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Rosie O'Donnell

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Rosie O'Donnell
File:RosieO'Donnell1.jpgO'Donnell on the View
Born (1962-03-21) March 21, 1962 (age 62)
Bayside, Queens, New York
OccupationEntertainer
Websitehttp://www.rosie.com

Roseann Teresa O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962 in Bayside, Queens, New York) is a American talk show host; comedian; film, television, and stage actress.

After beginning as a stand-up comic, O'Donnell gained notice for hosting her own daytime talk show,The Rosie O'Donnell Show, from 1996 to 2002. Currently, she is a co-host and the moderator of the ABC talk show, The View.

Early life

As a child, O'Donnell was raised in Commack, New York with four other siblings; three brothers and one sister.

When O'Donnell was 10 years old, her mother died of breast cancer; from the trauma of her loss, O'Donnell turned to film and television for comfort.

In high school, O'Donnell was elected homecoming queen, prom queen, class clown and senior class president. She began exploring her comic interests beginning with a high school skit in which she imitated Gilda Radner’s character Roseanne Rosannadanna.

After graduating, O'Donnell briefly attended Dickinson College, later transferring to Boston University but dropped out to pursue comedy. Rosie toured standup clubs from 1979 to 1984. Her heavy-set, appearance and tomboyish, husky Long Island accent stood her apart from other actresses and comediennes. She got her first big break on Star Search, explaining on Larry King Live:

I was 20-years-old, and I was at a comedy club in Long Island. This woman came over to me and she said, I think you're funny. Can you give me your number? My dad is Ed McMahon. I was like, yeah, right. I gave her my father's phone number. I was living at home, I'm like, whatever. And about three days later, the talent booker from "Star Search" called and said, we're going to fly you out to L.A. I won, like, five weeks in a row. And it gave me national exposure.

After this success, she transitioned to television sitcom comedy, making her series debut as Nell Carter's neighbor on Gimme a Break! in 1986.

Talk show

File:RosieODonnellShow.jpg
O'Donnell on the set of her daytime talk show The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

Talk show success

In 1996, she began hosting a daytime talk show, The Rosie O'Donnell Show. The show proved extremely successful, winning multiple Emmy awards, and earning O'Donnell the title of "The Queen of Nice" for her style of light-hearted banter with her guests and interactions with the audience. It was also her interviews with "Superkids", and other notable non-celebrities that brought her critical and public acclaim. As part of her playful banter with her studio audience, O'Donnell often flung koosh balls at the crowd and camera.

On the show, O'Donnell frequently highlighted various charitable projects, often boosting awareness and donations to these causes.

Magazine launch

In 2000, O'Donnell partnered with the publishers of McCall's to revamp the magazine as Rosie's McCall's (or, more commonly, Rosie). The magazine was launched as a competitor to fellow talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey's monthly magazine. Rosie covered issues including depression, breast cancer, foster care, and other socially relevant matters.

End of talk show and subsequent activities

In 2002, O'Donnell left her talk show, favoring a return to stand-up comedy. The show was then hosted by comedian Caroline Rhea (the show was renamed The Caroline Rhea Show), but it only lasted one season.

Disclosure of sexuality

Shortly before leaving her talk show, O'Donnell confirmed the rumors about her sexuality when she came out of the closet as a lesbian. Within the gay community this was common knowledge, and the tabloids had been hinting at it. In her January 31, 2002, appearance on the gay-themed sitcom Will & Grace, she played a lesbian character. She claimed various reasons for coming out, including the need for publicity and to put a familiar face to homosexuality, but her primary reason was that as a lesbian adoptive mother (with a long-time lover) she was infuriated that adoption agencies, particularly in Florida, were refusing adoptive rights to able gay parents. She hoped that by coming out, it would increase awareness of this subject.

Image change

After leaving her show and coming out, O'Donnell underwent a minor image change. She returned to stand-up comedy, and within her first few shows made fun of various celebrities, among them Michael Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Diana Ross, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Winona Ryder, and Joan Rivers.

She also received what was considered by many to be an unflattering, somewhat masculine haircut, reminiscent of Cyndi Lauper's hair in the 1980s. O'Donnell told the press that her haircut was meant to mimic the haircut of former Culture Club backup singer Helen Terry. She subsequently attributed the haircut as a way to emulate Boy George, in hopes that he would allow her to produce his stage show Taboo in the United States. O'Donnell subsequently did invest in and produce the show, but it was an expensive failure on Broadway.

Autobiography

In 2002, O'Donnell also published an autobiography entitled Find Me. In addition to cataloging her childhood and early adulthood, the book delved into O'Donnell's relationship with a woman with Multiple Personality Disorder who posed as an under-aged teen who had become pregnant by rape. The book was critically acclaimed and reached number two on the New York Times bestseller list.

Magazine and legal challenges

In 2003, Rosie the magazine folded. At the time, difficulties in securing advertising at satisfactory rates was given as a reason for the magazine becoming defunct.

In late 2003, O'Donnell entered into a legal battle with the publishers of Rosie magazine. They claimed that the failure of the magazine was due to O'Donnell's uncooperative, rude and violent behavior within the magazine's offices. They claimed that by removing herself from the magazine's publication, she was in breach of contract. O'Donnell claimed that there was no way she could in good conscience continue to be a part of the magazine, because they were moving away from her vision.

The trial received considerable press coverage. O'Donnell would often give brief press interviews outside of the courtroom responding to various allegations. Of note was a former magazine colleague and breast cancer survivor who testified that O'Donnell said to her on the phone that "people who lie die of cancer". Ultimately, the judge ruled against both sides and dismissed the case.

Relationships and children

On February 26, 2004, O'Donnell entered legal union with her partner Kelli Carpenter, a former Nickelodeon marketing executive, in San Francisco, some two weeks after mayor Gavin Newsom authorized the granting of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Her decision to marry Carpenter came after O'Donnell blasted President Bush over his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment. The license was later voided by the California Supreme Court.

The couple are parents to adopted children Parker Jaren (born May 25, 1995), Chelsea Belle (born September 20, 1997), and Blake Christopher (born December 5, 1999). Their fourth child, Vivienne Rose, was born November 29, 2002 to Carpenter, who was conceived through sperm donation.

Return to television

During the 2006 Daytime Emmy Awards, Barbara Walters announced that O'Donnell would become a co-host on the talk show The View.

On September 5, 2006, she officially replaced Meredith Vieira as the moderator of the show. In September 2006, O'Donnell made her first guest appearance on TV show, Nip/Tuck, in the role of Dawn Budge. A spin-off starring O'Donnell as the Budge character was reportedly being considered and confirmed by O'Donnell on her blog. On October 16, 2006, O'Donnell indicated that negotiations had concluded and that she had accepted the offer.

Advocacy, comments, and controversies

Gun control advocacy

O'Donnell is an outspoken supporter of gun control and a major figure in the Million Mom March. In 1999, O'Donnell interviewed actor Tom Selleck, who was promoting a film. During the promotional interview, in what some critics perceived as an "ambush", O'Donnell confronted him about his stance on guns and his involvement with the NRA, making it an infamously tense TV moment. According to Selleck, the two had agreed not to discuss the topic prior to his appearance on the show. O'Donnell maintains that Selleck and his publicist had been informed that the topic would be discussed. However, she did subsequently say on her show that the interview did not go as she hoped it would.

Also in May 1999, Bernadette Peters and the rest of the cast from Annie Get Your Gun was to appear for taping and perform the song "Anything You Can Do". O'Donnell insisted that the line "I can shoot a partridge with a single cartridge" be removed from the song. Peters refused, and the cast sang a different song without Peters. Later in 1999, O'Donnell discontinued her contract with Kmart as their spokeswoman, because of her opinion of the large retailer's sale of firearms.

In 2000, O'Donnell outraged parents of kindergartners at the school her son attends when she was granted special permission to allow an armed bodyguard to accompany her son to school. In response, she promised that the bodyguard wouldn't actually be armed while on the school grounds. Critics charged that this was hypocrisy, citing the April 19, 1999, broadcast of her talk show, on which she stated, "You are not allowed to own a gun, and if you do own a gun, I think you should go to prison." O'Donnell has since regretted making the remarks and has attempted to reconcile her stance by remarking, "I don't personally own a gun." However, O'Donnell's bodyguard has applied for a concealed gun permit, possibly to allow him to carry a gun when accompanying one of her children to public school later this year.

On the October 3, 2006, edition of The View, in the aftermath of the Amish school shooting, O'Donnell argued with Elisabeth Hasselbeck on gun control.

Political advocacy

Rosie O'Donnell is an outspoken critic of many conservative politicians, including President George W. Bush

"Ching, chong" controversy

On December 5, 2006, O'Donnell raised controversy when she mocked spoken Chinese. The comment was made in reference to the publicity a November 29, 2006 appearance on The View by Danny DeVito had garnered. O'Donnell implied that she was amazed that the controversy had become such a prevailing topic, suggesting that the topic was being talked about in China. "You know, you can imagine in China it's like, 'Ching-chong, ching-chong. Danny DeVito. Ching-chong, ching-chong-chong. Drunk. The View. Ching-chong."

O'Donnell initially refused to comment on her imitation, but stated on the December 14 show after reading numerous comments on her blog and learning that saying "ching chong" was offensive to the Asian community as a whole. She said, "To anyone who was offended at my Chinese, Asian, pseudo-Japanese, sounded a little Yiddish accent that I was doing, you know, it was never intent to mock, and I'm sorry for those who felt hurt or were teased on the playground."

She followed up the statement by warning those offended that she may do it again, saying, "But I'm also gonna give you a fair warning that there's a good chance I'll do something like that again, probably in the next week — not on purpose. Only 'cause it's how my brain works." The San Francisco Chronicle reported that O'Donnell responded to her critics on her blog, saying that she "wasn't mocking / that's my best impression" and that her "bad accent was not meant to insult or degrade / linguistic incompetence -- guilty / mocking -- never".

Several critics, including Unity, a group of journalists of color, the Organization of Chinese Americans, the Asian American Journalists Association, and John Liu, a city councilman representing northeast Queens, have been publicly critical of O'Donnell's comments, and have also been critical of what they perceived to be a half-hearted apology. Earlier in the week, O'Donnell's spokesman said of O'Donnell's critics, "I certainly hope that one day they will be able to grasp her humor".

Donald Trump controversy

On December 20, 2006 O'Donnell blasted Donald Trump during the "Hot Topics" segment live on The View. The day before Trump held a press conference to announce that he had given Miss USA winner Tara Conner a second chance at holding on to her crown. This came after the pageant winner admitted to extensive partying and underage drinking in New York City.

O'Donnell claimed that Trump himself is hardly a moral compass, mentioning his public affairs and bankruptcy history. O'Donnell also made a brief impersonation of Trump during the segment branding him a "snake oil salesman" reminiscent of those seen on the television show Little House on the Prairie.

O'Donnell's words offended Trump, who lashed back at O'Donnell on several entertainment shows:

"Well Rosie is a loser. Rosie’s been a loser for a long time . . . and she ought to be careful cause I’ll send one of my friends to pick up her girlfriend, and I think it would be very easy . . . I’m worth $5 billion plus — by a lot . . . I never went bankrupt. She’ll say anything that comes to her unattractive mouth . . . she’s crude. She’s ignorant, and to be honest, I look forward to suing Rosie."

O'Donnell responded by posting portions of Misplaced Pages's Donald Trump page which discuss his bankruptcy, and answered questions from fans in the "Ask Ro" section of her webpage. It is currently unclear if Donald Trump will follow through with the lawsuit.

Works

Television

Theatre work

Filmography

Award ceremonies

Autobiography

Awards

Daytime Emmy Awards

Emmy Awards

  • 1999 Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special, 52nd Annual Tony Awards

References

  1. Cancer survivor: Rosie O'Donnell told her liars 'get cancer'
  2. http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/02/rosie-odonnell-starring-in-a-nip-tuck-spin-off/
  3. http://www.rosie.com/sections/ask-ro/
  4. http://www.rosie.com/sections/ask-ro/
  6. http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=15370
  7. http://newsbusters.org/node/8064
  8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhXqexuRkLk
  9. http://youtube.com/watch?v=UnSuZz3gWuE
  10. ^ Serpe, Gina (2006-12-14). "Rosie Really Sorry for "Ching-Chong" Crack". E! News. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  11. ^ Carlson, Erin. "Group not satisfied with Rosie's apology". Associated Press.
  12. http://hotair.com/archives/2006/12/14/video-rosie-apologizes-for-ching-chong/
  13. ^ Hua, Vanessa (2006-12-14). "Asian American advocates decry parody by TV's O'Donnell". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  14. Cruz, Wil (2006-12-11). "Liu takes a dim view of Rosie's remarks". Newsday. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
  15. "Statement on Rosie O'Donnell's racial comments on ABC's "The View"" (Press release). UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. 2006-12-11. Retrieved 2006-12-15.

External links

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