Watching The View

Jane Krakowski, of NBC’s 30 Rock, appeared as the guest host today. Jane, who started her acting career in the theater, said that since her success on television, with Ally McBeal, she has been able to get better parts on Broadway. There were a couple of awkward moments during the hot topics segment when Joy Behar made comments about Jane’s former co-star Calista Flockhart’s weight. When talking about Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington going into rehab after calling a co-star a homophobic slur, Joy joked that is was common for people to hurl insults at their co-stars. She asked Jane if she ever called Calista a “skinny bitch.”

Elisabeth Hasselbeck wore a “Be Ugly” t-shirt, part of the Ugly Betty “Be Ugly 2007″ campaign, which partners with Girls, Inc. The goal of the campaign is to make women and girls feel good about themselves and feel beautiful, even if they don’t look like women in fashion magazines. Joy said that as a young girl, she always thought she was beautiful until she saw the women in magazines, and then she felt bad about herself. Joy jokingly compared the editors of Elle and Vogue to war criminals, because they are waging war against the women of America.

Mary Hart of Entertainment Tonight appeared to talk about her 25 years on the show, as well as discuss how February is women’s heart disease awareness month, sponsored by the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign. Heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. For more information about women and heart disease, visit the American Heart Association.

Jane Krakowski, The View, Mary Hart, Rosie O’Donnell, Joy Behar, heart disease, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Ugly Betty

Whoopi Goldberg was today’s guest host and she came to the show after doing her syndicated radio show, Wake Up With Whoopi, which airs on several channels throughout the United States. She said she likes doing radio because she doesn’t “have to dress.”

Rosie O’Donnell talked about her trip to San Antonio over the weekend for the opening of a rehabilitation facility for veterans of the Iraq war. She met a lot of soldiers and said that each one is a hero and “braver than any human you can imagine.” She said the experience was “humbling” and she was “honored to be in their presence.” She thought what one soldier said was especially poignant. He said that the soldiers didn’t lose their limb or their sight, but rather they gave it for their country.

She said that she echoes the sentiments of John McCain, who said in a speech over the weekend that although people disagree about the war, there is “never any doubt that everyone stands behind the armed forces.”

Harry Connick, Jr was on the show to promote his two albums being released today: Oh, My Nola, a traditional album and Chanson du Vieux Carre, which he describes as “straight-up jazz” with no singing. He also spoke about a project that he has in New Orleans with Branford Marsalis and Habitat for Humanity. They have purchased 8 acres of land and have already built 70 houses and duplexes and a community center in a “musician’s village” to house local musicians who were displaced after Hurricane Katrina. Their goal is to build 1500 houses.

Kristin Davis, of Sex and the City, said they are “closer” to a Sex and the City movie and that she is “doing everything in her personal power” to see that it happens. She said that everyone involved agrees that if it will be done that it “needs to be great.” Personally she wants the movie to happen because she believes that her character, Charlotte, is unfinished. She also said that contrary to reports, the producers never told the women on the show that they needed to be thin, but they may have told the male actors that. She was on the show to promote the Celebrity Pasta Lovers’s cookbook, which is available for free download online here. For every download, $1 will be donated to America’s Second Harvest which supplies food to food banks throughout the United States.

Rosie O’Donnell, The View, Whoopi Goldberg, Harry Connick, Jr., Kristin Davis, Sex and the City, Habitat for Humanity, America’s Second Harvest

Toni Braxton appeared as the guest host on today’s special episode of The View about autism. Her own son, Diezel, was just diagnosed with autism last fall. Several families appeared on the show to share their own personal struggles with the disease. Today 1 in every 166 children will be diagnosed with autism.

Paula Sell appeared on the show with her 12 year-old twin sons who both have autism. One of the boys has a more severe version of autism than the other and cannot speak. Grace Walker Goad appeared on the show with her mom who is an artist. Grace’s mom encourages her to use art to express herself when she cannot verbalize what she is feeling.

Karen Siff Exkon, author of The Autism Sourcebook, appeared on the show with her 10 year-old son, Jake, who was able to recover from autism thanks to early intervention. Jake was treated for two years, starting at age two, 40 hours a week, with Applied Behavior Analysis, as well as occupational and speech therapy. Although his parents were told that Jake would never speak again, he now attends a regular school. Karen said that is important for parents to know that if their child is diagnosed with autism, they are legally entitled to services and treatments and do not have to pay out-of-pocket. She also stated that early intervention is key, meaning you have to have to your child treated as soon as possible, preferably under the age of three.

Dr. Temple Grandin, author of Unwritten rules of social relationships and Thinking in Pictures, was diagnosed with autism at a young age and had no speech capability until she was 4 years old. She said that thanks to a lot of early intervention, she is no longer autistic. She is credited with inventing the “hug box” or “squeeze machine,” which is a therapeutic, stress-relieving device for autistic individuals who crave sensory stimulation. She came up with the idea at age 18, when she was at her aunt’s ranch, and saw how cattle on their way to being branded would relax after entering a squeeze chute where pressure was applied to them.

Maria Calcangi spoke about her 17 year-old autistic daughter, Gina, and her concerns for Gina as she approaches adulthood. Maria said that she will have to have her daughter, who has moderate to severe autism, declared incompetent so that she and Gina’s father can become her legal guardians. She is very troubled that the federally funded educational programs will end when her daughter reaches the age of 21.

During the show, several clips were shown from the new film Autism Every Day, produced by the organization Autism Speaks, which recently debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.

For more information on the warning signs of autism, visit Autism Speaks.

Toni Braxton, autism, The View, , Autism Every Day, Autism Speaks, Temple Grandin, Karen Siff Exkon

Rosie just posted on her blog that Monday’s episode of The View is a pre-taped show, with the entire hour focusing on children with autism. Since the show is taped, Rosie will be spending her day off in San Antonio, Texas, at the opening of a new rehabilitation center for veterans who are amputees.

Rosie O’Donnell, The View, autism, veterans, Iraq war, amputees, San Antonio, Texas

Mon., Jan. 29: Celebrity guest co-host Toni Braxton

Tue., Jan. 30: Celebrity guest co-host Whoopi Goldberg; Harry Connick, Jr., Kristin Davis.

Wed., Jan. 31: Celebrity guest co-host Jane Krakowski, Mary Hart.

Thu., Feb 01: Goran Visnjic, Sarah Silverman.

Fri., Feb. 02: Celebrity guest co-host Whoopi Goldberg; Kevin Bacon.

The View, Toni Braxton, Whoopi Goldberg, Harry Connick Jr., Kristin Davis, Jane Krakowski, Mary Hart, Goran Visnjic, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Bacon

During the hot topics segment, Elisabeth Hasselbeck talked about having Celiac disease, which prevents her from eating foods containing gluten. She said that many people in this country have Celiac disease and don’t know it, as it is often misdiagnosed as IBS. It is a very serious disease and, when left untreated, can potentially lead to severe illnesses. She said that she was very excited that Anheuser-Busch has come out with a gluten free beer called Red Bridge, so that she can actually drink it. She and Rosie O’Donnell each cracked one open. Rosie only had a sip, but said that, a beer connoisseur, she thought it was very good.

Jeremy Piven, of the television show Entourage appeared to promote his new film Smokin’ Aces. He said that for the film he had to train many hours to learn card tricks and throughout the filming carried cards with him wherever he went. He demonstrated a trick for Barbara Walters where he flung the cards up in the air, holding onto only the card that Barbara had selected. He said there was a lot of pressure for him to get the card tricks right in the movie, because the director warned him that “if you don’t make this work, the movie sucks.”

Duff Goldman, of the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes, appeared on the show to demonstrate how to decorate a cake using an air brusher. He told Rosie that, as a kid, he used to be a graffiti artist and that has now translated into cake decorating as an adult. He said the strangest cake he has ever had to make was for a group of EMTs. They wanted a cake that looked like a “busted open chest cavity.” He showed one intricate cake made to look just like a dog. He said that a cake like that takes approximately 200 man hours to complete.

Rosie was overcome by Duff’s cake decorating ability, as she herself is an amateur cake decorator, and she repeatedly told him he was cute. She asked if he thought she was cute, to which Barbara responded that she would “rent a hotel room” for them. Rosie said that sounded like a good idea, “as long as we bring the cakes.”

As a surprise for the hosts of the show, Duff made a cake decorated to look exactly like the official The View mug.

The View, Rosie O’Donnell, Jeremy Piven, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Duff Goldman, Joy Behar, Barbara Walters, Smokin’ Aces, Ace of Cakes, Celiac disease

Guest Host Saturday Night Live alum and current 30 Rock Star Tina Fey, joined the ladies today on The View. Tina said that her father called her when he learned she would be co-hosting on The View and told her not to get into any feuds. Joy Behar announced that she will be guest starring in an upcoming episode of 30 Rock where she does a Vagina Monologues spoof. Joy noted she actually did do the show The Vagina Monologues. Rosie O’Donnell said she could never participate in The Vagina Monologues because she couldn’t get up on stage and talk about her “hoo hoo.” Tina Fey added that she could never do it because all the performers are barefoot and she could never show her bare feet on stage.

During a discussion of the 2008 Presidential campaign, Tina Fey, an Independent, suggested that the Democrats focus on a “nice white man” as a candidate, so the Democrats will have easier time getting into office. Joy Behar suggested Senator Jim Webb, who gave the democratic response to the State of the Union address, as a possible candidate. Senator Webb, a Vietnam veteran, has a son currently serving in Iraq. Joy also said she was getting excited about the election and hopes that the people elect someone “who reads.”

The hosts also discussed the fact that the bill to raise the federal minimum wage stalled in the Senate. Rosie said that an increase was necessary, where people making minimum wage, even workers with full-time jobs, live at far below the poverty level. Later, guest Lou Dobbs, on to promote his new book War on the Middle Class agreed that there needs to be a raise in the federal minimum wage and said he has been calling for one for years. When corned by Rosie to answer the question of whether he thought Congress should call for the impeachment of President Bush, he declined to answer. Dobbs used to be a hard line Republican, but after September 11th, he is now an Independent.

In what was a very exciting segment for me, a big fan of llamas and alpacas, Rob Bruce Baron, a View stage manager, appeared on the show to talk about alpacas. He brought on two adorable alpacas, one a baby. He said that although alpacas are raised for meat in South America, in the United States they are raised for their fleece, which can be made into clothing, like sweaters and scarves. The View gave Rob four new alpacas, named Rosie, Barbara, Elisabeth, and Joy.

Tony Danza appeared to talk about his new role in The Producers on Broadway. He plays the role previously played by Nathan Lane in both the stage and film versions of the show. At first Tony had some trepidation in talking such a famous role, but then thought that he would take a shot at it. He said that after the cancellation of his talk show, which was his dream job, his outlook changed. While previously he was always chasing something, he has learned to be happy with the present.

The View, Rosie O’Donnell, Tina Fey, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Tony Danza, alpaca, Lou Dobbs, Jim Webb

Academy Award Nominee Forest Whitaker talked to the ladies about his role as brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. All four hosts praised his performance and Barbara Walters said that if he didn’t win the Oscar, she would “picket.” Forest said that when they were filming in the outskirts of Uganda, there were some people who actually mistook him for Amin, who died in 2003. He said that some people in Uganda see Amin as a hero.

Forest said that when he won the Golden Globe for this role last week he was “overwhelmed.” He added that while awards and acknowledgment are wonderful, there are also individual, personal moments that happen during filming that are magical. He also said that if all these accolades had occurred earlier in his life, he would not have celebrated it as much. He was sort of a hermit and lived a more insular life. Now he learns to celebrate life everyday.

Marc Summers, former Double Dare host and current host of the Food Network’s Unwrapped, talked with Rosie and Joy about cookies. He told Rosie that Milano cookies, her favorite, originally only came with one cookie, but the second cookie was added to prevent the cookies from sticking together when transporting to the warmer southern states. He also stated that fortune cookies are actually an American creation and were not introduced into China until the 1990s–as an “American” treat. He said that you can order fortune cookies with personal phrases. He opened one and joked that it said “beware of guys with comb-overs,” alluding to the Rosie/Donald Trump feud.

The View, Rosie O’Donnell, Joy Behar, Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland, Marc Summers, Unwrapped, Food Network, Barbara Walters

On today’s show, Rosie O’Donnell, in response to a discussion about President Bush’s plan for a troop surge despite the opposition of Congress, said that Congress should call for the impeachment of the President. She said that even if impeachment proceedings do not take place, someone needs to take a stand to tell the world that we are against his policies.

She said a call for impeachment is necessary “so the world knows that the nation is not standing behind this President’s choices. That the nation, a democracy, feels differently than the man who is leading as if it were a dictatorship. And that we represent this country. He does not lead as a monarch.”

Elisabeth Hasselbeck said that calling for the impeachment of a president is dangerous during a time to war. She added that rather than making a political statement, Congress should invest their energy in finding a solution to the situation in Iraq.

A video of the full discussion is below:

Rosie O’Donnell, President Bush, impeachment, Elisabeth Hasselbeck

During the hot topics segment, Joy Behar brought up potential legislation that has been introduced in California, which would ban spanking of any child under the age of three. Joy agreed with the legislation, saying that the culture now is too violent and spanking could lead to further violence. Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Barbara Walters agreed (for the first time, according to Barbara) that the law goes to far and the government should not interfere with parenting in that way.

In response to the topic of Christie Brinkley’s current child custody battle, Elisabeth asserted that someone who chooses to cheat on their spouse cannot be a good parent. She added that people in this country are abandoning the moral code, because they want to do want is “comfy and do what is right for them and follow their penises.”

The women also debated the topic of Dakota Fanning’s new role in the movie Hounddog, where she plays the victim of a rape. When the film was being shot last year in Wilmington, North Carolina, a group of people petitioned the District’s Attorney’s Office, suggested that Dakota was being exploited. Elisabeth added that she heard that the scene was done very carefully, with no nudity, no touching, and Dakota wore a body suit. She also said that the actual attack was done in the editing room with “shadows and suggestion.” Rosie said that she wished that people would get outraged at the children that are harmed everyday in real life and not worry so much about what is done for a movie.

Former child actress Tatum O’Neal appeared on the show to discuss her new show Wicked Wicked Games which appears on My Network TV channel. Tatum won an Oscar at age 10, making her the youngest winner ever. She weighed in on the Dakota Fanning controversy and said that it is a decision that the child needs to make with her parents. She added that she would not let her own daughter, aged 15, do such a role.

Also, Barbara Walters revealed three of the four interviewees for her annual Academy Award special: Jennifer Hudson, Helen Mirren, and Ellen DeGengeres.

Questions of the Day
Do you think that a spouse who cheats is automatically a bad parent?

Do you think that a child actress is exploited if she appears in a rape scene for a film?

Do you think there should be a law against spanking?

The View, Rosie O’Donnell, Barbara Walters, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Tatum O’Neal, Dakota Fanning, Hounddog, Christie Brinkley, Jennifer Hudson, Oscar, Academy Awards, Ellen DeGeneres, Helen Mirren, spanking law

On her Flickr account, Rosie posted this photo of her with two of the American Idol contestants that she felt the judges were too hard on and humiliated for the sake of ratings. The caption of the photo reads “spare the innocent ones…i’ll take them with me.”

Rosie O’Donnell, The View, American Idol, Kenneth Briggs, Jonathan Jayne

Justin Chambers, of television’s Grey’s Anatomy, talked briefly about the recent problems on the set of the show. He called it an “unfortunate situation” and was disappointed that the controversy overshadowed the show’s Golden Globe win for best TV Drama. He also said that it is a large cast and for the most part they get along great, but that they work a lot of hours. He said he was excited to see Jack Nicholson at the Golden Globe Awards and that Jack is apparently a big fan of Grey’s Anatomy.

When he is not on the set of the show, Justin spends time with his wife and five children, including 10-year-old twin girls. He has been talking with co-star Patrick Dempsey about what to expect when his own twins are born soon. Justin also revealed that he first fell for his wife when he saw her dialing a phone with her pencil, something he found incredibly sexy. Justin was a model before he was an actor. Sexy photographs of Justin modeling for Calvin Klein were shown on the big screen and Rosie O’Donnell jokingly said, “You can make a girl think!”

Heather Goldenhersh and Lizzy Caplan, stars of the new sitcom The Class, which won the People’s Choice Award for “Favorite New TV Comedy,” talked about adjusting to stardom.

Lizzy, who also appeared in the film Mean Girls, noted that she lost to Paris Hilton in a magazine “who wears it best” poll. Elisabeth Hasselbeck pointed out that Lizzy actually beat Paris out in a similar contest in Life&Style magazine.

Heather, who was nominated for a Tony for her role in Proof, said that she does miss the theater, but the show had a long run. Both Heather and Lizzy deal with stage fright because the show is taped before a live audience. For the first few episodes, Lizzy and Heather would rehearse their lines using different accents in order feel more comfortable with them.

Justin Chambers, Grey’s Anatomy, The Class, Lizzy Caplan, Heather Goldenhersh, The View, Rosie O’Donnell, Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Despite the fact that it is all but assured they will be opponents in the upcoming Democratic Presidential primary, Rosie said today in the hot topics segment that she hopes that Barack Obama, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Hillary Clinton, and any other opponents, will be supportive of one another and not resort to negative campaigning and “in-fighting.” She said they need to be reminded that they are all on the same team and want to see the same kind of change in the country, including restoring the image of the United States throughout the world.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Rosie O’Donnell, Bill Richardson, The View

On her blog, Rosie linked to Doonesbury comic which pokes fun at Donald Trump.

Doonesbury, Rosie O’Donnell, The View, Donald Trump

ABC has announced The View schedule for January 22-26th. It seems a bit sparse on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I assume they they will be adding to the list at some point.

Mon., Jan. 22: Justin Chambers (Grey’s Anatomy), Heather Goldenhersh & Lizzy Caplan (The Class)

Tue., Jan. 23: Tatum O’Neal

Wed., Jan. 24: Forest Whitaker (Golden Globe winner for The Last King of Scotland)

Thu., Jan 25: Celebrity guest co-host Tina Fey, Tony Danza, Lou Dobbs.

Fri., Jan 26: Jeremy Piven, Duff Goldman (”Ace of Cakes”)

The View, Justin Chambers, Grey’s Anatomy, Heather Goldenhersh, Lizzy Caplan, The Class, Tatum O’Neal, Forest Whitaker Tina Fey, Lou Dobbs, Tony Danza, Jeremy Piven, Duff Goldman, Ace of Cakes