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.
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 
for anyone interested in this topic. 
, again on Friday's show! Rosie loved having him as a guest and they were all shocked at his transformation. Rosie said the reboot made sense to her and she hopes she'll be able to get to the point where she'll attempt it. Rosie said many people who struggle with weight think if they were only a certain size, they would attempt something that they're too afraid to do when they're heavy. Rosie loved playing sports and doing Broadway shows but she can't get herself to exercise for herself, for her health. Janette said some people who are heavy are wedded to their weight and it becomes part of who they are, part of their low self-esteem. Rosie said in her case she wasn't heavy until she became an adult during her Rosie O'Donnell Show days and being 200-something became the norm for her. She said her weight became her armor and she's going to try not to cocoon herself with "layers of protection" this time around.
by Howard Schubiner, MD and they discussed the mind/body connection. Janette also recommended 
movies were very popular with his generation so there's a chance she has some young fans out there! Rosie talked with a caller about the flirting between Kirstie and her dance partner. She said there are many women in their 40s and 50s living vicariously through Kirstie. 
was released she remembered watching it and thinking how absurd it was to think that a cow could be lifted up in a tornado. Now she thinks that movie looks minor to the amount of destruction they can really cause. 
and 
so much she's sick of them! She said the cards are all bent and she really wants to know some other card games for kids that the listeners recommend. Pete asked her if she's considered 
, 
. 
Posts
