10-25-10 -Pete's baby story and an interview with Bonnie McFarlane

In case you missed it...

THE MMFC GALA, GOOGLE PETE IS BACK IN DA HOUSE AND BABY SHOWER PRESENTS
Rosie and the staff discussed Janette's Medical Missions for Children gala that they all attended last Thursday night!  Janette said everyone on the staff came to the gala and celebrated together.  Janette wasn't sure of the exact amount they raised but she's been told that it was the best event they've had this year!  MMFC launched their "buy a smile for a child campaign" and the whole staff bought a smile for a child.  Janette got to meet some listeners from the show and specifically mentioned Tangie and Joan who came all the way from California to attend.  She was also happy that she got through the entire event without having to say Lou's girlfriend's name (whose name is Maral, pronounced with a rolled "r" sound which Janette cannot do).

Rosie was happy to announce that Google Pete was back in the studio after becoming a father again for the third time!  Pete's new daughter's name is Eleanor Jean.  The staff then showered Pete with new baby gifts for him to bring home!    Pete shared the story of his baby's birth with Rosie and the listeners at home.  He said on Monday he and his family went out to eat and after dinner his wife turned to him and simply said, "I don't feel good, we're going to the hospital."  She said it very matter-of-factly and was very sure they needed to go to the hospital right away.  So they did.  They dropped their other two girls off at his aunt's house and were at the hospital by 7pm Monday night.  The hospital admitted her because the baby's heart rate was irregular.  They attempted to move the baby in her belly because the baby was transverse but while trying to switch the baby's position, the baby's heart-rate became irregular.  The hospital decided they needed to get the baby out right away and Eleanor was born via c-section.  Her umbilical  cord was wrapped so tightly around her neck it had already started to clot.  She had also inhaled meconium so Eleanor was dealing with the effects of that.  Thankfully the baby is okay and she's got a full head of beautiful blond hair. Pete's wife is okay too! 

Then, after Eleanor was born her blood sugar dropped and they had to give her an IV and she wasn't breathing well so they put her on Oxygen.  Then her legs were swelling and they didn't know why!  Pete was quite scared at times but he's happy to say she's okay.  Eleanor is still in the NICU because she's a little jaundiced.  His wife is also still in the hospital because of the c-section and because she's nursing.

After hearing that story Jeannie said it still blows her mind that people choose to have their babies at home.  If it wasn't for the hospital his daughter might have died.  Rosie has friends who have had babies at home and she mentioned the movie The Business of Being Born and how it changed the way she thought about home births.  Janette just doesn't understand why  people choose to have babies at all and talked about the admiration she feels for mothers.  Rosie's ex Kelli had a c-section when Vivi was born and Rosie loved watching the process.  Even though they gave her a seat next to Kelli behind a curtain, she chose to stand and said it was unreal watching the doctors as they took her organs out as they went in to get the baby.   Then she said she was amazed how "next thing you know they pulled out this little creature and a baby was born!"  After Eleanor was born, Pete was invited to come around the curtain and meet his new daughter so he did.  His wife then asked him a question so he turned to answer her and he mistakenly saw the surgery being finished and her liver was still out!  Rosie laughed and said how the doctors put organs back in like they're "bagging groceries."  So Pete then turned the other way and there was a nurse tossing bloody rags on the floor!  He was horrified that he saw all this.  Rosie, Janette and Deirdre never really had the urge to ever give birth even though they understand that lots of women do.   

Janette did say that during the time she was dating "that asshole Todd" she remembered contemplating children and asking her sister if she would be interested in raising a baby with her.  She recalled the time she was talking to her father about not having children and her father asked her who was going to bury her!  Janette has a plan for that.  She said a friend who was an intern at The Rosie O'Donnell Show who she's very close to, has promised to bury Janette and put her in a nursing home if need be.  Pete brought his older daughters to meet their new sister and while the youngest one is still too young to really grasp all that has happened the oldest is excited to be a big sister again and feed the baby a bottle. 

Pete then opened some of the presents the staff bought him for the occasion.  James gave him Redbull and the 5 hour Energy Drinks, Shoshana got him cartoon-themed toothbrushes and Janette got him organic pancake batter out of a spray can (which he then tried to eat raw).  Jeannie got him condoms for later use and Bobby got Eleanor a yellow boa and princess crown (because every girl needs a yellow boa and crown).   

NIGHT OF FEMALE COMICS, THE HALLOWEEN PARADE AND SCARY MOVIES
Rosie reminded listeners to buy their tickets to Rosie O'Donnell Live at Town Hall with Special Guests (Bonnie McFarlane, Wendy Leibman, Judy Gold, etc.)  Friday, November 5th at 8pm!  Janette is helping produce the event though she won't be attending because she will be on her way to a medical missions trip. Rosie called it a night of standup fun and encouraged listeners to come!

Jeannie had a Halloween sleepover party at her house for all the nieces and nephews this weekend and Rosie judged the local Halloween parade.  She said there were some really nice floats and everyone had fun.  Then she got a call from her son Parker who tried to get into Paranormal Activity II.  The guy at the theater wouldn't let them in because they were under 18 and not accompanied by an adult.  Parker asked Rosie if she would talk to the theater guy for him but she wouldn't.  He and his friends had to go see a different movie which they were bummed about.  Rosie had thought about going with Parker to see it until she saw the trailer!  Rosie said she doesn't want to pay money to be frightened.  She said she has enough bad thoughts she constantly needs to banish from her mind. Jeannie explained  she likes horror movies for the thrill but said she has no fear in communicating with the other side.

I SEE DEAD PEOPLE
Jeannie doesn't mind scary movies like Paranormal Activity because she said she talks to dead people all the time.  She said she mostly talks to people "on the other side" that she knows but sometimes she thinks she's communicating with people she doesn't know.  Rosie asked her if she thought it might be "early onset Schizophrenia."   

Jeannie thinks that children are even more open to talking to the spirits of those who have passed and she has a client who is sure that his child sees a ghost of someone.  Rosie said her youngest daughter Vivi once had an imaginary friend named Fifi that she talked to constantly.  Jeannie loves Parapsychology and even studied it in college.  Janette is sure that her farmhouse is haunted by something or someone.  Her father saw something on poltergeists once and then was sure anytime he lost something or something was out of place, that it was "those little bastards" (meaning the poltergeists).

Jeannie asked Rosie if she ever talks to her mom.  Rosie said she doesn't feel she ever talks to her mom- she feels that it's more of a wish rather than direct communication.  She does wish she had more video of her mom.  Jeannie talks to her father, who has passed, every single day.  When she has a problem she needs help with she will ask for her father's guidance.  She doesn't get an "answer" per se but she gets an overwhelming feeling of his presence and communication.  Jeannie is very passionate about the topic and even went to a psychic and had a very good reading.  After her dad died Jeannie felt bombarded by dragonflies.  She saw them everywhere not just in nature.  She kept feeling like it was her dad's "hi sign."  (John Edward's term for a communication from loved ones who have passed.  Jeannie recommends his books.)  She asked the psychic, who knew nothing about her, what her father's sign to her was and the psychic told her it was through a dragonfly!  It was intense for her.   

Rosie took a call from a listener who sold a house because of strange paranormal activity such as unexplained leaks, the electrical box exploded, things fell off shelves, and lights flickered, etc.  She took a call from a listener who almost fell asleep at the wheel of her truck and felt her mom hit her upside the head to wake her up.  Rosie's only experience of a sign like that happened when Parker was just a boy.  They were playing with a Lego soccer game and just before his final shot he yelled "Come on, Bessie!"  Rosie was stunned.  It was something her mother used to say as she was pleading with the station wagon to make it up the hill to her neighborhood.  She felt like it was a definite sign from her mom.   

MOVIES, WAITING FOR SUPERMAN AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
Rosie saw the movie Secretariat this weekend but was disappointed.  She was excited to see it too.  She said there was little suspense because the audience knew what happened at the end.    She took the kids, and Vivi (Rosie's daughter) and Savannah (Tracy's daughter) were so disinterested they were playing Littlest Pet Shop during the movie and Archie (Tracy's son) was constantly asking to leave. 

Rosie also saw Waiting for Superman this weekend which she said was "unbelievably great" and "pretty amazing."  She said she would love to talk to Michelle Rhee, the (former) chancellor of the D.C. Public Schools, who was interviewed in the film.   

Waiting For Superman Trailer

Rosie commented how fascinating it was to see what some parents have to go through to ensure that their children get a good education.  She also couldn't believe some of the statistics in the film (like how after only two years of employment teachers get tenure).  She and Brendan discussed the Knowledge Is Power Program that addresses education of children on a more student by student basis.

Rosie took a call from a listener who said that tenure doesn't mean a teacher has a job for life, it merely means teachers get due process.  Rosie countered with the fact that it's practically impossible to fire a teacher.  The caller completely disagreed.  Rosie said  some of the statistics in the film were hard to argue with and wished the caller had seen the movie too.  The caller said if there's a bad teacher teaching that means there's an administrator somewhere not doing his/her job.  Rosie explained that she is pro-public schools and pro-teachers.  But she said it's hard to see the movie and not feel anger towards the teachers union.  Rosie said it was a public school teacher, Pat Maravel, who saved her life, and she wants every child to have the opportunity to have a wonderful teacher like Pat.  Jeannie, whose husband is a teacher, wondered why we need tenure in education when it's not done in the corporate world.  Rosie asked the caller to see the movie and call her back to have a conversation with her about it.  She said she would love to have a conversation with a teacher who has seen the film.   

BONNIE MCFARLANE

Rosie then introduced comedienne Bonnie McFarlane!  Bonnie and her husband, who is also a comedian, have a 3 year old daughter who goes with them on the road.  Bonnie said her daughter is already very funny and has even learned sarcasm at just three years old!  Bonnie said that, even though it sounds cliche, having a baby changed her whole world.  She then joked  it was probably one of the top 25 things that has ever happened to her in her lifetime.  

Bonnie started doing standup in 1996.  Rosie asked Bonnie if she remembered the first time she ever saw a comedian perform and she did.  She grew up in Canada and on a trip to Disneyland she and her sisters saw her first comedian.  He was very funny and she went back home where she started trying to write comedy herself.  She said she had a great first set but her next thousand sucked.  Bonnie said  only in the last two years does she feel like she's really mastered standup. 

Rosie asked Bonnie if she gets to work with a lot of other female comics.  She has worked with a few and mentioned Tig Notaro and Morgan Murphy.  Rosie and Bonnie met when she was on the Jimmy Fallon show.  Bonnie described how she nervously approached Rosie who was talking to a group of people.  Bonnie blurted out that she was married to Rich Vos and  they were doing a documentary and that they would like to interview Rosie for it.  Rosie said yes right away.  Bonnie had been filming and was tired so she was a little emotional during Rosie's interview.  At one point when she was interviewing Rosie for the documentary Rosie started talking about honesty and Bonnie choked up.  She also remembered how interesting it is that two of Rosie's favorite artists are Eminem and Joni Mitchell because their music is so different. 

Rosie asked Bonnie about the worst gig she ever did.  Bonnie said it was the time she opened for a male stripper.  The guy told her to do 45 minutes and she was only contracted to do 25 and that's the amount of material she had prepared!  She also said in the audience there were a lot of women who were not in the mood to see a standup comedian perform.

Rosie asked Bonnie to send her a copy of the documentary as soon as she's done editing it and told her she can't wait to work with her on November 5th!   Bonnie told Rosie she feels honored to be in the lineup and Rosie thanked her for coming in for the interview.  Get your tickets for Rosie O'Donnell Live at Town Hall HERE!

Bonnie McFarlane

AN UPDATE ON THE PUMPKIN CONTEST
Rosie then updated listeners on the Martha Stewart Living Pumpkin Decorating contest.  Janette is now in third place but Bobby is still in first with 47% (at the time of the broadcast).  Janette wanted listeners to know there are still four days left to vote (for her pumpkin!).  She said after some of the cruelty she endured last week listening to them read off the negative comments about her pumpkin she went onto the website herself to analyze the data.  Out of 118 comments, 46 were directed to her and her pumpkin.  There were only 6 comments that were "mean and vicious" and the rest were good!  Janette saw this as a good sign.  Janette particularly didn't appreciate one commenter whom she called "that bitch Debbie" who said she "couldn't stand all the hubbub over that decoupaged pumpkin."  She appreciated a blogger named Zach who called Debbie out on being rude.

Janette brought her pumpkin into the studio for another analysis.  She wanted Rosie to hold it this time since she never got to thoroughly appreciate it the first time.  Rosie (under no pressure from Janette) said the pumpkin was really beautiful but she understood how artists might take issue with the fact that the corners of the wallpaper design weren't rounded.  She said that might annoy artistic decoupagers.

There were two comments asking why Jeannie's pumpkin wasn't in the race!  A pumpkin decorator named "Mindy" was nipping at Janette's heels in the contest.  Mindy designed the "kid in a pumpkin."  Janette went off about how Mindy did not actually decorate her pumpkin, she decorated her kid, and then Rosie told Janette that Mindy was ON THE PHONE!  Mindy Thomas hosts the Absolutely Mindy Show on Kids Place Live on Sirius and called in to defend her pumpkin and give Janette a little shit.   Janette told Mindy she may not have had help decorating the pumpkin but she had help making the kid!  Mindy wanted to know who Bobby was and why his pumpkin was in first place?!  Then she called Janette's pumpkin a "hoarder pumpkin" (because it was made from old wallpaper) and said it looked like it was made in a nursing home!  Janette was horrified and said that Mindy is the type who feels as if there should not be a place in this world for older people and they should just get kicked to the side!  Rosie tried to calm Janette and went to break.

At Janette's MMFC Gala there was a silent auction.  One of the items you could bid on was a computer consultation/conversation with Google Pete!  Unfortunately, it was right next to some amazing Dave Matthews tickets so no one seemed to see it.  Brendan said that the first listener who calls in and knows Pete's baby's name gets to play the game today and wins the conversation with Pete!

GAME
The baby name game.  Brendan had a list of the top 10 girls and boys names from 1990-1999s and from 2000-2009.  There were 40 names total, 20 from each gender, some names made both lists.  The player had to guess one of the names on the list.  The more obscure the name, the more points you got.  For the names that appear on both lists, you got double the points.  

ROUND ONE
Rosie guessed Zach (not on either list)
Bobby - Michael (number 2 on one list and number 1 on the other)
Caller - Emily (number 1 on one list and number 3 name on the other)
Jeannie - Grace (not on either list)
Janette  - Jennifer (not on either list)
Pete - Michelle (not on either list)

ROUND TWO
Rosie - Sophia (not on either list)
Bobby - Whitney (not on either list)
Caller - Aidan (not on either list)
Jeannie - Britney (number 7 in the 90s)
Janette - John (not on either list)
Pete - Benjamin (not on either list)

ROUND THREE
Rosie - Chelsea (not on either list)
Bobby - Parker (not on either list)
Caller - Nicole (not on either list)
Jeannie - Ryan (not on either list)
Janette - Nicholas (number 6 on one of the lists)
Pete - Ashley (on both lists.  number 2 on one list and number 8 on the other)

ROUND FOUR
Rosie - Justin (not on either list)
Bobby - Robert (not on either list)
Caller - Jason (not on either list)
Jeannie - Katie/Kathryn/Katelyn (not on either list)
Janette - Rhianna (not on either list)
Pete - Jane (not on either list)

ROUND FIVE
Rosie - Jessica (number 1 name of the 90s) She ended the game with 1 point total.
Bobby - Abigail (number 6 on the list) He ended the game with 10 points total.
Caller - Brandon (not on either list) She ended the game with 4 points total.
Jeannie - Matthew (4 points for one list and 3 points for the other list) She ended the game with 14 points!
Janette - Joshua (3 points for one list and 4 points for the other) She ended the game with 13 points total!
Pete - Jared (not on either list)  He ended the game with 10 points total.

Jeannie was the winner of the baby name game!  The caller, Karen from Michigan, won a conversation with Google Pete and $100 gift card to Domestications.com.   

Janette reminded everyone to go vote for her pumpkin and Rosie closed the show. 

and that's what you missed -kw