01-05-10

In case you missed it...

•  Rosie began the show talking about how yesterday Liza Minnelli was in the studio to be interviewed.  Jeannie admitted to being "star-struck" meeting Liza and talked about the time Rosie once introduced her to Steven Tyler.  Rosie remembered watching the Liza With a Z show promos with her mom and Janette once went on a 10-hour bus trip to see Liza perform.  The interview with the amazingly talented Liza Minnelli is set to air on Thursday January 14th!  Don't forget to tune in!

Rosie and Liza from Rosie Live in 2008

•  Rosie told a funny story about how in 1996, when her TV show The Rosie O'Donnell Show first aired, Christine Ebersole asked her to speak at a charity event for Retinoblastoma.  Rosie was to be honored at the event, although she had never done any specific fundraising for the cause.  As a surprise for Rosie, the producer of the event had Aretha Franklin tape a "congratulations message" to Rosie.  When they played the tape at the event they cued the tape to play at the wrong moment and what ended up playing was Aretha saying "What do you want me to say for who?  Who?  What's the charity?  Alright, let me try (Aretha tries a congratulations message but makes a mistake)...OH shit, okay, try let me try again" until Aretha finally got the message right.  That must have been a very funny moment!!  Great story Rosie!

•  Rosie talked about how she was telling the studio before the show started that she loves the song "If I Were A Boy" by Beyonce and how she loves the words, the sentiments and the video.  Bobby told her that he thought the song sounded like the Katy Perry song "I Kissed A Girl" to which Deirdre added that she had even remembered a controversy over the two songs because of their similarity.  Rosie found this to be very funny because the two songs sound nothing alike, have nothing to do with each other in their meanings and never had any controversy connecting the two.  She made fun of her staff relentlessly.  She said she wanted a "time out" corner for her staff when they say dumb things like this.  Do they sound the same to you?   

•  Janette mentioned her love for a nice "cardi" (aka cardigan) and then Rosie and Janette debated the benefits of sweaters over sweatshirts - Janette representing the sweater defense and Rosie on the sweatshirt side. 

•  About 30 minutes was dedicated to making fun of Janette for the new craft project she's begun where she's needle felting a boulder.  Janette showed the studio a catalogue tear out of one she was making and talked about the needle felting process and how they are made.  Rosie said that Janette has "eclectic taste" and described a vintage Thumbelina doll she has hanging in a "cage" in her apartment.  Janette's sister Lanette is a talented artist with a website who taught Janette how to needle felt and has an amazing piece of art showing the stages of an eating disorder.  I found a needle felted boulder on etsy for a cool $450.00 so if you'd like to pick one up click HERE!  Rosie also sells her art on etsy HERE.  (All this was going on while Rosie was skyping with her new girlfriend Tracy's son Wyatt during the show.)  Want to learn to needle felt?  Here's a how to video! 

•  They came back from break playing the song Liza With A Z with Rosie singing along and knowing all the words, of course!  Watch this great clip of Rosie singing "Liza with a Z" WITH Liza Minnelli from the PBS broadcast of "The Leading Ladies."




•  Rosie took a caller and discussed weight loss and recommended the book The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet: The Lifelong Solution to Yo-Yo Dieting by Rachael and Richard Heller.  Rosie said that when she commits to doing this diet it really works for her.  Rosie talked some about her role in the movie Exit To Eden where her weight fluctuated from 170 in the beginning of the movie to 200 towards the end of the filming.  Watch the original trailer from Exit to Eden HERE!!  LOL - sorry I can't help it.

•  Then it was Weigh In Time!  They got a doctor's scale for the studio (well, really Janette's boyfriend Barry ordered it) and they weighed in the members of the studio that were going to participate in the weight loss program. 

Google Pete who has gained weight since the show started weighed in at 245. 
Bobby is the keeper of Jeannie's weight because she chose to keep her weight private. Jeannie said she was at a "fat peak" but feels it's helpful in motivating her to lose weight.
Janette's starting weight is 194.4. 
Rosie's starting weight was 211.
Deirdre weighed in at 135.
And Shoshana and James didn't participate because they are already thin. 

•  Rosie's brother Tim shared his success story and has lost 40 pounds in four months because of his recent Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis.  He has since evened out his sugar levels and no longer needs to take insulin shots.  He also is playing ice hockey in a men's league.  Great job Tim!!!

•  Bobby, who has lost over 100 pounds, shared his weight loss "secret."  Bobby simply counted calories but didn't cut anything out.  He calculated his BMR and it told him how many calories he burned "just breathing" and his goal was to eat less calories than the "just breathing" amount during one day.  If he wants to have something special, he simply takes that amount off the amount of calories he can have during a single day.  He does not cut anything he loves out.  For Bobby, it was his looming 50th birthday that motivated him.  Fantastic job Bobby and you look great! 

•  Rosie then took some calls from listeners who shared their weight loss stories and struggles. 

•  They came back from break playing the song Mr. Goldstone from the musical Gypsy sung by Patti Lupone.

•  Rosie is doing Oprah soon and they made an Oprah clock giving the countdown until the taping and there are now 16 days until Oprah!  YAY!  

•  Rosie brought in her Academy Award nomination ballots and last night she watched the The Messenger  with Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson.  The Messenger tells the story of two soldiers who must bear the terrible news to loved ones of soldiers who have lost someone in the war.  Rosie called it a "powerful film" and "required viewing."  Rosie mentioned she wanted to have Woody Harrelson call in to the show and she highly recommends the film to her listeners.  Watch the trailer for The Messenger HERE.

•  Rosie was watching The View on mute and briefly discussed whether or not they wanted to talk about her time there but decided "the past is the past, and its time to move forward."  Lou then played the song New World Coming by Mama Cass and they went to commercial break.

•  They came back from break playing the song No Bad News from the Wiz.  Listen below.



•  Rosie took a caller who asked her if she had seen the movie Taking Chance staring Kevin Bacon which originally aired on HBO.  Taking Chance is one soldier's first person account of the military's policy of providing a uniformed escort for all casualties of war.  Rosie had seen the film and loved it.

•  Rosie had a powerful conversation with a caller named Mary, who's brother-in-law was killed in Afghanistan, about the deaths of our soldiers, the wars we are fighting and our purpose for fighting these wars.  They talked about 9/11 and if there would ever be justice for the killers and if it will ever end.  The caller and Rosie talked briefly about the infamous fight she had with Elisabeth Hasselbeck on that ill-fated day on The View.  Rosie explained the true message she was trying to get across that day.  Watch that clip below.   Rosie recommended the Rory Kennedy HBO Documentary The Ghosts of Abu Ghraib to the caller and took down her information to send something to her son.  They went to commercial playing Foolish Notion by Holly Near. 
 

Rosie not so successfully trying to make her point to Elisabeth Hasselhack.


 Rosie successfully making her point to the caller on today's show.
 
•  They came back from break playing Kanye West Jesus Walks and Rosie took some calls from listeners who were not happy with Rosie's statements about the war and Rosie closed the show.