Rosie's Return Means Round Two With Barbara Walters

By Ben Widdicombe Posted Mar 23rd 2010 02:00PM

Rosie O'Donnell's plan to return to daytime chat means that viewers will get to watch a fight for Oprah Winfrey's crown that once looked like it would pass smoothly to Barbara Walters and the ladies from 'The View.'

And it's a fight Rosie could win.

After Oprah announced that her 25 years on network television would end in September 2011, 'The View' beat out 'Ellen' in a battle for her coveted time slot. But after a brief peace, Rosie has already come out swinging against her former sparring partners.

"I [know] that 'The View' wants to be on in the Oprah spot," O'Donnell said yesterday on her Sirius Satellite radio program, adding that when Walters asked her when her new show would air, "I said, 'Oh yeah, the Oprah spot' -- to which Barbara's face goes slack-ish."

She was joking, but her glee at the exchange sets the tone for a pitched battle over who will be the new Diva of Daytime. So why will Rosie win?

"She can command an audience," says veteran TV executive Mark Finkelpearl. "Rosie has enormous brand equity and this is clearly a sign that people are ready, willing and able to invest in her again. She does belong in this space [of daytime TV] and she's proven time and again that she can do it."

And let's not forget the slew of Emmys she won during her six years at the helm of 'The Rosie O'Donnell Show,' including five consecutive awards for Best Talk Show. While O'Donnell is often portrayed as a "love her or hate her" figure, Finkelpearl believes that her essential popularity will win out. "When I think of Howard Stern or Bill O'Reilly, those are polarizing figures. With Rosie, she reaches much more of a mainstream audience than people give her credit for," he says.

And there's no question that Rosie is hungry for success. Another source, who has worked with O'Donnell in the past, told PopEater, "Rosie loves a fight, it energizes her. When she left 'The View' and clashed with Barbara, some people thought it was a put-on for the cameras, but she was really fired up. Rosie will relish a chance to go hand-to-hand with Barbara Walters on competing shows."

Rosie has already outined the plan for her new series. She told Entertainment Tonight that it will be "a single topic, hour-long show about life, love and laughter."

O'Donnell added that there won't be a desk or stars promoting their upcoming projects. "It's gonna be a lot different, because I'm a lot older, you know. It'll be a dozen years since leaving my own show when we go back on the air and I've grown a lot and I think that it's time," she said.

With Oprah leaving the stage and Ellen Degeneres diversifying into other formats, like 'American Idol,' the timing seems perfect for the one-time "Queen of Nice" to return to talk. Whether the "Nice"-ness will last in a battle with 'The View' remains to be seen.

Tags: barbara walters, rosie odonnell, the view

Comments

(455)

Tuesday 23 March

By skibuff52

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Look at the picture of Rosie, doesn't`t that turn your stomach. How anyone would think she could attract an audience is beyond me

By Paul P.

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Just what we need another big mouthed liberal with a tv show.

By Ed Waalters

Miss Piggy should just stay in the back ground.

By Shirl

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

You can do it Rosie, we are pulling for you. Loved you on the View and will love your new show. Used to like the View but never watch anymore. Stick in there.............

By bitty

Vote down Vote up Report this

kate gosslin is a joke. and she got famous only cause of her babies. and whats up with her speech?? i dont know how todo anything. she sounds like a female captain kirk.. star trek hahahaahahahaha
at least rosie can act. barbaie wa wa is only famous for her lisp.. ha

By randy

That is one ugly woman, inside & out! She's stupid and totally irrelevant! Gives lesbians a bad name!

By Yaya

I will NOT watch Rosie the mean-spirited-foul-mouth-overexaggerated-overweight-hasbeen. I would rather watch The View or Ellen. Rosie's career ended when she started mouthing off to anyone and everyone. It's certainly OK to speak whats on your mind BUT do it with class and well, we all know Rosie DOES NOT HAVE AN OUNCE OF IT!
Good riddance to ROSIE & HER SO CALLED NEW SHOW!Pleaseeeeeee!

By Bobby Campanile

Are you kidding me! Rosie back on TV NO WAY!!!!!!! I am so sick of her and her b/s. She is a no talent never had it miserable bch.

By Jay

After reading this story, I think I want to throw-up. So much garbage here on this website that no one cares about!

By Henry

WHO CARES ANYTHING ABOUT ROSIE ? She is a nasty stinky fat pig. I agree with Donald Trump on that.. She will NEVER BE ON MY TV..

By Carolyn

OH PLEASE SAY IT AIN'T SO! Can anyone really stand her anymore? Who wants to watch a loud mouthed 'B' TV! It's funny, when she first had her show, years ago, I LOVED her! Loved that show, wouldnt' miss it. Then she slowly but surely started going downhill. When will these people get that 'WE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL LIFE OR YOUR POLITICAL VIEWS!'

By Lynn

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Rosie is a wonderful women who cares ,she is a very giving women. It was Rosie who embarassed all the actors to donate money for 911. Only then is when all of the actors came forward. Rosie got a bad wrap while going thru menapause!!! She is a very kind lady. I wish that I could be her friend...You go girl..

By mike

What a joke of a human being. She is pathetic. If the network puts her back on the air, it just goes to show You how many stupid viewers we have in the world. Of course, that shouldn't be surprising, look at who elected the president we now have. Maybe Rosie should run for President. She would get the stupid vote.

By H.R.I.M.

I think that Rosie's show should be about fat, ignorant, repulsively ugly, lesboes...jms

By Ty P

Rosies is sooooooooo over. A decision of thos sorts would be a HUGE mistake. In fact, I stopped watching The View when she joined and look what she did there!!! Enough is enough, WHY would anyone sign her on in the first place, muchless in THAT time slot??

By marktmurphy5

I think just about all the posts here say it all. Why on god's green earth would any non-cable network want this person in their talent line-up? Put up the indian test pattern before sticking this miserable excuse for a human being on the air again.

By e

Give that big dog to PETA to put down!

By eveline69

PLEASE - Don't let either one get the spot. It just adds one more channel NOT TO WATCH.

By jman

If Rosie could ever keep her mouth shut and stay out of
other people business. And quit talking about her same sex life.
(gross) But then again we're talking abut Rosie.

Thursday 25 March

By PJG

Wow, Rosie vs The View....it's like trying to decide which eye you want someone to poke a stick into.

Page 7 of 23