5-10-11 - Jeannie Defends Ro, Becoming Chaz and Book of Mormon's Rory O'Malley

In case you missed it....

DISCUSSING THE INTERVIEW WITH JILLIAN AND JEANNIE GOES TO ROSIE'S DEFENSE
Rosie started today's broadcast immediately discussing yesterday's interview with Jillian Michaels!   Rosie thought Jillian was great and even loved her mom and her entire entourage! None of the staff could believe how tiny Jillian is in real life.  Rosie thought she was so real and just an all around lovely person.  Rosie even found herself very emotional the rest of the day perhaps because of the conversation they had discussing weight loss and why someone would keep their weight on.  Jeannie felt very emotional following the interview too and even teared up talking to Jillian's mother who is a psychoanalyst/therapist.  Rosie said they talked for another hour following yesterday's show that will air this Friday!  Don't miss it, because Rosie said it gets even better. 

Rosie and Jeannie recalled something that will air on Friday about why Jillian sits on the people she is training.  She said she does it to prove to them that they're not disgusting, that she is not repulsed by them and she will get on the ground and get dirty with them.  Rosie was just so overcome with how much she loves Jillian.  Both Rosie and Jeannie wanted to go live with her mom too!  They said she was so sweet, real and maternal they wanted to go home with her because they were sure she could fix everything that was wrong in their lives.

Jeannie had a hard night last night because firstly Jillian unearthed all these complicated feelings within her and then she saw Rosie getting attacked for the conversation she started about Osama bin Laden's death. At about 9pm Rosie got an email from Jeannie with a quote by Martin Luther King that said "Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."  She saw some horribly mean posts about Rosie on a Facebook page and Jeannie said she was in "defend Ro mode."  Rosie said she was merely asking if they could have a discussion about OBL's death in America.

Rosie read from a right-wing blog that edited and twisted her statements.  Jeannie said people often have pre-conceived notions about what Rosie's message is and therefore are unable to hear what she's really saying.  But what Jeannie knows in her heart is that everything Rosie does and says comes from a place of love and compassion.  And Rosie said, in America aren't we allowed to have the conversation?  That is what Rosie was trying to do.  Jeannie said the hateful, violent, disgusting comments she was reading about her friend was about all she could take.  Jeannie said it was hard for her not to take it personally because Rosie is like a sister to her and it made her very, very upset.

Rosie said she really wanted to look at OBL's death and war in general on a grander scale.  Jeannie said when she voted for Obama she was naive because she wanted him to be the next Martin Luther King or Pope.  But he hasn't turned out that way.  Rosie made it clear that she is NOT upset that OBL is dead, she does NOT have compassion for OBL she was merely shocked that was the way America handled the situation. 

Rosie said she was raised in a hugely patriotic home that taught her that we are the best country and therefore we don't act a certain way.  She said she may have a problem with the idea that we torture but that does NOT mean she doesn't love the troops!  Rosie has been asked on Twitter why she chooses to even broach the topic and Rosie said it's her job to do so.  But how her opinions are  misconstrued and the press sometimes labels her as un-American.  And Jeannie said when that happens it becomes very personal to her and she gets protective of Rosie and feels the need to defend her.  Jeannie also worries about how it makes Rosie feel!  Jeannie just wants to say to the people who say those horrible things about Rosie that they're not listening to her with an open heart because if they did they wouldn't say the things they're saying. 

Rosie said she believes in this country, what we stand for as a nation and the right of every American to say what they think.  She heard Tony Kushner got an award taken away because of some statements he made that seemed Anti-Israel.  Rosie is shocked how people's words can be used and twisted in this way.

Rosie then read some of the feedback she's getting on her Twitter which consisted of both hate-filled and supportive comments.  She said she sometimes has to decide if she wants to to read the comments and if she can take it.  She said the vast majority of people are kind to her but some are very cruel.  Rosie said the anonymity of the Internet allows people to spew hatred, violence or rhetoric that they may not have actually ever said to a person's face. 

Rosie took a call from a listener who heard what Bill O'Reilly said about her last night.  I heard it and what he did was play what she said and then ask, "Why would you even ask that question?."  Basically implying that by merely asking that meant she didn't agree.  Well Bill's comments really pissed the caller off and he stuck up for Rosie to some other truckers he was sitting with who were bashing her.  Rosie asked the listeners if they remember the whole loofah/falafelO'Reilly scandal and asked why Bill O'Reilly is seen as a moral authority?! 

Rosie took another call from a listener who said the problem with media today is that they don't present both sides of an issue.  He complimented Rosie on her interview she did with Mike Huckabee where he said she did a respectful, in-depth interview with a person of differing opinion.  The caller said that's what they're going to miss when Rosie Radio goes off the air.  Rosie assured the caller and her listening audience that she's going to have the ability to have in-depth interviews on OWN.  When the caller asked her if she'd confront Bill O'Reilly Rosie said she's been on Bill O'Reilly's show more than once, she's already given her opinion and she doesn't want to engage with him about the misinterpretations of facts.  And even though she knows it comes with the territory, Rosie said she does have a problem with people totally misrepresenting what she says.  

Rosie said she does NOT question the Navy Seals and the way they did it, she simply wanted to know if it was legal to do what they did.  Rosie said Piers Morgan is doing a great job asking many of the questions she has.  Jeannie said she doesn't think America is any safer now that OBL is gone.  She doesn't want him around either but she said she thinks it's naive to think we've stopped the perpetuation of hate.  Rosie said you're allowed to have mixed and complex emotions about everything.  And you're allowed to hold conflicting thoughts in your head at once.  Rosie's question over the past few days was simply, "Can we discuss this?"  She admitted we can, perhaps at a tremendous cost, however.   

Rosie said after 9/11 the city of New York was asking celebrities to go to public events to prove they weren't afraid.  She said she was asked to come to the Yankees game and sit behind home plate with the guy who owned Modell's.  It was the World Series, right after 9/11 and the President came and threw out the first pitch.  Rosie remembered crying and being very emotional about the tragedy they had all been through.  She went to The Rosie O'Donnell Show the next day and a radio show said she refused to stand up and turned her back towards the President!  Rosie was infuriated.  She called the radio host and told him not only was she at the game to support the city and this country everything he said was the total opposite of what was true!  Sometimes the truth doesn't matter and people will see what they want to see about you.    

Rosie took a few more calls on the topic and then went to commercial. 

CHAZ BONO ON OPRAH AND BECOMING CHAZ ON OWN TONIGHT AT 9PM(8c)
Bobby and Rosie both watched Chaz Bono on The Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday and were both impressed by his bravery.  Bobby said to go through such a huge transformation under such a big spotlight was such a brave thing for Chaz to do.  Bobby wasn't sure he would have the strength to do what Chaz did.  Rosie thought a profound moment of the interview was when Chaz said he didn't want to grow up to be an old woman because he was innately a man.  Rosie said during the special following the documentary she will talk to Chaz about the transformation.  Rosie said as a lesbian, it's sometimes hard to think a lesbian would want to become the gender of the one she isn't attracted to.  But Chaz said, in his case, he just identified as lesbian because he didn't have another word for it at the time and thought that's how all lesbians must feel.  Then he realized it wasn't at all how lesbians feel and that he actually identified as male. 

Rosie took a call from a listener who thought Cher deserved credit for her honesty.  He said we hear about transgendered people but we never really think about how it must feel for the parent of the transgendered child.  Rosie thought Chaz  was very loving and tender discussing how he gave his mother time to come around with his transition.  Rosie thought it was probably very hard for Cher and the documentary does a good job of presenting this very real situation.  Bobby has followed Cher his entire life and said Cher's even admitted that she had a very "un-Cher-like" in her reaction to Chaz coming out.  And now she has to come to terms with the fact that she has two sons.  Rosie said Cher is an icon, but she's also just a mother and he's her child and they're just trying to figure it all out.  Rosie said Becoming Chaz is a beautiful film and she hopes everyone watches tonight.

One caller implied Chaz had the opportunity for this transition because he comes from a very rich family.  Rosie said one often assumes that because a person is a child of a celebrity that they're a millionaire too but it doesn't always work that way.  Rosie said Chaz discusses in the film how he had to borrow the money to have the operation.  Rosie said reality isn't always what you imagine it to be.

Rosie took a call from a listener who doesn't like it when he hears people say, "God doesn't make mistakes" when it comes to issues of transgendered individuals.  He thinks to himself that God may not make mistakes but He gives us all challenges in life and perhaps this was Chaz's challenge.  Rosie agreed and said it's a very complicated issue.  She said everyone who watches it will learn a lot from it.  And during the follow-up discussion after the documentary airs, Rosie asks Chaz why he didn't just live the life of a butchy lesbian.  He explains to her in their interview that he was born a girl but never felt like a girl. 

Rosie took a call from a listener who is a nanny in Connecticut who tries to teach the kids she watches to have the same open mind she was raised with by allowing them to watch Glee and talking to them about gay and lesbian topics.  Rosie told her she was happy for her that she was raised that way but told her to be careful not to get herself in trouble with her employers.  

Rosie took a call from a listener who said shows like Rosie Radio and Becoming Chaz make her more comfortable with who she is.  She said she has always felt like a boy that was born a girl.  She remembered being only five 5 years old at the pool and thinking God made a mistake with her.  The caller is 49 years old today.  She said she'd transition to male in a second if she had the money for the surgery.  When she looks in the mirror even today she is still shocked at what she sees.  Rosie told the caller she's going to love the documentary tonight and encouraged her to reach out to Chaz on Facebook and Twitter.  She promised she would. 

Rosie took a final call from a listener who said she hangs headphones by the side of her bed so she can wake up and listen to the first 30 minutes of Rosie Radio while lying in bed every morning!  She said she too will really miss the show when it's done airing.  (Many of the callers say this and I don't always put it in the blog every time.)  She told Rosie she now listens to Howard Stern because of Rosie.  She asked her if she thought she could call Howard and ask him not to use such bad language or if he'd yell at her.  Rosie told her to call him and said he would explain it to her.  Rosie said Howard has perfected the art of being exactly who he is.  She said he used to terrify her but he's the best at this genre.  And she said the fact that they're friends gives her hope for peace in the Middle East.   

Watch Becoming Chaz at 9pm

the watch Rosie host the OWN doc club at 10:30pm

PARKER'S COMPUTER AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Rosie said about a week ago a friend from school said he mistakenly ordered two of these amazing computers from Taiwan.  He offered to sell one to Parker.  Rosie had never heard or met this kid and told him the deal sounded shady to her.  Plus it costs a lot of money and she doesn't even have a computer that costs that much money.  Rosie and Kelli agreed that the answer was "no" and they would buy him the Mac he needs for school next year.  Yesterday Parker came home from baseball practice with the computer!  Rosie was shocked!  Parker said the boy said Parker could borrow it to show it to her.  Rosie told Parker to put it back in the box and give it back to him because she's not buying it for him.   Well last night she kept checking on him and he was playing on this computer every time she walked in.  She didn't want to have a huge fight about it so eventually she gave up.  Pete explained the computer to Rosie and said it's not really suitable for school work, it's more suitable for playing games.  Rosie couldn't believe Parker's confidence and lack of impulse control.  Deirdre was scared he might break it and then have to buy it!

Rosie said Adele will be performing tonight on DWTS!  She said she's getting tickets to her concert in New York City too.  Rosie was sad to read that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have separated.  Deirdre wasn't surprised because she said Arnold has always seemed very staunch towards Maria and they didn't seem like a very loving couple.  Pete said Arnold has a history of being sexually inappropriate with women.  Rosie felt sorry for the couple but hopes they'll both be happier for it.  Rosie also heard that Whitney Houston is back in rehab.  Deirdre wasn't surprised at this news either.  She said she once worked for the record company that Whitney is on and it was very sad to see what she was going through.   Deirdre isn't so sure Whitney will ever get clean and said her last album was supposed to be her "comeback" album.  Rosie had a dream of her coming back and hopes she still will because she was so defining for her generation.   Deirdre went to the record release party for her last album and said when she came out she didn't appear to be clean at the time (in her opinion). 

Rosie said Russell Brand, who brought her a plant for Mother's Day, told her he went to rehab once and is now sober.  He's actually been sober for 8 years now and it only took him one time in rehab.  Rosie said relapse is part of recovery and it's interesting how for some people they only need to go to rehab once and for some they must go through it a few times.  But Rosie thinks there's always hope and she hopes Whitney gets better.  Rosie said for all Rosie knows Whitney may think the same thing when she looks at Rosie.  She may think she hopes Rosie gets healthy!  Rosie and Deirdre said everyone has their own battle.   

BOOK OF MORMON'S RORY O'MALLEY!

Rosie then introduced Rory O'Malley from The Book of Mormon on Broadway which received an amazing 14 Tony Award nominations!  Rory himself was nominated for a Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical!  Rory said he grew up on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio and he grew up watching Broadway on The Rosie O'Donnell Show.  OMG, I grew up on the West Side of Cleveland too!!!!  And I love Rosie too!!!  Though I'm a few years older, cough cough. And um, I'm not nominated for a Tony. :)  Rory said he always had a love of theater and would do theater across the west side of Cleveland but would remembers racing home to watch Rosie's show.  He remembered counting down the days with her before Barbra Streisand's appearance on the show.  Rosie said she always hoped/knew there was a a little Broadway boy watching from home and here he was!  

Rory said he was roommates with Josh Gad and friends with Josh Groban in college.  He got a call from his agent and heard they wanted him for Book of Mormon.  He said he showed up and they had written only 6 of the songs at the time.  Rory said it was fate because he got a couple funny lines in the opening number and he cherished every little line they gave him.  Next thing he knew they came back to him and said they wrote in a part for him!  Rosie told Rory his part in the musical is so funny!  

Rosie's said she's never seen South Park and feels like she's really missed out on it!  She didn't want to give too much away with the storyline from the musical because it might ruin it for people who haven't seen it.  Rosie asked Rory if they were worried about protests because of the controversial subject matter and he said they were prepared for them.  But they've had nothing but fantastic reviews.

Rosie asked Rory if he looks at people in the audience when he performs because many celebrities have been coming to see it!  He said he doesn't do it until the end of the show during the African pageant.  During that scene he likes to look in the audience and mirror an audience member's look of shock!  Rosie said that scene is so funny she doesn't even know how the actors get through it!  She said she needed a Depends undergarment for the scene so she didn't pee on the velvet seats!   

Rosie asked Rory about when he found out about his Tony nomination.  He said he had no idea it was even going to happen.  No one had even mentioned the possibility to him.  He told Rosie about how wonderful it felt to call his mom to tell her.  And he was also just as happy to hear Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells get nominated.  Rory said he feels privileged to be a part of Book of Mormon.  And Rosie told him he deserves it because it is an amazing show.  

Rosie asked Rory about Broadway Impact.  Rory explained that Broadway Impact is a coalition of actors, directors, stage managers, fans, producers and pretty much anyone in the Broadway community who have mobilized around the issue of marriage equality.  Rory said when he volunteered for Obama in the 2008 campaign he became inspired to act.  And when Prop 8 was passed in November 2008 he felt devastated but realized his generation was going to have to stand up and fight for marriage equality.  Rory said they've accomplished amazing things since they've founded their organization! Learn more about Broadway Impact by watching the video below or visiting their website!



Rosie also asked Rory about the Book of Mormon's Lottery.  The Book of Mormon releases a limited number of tickets for each performance to be sold through the lottery.  Entries are accepted at the box office beginning two and a half hours prior to each performance for up to two tickets.  Two hours before curtain, names are drawn at random for a limited number of tickets priced at only $32 each! Winners must be present at the time of the drawing and show valid ID to purchase the discounted tickets. Also Book of Mormon will present a FREE FAN PERFORMANCE on Friday, July 1 at 2:00 PM. The entire theatre will be offered to entrants of the lottery, giving fans a chance to win a free pair of tickets for the performance.   All lottery entries, whether win or lose, will count as one entry in the sweepstakes toward winning tickets for the free performance. Multiple lottery entries will count multiple times toward winning free tickets for the performance. Fans can also “check in” to The Book of Mormon on Foursquare and Facebook while at the Eugene O“Neill Theatre for an extra entry! And you can enter every day!

Rosie thanked Rory for coming in and said she hopes he wins the Tony.  Rory told Rosie that dreams truly come true and that he was honored to be interviewed on Rosie's show.  Rosie then asked listeners to call in to win 4 original cast recordings from the musical! 

Rosie quickly wished her new assistant Tanya a Happy Birthday!  She said Shoshana won't be moving to Chicago with her to be her assistant while she's on OWN.  

Rosie closed the show letting listeners know she will be tweeting live during Becoming Chaz and the Doc Series discussion immediately following the film.  Follow ROSIE ON TWITTER to get in on the conversation and don't forget to follow THE RECAP BLOG ON TWITTER too!!  :)

and that's what you missed - kw
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