This person is so irrelevant -- who would greenlight this s***?

I, for one, am ecstatic at seeing a return to the old variety format. Everything eventually comes back in style, right? I'd rather see Rosie tackling this format than hearing about yet one more tired reality show limping onto the schedule. Just as the game-show genre had a revival a while back with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," network execs are always looking for that next big breakout hit. And while some might not like Rosie, maybe she's got the strong personality and the show-biz chops -- remember, she has a lot of Broadway experience -- to pull it off.

As far as the Rosie-Barbara dust-up, here's what the L.A. Times reported about the press conference that started the whole thing:

While promoting her upcoming NBC variety special, "Rosie Live," Rosie O'Donnell couldn't avoid questions about her controversial time on "The View."

Barbara Walters, she told reporters on Wednesday morning, "wanted everyone to believe and think and act as if [the women on 'The View'] get along and are really good friends and happy and hang out together, and, you know, that's just not the reality.

"I'm not saying they loathe each other, but the fact of the matter is there was not a lot of camaraderie off camera."

Actually, to me what Rosie says merely sounds like a brutally honest statement -- something that you don't often hear in Hollywood. Perhaps it wasn't the most politic thing to say, but I don't consider it incendiary.

Interestingly, the matter really blew up when the Huffington Post slapped a headline on the story that said Rosie claimed that "Barbara Walters lies about the co-hosts' camaraderie." Check out the link: the Huff Post actually ran a CORRECTION for the headline at the bottom of the story, one of the first times I've ever seen than happen. Here's what they wrote:

"The headline and body of this article originally suggested Rosie O'Donnell said Barbara Walters lies about the co-hosts' camaraderie. Upon reevaluating the story, the word "lies" was removed in favor of "exaggerates" and "misrepresents." "

In summary: Rosie can be obnoxious, but in this case, I think you're unfairly blaming her for picking a fight. And I can't wait to watch her show, darnit!

Now "The Hills," Felicia -- THAT'S the show anyone should only watch in lieu of the rain hitting your windowpane. Actually, I'd much rather watch the rain.

So I take it you'll be tuning in to John Mayer's variety show every week, Donald?

I won't catch either show because I'll be busy doing something more vastly more important to me...drinking with friends and listening to live music.

Sure, Heather, I'll check out the John Mayer show -- at least once. I am an equal-opportunity variety-show sampler.

To Adam: That's what TIVO is for.

Donald, when did you drink the Rosie Kool-Aid? Yes, I'd like to see a variety show make it. I adored Carol Burnett. I even got a kick out of Sonny & Cher, among other shows.

And I liked Rosie ... until she started acting like she's the smartest person in the room. She's candid, scorchingly so at times, but not in the way that Cher is candid and still is likeable. Rosie blusters. She's loud. Where's the charm?

And, gee, a blog made a mistake and misrepresented something? That could start a lot of discussions, but we don't have room here for that topic. Suffice it to say that Rosie is a smart woman. She knows that if she said anything remotely like what she said about "The View," it would be picked up at some point by somebody. She's like her old friend, Madonna: She knows how to market her product.

So I'll stick with "The Hills" AND my windowpane watching, thank you, and skip Rosie's show.

I thought Tivo was only for recording The Soup and 24?

And I could care less about Rosie. I still can't get the image out of my head of her in BDSM gear in "Exit to Eden'.

And on that note I'm away from my computer for the next four days or so. Hope everyone has a great Turkey Day.

To Donald: Is TIVO like that new-fangled cable I've heard so much about? I've heard tell that they've launched hundreds of Sputnik devices into space and they beep down television nowadays.

Course, I just get my Teevee through good old rabbit ears, so I don't know much 'bout these things.

Oh, and Hulu. But why would I watch Rosie on Hulu when there are so many other blessed programs out there?

I used to live in the same town as Rosie.

She bought Helen Hayes old place down the road, (nice spread, waterfront property (Hudson) -and it was close enough to Manhattan that you'd often see actors and plenty of entertainment (all sorts, actually) folks in everyday life, cause they had places in the local towns.

--Because she didn't like the idea people standing outside her brick wall, (trying to look in or something (she had just adopted her son with her girlfriend,)
--she had the wall raised way high, (which also cost you the view of the house, which was very uncharacteristic of the street...
(Helen Hayes, in contrast?
was very into the community,
-that's how theatre folks are back there, (in fact, next town down? Bill Murray was always found because his wife ran a small shop in it (Piermont.)
--Nobody was trying to peek in at Rosie.

So, anyway, two friends of mine (musicians, kind of quiet, respectable guys,) were at the grocery store late one night, --and who's there shopping?
-but Rosie...
--being used to being around entertainment types, and the three of them being basically like,
the only three in the store?
They were like
'Hi Rosie, nice to see ya,'(they were being cordial, and moved on to what they wanted to buy.

Her response?
'...I shop late to get away from people like you...'

It's a shame when people forget who it is that really signs their paychecks.
People "like you" are the reason she could afford to raise that wall.