6-1-11 - Rosie's Final Show

In case you missed it...
here we go...

ROSIE DISCUSSES HER NIGHT LAST NIGHT, EMAILING NAKED PHOTOS AND CALLERS
Rosie started today's broadcast, her final Rosie Radio appearance, saying this morning's pre-show meeting felt really weird knowing it would be the last time they would all be meeting in that way.  She said a final, "It's Wednesday, all day as my Nana would say." and began the broadcast.  Janette said she's loved doing Rosie Radio and Rosie agreed that it's been a really wonderful experience for her too.  Janette thanked me and all the other listeners who have followed them so faithfully and she reminded everyone that the show isn't really ending but just morphing into something else.  Rosie Radio fans can still listen to "Best Of Rosie Radio Moments" Monday through Thursday, Janette's Show every Friday, and Rosie's OWN show on Sirius in October!  

Rosie said she went out with Sharon Gless for her birthday last night.  Tyne Daly was there too and they had dinner at Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse.  Deirdre said that is a very famous restaurant in New York though Rosie had never heard of it.  Rosie said it was lovely and there was dancing there! And she talked about how much she loves her friends Sharon and Tyne.

Rosie also went to therapy yesterday and on the way out she heard women screaming.  Later she saw a 15 year-old girl who was all shaken up and looked like she was recently in a fight.  Rosie pulled over and offered her a ride after assuring her she was just a mom from the neighborhood.  She drove the girl to her house and talked to her about what the fight was about.  The girl said her boyfriend had recently been with the other girl, who was his ex-girlfriend.  Rosie talked with the girl and whether or not she should be involved with someone who would cheat on her with an ex and then she wondered why she feels the need to get involved in these situations!

Then when she got home she saw the naked photos of Blake Lively on Perez Hilton's website.  Rosie wondered what was happening to the youth in this country and said it made her feel really old.  Then she wondered why anyone would pose for naked pictures in the first place.  Pete looked at them and said he was pretty sure they've been photo-shopped or were faked in some way.  Then they discussed Anthony Weiner's pictures of his wiener!  The accusations are that he emailed a photo of himself to a young college-aged girl who tweeted him.  Pete said Mr. Weiner follows a lot of young attractive looking women.  Deirdre said he didn't deny the photograph but he got livid when reporters asked him about it!  Rosie found it odd that a Congressman would take such a photo but Janette said, "Humans are humans" and it doesn't matter what your job is, they are human therefore they are inherently flawed.  (though I think she actually used the words "fucked up" but I changed it to "inherently flawed".... :)  Janette said she wouldn't look at the photos because she's never recovered from seeing Dr. Laura's naked pictures!  

Rosie took a call from a listener who reminded Rosie to keep fans updated about Jeannie's husband's test results.  She went on to say she thought the photos were real and not faked.    Rosie said if she looked like Blake Lively when she was naked she would do everything naked!  She said she'd be naked right now!  

Rosie took a call from a listener who called to talk with Rosie about girls having sex at such a young age.  She said HER girls never had sex in high school because they weren't allowed to!  Rosie didn't sound that convinced.  She said Kelli's parents were also very strict yet had no idea what she was really doing and that she was sneaking out when she was younger. Rosie said parents like to believe that their daughters would never do anything bad but she doesn't know how accurate that belief always is.

One caller was so glad Rosie chose to give the girl a ride home last night.  She said such a simple act might change that girl's life forever.  Her mother discovered she was gay when she was in high school and kicked her out of the house.  It was the mother of another girl at her school who took her in and gave her the parenting and acceptance she never had from her own mother.  She and her mother are still estranged today.

Rosie said when she was about 20 years old, she picked up a young female hitchhiker in LA who was about to get in the car with a strange man.  Rosie said she scolded the girl for almost getting into the car with a man she didn't know and drove her 40 minutes to a hotel while lecturing her about being safer.  This story sparked an entire hitchhiking and stranger-danger conversation.  Rosie said she's never hitchhiked because she would be too afraid. Bobby said stranger-danger is a good rule but ROSIE never follows her own rule!  Rosie said because she's famous she feels like she's not a stranger and therefore people don't need to worry with her.  

One caller was raised Catholic and said her motto was "Lie till you die!"  Even today she doesn't admit all the things she did as a teen to her parents.  One caller said 9 times out of 10 the celebrities are in some way involved with the release of these types of photos.  Rosie wasn't sure but said if the photos of Blake were real, they're not going to ruin her career.  She said celebrities have overcome much worse scandals and survived.  

FAVORITE ROSIE RADIO MOMENTS
James asked everyone to give him their favorite Rosie Radio moments before today's show and he gathered up the audio and the staff went around and shared their favorite moments with each other and the listeners.  Janette's favorite moment of the show was when Pete yelled, "Quantum Leap Accelorator!" during a game and the time they played Howard mentioning Janette's unlimited head offer on The Howard Stern Show.   Deirdre and Jeannie's favorite moment was the time Rosie put the contents of the Fish Oil capsule on her face during a live broadcast thinking it was Vitamin E!  Her second favorite moment was when Janette chugged a beer in 9 seconds on the air and no one could believe it!  Pete's favorite moments were getting the truckers to toot their horns.  He even remembered the day their first trucker named Deb blew her horn on air and how excited they all got.  Janette and Rosie remarked about how great it's been getting to know an entire culture of truckers they have never known.  Rosie said when she sees truckers now, she wonders what they're listening to on the radio and if they've listened to their show.  Janette said if it weren't for truckers, the stores would be empty and we would have no food!  Janette said truckers are very important and we must remember to thank them.

James' favorite moment was the day Janette referred to the lead actress in The Sound of Music as Julie Armstrong instead of Julie Andrews.  And he loved how irate Rosie got at the error!  Then Janette said something about the movie she was in as the nanny and Rosie was all fired up and yelled, "It's Mary Poppins you asshole!"  Shoshana's favorite moment was when they spray-painted Shady the squirrel during an interview with Super Nanny Jo Frost.  Janette said because of that little squirrel Pete started ShadyChat on Ustream and an entire group of people became lifelong friends!  All because of a little squirrel!   Lou's favorite moment was when the American Idiot cast sang "Wake Me Up When September Ends" in the studio.  He said it's the greatest performance in radio he's ever been a part of and he actually got teary hearing it live.     Amanda's favorite moment was the time they talked about the video of the woman who fell when she stomped the grapes!  She said they got tons of response from listeners who almost peed their pants or drove off the road they were laughing so hard.  

Rosie took a couple of callers.  One caller lost 100 pounds from walking during Rosie Radio!  He said his favorite Rosie Radio moment was when Rosie had Shirley Maclaine on.

They went to commercial break playing Bobby's favorite moment of the show when Betty Buckley sang As If We've Never Said Goodbye live in the studio!

CELL PHONES CAUSE CANCER, DRUG TESTS FOR WELFARE AND THE REAL L WORD
Janette read an article that stated that cell phones can increase your risk of cancer.  They discussed the cancer it causes called a Glioma which has a 20 year incubation period.  Janette said what's scary about that finding is that cell phones have really only been prevalent for the last 15 years so we're only now going to be seeing the health effects.  The first person she thought of was Deirdre, who lives on her cell phone for her job!  Deirdre said the study had her concerned and she was going to get a real phone in her house and use an ear phone attachment when she does use her cell phone.  Bobby didn't understand all the distress over something that may or may not happen.  He said he's not going to sleep with his cell phone next to his head now but he might star using an earpiece.  

They also discussed a recent news story that they may start drug testing welfare recipients in the state of Florida.  Deirdre is all for it but Janette, while she thinks there should be welfare reform, she believes in our right to privacy. She said it's sanctimonious to sit back and say poor people have to hold a standard that most  of us can't even meet.  Bobby said to Janette that our government makes sure we all obey the laws not just the poor people.  Janette said we should have the right to privacy and our own bodies regardless.  Rosie said oftentimes with poverty comes addiction and the desire to escape reality. She said we're all addicted to one thing or another whether that's drugs, food, porn, the Internet. But Bobby pointed out that all those things are legal while street drugs are not.  Rosie wondered where we draw the line when it comes to passing a certain standard to receive aid from the government.

Rosie then took several callers.  One caller understands the addiction but thinks welfare needs to be there to help someone get better and do better.  She said we cannot just hand out money and not expect the recipients of it to try to do better in life.  Rosie said not everyone has that same internal fortitude to get over life's obstacles. She said no one really knows why some who have suffered great challenges in life succeed and some do not.  She said it's a difficult thing to understand but we must try not to pass judgment.

Rosie took a caller who said if you work for the government of Florida you have to pass a drug test, so someone who gets money from the government should have to take a drug test too!  Rosie thought that was a good point.

One caller told Rosie how a convenience store near her home was recently busted for buying people's food stamps from them.  They estimated they cashed out 6 million dollars in 6 months in food stamp fraud!  The caller thinks there should be better oversight and possibly drug testing because she's pretty sure those people weren't selling their food stamps to go pay rent.  Rosie said there are always going to be people who try to beat the system.  She agreed that welfare perhaps needs more oversight too and compared it to Foster Care which was created to help the needs at the time but needs to be changed in order to accommodate the world we live in today.  Janette said we shouldn't get rid of all welfare because we hear of one anecdote that paints welfare in a bad light.

And finally, Rosie said she received an advance copy of Season 2 of The Real L Word.  She said they've kept two characters from the first season but the show itself has pretty much changed.  Rosie said she was completely shocked when she watched it and she called it "pure pornography."  She said it's pornography complete with "shaved hoo-has," people pleasuring themselves watching porn, and women using strap-on's.  She said the show scared her a little bit.  Rosie said she heard the women get paid about $500 an episode to essentially be a porn star.  She said it seemed to her like they only cast women who were willing to have sex on camera.  Rosie thought the show was manipulative, exploitative and promoting every worst stereotype about gay women.  She wondered how much Ilene Chaiken, the show's creator, had to do with this season.  Rosie called it "Dysfunction 101."

ROSIE RADIO TRIVIA GAME
ROUND ONE
Rosie: One time when they broadcasted from the fishbowl, the staff finished with a sing-a-long.  What song did they sing?  Rosie couldn't recall the answer but Janette stole it.  They sang Cabaret.
Pete:  He taught Jeannie how to sing with a private singing lesson.  He knew it was Seth Rudestsky.
Bobby: Deirdre took heat from callers when she advocated this hair treatment.  It was called the "Brazilian blowout" and he got it.
Deirdre: Rosie and Jeannie were both beside themselves the day this star called in from their youth. She couldn't remember but it was Peter Lemongello.

ROUND TWO
Rosie: Pete made this absolutely disgusting food item with pumpkin for their contest.  It was a pumpkin shake and she remembered!
Pete: Which two scored the highest ego test.  Pete guessed Rosie and Bobby but it was actually Rosie and James.
Janette: Rosie felt the brunt when Rosie Radio was canceled because of snow.  How many snow-days did they have?  Was it 7, 9, or 10?  The answer was 7 but she guessed 9.
Bobby: They had one intern.  What was her name?  It was Miko and Bobby didn't know it but Rosie did.
Deirdre: She's the guest who made the most in-studio appearances.  It was Judy Gold and she got it.

ROUND THREE
Rosie: James got into trouble for making the answers too easy in this game.  Rosie couldn't recall the game but it was "The Board Game."
Pete: She was the only guest to ever smoke in the studio.  Pete said Liza Minnelli and that was correct!
Janette: He's Blake's baseball coach who called in and made peace with Rosie.  She couldn't recall his name but it was Ron Nathanson.
Bobby:  Rosie used this gift from Howard as a footrest.  He said a Sibian which was correct!
Deirdre: Name any 3 songs that Rosie played "to death" on the air or on her laptop before a show.  She said Adele's Rolling In the Deep, Imogen Heap and Macy Gray.  

Rosie took a moment to thank Howard for the radio show.  She said if she never had done his program she might never had done Rosie Radio and now going back to television!  She said, "Thank you Howard!"

Rosie took a caller from Chicago who recommended that Rosie and Parker stop at Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio on their road trip!  Rosie thought that was a great idea and said she was going to a meeting immediately following the show today to figure it out!  

One caller wanted to tell Rosie she wasn't sure in the beginning that she would like Rosie on the radio but she has come to not only like her but admire her as well.  She thanked Rosie for her stance on abortion because she saw first hand what women went through in the 1960's.

Rosie took a caller who said if it wasn't for Rosie's show she wouldn't have the life she's living today. Rosie gave her the courage to come out and create a life with her girlfriend!  Today she feels free and Rosie gave her that gift.  She told Rosie she is a teacher and she's inspiring to many people.  Rosie thanked her for calling and said she hopes she can live out the rest of her years knowing she's valuable and worthy and that gay is okay.

Rosie then wished her girlfriend Tracy a Happy Birthday and played Say Hey I Love You by Michael Franti for her!  

On their way back from commercial they played the song Video Killed the Radio Star.  Rosie said that is the one thing she's not looking forward to - the fact that she now has to worry about what to wear! She said just picking out clothes to wear to the pre-show meetings is stressing her out.  Deirdre recommended Rosie bite the bullet and just hire a stylist!  Rosie thinks maybe Eileen Fisher is her answer and Janette said it would be her answer but she has to wear the clothes and not just hang them in the closet!

Rosie took a call from a listener who said she is so much more interested in politics and questioning our media now because of listening to Rosie Radio.  One caller said Rosie kept her company for two years while she was on unemployment but she was happy to say she just got a new job too!  So, she was happy Rosie was leaving so she wouldn't miss anything.  Janette reminded the caller that they will be airing "best-of Rosie Radio" Monday through Thursday and on June 10th Janette's Show will start! Janette's Show will air every Friday and Rosie's OWN show will broadcast on Sirius too.

Rosie took a call from Kristy who is a friend of Janette's on Facebook!  She is a proud member of the blogtourage!  Kristy told the staff how much she's enjoyed them over the past two years.  She called into the show once to share her story of battling cancer and Rosie sent her Suzanne Somer's book. Kristy said because of the show and that book she's changed her cancer treatment.  Kristy said she's pretty sure she's still here today because of those changes and she wanted to thank Rosie for that. Rosie thanked her for calling and sharing her story.  She said Suzanne Somers has done so much to raise awareness and she's a pretty amazing woman.  Rosie promised to tell Suzanne Kristy's story the next time she sees her.

Rosie and Janette then thanked all the listeners!  Janette said without them, they would just be sitting around talking to each other!  Rosie said Rosie Radio has been a beautiful way for her to connect with the world.  She remembered her mother going into the grocery store and making all the cashiers laugh and thinking she wanted to do that when she grew up.  Rosie said when you get famous you miss that conversational human interaction and this experience has given her the chance to get it back. And for that, she's extremely grateful.  Rosie said she hopes to maintain the conversational authenticity that the radio has allowed on her new show with a presentation that remains authentic.

Rosie then thanked the staff and said "we did it" and "you kicked ass."
And Rosie closed her final show.

Dear Rosie Radio listeners,

I just wanted to thank you for coming here and reading my recap blog every day.  I, like almost all of you, have loved Rosie for years and followed her as she shared her life and her heart with all of us through her blog.  I can't even write here what she's meant to me in my life because no words would really do the feelings justice. I'll just say I've loved her, as many of you have, and at the same time I've felt extremely passionate about making sure she's represented truthfully in the media as the brilliant, quick-witted, kind-hearted, generous woman we all know and love. 

I started this as a way to keep my friends up to date with the shows they missed and realized there was a large audience out there for it.  I knew not everyone could listen to Rosie Radio every day and people would want to know what Rosie and the staff were up to.  Janette was my biggest supporter in the beginning and without her I'm not sure I would have gotten the opportunity to do this for Kid Ro Productions.  I will never know how much she pushed for me and cheered me on behind the scenes.  I am forever in her debt and she probably will never know how much I love and adore her.  Then finally on June 10th of last year, almost exactly a year ago and thanks to Timmy O'Donnell, Rosie gave me the thumbs-up to write this blog on behalf of the show.  I still click on Rosie's blog to see her updates and get a little twinge of nervousness when I see my blog linked to hers.  It is unbelievable to me to see where this all has gone and I know years from now, I will still need my friends to assure me that it really happened.  Even now I can't believe it.  It did happen, right?

What's next for me?  Well, I have my resume out to a few places and I've traded some emails with people, but I don't have anything concrete yet.  For now, I'm going to take a day off to mow the lawn on Thursday and then I'm going to get my butt up to the school to volunteer for my 5th grader who will be graduating from elementary school on June 16th.  I cannot believe my little baby, the one I sat gestating for 6 weeks on bed-rest while watching The Rosie O'Donnell Show in 1999, is going to middle school. I'm happy I now get the opportunity to cherish these last few days of elementary school with him and all the other 5th grade moms before saying goodbye to the innocence of it all. 

And this weekend? I'm headed to my hometown of Cleveland to celebrate the homecoming of my brother-in-law who just returned from his third tour in Afghanistan and Iraq.  I've known him longer than I've known my husband, since preschool actually, and I couldn't be prouder to call him my friend.  I can't wait to give him a big hug, buy him a beer and hear all about whatever it is he would like to share with me about his trip over there.   

Then?  I will bum off my friends who belong to country clubs around here and beg them to let me tag along as they go to their private pools. :)  I will be laying in the sun this summer, listening to my iPod, trying to figure out what's next.  

I am not sad.  I'm not.  I am happy I had the chance to do this and I am happy to have met so many wonderful people through this opportunity.  If you want to keep in touch with me you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kellyw516.  I promise to let you all know what's next for me.   

And this seems to me the most fitting quote to leave here as I exit the stage door...

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  - Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan. Oh, and you didn't think I'd leave here without a song, did ya? 

"We won't say our goodbyes, you know it's better that way.

We won't break, we won't die, it's just a moment of change."

All We Are - One Republic

Lastly, I want to thank my friends Michele and Liz.  You don't know them as well as I do because they have done all their work behind the scenes. Literally, every day when I finish a blog I pick up the phone and call Michele and she signs in here and proofreads the blog before  publishing it.  Liz then comes home from work and reads the blog later for grammar mistakes and punctuation errors that Michele and I missed.  They did this for me for nothing.  I got my paycheck from Rosie but literally they did it for me, just because I asked them to. I can't really even say how much their support has meant to me over the past two years.  Thank you to both of them and I know  I am better today because I knew you.  

And if I had one piece of advice for readers that may feel inspired by my story it would be that your life is not a dress rehearsal.  If you have a dream, you've got to go for it because this life, the one you're living right now is all you've got .... so make it a memorable one.  

Thank you for reading.

(one more time for good luck)

and that's what you missed - kw

Kelly Weist

kellyweist516(at)yahoo.com

http://www.twitter.com/kellyw516