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Today the ladies were joined by guest host Bella Thorne!

Hear Today Gone Tomorrow: Researchers are saying the adolescent mind is not wired to listen or process when a parent is criticizing them.  Bella, who was raised by a single mom, thinks the research is really dependent on the specific parent and child.  Bella explained that her father passed away when she was just nine-years-old and for her, every little thing her mom says to her matters even more because she sees it as advice coming from both her mother and her late father.  Rosie O, who also lost a parent at a young age, said she and Bella both belong to the same “club.”  She said when you have a parent die you oftentimes tend not to rebel because you understand the challenges the single parent who is left faces.  Rosie O told Bella she thinks her great loss will help her as an actress.  If you too lost a parent, more specifically a mother, you would love the HBO documentary Rosie O co-executive produced entitled Dead Mother’s Club.  Watch the trailer below.

What’s a Duff:  Bella is in a new movie entitled The Duff and Whoopi asked her to explain to the audience what a “duff” is.  Bella explained that d.u.f.f. stands for “designated ugly fat friend.”  Apparently that’s a real “thing” but Bella said the film actually sends the message of women’s empowerment.  The Duff premieres in theaters this February, 2015.  You can watch the trailer HERE.

Mean Boys and a Social Media Discussion:  Whoopi said a lot of parents think that girls are the meanest children but a new study shows that boys are actually the cruelest on the playground.  Nicolle said this is a distraction from the deeper issue which is bullies.  She thinks that bullies come in all shapes, sizes and genders.  Rosie O told a story about her son Parker when he was in kindergarten.  She said one boy in class kept calling him “parking lot” and for him it was devastating.  He would come home from school crying almost every day.  One day she dropped Parker off at school and she saw the boy who had been taunting Parker playing alone by the playground.   <insert evil smile>  She went over to the boy and said to him, “If you call my son “parking lot” again you’re going to be in an immense. amount. of. trouble.”  And the boy never called him “parking lot” again!   Nicolle knows she will absolutely do the same thing for her son if she’s ever in that position.

Bella, who is just 17-years-old, said she used to be bullied really badly in school and now she’s just bullied on social media.  She said she can take it and ignore it most days but her mom becomes like an angry “mama bear” and lashes back out at the bullies on her behalf.  Rosie O’s son Parker, who is now 19, will engage with the haters on Twitter who are being mean to Rosie!  She begs him to stop but he won’t.  He feels the need to protect her!  And it’s the sweetest thing ever!  If you want to follow Parker on Twitter, click HERE. Whoopi said people know who she is on social media so if you’re going to lash out at her through the Internet, she believes it’s only fair that you show your face to her too!  She does not appreciate the anonymity provided to the social media bullies.  Whoopi really doesn’t care what people say to her through Twitter and said she doesn’t even read it.  She said people can’t say anything to her that she hasn’t already gotten down on herself about.  Nicolle took herself off Twitter about a month after she started on the show because she found herself to be just as “thrown off” by the nice things that were said about her as the mean things.  She said Twitter felt toxic and, at the same time, irresistible so she deleted the account.  She said she feels a little like she’s in a bubble and although it may not be realistic for everyone, it makes her feel a lot happier.

Autumn Falls: Bella just wrote her first novel entitled Autumn Falls.  It’s the first book in a series of three and she discussed with the ladies the synopsis of the series.  Bella explained the book is about a girl who moves to Miami after her father dies.  He gave her a journal to write in to help her through high school and when she writes in the journal things come to life.  But since she’s dyslexic, they come to life a little bit “wonky” and end up backfiring on her throughout the series.  She took a lot of real-life experiences that have happened to her, her friends and her family and used those experiences in the book.  Only one experience, how her father died, is written exactly how it happened to her in real life.  Autumn never cries when her father dies and neither did Bella.  She wanted to show kids that that’s not always how the grieving process is for everyone.  Rosie O said it was fascinating to hear Bella say that.  Rosie O remembered when they gathered her and her siblings at the kitchen table to tell them their mother had died and she didn’t cry either.  She said no one cried because it was almost like everyone was in shock.  Bella said she was in a state of shock for two weeks after her father died.  Rosie O told Bella her father would have been so very proud of her and she called her an “amazing inspiration.”  And Bella’s eyes filled with tears as they moved on to the next topic…

Girl Scout Cookies Online:  For the first time ever, the Girl Scouts have made their cookies available to order online!  Rosie O exclaimed, “It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me in my life!”  She laughed and explained that she will now be ordering Samoas and Thin Mints all the time!  She purposefully avoids the Girl Scouts when she goes food shopping because she can’t resist them and knows she’ll buy their entire supply!  Nicolle’s been known to desperately purchase the imitation Thin Mints until she can get her hands on the real thing and now she’s going to be able to go right to the source.  She’s worried.  Bella thinks making the cookies available online completely takes away the Girl Scout tradition.  She thinks the door-to-door selling helps them learn other valuable life lessons.  Whoopi was sort of indifferent about the topic because she’s not really a “sweets person” which completely blew Rosie O and Nicolle’s minds.  Whoopi’s favorite snack, which she knows is terrible for you, is buttered popcorn with real butter and salt.  Bella told Whoopi to try dipping her popcorn in mustard for a real treat!

Little Kids, Foul Mouths:  A parent recently blogged about her three-year-old child dropping f-bombs for the first time.  The author said she panicked over how to handle it.  Experts say you should either respond calmly or ignore it when a young child swears.  Whoopi is guilty of teaching her grandchild some bad words and her daughter was less than pleased with her.  Rosie O admitted the first time a child curses around her she laughs hysterically which only encourages them to do it more.  Then she pulls out her iPhone and tries to get them to do it again, which she knows is not smart!  Nicolle and her husband laugh so hard (they cry) when their little boy drops a curse word.  She knows at some point it has to stop being funny but she doesn’t know how or when to make the switch.  Whoopi feels like “bad words” are relative.  She believes terrible words like “stupid” are even worse to say than some of the worst curse words.

Guests:

Chris Rock: The funniest man on the planet joined the ladies of The View to discuss his film Top Five that he wrote, directed and starred in.  Chris commented how different the new studio was and looked right at Rosie O and said, “Joy Behar, you got some work done.”  The whole audience roared with laughter.  When asked how Chris got many iconic comedians in his new film he said by providing them all with sex and money.  Especially Whoopi.  He said Whoopi wanted both!  In the film, he plays a comedian going through a midlife crisis of sorts.  He said when he did the play Motherf**ker With a Hat on Broadway he learned, “When you get on that stage, you have to act.”  He said there’s no faking it on Broadway and once you’ve done Broadway you never look at anything else the same way.  Broadway made him want his truth to be told.  Top Five is the first thing Chris has directed since he was on Broadway.  He wrote the movie and doesn’t consider himself a director as much as a “protector” of his writing and his vision.  He said putting something that’s in your head, on a piece of paper, doesn’t always give it justice.  He said it’s important to be there on the set to make sure they get it right.  He’s not a big fan of critics but when he hears them compliment him now because of this latest movie, he realizes how many people actually didn’t like him!  He said you never realize how many people didn’t like you until they actually like you.

The ladies asked Chris about his recent statement in New York Magazine, “If poor people knew how rich people lived there would be riots in the streets.”  They laughed about the awesome treatment rich people receive all over the world, including the Virgin Atlantic lounge, for example.

Chris Rock & Rosie

J.B. Smoove:  Chris’s costar J.B. Smoove joined Chris and the ladies of The View to further discuss their new film Top Five.  J.B. is best known for his portrayal of Leon on the hit HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm.  He personally asked Larry David to please make up his mind and decide if Curb will ever be coming back to television.  Or, he asked Larry, to write a spin off with his character Leon.  J.B said he’s been very lucky in his career and he loves it when he gets to improvise in his acting.  He said half of his standup routine is improv.  Chris and J.B. discussed working on the movie together and how much fun they had.  The ladies were laughing so hard they could barely get a question out. Top Five premieres in theaters next Friday, December 12th! Remember when Rosie was on Curb?  Watch it again on YouTube HERE and HERE.  

Eat This Not That: ABC Nutrition and Wellness Editor, and author of Eat This Not That, David Zinczenko taught the ladies of The View how to eat well this holiday season so we all don’t end up packing on extra pounds.              

Audience Giveaway: Everyone in the studio audience went home with a copy of Eat This Not That Magazine and a copy of Bella Thorne’s novel Autumn Falls.

Take a little time and enjoy The View!

Written by Kelly Weist
KidRo Productions

The ladies of The View welcomed Cyndi Lauper as guest co-host! 

Hot Topics: 

No Indictment:  The New York grand jury cleared police of any wrongdoing in the death of Eric Garner. Cyndi prefaced her statement by giving props to the many good policemen in the country but said the bullies have to go.  Cyndi performed at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting last night and she was very proud of the protesters who demonstrated because of the controversial decision. Rosie P was shocked at the ruling because she always thought of New Yorkers as forward thinking, progressive people.  She was extremely disappointed in the verdict but proud of the protesters who got their message across in a peaceful way.  Nicolle was proud of the protesters whom she referred to as “magnificent” as well as the NYPD whom she said had a “banner night” last night.  Rosie O admitted she expected this to be the verdict and said it is sad for her to live in America and to expect this to be our democracy.  She feels there was a grave injustice done last night.  She continued, “We have had to watch this man die in a loop on television over and over and every time it breaks my soul just a little bit more.”   She cried watching the verdict announced as she sat with her godson (who happens to be African American) and her daughter.  Her daughter looked at Rosie and asked her, “Mommy, why are people racist?”  And sadly, Rosie didn’t really have an answer for her.  Nicolle thinks if this maneuver (or chokehold) is taught to police officers at the academy we need to make changes to what police officers are being taught.  She did not think the police officer’s response was equal to the crime that had taken place.  Mr. Garner was merely selling loose cigarettes and she thought a written ticket would have sufficed.  Rosie P stated that even with Ferguson there were questions because we didn’t all see the crime and police response that was given but in this case, there was no doubt because we all saw the video.  She wondered about the proposed solution of putting cameras on police when there was a camera present and it didn’t make a difference.  Rosie O said, “The conversation about systemic racism in the United States needs to be opened up for all of us in a dialogue not just when atrocities like this happen, but all the time.”

In a controversial statement last night, Congressman Peter King stated that Eric died because he was overweight.  Whoopi pointed out that the coroner said Eric couldn’t breathe and he died because he was asphyxiated.  Even though he was overweight, had he had just been standing there, she said he would have lived.  He was heard on the tape eleven times saying, “I can’t breathe.”  Whoopi thinks any police practice that stops people from breathing is an issue that needs to be addressed.  Rosie P said a lot of people who are not a person of color, do not understand what people of color go through on a daily basis.  Whoopi wants a closer look into the grand jury investigation process and how it’s being conducted.  She thought the grand jury decision sounded just like the Ferguson decision word for word.  Nicolle pointed out that the police officer stated that it was never his intent to harm and Cyndi quipped, “Then he shouldn’t have stepped on his head.”

The Santa Strategy:  Cyndi said Santa was a great ally when her son was little because he helped her work with her son to get him to behave.  But of course, once he grew up, none of that worked anymore.  Rosie O said she sometimes would pretend to talk to Santa on the phone to remind her kids that Santa was watching.  Nicolle took her son to see Santa yesterday, waited for 45 minutes in line and since he was acting completely uninterested, she left. Nicolle said child psychologists say using Santa as a threat is like using a bribe and that “Elf on a Shelf” can actually cause anxiety in your kids!  But she does think a little bit of fear is probably a useful parenting tool.  Whoopi worked for Santa on occasion and once little kids learned she actually knew him, she got their full respect!

Nightmare Toddler at Mealtime:  The ladies discussed a recent blog where a mother discusses what a nightmare her son is at mealtimes because she never really put any restrictions on him.  Rosie P thinks this is absolutely the parent’s fault.  She said she cannot stand a badly behaving child at the table.  She took her niece to a restaurant for a meal and before they sat down her niece started to have a temper tantrum.  She removed her niece from the restaurant and told her that behavior wasn’t allowed because it wasn’t all about her.  She explained that other people in the restaurant deserve to have a nice meal too and she is not allowed to ruin it for them.  And it worked!  Rosie P said her niece acted beautifully after that moment.  Cyndi took her son to the Toddler Center at Barnard and the experts told her when her child had a tantrum she should remove her child from the situation, allow him to have his tantrum, explain to him how he’s going to feel better afterwards and then when it’s done, allow him to rejoin the situation.  Whoopi asked Cyndi if it worked and she said mostly, except for the time he smacked her!

Thank You…I Think: Whoopi asked the ladies if they’ve ever had a compliment that sounds more like a bit of an insult.  For example, “You look so good for your age.”  Yesterday Rosie O was coming out of her therapist’s office and a guy told her how good she looked for being so old.  She decided to take the compliment instead of focusing on the negative.  Rosie P once read a tweet from a guy that said “Rosie Perez is old as dirt but she could still get it.”  She thought it was hilarious!  Nicolle is more shocked that young people think 60 is old.  She thinks that’s young today!    Whoopi thinks Nicolle believes that 60 is young because now they’re closer to it.  She said the further away you are, the older 60 is to you.  Cyndi had her son at 44 and someone at the park once referred to her as his grandmother!  She just laughed it off.   

Henry & Me:  Cyndi is a voice in a new animated movie entitled Henry & Me.  Cyndi explained that the movie is about a child suffering from cancer and how he deals with the treatment.  She said it’s a tough subject because cancer is difficult, especially when it happens to children.  Rosie O said Cyndi was nominated for an Annie Award as a voice artist in the film.

Home for the Holidays: Rosie O discussed Cyndi’s True Colors Fund Home for the Holidays this Saturday December 6^th at The Beacon Theater.  Rosie O and Laverne Cox are hosting with an amazing array of performers from Fifty Cent to Rob Thomas.  All of the funds raised on Saturday night goes to The True Colors Fund that helps homeless gay, lesbian and transgender youth.  Rosie O told Cyndi that she is a hero for the gay community and congratulated her for all she’s done for gay rights.

Guests: Hugh Jackman and Nancy Grace:  

Hugh Jackman joined Whoopi for an intimate one-on-one discussion about his new Broadway show The River.  He said the play is not a musical with big performances but him, two girls and a fish!  Hugh plays a man who takes his girlfriend up to a remote fishing cabin for a few nights.  He referred to it as a mystery and a love story where nothing is as it seems.  And he said he’s having the time of his life on stage.  Hugh has to gut a real fish during every performance and one time he mistakenly cut off the tip of his finger during a performance!  Hugh also talked to Whoopi about the two new movies he has coming out; Chappie and Pan.

Nancy Grace joined the ladies at the table to discuss the hottest stories in the news today.  She said she’s very concerned about the Eric Garner decision because the police chokehold was disallowed in 1993.  She also couldn’t believe that Eric was given a chokehold for the crime he committed.  She said she very rarely speaks out against police but she doesn’t see the justification for the treatment he received.  Nancy recently spoke to Michael Brown’s mother at great length and she was so moved by his mother she had to go to break so she (Nancy) could cry.  She really wonders about the grand jury process itself.  She said when she was a prosecutor she never once got a no bill.  She respects Obama for creating a task force to look into racial matters but she thinks there has to be more done than a “study.”  She also talked about the story of a young boy who went missing and was secretly being kept against his will behind a false wall in his father’s home.  Nancy  was so happy that the boy was found but admitted she was furious the mother never called the police.  And according to police reports, the boy had signs of physical abuse on his body.  Nancy also briefly spoke about the case in Abu Dhabi when a woman in a burka murdered a young American teacher in a public restroom.

Rosie, Hugh Jackman & Cyndi Lauper at The View!

Musical Performance: Cyndi Lauper performed Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree off her new album Merry Christmas…Have a Nice Life!

Audience Giveaway: Everyone in the studio audience received a copy of the animated film Henry & Me.

Quoteables:  [regarding the lack of charges filed in the Eric Garner case]

Nicolle: “The NYPD could have taught a master class on how to really respect and honor the will of the protesters but keep some order in our massive city.”
Rosie P:  “There are a lot of people who don’t understand what people of color go through.”
Whoopi:  “He had been overweight a long time and walking around. That’s NOT why he died.”
Rosie O:  “We have had to watch this man die in a loop on television over and over and every time it breaks my soul just a little bit more.”
Rosie O:  “The conversation about systemic racism in the United States needs to be opened up for all of us in a dialogue, not just when atrocities like this happen, but all the time.”
Cyndi Lauper: “It’s not the Hunger Games.”
Nancy Grace: “Taser me, pepper-spray me, but don’t chokehold me.”