11-08-10 - The Body Scan, Jeannie's New BFFs and Shoshana Fights her Fear

In case you missed it...

THE NYC MARATHON, TEAM COCO, FRIDAY NIGHT'S NY COMEDY FESTIVAL!
Rosie started today's program talking about the weather and how it was snowing and hailing in New York today.  She heard it was perfect running weather for the NYC marathon yesterday.  Deirdre saw the marathon run right by her house and spotted Robin Quivers running by!  Deirdre said she looked great but she looked pretty tired.  Rosie said the man that won the marathon ran 13 miles an hour!  She wondered aloud why people from Africa are always the winners.  Deirdre thinks it's a combination of genetics and  atmosphere.  Rosie asked if anyone on the staff had ever run a marathon.  No one had.  No one had ever wanted to either.  Jeannie and Rosie had run/walked 5Ks before however!  Rosie ran/walked a 5K in Central Park for the Rosie's Chub Club during The Rosie O'Donnell Show.  She remembered when Oprah ran a marathon years ago.  Rosie said she'd like to train to run a 5K.  Shoshana did a Couch-to-5K and said if she could do it Rosie could do it too!  Rosie had a friend named Lenny who ran the marathon but didn't train for it correctly and ended up breaking both of his legs!

Rosie is excited to watch Conan's return to television tonight!   Rosie said she can hardly wait for tonight's premiere!

Rosie hosted a comedy show on Friday night for the New York Comedy Festival.  She performed with Wendy Liebman, Adrienne Iapalucci, Maureen Langan, Bonnie Mcfarlane and Judy Gold!  Rosie said all the women were really funny and she remembered how hard it is to do standup.  She said a few times during her act she started talking about something and forgot what she was talking about on stage!  She said in the studio when that happens, everyone helps her out but on stage there was no one there to remind her where she was in her conversation.  She decided to wing it as opposed to having a set act.  She said she had a fun time despite the fact that she felt a little awkward at points.  Rosie said Judy Gold is the funniest person she knows.  She is thinking about having her as a guest on Rosie Radio once a week!  Deirdre loved the idea and agreed that Judy KILLED on Friday.   

I was there bloggers!  And OH MY GOD, it was hilarious.  I went with a group of friends and we had the best time!  I loved all the comics and each one had their own unique delivery and personality on stage.  I loved Bonnie's sarcasm - she's got totally my kind of humor and reminds me of Sarah Silverman.   Maureen reminds me of one of my best friends from Jersey and her semi-colon bit cracked me up!  Wendy had the best delivery and Adrienne's dry sense of humor and stories of her boyfriend had them rolling in the aisles.  And I agree that Judy Gold killed.  I have never seen her perform before and I couldn't stop laughing! The jokes came so fast I had no time to physically recover from laughing at the last joke before starting to laugh at the next one!  I hope Rosie does have her become a regular on the show because she was GREAT.  Oh, and Rosie was fabulous.  She may have lost her place while she was telling a story or two but it was just funny and everyone laughed along with her!  She is electric on stage as usual!

ROSIE GOES THROUGH A BODY SCANNER AND JEANNIE'S PARTY WITH HER NEW BFFS

Rosie had to fly somewhere this weekend for a night and had to go through a body scanner at the airport.  She described it as "scary yet interesting."  She had heard that passengers have the right to opt out of the body scanner but it did not seem to her like that was an option.  She described the scanning machine as an MRI machine but standing up.  And she was very concerned with the woman who went before her who was pregnant who they made go through the device twice!  Rosie said the scanner felt very scary to her and almost pre-war-Germany-like.  She said it reminded her of the movie Minority Report and that the government will soon know everything about us inside and out.  Rosie didn't have a lot of opinions about the scanner until she had to go through one and now she's not so sure she's comfortable with it.  She definitely didn't feel like she had the option to not  do it.  Deirdre said she would never do the body scanner.  At first it was because she didn't want airport security seeing that image of her body and now she agrees with Rosie and feels it's too "big brother-ish."  Pete said there's a lawsuit pending saying the TSA is not telling people they can opt out of the machine.  He also said there's not enough evidence showing that the x-ray isn't harmful to pregnant women.  Pete found an article that stated  Michael Chertoff has been promoting the scanners and has a vested interest in the company.  Shoshana is going on a trip this weekend and will report back how she feels about the scanner. 

Jeannie had a great weekend!  She had a dinner/slumber party Saturday night with Lou and his girlfriend Maral.  Rosie was soooooo jealous (but was invited so she shouldn't complain).  Jeannie and the group played games and drank homemade sangria.  Rosie told Jeannie she feels like she's dropping her for Lou and Maral!  Jeannie said it's like "pulling teeth" to get Rosie to come out to her house.  Rosie recalled the time Jeannie accused her of becoming a shut in.  Rosie asked Jeannie how the morning after partying is for her.  She wanted to know how she parties until the middle of the night and then gets up and functions the next day.  Jeannie admitted she's completely useless the next day and was on her couch all day afterward.  Lou said Jeannie's fat cat wouldn't leave him alone and was laying on his chest throughout the night trying to steal his breath!  Lou said he and his girlfriend like to leave early the next morning to do their walk-of-shame. He likes to leave early because he's grumpy in the morning and likes to leave on a good note. 

WATER PARK WOES, AMUSEMENT PARKS AND WEDDING DRESS BLUES
Jeannie heard over the weekend that a 280 pound woman got stuck in a tube in a water park in England and the fire department had to cut her out of it!  She was panicked over the article.  Jeannie said if that ever happens to her just to go ahead and shoot her because she's sure she could never show her face again in public. This summer, Tracy made Rosie go on a water slide with a tube and she fell out of the tube and had to just hold onto it and ride along.  She said it was the absolute WORST.  Jeannie vowed she would  never let her weight affect her children's fun but this story freaked her out.  Rosie promised her little kids she'd take them to the Disney water park and she keeps putting it off because of her own issues with her body. 

Rosie talked about how she never even remembers being thin but looks back at old pictures that prove she obviously was.  Jeannie thought she was the fattest bride on the planet when she got married and showed someone her wedding photos recently.  The person who saw them said they don't even look like her and said, "Look! You have collar bones!"  Nice.  Rosie watched Say Yes To the Dress: Big Bliss this weekend.   Brendan, who doesn't even have an issue with weight, was offended by that bridal show because it's specifically about plus-sized women picking out wedding dresses.  He didn't understand why the plus-sized brides couldn't be integrated onto the regular show.  Jeannie has been a plus-sized bride before and talked about what it's like when you do not fit into the sample sizes.  She wondered if the plus-sized dresses available have improved since she was a bride.  Rosie wasn't sure but she said Lane Bryant clothes have improved over the years.  

MY SON IS GAY BLOG AND CALLERS WEIGH IN
Rosie said many, many people this weekend sent her the blog: NerdyApplebottom.com: My Son is Gay.  Rosie read the blog to the listeners at home.  She thought it was an amazing perspective and Jeannie thought it was beautifully written.  Rosie took several calls from listeners with thoughts about the blog.  One caller felt proud of the mom and yet sad that her son had to face that criticism.  One caller was traumatized over the blog.  He grew up in Catholic school his entire life and remembered wanting to dress up as Whoopi Goldberg's character in Sister Act for Halloween.  Rosie talked with him about being gay and when he knew.  Rosie said she often dressed in boy costumes for Halloween and no one cared.  And then Rosie took a call from a listener who said she used to be the type of mom the blogger was writing about.  She was the type of mom who would have judged a mom for allowing her son to dress in a girl costume.  She admitted that through listening to the show everyday she's learned to open her heart.  Through Rosie Radio she's learned there's not only one way of life, and it doesn't matter what kind of Halloween costume you wear or what your sexual preference is.  The caller has a lot of conservative friends who look at her with disgust if she defends a more liberal point of view on certain issues.  Her mom is always encouraging the caller to listen to Rosie.  Her mom has many lesbian friends who have become the greatest friends she's ever known.  She thought if she was going to be conservative politically that meant she had to buy into the entire conservative way of thinking.  Rosie asked the caller her age and explained that at 40 years old women often find themselves doing things and living life in ways they never thought they would.  Rosie told her that with age you learn you're able to hold two opposing thoughts in your head.  Rosie told the caller, who was doubting the way she's been in the past and how she's changing, she was brave for calling in and she should give herself some credit. 

After the phone-call Rosie remarked how surprised (again) she was that people actually are listening to her on the radio.  She said it's hard to believe millions of people are actually listening to them talk when they're just sitting in a little studio in New York.  Sometimes it shocks her when people mention they listen. 

FIGHTING BACK AGAINST HATE, ROSIE'S PLANS  FOR OFFICE AND LIFE PLANS
Bobby wanted to discuss an article he read about some residents of a small Missouri town who gathered together to block protests by the Westboro Baptist Church. The Westboro Baptist Church members were there to protest the funeral of a fallen U.S. soldier.   The residents heard the Phelps church members were coming so they got there early and blocked the Phelp's protest with large American flags.  They also created a human shield at the gravesite.  The Phelps family got angry and left.  Rosie thought it was beautiful and a magical story.

Rosie quoted Martin Luther King, Jr. and said, "History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."

Rosie also mentioned that Keith Olbermann was suspended because he didn't ask permission to give a donation to some Democratic candidates.  She said Fox News has been a fundraiser for the Republican party for years and it seemed like a double standard to her. She wondered if Keith knew giving the donation without asking would cause him to be suspended.  Everyone thought he probably knew.  Rosie said after she was on The View, she was offered a spot on MSNBC as a political commentator but the deal fell through.  And she is so happy that it did!  She said today she can't handle the bullshit going on in the media and everyone arguing back and forth.  She said it's become so annoying to her and she's happy she doesn't have to argue politics for a living.  Rachel Maddow was selected to take the spot and Rosie said she's a huge Rachel Maddow fan!   Rosie said she wouldn't have been able to do the program as well as Rachel.  When Rosie was doing press for the comedy show a reporter asked her if she'd ever run for office.  She said there are four things she will never do in this order:  Biggest Loser, Dancing With the Stars, run for political office and a marathon.

She said at 48 years old, she had plans for her life and if you would have told her that she'd be divorced and having these challenges with her teenagers she would have never believed it.  Parker recently got a D- on a paper and when Rosie confronted him on it he was proud he at least passed!  She said she and Kelli worked out some new rules for the kids regarding the phone, homework and free time.  He wasn't happy with the rules and told her he wanted to make some adjustments to the rules.  He also told her she always changes the rules and never follows through.  Last night he wouldn't give her his cell phone at the end of the night like the rules dictate.  He argued with her and stomped out of the room!  Then he texted her and told her he's going to sleep so he won't be answering her texts.  She texted him back and told him if he didn't give her his cellphone in one minute he was going to lose it for a month.  He claimed he needed the phone for his alarm.

Jeannie was just impressed that this was Rosie's first experience with Parker stomping up the stairs because he was mad at her!  Jeannie and Pete both have 5 year-olds that already stomp up the stairs.  Jeannie said her kids are big "door slammers." Rosie said she's been told she yells really loudly when she doesn't think she's yelling.  She used to look at parents arguing in the mall with their teens with judgment that they must be bad parents and now she totally understands their pain!

Jeannie had a great story about her eldest daughter, Toni.  Jeannie has shared her struggles with her teenage daughter on the radio and was happy to share a positive one.  She was sitting at dinner with Lou and Maral on Saturday night and Toni came home from work to ask her if she could talk to her for a minute.  Jeannie said she started sweating, expecting the worst!  Turned out, Toni just wanted to thank Jeannie for taking her to someone who got her on medication for anxiety.  After only one week of being on medication she said people at work were already commenting to her that she seems like a different person!  She just wanted to thank Jeannie for it.  Jeannie said she would have started sobbing if she hadn't had guests at her house.   She couldn't believe it. 

Jeannie said her daughter's troublesome behavior probably started when she was around 14 years old.  She believes how the behaviors were a manifestation of her anxiety she was experiencing.  She said when you're a parent of a teen you walk a fine line between what is typical teenage behavior and what is a destructive pattern of behavior. When Toni started failing in school and losing friends Jeannie really realized something was wrong.  But she said looking back now she sees that Toni has probably been dealing with anxiety her entire life.  Her teachers used to tell Jeannie her daughter needed a lot of hand holding in school and Jeannie remembered the time her daughter had a breakdown in 4th grade over a standardized test. It wasn't until the bad behaviors started to appear that Jeannie realized it was an anxiety disorder.  Rosie listened and added how teens today can't be compared to when they were teens.  And raising teens is causing Rosie's anxiety to go through the roof.  She said as a parent you struggle to make a decision for your child that you think will will be best for them and then you have to face everyone's judgment.  And she said having adopted kids adds a whole other layer of issues. 

SHOSHANA FIGHTS HER FEAR, PETE HATES HEIGHTS AND FAVORITE JANETTE-ISMS
Shoshana successfully fought her fear of needles!  She said she never thought she would be able to give blood without having a breakdown because of a terrible phobia she has of needles.  But Friday she was able to successfully have her blood drawn and not freak out about it!  She felt so great about it she feels like maybe she should go donate blood now!  Mostly, she was impressed with herself that she was able to get through her fear.   

Pete admitted that he hates heights.  He said he gets really nervous and freezes when he is faced with his fear.  He also used to have really bad panic attacks but didn't want those to ruin his life so he said, "Suck it up, fatty" and got over them. 

Rosie announced that Janette is in the Philippines this week for MMFC.  She said she would have discussed Manny Pacquiao's interview on 60 Minutes last night with her if she was in the studio today.  Rosie admitted she usually "glazes over" when Janette discusses boxing.  She then asked all the staff members to say one negative thing in honor of Janette's absence.
Rosie said she hates the weather. 
Jeannie said she feels really fat today.
Pete said, "Get away from me, you shitheads!"
Bobby said he hated kids.
And Shoshana said her cat peed all over her face today! 

Rosie also commented how Obama was on 60 Minutes last night apologizing for everything he's ever done.  Bobby and Pete thought Obama was open and acknowledging and summed up his arguments easily and succinctly.  Rosie said seeing our President on daytime talk shows is going to take some getting used to.  Bobby thinks the President is just trying to go where his audience is in order to get out the information he needs to.

GAME
During the game, Brendan read off something that happened in the month of November on a particular day.  The player had to guess what Brendan was describing based on the what he read. 

1st Shoshana - in 1995, in this country were the first all race elections marking the end of the Apartheid.  She said South Africa which was correct.
2nd Rosie - who said this on this date in 1962, "Soviet missiles are being created and fixed installations are being destroyed..."  Rosie guessed President JFK and was correct.
3rd Bobby - on this date in 1957 Soviet Russia launched the first inhabited space capsule called____. Bobby guessed Sputnik and was correct.
4th Pete - In 1842 on this date, he married Mary Todd in Springfield Illinois.  Pete guessed Lincoln.  Correct.
5th Jeannie- On "Guy Fox Day" in Britain, what do they do to commemorate it?  The answer was fireworks  but she didn't know.  Jeannie was out.   
6th caller - This is the birthday of an American conductor Sousa.  Name one of his famous marches.  She didn't know any so she was out.  One answer was Stars and Stripes Forever.  Rosie gave her a gift anyway.
7th Shoshana - Who told news reports in 1962, "Just think how much you're going to be missing me, you won't have me to kick around anymore." at his last press conference.  The answer was Nixon but she didn't know it so she was OUT. 
8th Rosie - In 1939 on this date there was an assassination attempt on this leader that failed in Germany.  She guessed Hitler and was correct. 
9th Bobby - In 1989 this was demolished after standing for many years.  The answer was the Berlin Wall.  He got it.
10th Pete  - In 1775 on this date this core was established....  he guessed the Marine Core and was correct.
11th Rosie - In 1992 on this date, the church of England voted to allow women to do this.  The answer was be Priests and she got it. 
12th Bobby - In 1929, this future princess was born in Philadelphia.  The answer was Princess Grace and he got it.
13th Pete - 1927 on this date the first underwater tunnel built in U.S. opened.  The answer was the Holland tunnel and he got it!
14th Rosie - In 1966, the newspaper reporter Nelly Bly set out from NY to beat the record of this imaginary hero's 80 day travel around the world.  The answer was Phileas Fogg.  She was OUT.
15th Bobby - It was the date of one of the largest rallies in US history.  Over 250,000 people gathered in DC to protest this.  The answer was the Vietnam War and he was OUT.
16th  skipped
17th Pete  - (for the win) In 1993 on this date, NAFTA was approved.  What does it stand for?  Pete said the North American Free Trade Association. It's actually Agreement so the game continued!
18th Rosie - In 1836, this date was the birthday of this famed opera writer, part of a duo, he is the one who wrote the lyrics. The answer was Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan).  She was OUT.
19th Bobby - In 1998, on this date the US began THIS.  Only the third in US history.  MISSED IT!
20th Pete - In 1995, on this date, by a margin of 1%, Ireland voted to legalize this.  He guessed Pot but the answer was divorce!  Bobby won!

Rosie quickly reminded listeners to watch World of Jenks on MTV and Conan's premiere episode on TBS tonight!  She said, "Aloha to Janette!" since she didn't know the language they speak in the Philippines.   

and that's what you missed - kw