The View Recap September 11th: Susan Sarandon and Jake McLaughlin
The View started today by honoring the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Whoopi then transitioned to “another important topic,” which was Grace’s first day of school. I thought that transition was a bit awkward, but I suppose anything that follows 9/11 is going to sound less important. Elisabeth was nervous about Grace’s first day and wanted to stay at preschool with Grace. She said that Grace was fine.
They next talked about the controversy around Kathy Griffin. She won an Emmy award for her show My Life on the D-List. In her speech, she said:
A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this. He had nothing to do with this. Suck it, Jesus. This award is my God now.
Sherri said that there is a line that you should not cross in comedy and you need to give reverence to God. Elisabeth said that you can make a joke like that if that is your shtick, but you should not do it in a way that denounces other people’s God.
Joy said that when people thank God for their good fortune, it makes it seem like people who are suffering, like those in Darfur, are not blessed by God. Whoopi said that a lot of people who thank God say it because they have heard it before and don’t mean it. She liked Kathy’s joke in that it criticized those people who aren’t genuine in thanking God.
Joy said that she does not believe that God is watching every little thing and if he or she is watching every little thing than he has some work to do. What did you all think of Kathy’s speech? Funny or offensive?
They then discussed the Iraq War report by General Petraeus. It says that it could take years for complete troop withdrawal. Joy said that it has is just his opinion and has not been verified by outside sources. Elisabeth said that it is his educated opinion. MoveOn.org put an advertisement in the newspaper calling him, “General Betray Us.” Elisabeth was disgusted that the ad was probably prepared before the report came out and that the general has worked his whole life to protect us. Joy said that if he is “cooking the books” and skewing things for the White House, then he needs to answer to the parents of those who have died in the war.
They then moved on to talking about Britney Spears and whether she looks good for a woman who has had two kids (not sure why they changed the subject, because the discussion was still going on about the war). Elisabeth said that it is women who have called her “fat” and not men because women turn on each other. Elisabeth said that she did a photo shoot and they told her that they would airbrush her arms so they did not look “so big” and encouraged her to turn her body so that people looking at the photos would know that she was pregnant and not just fat.
Whoopi opened her jacket and showed off her boobs because she had on her new bra and a somewhat close-fitting shirt.
Susan Sarandon appeared on the show to promote her film In the Valley of Elah. She said that her God has a sense of humor and would not have been offended by Kathy Griffin’s speech. She also wondered what would have happened if someone would have gotten up there and thanked Allah or some Wiccan faith and not the “accepted” God.
In her movie she plays the mother of two soldiers who die in the Iraq war. The film discusses the actual cost of the war in terms of death, injuries and the fact that the war changes people deeply. She said that the movie encourages people “to get real about the war” and help those returning from the war.
Jake McLaughlin appeared on the show. He served in the military for four years and went to Iraq in the first push. NBC reporter David Bloom was embedded with his battalion prior to his death. David allowed the soldiers to use his satellite feed to make calls home.
Jake appears in the film with Susan Sarandon, playing a soldier. He said that one of the issues that needs to be discussed is the re-deployment of troops that are injured and not combat ready. He said that the film is a very accurate portrayal of the war.
Miranda Cosgrove appeared on the show to promote her television series iCarly. She is the star of the show, after being the younger sister on Drake and Josh. She is starting ninth grade and does four hours of school on the set.
I thought the chemistry today was better with the absence of Barbara. I thought that Whoppi handled the transitions well, except when she abruptly switched from the topic of the war to Britney. I am curious if she is wearing an ear piece like Barbara does and was told by Bill Geddie to change topics. I thought that the war report discussion was going along fine, though, and would have liked to hear it continue somewhat. What are your thoughts?
The View, Sherri Shepherd, Whoopi Goldberg, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, In the Valley of Elah, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Griffin, Britney Spears, General Petraeus, Moveon, 9/11, Iraq War, Jake McLaughlin, Miranda Cosgrove, iCarly, Drake and Josh
September 11th, 2007 at 10:09 am
I’d have to go with not offended by Kathy Griffin because being outrageous is her thing and I’d tend to agree with the “sense of humor” sentiment.
Is it just me or did Susan Sarandon (not shaking hands thing or whatever) look like she was doing her best not to get into it with Elizabeth? I suspect she could tear the little twit limb from limb in a real debate, but I found myself respecting her restraint.
Also, the panel seemed much more comfortable without Barbara there.
September 11th, 2007 at 10:56 am
[...] September 11 on The View ~ Winnie, Watching The View [...]
September 11th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Kathy might be funny at times. Seems upset that she is not beautiful. She’s not, sorry. She has to make outrageous comments like that to be on the radar. Unlike the younger, somewhat sexier, prettier Sarah Silverman, Kathy depends on crossing the line. Although that Sarah girl can be a bi*** too!
September 11th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
I felt tension during the Susan Sarandon interview.
And Jake seemed to me enthralled with Elisabeth or something. Why was his body turned in that direction for so long? Did he ever answer Joy’s question?
The ladies seemed a little more relaxed today with Barb gone, but there was still a sort of ‘walking on eggshells’ feeling. Maybe Barb told them no controversy this season?
September 11th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
I was so excited when I saw that Barbara wasn’t coming onstage at the beginning of the show! Finally!! The show is much more enjoyable without her.
I loved what Whoopi and Joy said about Kathy Griffin’s speech. It is obvious to me that thanking “God” has just become a trendy thing to do, and people just say it without thinking, even if they don’t really feel that way or live their lives that way. And Joy is right too. If you’re thanking God for blessing you, then what makes you think you’re so much better than everyone else that he would bless you and leave them in the cold? Religion is such a weird thing.
September 11th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Suck it Jesus! C’mon that’s good stuff.
The fact that it even made it into today’s hot topics just shows how ridiculous it was.
Lighten up people - get a sense of humour.
September 11th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
P.S. I’ve become a huge Kathy Griffin fan in recent months and wished that it would have been her and Sherri Shepherd as the new hosts.
Everyone has become so sensitive and even more politically correct in recent years I’m curious to see who the next celebrity will be to “cross the line”.Does anyone else agree that it has gotten out of hand?
September 11th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Kathy Griffin’s remark was funny and a slam at the phony thanking God that so many people do now at awards shows.
And NO Stacee, Joy’s question was never answered and that upset me. I was hoping he would answer it.
I was surprised at EH’s comments to Susan Sarandon..seemed like sucking up as far as I was concerned. Sarandon could eat EH alive.
As far as EH’s reaction to the Moveon.com ad,
I wish she would grow up! If she had a son, would she offer him up to the Armed Forces? Did her husband serve? As a mother, how can she have so little sympathy twoard those who are losing their children in Iraq?
September 11th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Random Musings- no one “offers their son up” to the Armed Forces. We have an all-volunteer military. Yes, many of them are very young, but they are adults who make their own decision to join. And it’s certainly not for everyone, so people don’t have to serve themselves or have someone in their immediate family serve in order to have an opinion on the subject.
(BTW, my husband is a Marine currently deployed to Iraq, so I am very familiar with the military.)
September 11th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
oh please littlej…you support the “war” in Iraq, then go serve in the stupid thing. If there were a draft right now in this country you can bet your ass we’d be out Iraq faster than Larry Craig pleaded guilty to playing footsie in the men’s room. As for the suck it Jesus comment…get a sense of humor. FOR GOD’S SAKE, HEAVEN HELP US (spoken from a true atheist
LOL
September 11th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
I didn’t say whether I support the war or not, just that you don’t have to serve in the military to have an opinion for or against it.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
When people ask if you would “send” your child to fight in George Bush’s War, I never think they meant literally “send” them. I thought the question meant “would you want your child to be fighting in this war?” But EH and Fox and many people who do support this war always always say that “no one can send their child–it’s a volunteer army.” It’s a talking point that distracts from the issue at hand. EH has said it many many times. It comes across as very insensitive and unsympathetic. I think the right wingers came up with it when Cindy Sheehan first came on the scene.
I have not seen the entire episodes this week, only the tidbits on The View’s official site. So I may have to stånd corrected for some of my observations….
What is going to be worse this season: Sherrie not having anything to say at all about the war, or EH repeating the Bush gang’s talking points? Babs shushing everyone up when the war comes up, or Whoopie playing it down the middle and then quickly changing the subject to BritneyLindsayParisEtc.?
I’ll still give it a try when I can, but I am increasingly depressed about it becoming anything much more than a tea party. I know not everyone wants The View to be a forum for debating the war. I’m just not one of them. I don’t think of this horrific war as just a controversial “topic.”
And I keep thinking back to last spring when all those angry male red-faced bellicose commentators on cable news would demand that Rosie “be stopped.” Be stopped. It’s unbelievable. Well, she was stopped, wasn’t she. And the pretty girl in the pretty clothes gets photo shoots in magazines and sits and preens at the table. The story line that EH was sweet and quiet till Rosie bullied her is just a lie if you’ve watched The View often enough. But that story line has taken root. She now is the owner of a narrative that is as fictitious as that of most of the presidential candidates. The survivor. This seems like so much more than the politics and money that drive a little TV show; it seems to reflect those in this country who want everyone to just shut up, nod their heads, believe what Bush and everyone tells us, and not ask any questions. And if you do speak up, and are not dainty and ladylike about it, like Rosie was, then you are trashed beyond recognition; you’re told you hate your country and that you want us to lose. How freaking ridiculous is that? But it is repeated constantly.
The fact that EH is more offended by moveon.org’s disparaging ad about Petreus than she is offended by the criminally negligent way her presidential pick has conducted this war is astounding. But it’s typical.
This has been a bad day. It’s another Sept. 11 commemoration, and the war is still going on, and Bush has gotten his way once again, and people who question him are traitors, and the media and then EH and people like her are just parroting the talking points. I’m really blue about things. I was silly to think that Rosie could rev people up and mobilize them to demand some answers about this war. But I did have small hope that she could. And now she is gone and Whoopie just doesn’t want to go there.
Someone here said Susan Sarandon didn’t tangle with EH. I assume it’s because EH is very pregnant? I hope that’s the reason. Depressing otherwise.
I used to agree with Stacee about how EH was good with guests in that she engaged with them. But after the end of last season I started thinking she’s just a suck-up, as RandomMusings suggested. She is a survivor after all.
September 12th, 2007 at 2:38 am
I read somewhere, maybe on this board, a suggestion that now that Elisabeth’s husband is unemployed maybe he could enlist in the army since they support the war in Iraq so much. Also, I don’t think Elisabeth is pretty at all, that horrible over-bleached hair and dated make-up ruin her looks.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
LIttlej…..I have a nephew who has served two long tours in Iraq, and having finished his term in the Marines, is now a member of the National GUard. He is one of many win our family who have served as members of the military. I have seen first hand how this war has changed a young man of less than 25 years! I am not denigrating members of the military, I have the utmost respect for them….but I have also seen the face of a mother burying her son.
September 12th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
“Peaches”, you are right on track with your thinking and very intelligent on speaking your views. I feel that Whoopi is getting going finally on shushing the constant yipping of EH about how great the gop is and how horrible it is to remember the Clinton years with that bad Monica woman. Whoopie asked her not to mention her again since it has no bearing on the topic at hand. Barbara agreed and said “no more talk of Monica”. EH just smiled that s*** eating grin as if to say look at how cute I can be. Thanks, Peaches. I hope you reply more.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
GO PEACHES…they did silence Rosie. Its a god damned shame. Pooh to you BARBARA WALTERS.
September 13th, 2007 at 2:53 am
right on Peaches. You also have to remember that EH is prepped with right wing necon talking points by Bill Geddie. So this isn’t really the “ladies” of the view…it’s the ladies and Bill.
September 13th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Thank you, Myrna. I get pretty charged up sometimes about the war and the right wing’s refusal to take responsbility for their errors, & EH’s defense of this dangerous numbskull who gets to be “the Decider” has just gotten on my last nerve. I do forget as Tony says that BG is a factor in this. Golly, I hope he doesn’t start molding Sherrie into another EH. Sherrie strikes me as not being particularly informed about the war (she said she’d rather talk about Dancing with the Stars, and she doesn’t say much about it if anything at all) & so she is ripe. It also bugs me so much that the message to everyone is that if you are unscripted and a questioner in the manner that Rosie was, you will end up off the show—by one way or another. Remember, all those loud angry cable guys kept beating the drums for ABC to get rid of Rosie. And if Babs is more and more out of the picture–because she won’t be there much, because she is older and more tired, as Rosie suggests, because she does not want to jeopardize her social life by alienating people–does this mean BG will have more room to coach EH and now Sherrie? Scary.
September 14th, 2007 at 3:07 am
No, it was Rosie’s decision not to renew her contract and a few months after that she had the fight with Elisabeth and left. No way did ABC get rid of her, she brought in too many ratings and advertising - they wanted her to STAY.
September 14th, 2007 at 7:13 am
I think they chose Sherri because she seems to be a little clueless on current affairs (i.e. issues surrounding the war) and seems to share the same religious values as Elisabeth. People complain that the panel was not balanced - well I think this was one way for them to pacify them. No way would they have picked Kathy; she’s too uncontrollable (not a puppet) and makes it clear her feelings for GWB.
September 14th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Stacee, I totally agree with you about Sheree. I like her but she seems clueless about current events and worse, doesn’t care. She is in the same religious boat as Elisabeth.
September 15th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Interesting point, Stacee. So I guess what they want to do is have conservative and liberal points of view or orientation–but they don’t necessarily want these people to be well informed because they don’t want the show to have serious discussions of politics and issues? I’m thinking that’s what they decided, after Rosie. And, they don’t want a loose cannon, again, like Rosie. Or like Kathy Griffin, like you said.
All of which makes me sad and less inclined to watch. But I will, for now, because the jury is still out regarding Whoopi. I’ve been encouraged as much as discouraged so far with her. And the day is young….
Ann, I see what you’re saying about Rosie not wanting to renew her contract–and it was only for 9 months (the school year), so when pundits say “she didn’t even last the year,” they are lying or spinning things to make it look like she was a quitter. However, don’t you sometimes wonder if BG (and maybe BW) felt pressure from the howlers on cable TV to egg Rosie on so she’d get mad and quit early? I got the idea BG might have fed EH lines & encouraged her to push Rosie into fights.