Watching The View

Cindy McCain, wife of Presidential candidate John McCain will be co-hosting on The View on Monday April 21st.

From ABC:

This appearance will be Mrs. McCain’s first as a guest co-host, she previously joined her husband as a featured guest on Sept. 1, 2004, the day after the Senator spoke at the Republican National Convention.

Alicia Keys appeared as guest host today on The View. Her new album, As I Am is in stores now. She has one day off coming soon, Christmas Eve, then it is back to work.

Whoopi Goldberg mentioned Amy Winehouse and other people in the music business acting crazy and wondered if it was the business in general that causes it. Alicia said that different people have different lives , but that the music business is an intense business and you are exposed to so much so quickly. Whatever anyone asks for, they get. Alicia was raised in New York City and can handle any tough situations now.

Whoopi said that kids are rebellious anyway and if they are thrust into that business where they can get anything, they might say that the adult doesn’t know what is best for them.

That segued into a discussion of Jamie Lynn Spears, sister to Britney Spears, being pregnant at 16 years old. Joy joked, “We can’t blame that on Britney.” Their mother was planning coming out with a book on parenting before this happened, but now the publisher has delayed it. Joy said that it was like “Jeffrey Dahmer writing a book about food.”
(more…)

Don’t forget, there is still time to vote for me in this week’s Project Blog competition. Just go here to vote.

Today on The View, it was another “Day of Hot Topics,” although I am not sure why they called it that since they had a musical guest also. Republican strategist Margaret Hoover appeared on the show. She is the great granddaughter of Herbert Hoover. Joy Behar joked that the female conservatives that come on the show are always dressed like hooches (she had on a silver sparkly minidress).

Joy said that she heard that conservatives have more orgasms than liberals. Margaret said that she wouldn’t know, having never been a liberal but that, unlike Joy, she did not miss the sexual revolution. Joy said that she did not miss it, she was just married. Margaret asked Whoopi if she missed the sexual revolution and Whoopi said “I am the sexual revolution.”

(more…)

Here is the schedule for next week on The View, subject to change. It will be the last set of new episodes before the show goes on hiatus until January 7th. I am looking forward to Alicia Keys guest hosting on Wednesday.

MONDAY, DEC. 17 - Guest co-host Margaret Hoover; a day of “Hot Topics”; final three “Caroling for a Caravan” winners revealed.

TUESDAY, DEC. 18 - Denis Leary (”Rescue Me”); Sherri Shepherd backstage at Broadway’s “Mary Poppins” with producer Thomas Schumacher, author of How Does The Show Go On? An Introduction To The Theater.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19 - Guest co-host Alicia Keys; Danny Glover (”Honeydrippers”); musical guest Alicia Keys.

THURSDAY, DEC. 20 - Musical guest Mary J. Blige.

FRIDAY, DEC. 21 - Hilary Swank (”P.S. I Love You”); a musical performance from the Tony Award-winning musical “The Lion King,” currently celebrating 10 years Broadway.

Today on The View, Barbara Walters revealed that after her “rant” about the Jamaican embassy, she heard from everyone there that she had left messages for at the embassy. Barbara said that everyone needs their own show to solve their problems.

Barbara showed off some Christmas cards that she has received, including one from the White House. It is a religious card, which included a quote from the Bible, Nehemiah 9:6. She wondered if they sent the same card to everyone, even if they are atheists or non-Christian? Whoopi said that maybe the quote “You are the Lord” was meant only for Barbara. Joy said that maybe he is just telling everyone that he is religious and because it is the last Christmas, it doesn’t matter anymore.

She also received a card from Prince Charles and Camilla. Joy said that she read in the Enquirer that they were getting a divorce. Barbara also got a card from Elton John and Whoopi said that she got one, too. Barbara also received a card from the king and queen of Jordan. It showed a picture of them and their children, dressed casually in blue jeans. Finally she showed a card from Elisabeth which had pictures of her two children. Whoopi said that she got the card, but didn’t get a chance to look inside and she wondered, “Who are these white kids?”

(more…)

I am not one to do New Year’s resolutions. When I was in the seventh grade, we had to do resolutions as a writing assignment. All I remember including is “Not worry so much.” Honestly I could put that same “resolution” every year and it will not do much good. I am a worrier; that’s just who I am.

While I am not a fan of once-a-year resolutions, I am a goal-oriented person. I often need goals to keep me motivated. For example, if I don’t have a particular event I am training for, I find myself running a lot less. Give me a training schedule, though, and I am out on the path every day.

With that in mind, spurred on by this week’s Project Blog, I decided to think of what my ultimate goal should be for 2008. Since I want to dream big, my goal for 2008 is…to be a guest host on The View!

Yes, I realize that it will most likely never happen, but please indulge me this fantasy of how the day would go:

*********
Whoopi Goldberg will be in her moderator spot, then Joy Behar, then me. Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be to my left. We will start the hot topics segment with me explaining about my website and that not all blogging is mean and snarky. (I get the impression that Joy and Whoopi only think of gossip type sites when they mention blogging).

We will then have a wonderful hot topics segment where I am insightful, intelligent and poised. (Ha! Who am I kidding? Just imagining it in my head is making me nervous. I will be lucky if I don’t clam up completely!). I may go toe-to-toe with Elisabeth about a political issue or maybe debate religion with Sherri. Oh, and I will be funny! Can’t forget that. I won’t be slinging one-liners, but my wit will be obvious to all within earshot.
(more…)

Today’s recap won’t be up until later tonight. Feel free to comment about your thoughts about today’s show in the comment section.

Guests today: Queen Latifah, Gabrielle Union; guest host Sara Evans

********************
Thanks to everyone who voted for me for Project Blog. I was the winner this week!

The View, Queen Latifah, Gabrielle Union, Sara Evans

Dana Delany from Desperate Housewives sat in as guest host on The View today. On Desperate Housewives, they just had a tornado and everyone is wondering who died. She revealed that three people died on the show. The show has been on hiatus because of the writer’s strike. She almost did not come on the show because two writers asked her not to go on The View. Marc Cherry, head writer, told her to go on the show, even though The View has two writers on strike.

The first topic was Barbara Walters’ “10 Most Fascinating People” special. Whoopi Goldberg said that it did better in that time slot for ABC than any other show this season.

Joy Behar said that Al Gore still sounds angry about his loss in the election seven years ago, based on comment in his Nobel Prize speech.

The Republicans went to Florida to do a debate for Spanish language television. Whoopi said that they did not have a strong stance on immigration and no one mentioned building a wall. Sherri said that maybe the candidates thought that they were not not going to vote for them anyway. Whoopi said that maybe people would feel better if they built the wall around the whole country, including Canada. Joy said that having only a southern wall makes it seem like it is just against Mexicans and not trying to prevent terrorism.
(more…)

Last week I posted a 50-word haiku about what I think is wrong with The View right now. While many of you enjoyed it and agreed with its sentiment, it got me thinking: What can producers Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie (pictured left) do to fix it? It is certainly not as simple as telling them to have spicier and more serious hot topics. Barbara Walters has made it clear that they are afraid to, mainly because they think it will scare the audience away. I also don’t think that would entirely fix things, as there are a number of areas where the show could use improvement.

Hot Topics
The fear of true “hot topics” is a major problem. The producers are scared to lose viewers, so, as a result, they spend more time worrying about how to decorate the set for the holidays or having the hosts chat about what they are wearing than discussing a serious topic. Certainly I don’t expect to get all of my hard news coverage from The View, but the show is better when they at least get into a discussion of one or more serious issues. I would suggest that they start slow, because it will no doubt be scary for Bill and Barbara to get out of their comfort zone. Perhaps just one day a week could be dedicated to debate on serious issues, with that date being announced ahead of time. Then the producers could get an idea of how many people want those kind of topics discussed, based on the ratings. It would be very interesting to see how many former viewers would turn the television back on that day.

(more…)

Melina Kanakaredes of CSI: NY appeared as guest host today on The View. Barbara Walters thought that President Bush’s press conference was frustrating. She doesn’t know why he wasn’t told that it was possible that Iran did not have nuclear weapons and that the United States may have sanctions against Iran anyway.

Barbara advertised for her special again. It airs tomorrow (Thursday) at 10:00 p.m. The 10th person is still a secret. Sherri Shepherd guessed Britney Spears. Barbara said that they try to do someone who does something positive and added that the remaining person is female and non-American. Sherri asked what Posh Spice has done to be on the list. Whoopi also could not figure out why Barbara thinks that Posh and Becks were the most fascinating. Barbara said it is because they have come to America and he is very popular and Posh is having the Spice Girls reunion tour. Sherri then asked if one of the other Spice Girls is the last person in the top 10, because she said female and non-American. Barbara said that Posh is a Spice Girl, I think missing Sherri’s point.

The next topic is that nowadays more little boys are getting toy kitchens. Melina thinks it is awesome and it lets children play and discover who they are. She thinks it is okay to give a little boy a doll. She has two girls and would let them be cowboys if they wanted. There was a little boy in her daughter’s preschool who loved to put on dress-up princess outfits. Barbara said that there is nothing bad about that, but maybe the teacher should talk to the parent. She brought up the special that she did earlier this year about transgendered children. Many of the transgendered boys dressed up like girls as children and knew at age two that they were transgendered.

Sherri said that she would be “mad as all get-up” if she learned that a teacher let her son wear a dress. She said that when he is 18 and out of the house he can wear a dress. Whoopi said at that age it is just imaginative behavior and kids liking to try out new things and the child should not be labeled. Melina said that the teacher should not call the child out and tell him to take it off in front of all the children. Barbara asked Sherri what her reaction would be if her child was gay. Sherri said that if her son were gay she would love and accept him, but would not tolerate certain behaviors in her house. She said that, similarly, if a friend came to stay with her, she cannot share a bed with her boyfriend if they are not married.
(more…)

Here is video of Congressman Ron Paul’s appearance on The View today.

The View, Ron Paul, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Whoopi Goldberg, Kate Walsh

Kate Walsh, of Private Practice, sat in as guest host today on The View. The final new episode recorded prior to the writer’s strike will air tomorrow night. She said that the strike is crippling the business and affecting a lot of people. She thinks that they should be negotiating 24-7.

Joy Behar hosted Larry King Live last night, where the topic was Don Imus. They showed a clip of Larry Elders and Al Sharpton arguing with each other. Joy said that she chastised them during the break to not talk over one another. She said that it calmed down after that and she enjoyed doing it. She said that Al Sharpton was a lot more fun during the break. There is video of the show here, although I think it is only a partial clip.

The next topic was photographs of Jennifer Love Hewitt that showed a bit of cellulite. Kate said that Hewitt was a normal person on vacation without airbrushing. Kate said that they got her on vacation, not looking her best, too. She said that the tabloids are like modern day coliseum where people go to see other people knocked down. Sherri said that Kate, a newlywed, could not even do “freaky stuff” in jacuzzi because the paparazzi would take pictures. Joy said that we love our bodies more when we see that stars have cellulite. Whoopi said that this is an old issue, it is expected when you are in public eye, and only objects when they take pictures of people’s children.

(more…)

For the recap of part one of today’s episode of The View, including hot topics, go here.

They announced the first three winners in the Dodge Caravan caroling contest. I was pretty impressed with them and glad that I did not bother to submit one, because it would have looked pretty lame in comparison. My favorite was the first video they showed where a couple put different wigs on their one year old baby to make her look like the different hosts.

Sissy Spacek appeared on the show to promote her new television movie Pictures of Hollis Woods. It is based on a children’s book of the same name that is popular with 4th and 5th grade children. The movie is about a woman in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease who takes in a foster daughter. Sissy said that as she has gotten older, she thinks more about the disease affecting her or her husband. Many people are touched by the disease and approach her to talk about their own family member that has the disease.

(more…)

Gloria Estefan returned as guest host on The View today, after being on yesterday.

The first topic, yawn, was “holiday sex slumps.” Joy Behar revealed (again) that she saves her “specialties” for the Jewish holidays since her boyfriend Steve is Jewish. The reason for the “slump” might be stress, overeating, and being busy. Whoopi Goldberg said that during the holidays she doesn’t feel cute and doesn’t care if she has sex. Her significant understands because the highs are good. Joy said that when she was married she stopped having sex because she didn’t want to close the door in case her daughter was choking or something.

There is a Hindu man who married a dog in India. The act is atonement for stoning to other dogs in the past. He believes that the others dogs cursed him, because he became paralyzed and lost his hearing. Joy had a friend whose four-year-old son wanted to marry their cat.

They talked about the British teacher in the Sudan who allowed her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad. This was previously recorded, so they didn’t know that she had already received her sentence of 15 days in prison and deportation. Whoopi said that one of the reason Americans are thought of bad people around the world is because they feel like they don’t have to learn other customs. Sherri said that she was on a German airline and wanted to know when they were going to start speaking English.

Gloria Estefan says that the secret to her longevity is to do what is in her heart. She has been with her husband for 31 years. Her secret to success is “keep shaving your legs.” Her husband is also her manager and early in her career the business issues did seep into their personal life.

Sherri feels guilty because her son Jeffrey is in Los Angeles with his father and she only sees him a few times a month. Because he has health issues, the NYC cold is not good for him. Whoopi said it is good, though, when she goes to see him all the time she is there is time for him. If he was with her, she would be away all day at work. Whoopi said that she felt guilty doing her career early on because she thought she being a bad mother. Gloria said that children will be proud of their parents for doing well in their careers. Joy added that it is good for a child to have a fulfilled mother.

The second part of the recap will be up later today!

The View, Gloria Estefan, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd, Joy Behar

Gloria Estefan appeared as the guest host on The View today. Gloria said that she loves performing and going on tour, although it can be grueling. She said that the whole arena could be excited and up and dancing and she would focus on the one person sitting down, not enjoying themselves. Joy Behar said that she spoke at a dental convention yesterday (adding that her “career is skyrocketing”) and there was one man who slept through her whole routine. She just assumes when that happens that the person is medicated.

The first main topic was the Republican You Tube debate. Gloria was born in Cuba and came to the United States at age two. She is not affiliated with any parties. She thinks that the worker program is a good idea and the employers can responsible for the taxes and sponsoring the workers. Joy doesn’t like that the candidates demonize illegal immigrants. She said that John McCain was the only one who seemed to acknowledge that they are people, not “the other.” Sherri said her nanny from Guatemala is at risk of being deported, although she is in the country legally. (She did not get into the details of the reason for the deportation). Sherri is helping her by paying her legal fees because she doesn’t want her and her five year old son to be deported.

(more…)