5-25-11 - A Day of Callers, Prizes and a Game!

In case you missed it....

ONE WEEK LEFT, JANETTE'S LOVE OF HOWARD AND WEIGHT
Rosie and the staff started today's broadcast discussing the fact that there is only one week left of live Rosie Radio shows with Rosie and the entire ensemble together. Next Wednesday (June 1st), will be Rosie's last appearance on Rosie Radio as we know it. On June 10th, Sirius Stars will premiere The Janette Show which will air every Friday with "Best of Rosie Radio" moments airing Monday through Thursday. In the Fall, when ROSIE premieres on OWN, Sirius will air the audio of the show daily for those that can't catch the show or don't have access to OWN. So, don't dismay Rosie Radio fans, there's still a lot to look forward to this summer! Janette said she will also be appearing on The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick on OutQ every Thursday! Rosie and Janette then talked about how much they love and adore Larry Flick. Rosie said she follows Larry on Twitter and Janette called Larry her "Will & Grace boyfriend." She said if he wasn't gay and she wasn't in a relationship they would be together!

Rosie commented on how excited Janette was this morning after finding out that Howard Stern almost went to Elmira College. Janette has had a "thing" for Howard for years and said when she heard that he almost went to the same college she attended, she said it proved they are star-crossed.  Janette attended Elmira and said if he would have gone there too they undoubtedly would have met because they're the same age and she worked at the college radio station for a short time.  Janette said she felt that it was a bit of proof that they're connected in a mystical way.  Rosie thought it was so funny how excited Janette got at the mere thought that she and Howard almost went to the same school!

Rosie was very thankful that it was sunny in New York today but said at the same time she feels so devastated watching the videos and hearing the stories coming out of the Midwest regarding the tornadoes.  She watched Lawrence O'Donnell's show last night where he interviewed storm chasers. (see video below)

                                           

Rosie said she used to think storm chasers were just adrenaline junkies but then she realized the valuable information they gather because of their eye-witness accounts.  Rosie said she has never had the desire to do anything so dangerous like that except for one dream.  Her dream is to ride a jet ski that tows famed surfer Laird Hamilton into one of the huge waves he rides.  She said it felt to her like she could get the thrill of the big wave without the risk.  Janette has a friend Fran Capo who takes on many adventures because she enjoys the rush.  Janette said she'll run to a disaster that some would consider dangerous, in order to help, but she won't just attempt something for the thrill of it.  Rosie said she's like many women and thinks if she just gets skinny she would fulfill her dream to ride the jetski.  She said she doesn't do many things like scuba diving because she feels to ashamed to wear a wetsuit.  She said there's so much of her life she has on hold until she gets thinner and she wished she didn't do that.

Rosie said they will have Joe Cross, the man from Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, 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.

TORNADOES AND GIVING BACK
The staff then discussed the devastating tornadoes in the Midwest.  Rosie said natural disasters hit her emotionally like nothing else and she has trouble accepting she can't do more. It's ironic because critics call her unpatriotic and she can't focus on disasters in other countries, because it feels out of her reach yet she is almost incapacitated when tragedies happen here.  Rosie said to see mass devastation such as this renders her helpless, powerless and weak. She doesn't know how to help the people and she wishes the disasters would stop.  Janette encouraged Rosie that talking about the disasters and shining a light on the need does a lot to help.  But Rosie said she cannot get the images out of her mind like the first responder who was dying of respiratory distress that appeared on The Rosie O'Donnell Show after 9/11. She said she has trouble deleting those images from her mind and they become tattooed on her heart. Janette said she talked to someone close to the tragedy and he said money is what's really needed because they have no infrastructure to distribute clothing donations during these crises. She also said search & rescue and cadaver dogs need booties to protect their feet from debris.

Rosie said Columbine put her on antidepressants and she was glad she had then when 9/11 hit.  After 9/11 she wanted a SWAT team ready and able to help in these sorts of crises so when Hurricane Katrina happened they were prepared and went down and created Renaissance Village.   Renaissance Village helped with the displaced persons effected by the hurricane though it still didn't feel to Rosie like she was doing enough. Janette encouraged Rosie to focus on the ones she did help rather than those she couldn't.  Rosie said she always goes back to thinking, "I could have saved more."

Janette said every person can help in the way they know how.  When she went down to the World Trade Center site days after 9/11 there was a man cutting pieces from a bolt of American Flag fabric and pinning it on the backs of any of the firefighters who wanted one.  She said that was this man's way to give and to see the pride in the men's faces as he pinned the flag of their country on their backs was something she will never forget.  She said it was all this man could do but it filled people with such pride and that was something.  He was helping in his own way.  Rosie said her good friend Lori Klinger gave all the money in her savings to the victims of 9/11. She said it's not the celebrities that deserve all the accolades but the everyday person who really has to make sacrifices to give.  Janette said that would be a great idea for a show on ROSIE!  Rosie said after she saw Diane Sawyer do an interview with septuplets in 1996 who were losing their home and just needed a rumpus room was the first time she was determined to use her television show for giving. Rosie saw Diane at a fundraiser and asked her why, since she has the means, she didn't help this family personally.  Diane said she's a journalist and it wouldn't be her place.  Rosie said she couldn't imagine facing that story and not helping knowing she had the cash to do it.  The Rosie O'Donnell Show had the family with the septuplets on and built them the rumpus room they needed. Rosie said she admires Diane that she can report on a story and connect in the way that she does but admitted it overwhelms her personally.

Rosie mentioned the time she appeared on The Tyra Banks Show and they brought on a "SuperKid" who was sent to college thanks to The Rosie O'Donnell Show and Kellogg's.  Rosie said that moment was hard for her to get through and sometimes her own emotions seem to swallow her. You can watch that interview in it's entirety here: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 (posted below) and Part 4. It's a great segment!  Watch if you have time.  

Part 3 the Superkids segment

CALLERS
Rosie then took several callers that discussed many different topics!  One caller used to be a storm chaser in Oklahoma City who explained that many storm chasers are affiliated with the television stations and do it so that the stations can really see exactly where the tornadoes are.  She said lives are saved from their work.

Rosie took a call from a listener in Missouri who suffers from Ulcerative Colitis. Rosie asked the caller if she listened to yesterday's show about rebooting your system through juicing with Joe Cross and she did!  The caller expressed her love for Rosie and said she gives something that no one else in the industry gives her fans.  Rosie thanked her for calling and for her comments because sometimes she wonders what the point of all this is and these types of calls remind her why she does what she does. She took down the caller's information and said Joe Cross is going to help her and perhaps he could help the caller too!  Janette recommended Unlearn Your Pain by Howard Schubiner, MD and they discussed the mind/body connection.  Janette also recommended Dr. Clarke who deals with how emotions affect our health and our well being.

One caller was at the Oprah Farewell Spectacular taping last week and loved Rosie's performance! She wondered if Rosie is going to have experts on her show like Oprah does.  Rosie said she is going to have Broadway Boys and introduce her audience to new experts that can help all the viewers.  The caller offered to give Rosie a tour of Chicago and Rosie took down her information because she just might take her up on the offer!  Rosie said they're going to do a segment called "Show Me Chicago" where viewers show Rosie the wonderful places Chicago has to offer!  FUN!

Rosie took a call from a listener who is a nutrition coach today after battling her own struggle with weight. She said she teaches people how to eat real food and make it tasty and she offered to help Rosie with that.

Another listener called in to ask Rosie all about her performance on Oprah!  CLICK HERE to see it if you missed it!  Rosie said about two weeks before the performance she got a call from Jill, a producer on The Oprah Winfrey Show, asking her if she would perform a song and dance number like she did recently for the Upfronts in New York. She asked Rosie if she could also include Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz and Nate!  Bobby, Rosie and her friend Steven wrote lyrics to the song Fever and Bobby and Dennis Jones choreographed it.  They performed it for Rosie and video-taped it and sent her a copy.  She learned the routine from the tape and rehearsed it at home in New York.  She rehearsed once with the entire group in New York, rehearsed once in Chicago and once that morning of the show.  The live performance was the 4th time she had performed it!

One caller told Rosie about how she's always struggled with her weight. She said she went on a diet last year and lost a ton of weight.  When she got down to her goal weight she realized nothing changed. She thought losing weight would make everything wonderful and it didn't.  She's since put the weight back on and now she just focuses on trying to be happy.  Rosie totally understood. She said she's always working on trying not to miss her own life while she's waiting to be someplace else.

Today Rosie gave each caller a gift!  She gave out giftcards to Starbucks, Target, Gap, Dave and Busters, Chili's, Loews, the Apple Store and Best Buy!!!

GLEE, DWTS AND THE GENDER FREE BABY?
Rosie and the staff loved Glee last night!  Rosie was happy the Glee kids didn't win because she said it's more realistic for a show that can sometimes feel so unrealistic (but in the best way!).  They thought Patti Lupone did great and everyone loved Rachel and Kurt singing For Good from Wicked. They discussed that Glee is going to have a reality show and go on another tour this summer!  Rosie said she won't miss the summer tour.  She and her kids went last year and she's definitely going again!

Then the staff watched the results of the last night's Dancing With the Stars. Rosie said she was "over the moon" when Chelsea lost because she was positive Kirstie would win!  She was not happy when Hines Ward won.  Rosie felt they probably got a lot of sympathy votes because he fell on his partner's neck and almost really hurt her!  Bobby thought the voting was fixed!  He said he voted multiple times for Kirstie and during his last vote it said, "Thank you for voting for Hines!"

Rosie took several calls from listeners who thought Kirstie should have won last night.  One caller said Kirstie shouldn't win on emotions alone and that she didn't win because she's not the best dancer. Rosie thought he had a point but Bobby said if 50% of the vote is based on technique and the other half is what America enjoys, he said she should have won.  And Rosie said she is never doing DWTS so everyone can stop asking her.  She said she'll do DWTS right after she marries Donald Trump.

Pete read a report that stated that Kirstie went from a size 12 to a size 6 during the show. Rosie and Janette did not believe it AT ALL.  Rosie said there is no way Kirstie started out as a size 12. And Bobby, who is a costume designer, said there was no way Kirstie was a 12 at the beginning of the season.

Rosie had Pete discuss a news story he read about a couple raising a gender free baby.  Pete said the couple is from Toronto and had a baby New Years Day.  They have two older kids and they're not telling anyone except their parents and their other children what sex the baby is.  And they're not using gender specific pronouns for the baby either. Rosie wanted to know why anyone would do this and she said it sounded absurd.  Rosie asked if the baby is a hermaphrodite but Janette didn't seem to think so from the interview she saw with them. Pete thought it might have some validity because he's trying to raise his girls so that they feel like they don't have to fulfill female stereotypes.  Rosie said she feels there has to be a physiological reason they decided to do this and if not, she worried there could be damage caused from it.  Rosie said she had a friend who let her son's hair grow really long and then always got so upset when people mistook him for a girl.  She thought if it's so upsetting to you, cut the boy's hair!  She said you can't be outrageous in the way that you dress and then turn around and get mad when people react to you.

Rosie took a call from a listener who is a lawyer and taught women's studies for a while.  She said there have been a series of interesting studies about the topic of gender and the way that we're raised that proves even if a parent tries to be gender neutral, the child will eventually identify with one gender.  For Rosie, growing up in a house without gender specific roles she and her siblings adopted many duties around the house that didn't always align with their own genders.  For example, her brother Eddie took care of the children like a mother in a lot of ways.  She wondered what the benefit of doing this is.  She said it's as if the parents are asking for gender identity to be an issue when it doesn't have to be.  The caller revealed to Rosie what a fan she is and said she is a "lipstick lesbian." Rosie asked the caller if she's seen The Real L Word and if lesbians like that actually exist in the world.  Rosie joked that most of the lesbians she's known have been "softball-playing lesbians." The caller said it's always been important for her to dress up and wear makeup but it isn't that way for her wife.  She and her partner met in college and have been together ever since!  Rosie said her brother Danny and his partner met in college too and today they're 50 and they've been together their entire lives.  Rosie congratulated her on her long-lasting relationship!

Rosie said it still takes her breath away when she sees two young women or men holding hands on the street.  It wasn't an option when she was that age and it still moves her.

THE REALITY T.V. GAME 
During this game each player had to recall an answer that dealt with a question about a reality TV show.

ROUND ONE
Shoshana: The first season of The Real World in 1992 was filmed in what city?  She said New York City and that was correct.
Rosie: She broke up with her husband, did DWTS and is best known for her hairdo.  She said Kate Gosselin and was correct.
Pete: If you won on this show you'd receive kitchen appliances and an editorial in Food and Wine Magazine.  He said Top Chef and that was correct.
Janette: In the Bachelor, this item is given to the woman the bachelor decides to keep. She said a rose and that was correct.
Bobby: He's a fashion consultant and mentor on Project Runway.  He said Tim Gunn and that was correct.

ROUND TWO
Shoshana: In one of the memorable moments from the reality show Nick and Jessica she had a dumb blond moment with this product. It was Tuna, or Chicken of the sea and she got it.
Rosie: James asked Rosie to sing some of the theme song to Cops. She did it!  "Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do?  Whatcha gonna do when they come for you."
Pete: She's the original winner of America's Next Top Model who married a Brady Bunch boy.  He didn't know it was Adrienne Curry so he got it wrong.
Janette: Joe Rogan hosted this reality show.  She said Fear Factor which was correct.
Bobby: Flavor Flave broke her heart twice and then she got her own reality show that featured bachelors vying for her love. Her name was "New York" and but he didn't get it.

ROUND THREE
Shoshana: He's a celebrity chef and people on this show try to win a spot at one of his restaurants.  She said Gordon Ramsey and she was correct.
Rosie: One of Hugh Heffner's former girls now on a reality show.  She said Kendra Wilkinson and was correct.
Pete: This is the dark haired inked beauty on Miami Ink and LA Ink. The answer was Kat Von Dee but he didn't get it.
Janette: She's the professional ice skater who danced her way to victory on DWTS. The answer was Kristie Yamaguchi but she didn't get it.
Bobby: In this show rapper Xzibit takes a junky car and tricks it out. The answer was Pimp My Ride but didn't get it.

TIEBREAKER FOR ROSIE AND SHOSHANA
Rosie: This cast member of The Real World died of AIDS.  She said Pedro and that was correct.
Shoshana: This show about paranormal investigation is run by a group called TAPS. She didn't know the show was Ghost Hunters.

And Rosie WON!!!!!!!!!

and that's what you missed - kw
5 shows left...

Note: Tonight is the last night to vote for The National Marfan Foundation on the Chase Community Giving Facebook page! There is $2.5 million dollars at stake and the top 25 charities (by vote) split that money. The National Marfan Foundation is a non-profit voluntary health organization dedicated to saving lives and improving the quality of life for individuals and families affected by Marfan syndrome and related disorders. Rosie tweeted this to all her followers on Twitter recently so take a second to vote for a great cause if you can! Tonight is the last night to vote!