Watching The View

According to Entertainment Tonight Online, Paris Hilton called Barbara Walters from jail Thursday night and asked her to do her first interview after getting out of jail. According to the article, Barbara declined. I can think of a few reasons why Barbara did not want to do the interview.

Why do you all think that Barbara Walters declined the interview? (assuming, of course, that the report is true)

The View, Barbara Walters, Paris Hilton

Molly Shannon appeared today as the guest host, in this previously recorded (but new) episode. Molly showed of her outfit, which included short-shorts. She has two children: a two-year old and a three-and-a-half year old.

They talked again about Angelina Jolie saying that maybe she will have fourteen children. Elisabeth said that in Tim’s mom’s family there were a lot children. It made for a great family. Barbara said that it is difficult to have that many children and work outside of the home. Joy said that even if the older children help to parent the younger children, the parents still need to make time for all of the kids.

Elisabeth said that while many women reevaluate things after having a baby and consider giving up their careers, many man see the birth of a child as triggering the need to work more. Men have a paternal instinct to be the provider.

Molly said that her life is not as work-oriented as it was before she had children. Elisabeth said that it is important to “book your children” into your schedule and tells people that she has a “meeting” at 3:30 with her daughter.

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Kathy Griffin appeared on Larry King Live last night and gave a very funny interview. CNN has part of the interview on its website. You can check it out here.

Larry asked her several questions about The View. She said that she is “flattered to be on the list” of potential replacements for Rosie O’Donnell. She said that she does not think Rosie will mind if she got the job, because Rosie wants the show to go on and do well. Kathy said that she hopes whomever they pick, the show will tackle important issues like the war in Iraq.

Kathy said that Barbara Walters does not understand a thing she says and doesn’t laugh at any of her jokes. She added, “I love to torture Barbara.” She asked Barbara to be on her dinner party list and Barbara said that she doesn’t have dinner parties, even though a mutual friend said that she has them often. Kathy said that if she got the job, her friends are already taking bets on how quickly she would be fired.

She added that she “loves those girls” and they are a “great group of girls” and the show is a lot of fun. She gets a long great with Elisabeth.

Be sure to check out the rest of the clip!

The View, Kathy Griffin, Larry King Live, Barbara Walters, Rosie O’Donnell, Elisabeth Hasselbeck

According to the New York Times, the ratings for The View stayed up in the first two full weeks following Rosie’s departure. In the weeks of June 4 and June 11, it drew an average of 3.4 million viewers per day. This is up 16% over the same period last year. During the course of Rosie’s tenure, the ratings were up approximately 17% over the previous year.

I don’t know if the ratings the first couple of weeks after Rosie’s departure really signify that the show will continue at its current popularity level. I know that a lot of people tuned in after Rosie left to see the tension, to see if the hosts were going to talk about the issue, etc. I think that we will need to revisit the numbers in a month or two to see if there is any real change. I also think that the selection of new hosts will make a big difference, obviously, in whether the ratings stay up.

Speaking of new hosts, another interesting point in the article was that Barbara Walters said that when she announces the replacement for Rosie, she will likely also announce the replacement for Star Jones. This we expected. What is different, however, is that she said that perhaps two new hosts could be used to replace Star. So, for example, they could put Gayle King in the moderator role and then have the other empty seat be a rotation of two people. What do you think of this idea? Perhaps they are having trouble deciding on one person for the spot? Or maybe they want to keep things interesting by not having the same five faces?

The View, View ratings, daytime television, Barbara Walters, Star Jones, Rosie O’Donnell, Gayle King

The June issue of the Watching the View e-mail newsletter is out!

In this issue:
A farewell to Rosie O’Donnell
A review of several new host candidates
More photos from Barbara’s Walk of Fame ceremony

If want to subscribe, send me at e-mail at: winnie.mccarthy(at)451press.net or click on the “contact me” button under my name on the right hand side of the website. Be sure to put “newsletter” in the message, so that I know you want to subscribe.

The View, view newsletter, Barbara Walters, Rosie O’Donnell

There is currently a survey posted on The View website. You have to complete a short survey, mostly about you, and then they will send you a link to a longer survey via e-mail. I just completed the survey and here are a few of the things they talked about.

I am not sure what they will do with this information, or if it will make a difference in the ultimate outcome, but I figured it was worth a chance to voice my opinion.

If you want to do the survey, visit the ABC website here. The link to the survey is in the left hand column, near the bottom, right above The View recipes.

The View, Rosie O’Donnell, Joy Behar, Barbara Walters, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, view survey

I find it very interesting that people would actually be making bets about what happens on The View, but it is true. On bodog.com, you can place wagers regarding who will replace Rosie O’Donnell on The View. Today’s guest hosts Gayle King and Sherri Shepherd are listed at 9/1 and 13/1 respectively.

The odds makers also have the current odds of a “any male host” at 18/1. The rumors have been swirling today that a man could take over the spot, with Ross Mathews and Mario Cantone being listed as possibilities. Both men will be guest hosting on different dates in July.

I certainly think that The View would not be having them co-host if there was not a possibility that they could be selected as a permanent host. In fact, I believe that every guest host that they have had in the last month has been doing a try-out.

Here are the current odds, according to bodog.

Roseanne Barr: 5/2
Kathy Griffin: 3/1
Wanda Sykes: 9/1
Ricki Lake: 9/1
Lauren Graham: 8/1
Bette Midler: 8/1
Marie Osmond: 17/2
Sharon Osbourne: 9/1
Gayle King: 9/1
Jeanie Garafalo: 12/1
Sherri Shepherd: 13/1
Any Male Candidate: 18/1

The View, Rosie O’Donnell odd, Rosie O’Donnell, Ross Mathews, Mario Cantone, bodog, Gayle King, Sherri Shepherd

Gayle King and Sherri Shepherd both appeared as guest hosts today because Barbara Walters had the day off. They started the day with the hard-hitting topic of two girls whose parents were taken to court after the neighbors complained that they were playing “Marco! Polo!” too loudly in their backyard swimming pool. Sherri said that her two year old is a shrieker and she can’t control him. She said that she spanks him and Gayle said, “No, Sherri! No!” Elisabeth said that the neighbors should not be complaining about the girls because it is summer and they are happy and they should let them be. Joy said that “their happiness might be interfering with my happiness.”

Gayle brought up another story that she read about a couple who told their guests that they were going to return all the wedding gifts for cash. Gayle said that she would not want to go to a wedding knowing the couple was going to do that. She asked, “Who returns their wedding gifts for cash?” Sherri shouted, “I did!” She spent the money on a flat screen television. She said that she got a whole dinnerware set from Kathy Griffin which she took back. Brad Garrett got her a vase from Tiffany’s, which she also took back.

They then talked about how President Bush vetoed the Stem Cell Research bill for the second time. Gayle said that she is “bewildered” by the veto it because it would use embryos that they are going to throw away, that could be used to help people. Joy said that we should have a new reality show, “Is Bush Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” She said that there should be a separation of church and state and Bush should not be setting policy by listening to the extreme religious right. Elisabeth said that she doesn’t believe that her tax dollars should go to something that she believes is unethical. Joy told her not to bring up “the tax dollar thing,” because her money is going to the Iraq war, which Joy doesn’t support. Elisabeth said that there are other methods that have been approved that don’t use human embryos.

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According to ABC, The View will be in re-runs for the next two weeks! Here at Watching the View we never take a vacation, so be sure to stop by for news and features to help you get your View fix during this brief hiatus.

Here is the list of episodes that they will be re-airing the next two weeks, in case you want to catch an episode that you missed previously. It is interesting that all of these re-run episodes are very recent and all are post-Rosie. The original air date of each episode appears in parentheses:

MONDAY, JUNE 25 (OAD: 5/30/07) - Guest co-host Suze Orman; financial tips for a secure portfolio and a sound future.

TUESDAY, JUNE 26 (OAD: 5/31/07) - Guest co-host Whoopi Goldberg; Debra Messing, Judy Davis, Anika Noni Rose (”The Starter Wife”); musical performance from the cast of Broadway’s “Legally Blonde.”

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 (OAD: 6/1/07) - Guest co-host Lori Stokes; Jane Seymour (author, “Making Yourself at Home”).

THURSDAY, JUNE 28 (OAD: 6/8/07) - Guest co-host Kathy Griffin; Robert Iler (”The Sopranos”).

FRIDAY, JUNE 29 - Pre-empted.

MONDAY, JULY 2 (OAD: 6/15/07) - Guest co-host Sherri Shepherd; Jessica Alba (”Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer”); Ted and Grace Anne Koppel; a performance from “Prom Night: The Musical,” as featured on ABC’s “One Life to Live.”

TUESDAY, JULY 3 (OAD: 6/12/07) - Guest co-host Rene Syler; Judge Judy (”Judge Judy”); musical guest the Puppini Sisters.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4 (OAD: 6/14/07) - Guest co-host Kim Coles; “American Idol” Jordin Sparks and runner-up Blake Lewis; Michael Smerconish (author, “Muzzled”).

THURSDAY, JULY 5 (OAD: 6/20/07) - Guest co-host Gayle King; musical guest Bon Jovi.

FRIDAY, JULY 6 (OAD: 6/22/07) - Guest co-host Molly Shannon; Steve Carell & Wanda Sykes (”Evan Almighty”).

Gayle King was guest host on The View today. She will also be guest host again on Thursday. Although I did have some reservations about her as a possible permanent host, because I feel like she is just “Oprah’s friend,” I did find her fairly enjoyable today. She is the editor-at-large for O Magazine (Oprah’s magazine) and also has an XM radio show (which I assume is also affiliated with Oprah, but I am not sure).

The first topic of the day was the way that this Presidential election is already shaping up to be different than past years because of the heavy reliance on the internet. They showed the video that Hillary and Bill Clinton made that spoofed the season finale of The Sopranos. Gayle said that she thinks the video is funny and clever. Joy said that is smart to use the internet to get younger voters.

They also talked about the video that someone made where a scantily-clad woman sings “I’ve got a crush on Obama.” The video is not affiliated with the Barack Obama campaign. Joy said that the singer is “hookerville” because she did the video and doesn’t even know if she is going to vote for Obama. Here are the two videos:

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Below are videos of the two parts of today’s interview with Michael Moore on The View, in case you missed them. As I stated in a previous post, he was on the show to promote his new documentary SiCKO, which is about the health care system.

The View, Star Parker, Michael Moore, Sicko, Barbara Walters, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar

In an interview with Access Hollywood, which is scheduled to air tonight, Elisabeth Hasselbeck gave her opinions on some of the women who could end up being her co-host on The View, as well as her thoughts on Rosie O’Donnell.

On Whoopi Goldberg: “I thought she did a great job when she was here. She has a very calming personality.”

On Sherri Shepherd: “I love Sherri Shepherd. I think she is such a good soul! I love to talk to her about being a mom, I think she’s funny, and I think she’s easy to talk to.”

On Kathy Griffin: “Funny, so funny. I think that she would actually bring that fire, that spark. She’s a bit of an instigator…She would instigate sharp discussions, so I think that would be a lot of fun as well.”

In the interview Elisabeth talked about Rosie O’Donnell, saying, “I think a friend is someone who you have positive communications with, so I don’t know if I would define us as friends right now.” She added, “We had so many conversations and a true friendship…If you looked at the big picture I always looked at us on the same team, even though our politics were so different.”

The View, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, Barbara Walters, Rosie O’Donnell, Sherri Shepherd, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Griffin

Joy Behar was named the 2007 American Women in Radio and Television Dove Real Beauty Award winner. The Dove Real Beauty campaign aims to promote positive self-esteem among women by reinforcing the idea that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.

Joy said that she was “very honored” to be chosen for the award and that she appreciates “the fact that the award and Dove celebrate real beauty and it’s not about those skinny bitches again.”

For all the information about the award, check out the AWRT press release here. For more about the Dove Real Beauty campaign, check out Dove’s website here.

The View, Joy Behar, Dove real beauty, campaign for real beauty, american women in radio and television, amrt

Star Parker appeared as guest host today. I had never heard of her before, so I did a little research. She is the founder of CURE, which is the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education. At one point in her life she was a single mother on welfare, a system that she now opposes. She is also a syndicated columnist, with Christian conservative views, and has written three books: Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats, Uncle Sam’s Plantation, and White Ghetto.

She said on the show today that she was involved in extreme situations in her youth, including four abortions and committing thefts. She “used abortions as birth control.” She said that one day she realized that there was something wrong with “killing our offspring” and ended up having the child she was pregnant with. She was on welfare and wanted to get paid “under the table” at a job and the employer refused. The employer told her that her lifestyle was “unacceptable to God.” They took her to church and she became a born-again Christian. She “gladly” wears the title of “conservative.”
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According to his website, gossip Perez Hilton will be appearing on an upcoming episode of The View in July. He has previously posted about his desire to be a guest host on the show, but it appears from his post that he will be a guest only.

He posted a funny picture of himself on his website (well, his head on Rosie’s body) giving Barbara Walters a high five. You can check it out here.

The View, Perez Hilton, Barbara Walters