someone that age smitten.  Jeannie and Rosie then remembered the boys they had crushes on as little girls.  

PARKER VISITS THE STUDIO
Rosie's 16 year old son Parker then came in to the studio to talk on the air for a little while.  He said he came in to remind Rosie to thank the military today.  She assured him that she remembered.  Rosie asked Parker about his plans to attend a local Military Academy in the fall.  He said he's excited about it and not really nervous at all.  Rosie asked him why he wants to go there and he said he wants to attend the academy because the military is something that has always interested him and he thinks he would thrive with the discipline.  Parker thinks serving in the military should be something all citizens should do.  He said it's almost like living in a house and not paying rent.  He appreciates how Israel has every person attend the military for a year as a responsibility as a citizen of the country.  He said he's not nervous about going but he is sort of nervous about how Rosie's going to deal with it.  :)  Parker said he will begin life-guarding in June.

This weekend, Parker and his friends helped a little boy who was stranded on a jet ski on the Hudson near their house.  Rosie said they have never had to participate in a jet ski rescue on the Hudson before!  They mentioned how hip hop artist Sean Kingston was critically injured in a jet ski accident right near their Miami home this weekend.   Rosie and Parker were very familiar with the area and couldn't really understand how it happened but hoped he gets better soon!  Rosie said she once got into trouble in Florida for allowing her 12 year old daughter to drive a jet ski.  She asked Pete what the minimum age is and he looked it up and said you must be 14 to ride a jet ski alone in Florida.  And if you're under 22, you need a license to drive.

Rosie asked Parker if he had plans to get his driver's license.  Janette told him not to rush and Pete said his aunt is 86 years old and still doesn't have her license!  Bobby, Jeannie and Rosie all went to the DMV the day they turned 16 to get their licenses.  Janette really never had the interest in driving at that age.  

ROSIE TAKES PHONE CALLS
Rosie talked with the staff about the fact that there are only 2 more days left of the show and how they're feeling about it.  Jeannie said it was so sad for her!  She said although she loves her job, working at the studio has been a great break from working with children all the time.  She said she's really enjoyed the adult environment and interaction and said she's had so much fun.  She said she loves everyone on the staff and is going to miss them all terribly. Janette said losing the connection to the staff is the hardest part for her too.  She said she's so used to seeing everyone every morning that losing that will be hard for her.
Rosie spoke to several callers who all told them how much they loved the show and how much they're going to miss it.   All the callers were excited Rosie is going to OWN and excited that Janette is going to get her own show every Friday!  One caller also drives  to Chicago every other weekend and said her drive will never be the same.  One caller said she lost 60 pounds while listening to Rosie Radio!  She said she followed Bobby's advice of "calories in, calories out" and she danced to Wii Fit while she listened everyday for 2 hours!  One of the callers had a bad impression of Rosie before the radio show but said after he's listened to her he really likes her!  He was a truck driver for Target who also loves Janette.  One caller has been a fan of Rosie's since the VH1 days who told Rosie that she learned about her in her Political Science class.  In the class they studied what she did for Steven Lofton and Roger Croteau when they were denied the right to adopt the foster children in the state of Florida. Rosie said the men, both pediatric nurses, adopted HIV positive boys and nursed them back to health and then the state of Florida wouldn't allow the adoption.  Rosie said it is important to her to shine a light on injustice when you have the ability. The caller said Rosie has empowered many of her listeners in ways like these and she thanked her for doing the radio show.  Rosie spoke to several truckers and commented on how she's been introduced to an entire world full of people she might never have had the chance to know.  Rosie took a call from a listener who said she has read many blogs, books, movies and websites she might have never heard of if it wasn't for Rosie and she was extremely grateful.  She asked Rosie if she's also going to spotlight older documentaries as well as new releases for her Documentary Club on OWN.  Rosie said she would be featuring both new and old documentaries and she recommended listeners watch Sons of Perdition on the Oprah Winfrey Network premiering Thursday, June 2nd at 9 (8c).

Sons of Perdition (trailer)
The last caller Rosie spoke to asked if Rosie was going to feature Byron Katie on her new show on OWN and Rosie said she would.  The caller said Rosie introduced her to Byron Katie's work and Rosie spoke about how much she loves what Byron Katie does.  

Parker closed the show thanking all of those that have served and are serving in the military.

and that's what you missed - kw
TWO SHOWS LEFT

5-27-11 - A Second Hour with Joe Cross

In case you missed it...

JANETTE SHOW, MMFC AND DOCTORS NOT TAKING HEAVY PATIENTS
Rosie and Janette started today's broadcast discussing Rosie Radio's new schedule.  Best of Rosie Radio will air Monday through Thursday and Janette's Show will air live on Fridays!  Janette reminded everyone that when Rosie goes to OWN, the audio of her television show will air on Sirius if you don't have that channel!

Rosie and Janette talked a little about the third world and also why Rosie won't ever travel to Africa. Rosie said she wouldn't be able to handle the poverty, the homeless kids, the heat or the shots you have to take in order to travel there.  Janette feels we helped create the third world and therefore we have a responsibility to help fix it.  Click on the link to find out more about the work Janette does with Medical Missions for Children.
Rosie read some Ob/Gyns are turning away pregnant women over 250 pounds.  Bobby heard the reasoning is doctors are saying they require a different "skill-set" to treat the issues that overweight women often experience when expecting.  Because of this, many doctors are saying overweight pregnant women should see a specialist.  Rosie had a friend who was obese when she had a baby and said the doctors were very mean to her about it when her c-section required special accommodations. Janette had a friend who was a nurse who needed to leave the medical profession because of the increasing size of patients.  She said her friend's own health was at risk because patients were so large that she could no longer properly take care of them, lift them, etc.    Rosie thinks there is probably a tremendous amount of shame to carry for those women who are being turned away from doctors because of their size. But she, Bobby and Janette understood how it may be necessary because of increasing malpractice lawsuits. 

JOE CROSS FROM FAT, SICK AND NEARLY DEAD AND JOIN THE REBOOT!
Rosie then introduced Joe Cross from the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead who was back in the studio to further talk about his experience juicing and how he lost weight!  They talked about eating healthfully and how with his juicing reboot, you can actually start craving vegetables again!  Rosie mentioned Jeannie's husband who is facing some health problems right now.  Joe said if he were Jeannie's husband, not only would he go to doctors for treatment but he would immediately begin juicing and stay away from processed foods.  Joe feels the body has an amazing ability to heal itself. Rosie recommended another documentary to Joe and her listeners entitled Forks Over Knives which she says talks about the dangers of eating animal protein.  Joe hadn't seen it but said he wants to.  Joe said he doesn't want to live to that extreme (eating no meat at all) and he still likes to have some animal protein 2-3 times a week.  Joe said his day starts out with juicing in the morning with maybe a handful of nuts.  He'll eat big bowls of fruits and vegetables throughout the day and then at night he'll eat a typical meal.  The big difference about his typical meal though is he doesn't make the protein the centerpiece of his plate.  He makes the fruits or vegetables the MAIN course.  

Joe talked with Rosie about how he lets his body tell him what foods to eat based on what it's craving. He said "what goes in must come out" and we should be eating "quick exit foods," foods that do not stay in our systems for too long.  Rosie, Joe and Jeannie then started joking about poop and what they should and shouldn't look like.

Joe shared a story about Phil, a truck driver he met while crossing the country filming his documentary, who suffered from the same disease Joe suffered from.  Phil was also very overweight and weighed about 400 pounds when they met.  He was taking high doses of drugs trying to keep his symptoms under control and he was miserable.   Phil wasn't ready to completely change his eating when they met but after a period of time Phil emailed Joe and asked him for help.  Phil stuck to the program and became an inspiration to his town!  Today he's off all medication and looks like a completely different person.  Joe said he used to be very overweight too but today he can shop in regular clothing stores, doesn't worry about the person sitting next to him in the airplane and can cross his legs while sitting.  He not only appreciates the big things, like the health benefits he's gained from juicing, but he also appreciates those little moments.  Joe said it took him 5 months to lose the weight and change his life forever.  He's kept it off over since.


Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (extended trailer)

Joe talked to Rosie about the difference between simply counting calories and looking at the nutritional value of the calories we consume.  He said his film has only been out for 6 weeks and already 8,000 people have signed up to do the reboot!  He said he gets hundreds of emails every day from people describing their journeys to him.  He said mothers are writing to him telling him their kids are eating vegetables for the first time because they're juicing!  Recently, Rosie had mistakenly thought she was doing something healthy for her kids by giving them Sunny D and she didn't realize, until she read the label, that it was actually 90% sugar!  She thought she was doing something better for their health by giving them "juice" but really it was just as bad. Joe recommended the company Bluebrint Cleanse that delivers juices right to your door.

Jeannie and Rosie then tasted some juices Joe brought in for them and they liked them a lot!  There was no pulp or fiber in the juices.  He recommended The Breville Juicer for those interested in investing in an appliance to start the program themselves.  Rosie asked how just drinking juice would make her feel full.  Joe said when your brain gets the right chemicals, it will learn to feel full as opposed to when you eat the bad stuff and you continue to remain hungry.  He said your system doesn't feel full when you eat "crap food" because it's still hungering for the good stuff!  Rosie said her daughter Vivi will choose to eat fruits and vegetables and her ex Kelli was the same way.   Joe said they're one of the lucky ones that naturally crave the good stuff.  He said the rest of us have to try a little harder at it.

Joe said processed foods, dairy and meat form mucous in the digestive tract but fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds do not.  He had a mucous problem while he was heavy and didn't realize the connection until he began eliminating those bad foods from his diet.  Joe said mucous lives in your digestive tract and causes constipation but if you eat the right foods you correct that problem.  Joe has found that if he starts eating sugary foods again he begins to want them more and more, almost like an addict.  He said that addiction still lives with him but he has a way to manage it better through juicing.

Rosie asked Joe if he feels like this juicing movement is his calling in life.  Joe said he does feel that way.  He said he made this documentary to entertain, educate and inspire.  He thinks everyone can be a leader and everyone who does the reboot becomes an expert on the topic and can help others with the program.  He said he believes the secret to happiness is feeling youthful and inspiring others will help make your own life better.  Rosie said watching Joe, who has actually lost weight and changed his life for good, is really inspiring to her.  She thanked him for coming in and for staying for the second hour of his visit!  If you missed it, click here to read about Joe's original interview from Tuesday

Click here to learn more about Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and learn more about his juicing movement at Join the Reboot!

There was a game and I have notes on most of it, but because of technical issues, it will be posted at a later time. 

Rosie closed the show.

and that's what you missed - kw
3 SHOWS LEFT

5-27-11 - TBD

Due to some technical difficulties, today's blog will be posted at a later time.
I recorded today's show and not only did the recording not work, I hear there were some other issues.
I am going to listen tonight to the 8pm show and write a full recap for everyone.
I apologize! Check Rosie's blog for links.


3 SHOWS LEFT

5-26-11 - Discussing the last Oprah and an Interview With Cyndi Lauper

In case you missed it...

THE BIG CHICAGO MOVE, JOURNEY TO DYSLEXIA AND ROSIE'S ROAD TRIP!
Rosie started today's broadcast discussing with Janette how this transition to Chicago is affecting her kids, especially Vivi.  She said she and Kelli had been telling Vivi they would be with Rosie for a month this summer and then Mommy Kelli for a month.  The thought of being away from any one parent for such a long time was a bit overwhelming for Viv so they've decided to stop telling her that for now.  But Rosie said Vivi's got a handle on the world in a way Rosie has never seen an 8 year old have.  Vivi's just now learned to read through a tutor because at her Waldorf school, you don't learn how to read until 3rd grade.  Vivi's now reading  the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and she and Rosie will read them together at night.  Rosie said it was incredibly frustrating for Vivi not being able to read.  Janette still remembers the frustration she felt when she was little and unable to read.  And Rosie's said her son Parker has now turned 16!! Bobby asked about Parker driving and Rosie said since he hasn't shown interest in it she's not going to bring it up with him.  And when they have had conversations about driving, Rosie's told him if he can't act responsibly she's not going to give him a lethal weapon.

Rosie said she had a great dinner with Meg Tilly last night where they shared stories about parenting and their struggles raising kids.  They discussed boarding school and how Meg's son wanted to go away to school.   She grabbed her heart when she talked about it because of how painful it was for her. Meg and her son agreed he would try it for a year and he ended up coming home when the year was through.  Rosie said they had Parker tested for any learning disabilities recently and they should get the results from the tests soon.  They wanted to see if there was anything they could do to assist him with his learning.  Rosie said she recently watched a documentary about dyslexia entitled Journey to Dyslexia and she really liked it.  She said the movie is inspiring if you have a kid with a learning issue or if you have one yourself.  Rosie called it poignant and powerful.  Rosie talked about how in the film they interview students who have overcome great adversity in school in order to succeed.  Janette said she saw Stedman Graham (Oprah's Beau) do a lecture on that very topic at a Women On Fire event. He spoke about how when he started high school he became determined to go to college.  People told him he was too stupid to go to college and instead of believing that, he used that as a motivator to drive his success. In the film they feature Willard Wigan who is dyslexic and does dioramas inside the eye of a needle!  Watch the trailer...

Journey To Dyslexia

Rosie said Bobby is decorating her apartment in Chicago which has to be ready around June 10th/14th.  Ikea is going to sponsor the apartment and Bobby is currently in the process of ordering everything she will need.  Rosie said she and Parker are going to drive from New York to Chicago and perhaps stop along the way!  She said they'll be doing it for the show and then returning back to New York because she's not really starting work there until July.

AMERICAN IDOL, OPRAH'S FINALE AND CALLERS
Rosie asked the staff if any of them watched the finale of American Idol  last night.  No one watched it!  But Rosie gave props to Deirdre who predicted Scotty would win on Day 1 of the show.  Deirdre said Scotty has an unbelievable country voice.  Janette didn't like Scotty's performances but thought James Durbin gave outstanding performances.  They played the audio of James singing Judas Priest from last night and Rosie took a couple of calls from listeners about the show.  Rosie said she knew she swore off American Idol but that doesn't mean she took it off TiVo!  Rosie said, in general, she loved this season of American Idol because it was so celebratory instead of salacious.  One caller said a reporter in her area was so upset that Lauren didn't win she started crying while she was covering the story!  Deirdre said no one needs to worry about the finalists that didn't win.  She said Chris Daughtry came in 4th and now he's huge in the music industry and she's convinced James, Pia and Casey will all have good careers.

Rosie asked the staff what they thought of Oprah's final show and besides Bobby I'm not sure anyone else saw it.  Bobby was a disappointed. He said selfishly he wished he could have an hour of Oprah winging it even though he knows that might not have been even possible.  Bobby said he wanted to know what her future plans are, where she is traveling to, what she is going to do with her time.  He wished it was more of a conversation.   He did like what she said about being responsible for the energy you bring into a space and said he will always remember that advice.  Rosie loved yesterday's show.  She thought it was masterfully written and beautifully performed.   And she said she's not just an ass-kisser because she already has the job!  Bobby did send for a transcript of the show because he really wants to read what she said so he can better absorb it.

Rosie took some calls about the final Oprah.  One caller agreed with Bobby but most callers loved yesterday's show and agreed with Rosie.  One caller thought Oprah's show was absolute grace.  Rosie agreed and said she couldn't imagine a better way to end the journey.  She wanted to know who came up with the concept and bet that Oprah came up with it herself.  One caller found Oprah's show to be a little "preachy" like a sermon in a church and worried the beauty might have gotten lost because of that.  Rosie didn't feel that but thanked her for her opinion.

One of the callers Rosie spoke to missed the final Oprah show because of the tornadoes that hit her area!  She said she was safe but she was a truck driver and she completely lost her truck in the storm. Rosie asked her tons of questions to make sure she is okay and gave her a snuggie. :)

One of the callers complimented Rosie on her performance on Tuesday at the Oprah Farewell Spectacular.  Rosie didn't think she did so great but told her she would try to accept the compliment. Rosie thought she looked scared when she watched it back. This caller said she's going through some really bad health problems with blood clots and said it felt as if Oprah was speaking to her personally. Rosie asked the caller about her weight and encouraged her to listen to the interview from Tuesday with Joe Cross from Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and the second half of her interview with him which airs Friday.  Janette said Tuesday's interview will air again on Sunday.   Rosie said after listening to Joe it turns out that 75% of our health issues can be cured by nutrition.  The caller told Rosie she is also struggling with major depression and the motivation to get better.  Rosie asked the caller to look at her reasons for not wanting to get better and encouraged her to see a better way.  Janette, who has had her own battles with low self-esteem, said sometimes our illnesses reflect what we think we can have or what we think we deserve and what's really underneath our sickness is a deep-seeded lack of love. Janette said when she was suffering from low self-esteem she did thousands of affirmations a day to herself saying, "I love myself and I forgive myself."  Anytime a negative thought about herself entered into her head she said those affirmations and it really helped her.

Rosie took a call from a listener that loved what Oprah had to say about feeling unworthy.  She also loved Oprah's advice about finding your own platform and your passion.  Rosie totally agreed.  Rosie really appreciated the moment when Oprah talked about Iyanla Vanzant and how Iyanla couldn't accept Oprah's appreciation of her.  Rosie said, for her, at some point she has to admit to herself that Oprah likes her and handle it.  Rosie said Oprah couldn't prove it any more.  She's given her her stage, her studio, her producers...how much more does Oprah  have to do for Rosie to know it inside herself?  
CHELSEA HANDLER'S STATEMENT AND THE SHAME OF ABORTION
Rosie and the staff discussed the story that Chelsea Handler has admitted to having an abortion when she was 16 years old.  Rosie said it's an interesting issue that people still feel ashamed admitting it. Janette said she thinks some people might not feel ashamed but they might be afraid at the judgment of others.  She said in today's society with any slip-up of what you say, you can be vilified.  Rosie said she has lots of friends who've had abortions and she knows none of them really speak about them. Janette said they're spoken of but only in little circles.  Janette thought Chelsea going so public with her news was courageous. Rosie thought maybe internal shame keeps people from coming forward with the admission of an abortion and Janette said it's society that makes women feel ashamed.  Rosie said she never really had the fear of becoming pregnant and Janette said it was a constant fear for her before she hit menopause.  

Rosie took a call from a listener who had an abortion in her past but said she only tells close friends about it.  One caller lives just west of Chicago and said the largest employer in her town is the Catholic hospital and she's pretty sure if they knew you had an abortion you'd be fired for it.  One caller has had 3 abortions - one while she was married, one while she was in a bad relationship, and one after an act of stupidity.  She said she started numbing herself with alcohol to take away the pain.  Rosie sounded a bit taken aback that the woman had had three abortions and Janette thought Rosie was being too judgmental.  She said it isn't right to question the woman's judgment, ask about her impulse control or if her self-destructive nature is playing into her decisions to have an abortion.  Janette said the reason she had the abortion shouldn't be the qualifier of whether it's acceptable or not.  Rosie said relapse is part of recovery yet somehow, with this topic, Rosie feels it's irresponsible.  Janette said she would never judge someone else for having an abortion and said people like Chelsea who speak publicly about it are being courageous.  

CYNDI LAUPER
Rosie then introduced her good friend, the fabulous Cyndi Lauper!  Cyndi and Rosie were with guest Louis Gonzalez who bid (and won!) a chance to chat with them on a Rosie Radio!  The opportunity was with CharityBuzz and the proceeds of the auction went to Rosie's charity Rosie's Theater Kids. Cyndi talked with Rosie about her whirl-wind year of touring and working.

Louis said when he found out about the auction he jumped at the chance because he loves Rosie's Theater Kids and he's a huge Cyndi Lauper fan!  He fell in love with Cyndi in the 1980's and he has followed her career ever since.  Louis asked about Cyndi's mom and she said her mom is good and they're planning a trip to Europe.  Louis said he was an underprivileged kid who knows the important role teachers can play in a child's life which is one of the reasons he loves what Rosie does.  Today he's an engineer for Verizon.  He asked Cyndi if, at the height of her career, there was ever a time when the record company tried to push her to be a certain kind of artist.  Cyndi said she went to Epic Records so she could have her own creative control and when the President who gave her all that freedom left she was criticized for what she wore.  She didn't get up and leave immediately because at the time they were suing artists who did that so she reached out to her fans overseas. The Japanese visited her in 1991 and told her they wanted her music and they wanted her to come to Japan.  She avoided working in the states for a while because the people running the company had their own agendas and the artists the wanted to promote.  Rosie said because Cyndi made that decision all her individuality got to thrive! And Cyndi said because the label wasn't paying attention to her she got to direct, co-produce and become the performance artist she really wanted to be.

Cyndi, Rosie and Louis talked about her time on Celebrity Apprentice.  Cyndi said she didn't really watch it the season she was on because it was upsetting to see what people were saying about her. Rosie asked Cyndi if she still has plans to do a reality show and she said she does!  Cyndi said they'll start shooting in September and it will about her life like her airport adventures.  She and Rosie then discussed the video below where she entertained a room full of passengers who were waiting on delayed flights!  Cyndi said the it felt like she was in a movie!

Cyndi Lauper sings for fans at the airport

After she performed the crowd started to move in for pictures and she started to get a little nervous so they had to move her to a different area.

Cyndi said she was landing in Japan the day of the horrible earthquake that hit this spring.  Her airplane landed at a military base and the promoter they worked with made sure he got them and took them to safety.  She said she felt guilty staying at such a lovely hotel knowing how much devastation had just hit the area but she didn't want to leave either.  She said she did what she could by staying and finishing her tour for them because the Japanese people have always been so wonderful to her.  Rosie thought what Cyndi did by staying was very beautiful.

Louis asked about Cyndi's relationship with the gay community and if she feels their support. Cyndi isn't gay herself but said she's a friend and family of the gay community and she doesn't even differentiate anymore between the gay and straight community.  Rosie mentioned all the work Cyndi's done with the True Colors Fund and promised to put a link up on her website. Rosie thanked Cyndi for coming in and thanked Louis for his generous donation to her charity!

You can find great opportunities to meet your favorite celebrities on CharityBuzz and learn more about Rosie's charity Rosie's Theater Kids

and that's what you missed - kw
4 shows left....whoa.