Today the panel welcomed back Cristela Alonzo as a co-host!

Web Redemption: Whoopi told the audience that the courts have decided that the Internet is going to be a utility and the same for everybody, according to a proposed FCC rule that will be decided February 26th. Rosie P recommended that the public help make this happen.  The rule would prevent corporations from having a “fast lane” on the Internet.  Whoopi said, “Now, everybody’s going to be fast.”  Nicolle responded that 800 million dollars has been spent on lobbying on this issue and it was the cable companies versus the Internet companies, with no one really fighting for the little guy.  She also said that Yahoo and Google will run at the same speed as (say) Etsy. Rosie O explained that if this ruling passes everybody will be able to use Internet to the same degree and that the same speed will be available to all people, not just rich people, which is the way the Internet has been since the beginning.  Whoopi believes this is good news for everyone.  Nicolle isn’t so sure yet.

Anchor Weighs In: Brian Williams is backtracking on a story he has been telling since 2003, that helicopter in which the NBC crew was traveling was shot down by ground fire in Iraq.  Some of the soldiers on that aircraft reported that Brian Williams was not actually on that helicopter but on the aircraft that was following behind.  They showed a clip of his apology in which he admitted that he wasn’t on the aircraft (as he had previously reported) but it was a bungled attempt for him to honor the soldiers who saved the crew.  Rosie O recalled a documentary entitled, The Woman Who Wasn’t There, about a woman who pretended to be in the twin towers on 9/11.  (For a complete list of Rosie’s favorite docs, click HERE!)  She followed up by saying that she thinks a person would remember if he were in a helicopter that was actually hit by a missile so she doesn’t think Brian didn’t remember it, she thinks he fabricated the story and that his apology seemed circuitous. Nicolle read from social media accounts by the soldiers who were there. “Getting shot by RPG fire is not something you get confused over or conflate even though it was 12 years ago. Dude.” Rosie O called it a blatant lie.  Whoopi thinks sometimes people forget themselves and wind up getting all wrapped up in their story, which, Rosie O reminded her, is called lying. Whoopi confessed that she has embellished things in the past and doesn’t always remember everything. Rosie P pointed out that this is different because he is one of the most trusted news anchors. Cristela said, “It’s not like he lied about going to the grocery store.” Nicolle said Brian Williams has made a career out of celebrating the American military.  Rosie O reiterated that he said he was IN the helicopter when it was hit by an RPG, which was a huge lie.  Whoopi said nobody is perfect.  Rosie O asked if it was okay that he lied and Whoopi responded that he stepped in some doo-doo, but everyone lies occasionally and it didn’t start out as a big lie, it grew over time.

The First Black Bachelor:  In the first television show featuring a black Bachelor he brought his mother along to do some of the picking!  Whoopi clarified that this isn’t THE Bachelor that airs on ABC, it is a show entitled Match Made in Heaven.  Rosie asked if there has ever been a black Bachelor or Bachelorette on the ABC version and the answer was no! And no Asians or Latinos either, just one Italian that Whoopi believes had a bogus accent.  Whoopi said the reason ABC won’t have a black Bachelor is because the families would be too volatile.  Rosie P told her she can’t make that generalization.  And she wondered why everyone always winds up naked on these shows. Cristela joked and said she thinks everyone on the show should simply appear in pajama pants, so they can be seen as they would be at the point in a relationship when you “stop trying.”

Curve Appeal:  Another first: There will be a plus-sized model in this years Sports Illustrated swim suit issue! But model, Ashley Graham, will only be in an advertisement, not in a spread in the magazine. Rosie P doesn’t think she looks plus-sized, she just thinks she looks good.  Cristela said she would have to lose 30 pounds to be plus-sized like her.  (Ashley is a size fourteen.)  Rosie P said this is part of the appeal of the HBO show Girls, which shows regular women “getting it in.”  Cristela said she thinks it is unfair that they show only thin women on TV shows and never show them going to the gym in order to get the body they have.  She said it leaves viewers thinking that it just naturally occurs.  She hears from viewers who like that she looks just like them in her show Cristela. “Isn’t that weird that I get accolades from viewers for not being thin?” she asked.

VIEWCATION Winners: Geena and Dave (a firefighter from New Jersey) won a 7-night Viewcation cruise to the Caribbean!  They will be giving away more trips this month, so don’t forget to enter!  

Guests:

Geena Davis (Rosie’s co-star in A League of Their Own) is now starring in Grey’s Anatomy.  She is also responsible for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.  Geena is a member of Mensa International and one of the smartest people Rosie O knows.  She discussed her new role on Grey’s, her previous role playing the President of the United States on Commander and Chief and her time working with Rosie O on A League of Their Own.

Here’s a clip of Rosie and Geena from A League of Their Own:

Eve Ensler: Eve Ensler, creator of The Vagina Monologues and activist fighting violence against women, was interviewed by Rosie O and Rosie P to discuss One Billion Rising.  One third of women, over a billion in fact, will be raped or a victim of violence in their lifetimes.  Eve has started a movement for women in a program entitled One Billion Rising Revolution headed by global activists from more than 200 countries.  She said they invite all women, and the men who love them, to rise up against violence and rape.  Find out more about how you can get involved at OneBillionRising.org.

La Mitchell:  La Mitchell a fitness expert, joined Nicolle and Mario Cantone to discuss how to get healthy and to shine a light on the month of February as it is “Heart Healthy Month.”  La showed them some moves that will help keep you fit but don’t require fancy equipment.  She recommended exercising and eating healthy.  She also recommended finding a friend to hold you accountable!  La says to try to avoid empty calories, eat foods high in fiber and take a probiotic that helps with digestion.

Audience Gift:  Everyone in the studio audience received a $100 gift card to CVS!

Take a little time to enjoy The View.

written by Kelly Weist
KidRo Productions

Today our hosts were celebrating Nicolle’s birthday and Cristela Alonzo joined the panel as a co-host.

Hot Topics:

Lance Lies: Lance Armstrong lies again?  Turns out Lance is letting his girlfriend take the blame for hitting two parked cars while partying in Colorado.  “Will this damage his reputation?” Whoopi asked. “A little late,” said Rosie O, who has watched the documentary about him, The Armstrong Lie, and said this story didn’t surprise her.  She added, “He does not seem to be a man with a moral compass.  Nicolle said that we are a country that allows people to redeem themselves, but [Armstrong] seems to pass up every opportunity for redemption.  Cristela said that it is weird that he is willing to take responsibility for drinking, but not for what he does when he’s drunk and that she is going to scratch off the V on her Livestrong bracelet so it just reads “LIEstrong.”  Rosie O wondered what kind of magical spell he has over women.  Whoopi doesn’t think we should blame Lance for people believing his lies.  She thinks the blame also falls on the people willing to lie for him.  But Rosie O asked again, “What kind of spell does he have?” Nicolle answered, “Fame and money.”  She said she thinks he is a sociopath.  Rosie P said, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink and this woman drank the Kool-Aid.”

Charlie Sifford 1922-1915:  Mr. Sifford has passed away at the age of 90.  He was the first black PGA tour member.  Rosie P noted that his book, Just Let Me Play, is out of print and it should be put back in print!  The book details what he went through in combating the “Caucasian only” clause in the PGA when he began his career in golf.  Charlie met Jackie Robinson who asked him, “Are you a quitter?” and he responded, “No.”  Jackie told him to “prepare to endure.”  And Tiger Woods has said that without Sifford, he would never have been a golfer; Sifford was his idol.  Rosie P met Mr. Sifford once and said that he was the sweetest man and offered sympathies to his family.  Whoopi called on Amazon to put the book back in print!

Three Parents and a Baby:  UK courts are weighing the decision made by parliament to use the DNA from three parents to create a baby free from defects.  Whoopi said there is some resistance in that this act may lead to “designer babies.”  Nicolle says that having babies in your late thirties and early forties is terrifying and she thinks anything we can do to have a healthy baby is okay.  Rosie P said there was resistance to the use of aspirin when it first came out and now we know that it can help with a heart attack.  Rosie O held up her hand, as aspirin helped save her life.  Rosie P noted that if diabetes runs in your family, you would want to have a child without diabetes, if you could.  She also noted that the mitochondria that is in all cells is very specific as to what it can change and that it comes from the mother, which is why the third parent in the three parent arrangement is always a woman.  Whoopi wanted to know how this relates to stem cell research and everyone agreed they are all for stem cell research.  Whoopi concluded, that their support of this story didn’t mean they supported “designer babies.”  She said if you want to change the color of a child’s eyes, get them contacts.

Happy Birthday Nicolle!

The ladies showed a Happy Birthday video for Nicolle starring Julianne Moore, George Stephanopoulos,  Willie Geist, Dana Perino and Dana Bashwished!  Whoopi jokingly said they tried to get Sarah Palin to wish her a Happy Birthday but it was too much of an effort.  Nicolle said, “No thanks.”

Whale Tale: They showed an image of a guy texting on a boat while a huge whale surfaced right beside him, but he didn’t even notice it.  Rosie P caught herself walking and texting the other day and stopped herself because they have talked so much crap on the show about that very thing.  Whoopi noted that it is dangerous to walk and text because you could be taken out by a taxi or a bicycle.  Rosie O was at the theater last night, Bridget Everett at Joe’s Pub and her very good friend (whom she would not name) was on her phone during the performance, even though the starring performance artist had an amazing voice and was performing naked!  Rosie O said she was “totally paying attention,” and kept hitting her friend. Whoopi said no one was watching at the last Stevie Wonder concert she went to.  She said everyone had their phone up taking videos of the performance instead of just enjoying it. Cristela loves Billy Joel and saw him at the Hollywood Bowl where many of the people in attendance were busy texting pictures instead of enjoying the show.  Nicolle wondered what the lure is to always be posting things on social media.  Rosie P said people need the validation.  Rosie O believes people put up the lives that they want people to see and it’s not always their real life.  “I don’t even understand who they are showing it to,” answered Nicolle.  Rosie O said she has taken a cell phone away (as punishment) from one of her teenagers (who shall not be named) and found that it also affected her own cell phone use as she now can’t text on her own phone during TV shows since her teen doesn’t have a phone.  But, she noted, the downside of taking her teen’s phone away is it has diminished her capacity to connect during the day with this teenager, which is how they mostly communicated.  She looked straight into the camera and said that she loves this teenager very much and it will all be fine soon.  Whoopi does not answer emails or texts after 6PM, if you want her in the evenings, call her.  That way she doesn’t feel she has to take her phone into the bathroom with her!  Nicolle said there is a whole movement right now to clean the phones after the bathroom. Everyone at the table winced.

All the Vegan Ladies: Beyoncé has launched her own line of foods that she and Jay-Z use to lose weight.  It can be delivered to your house for approximately $610 for 20 days.  In the name of science, Nicolle is going to try it and report back.  Whoopi said to her, “If you develop Beyoncé’s ass, we all want to know!”

Hair apparent:  A father in  Colorado has gone to beauty school to learn how to style his 3-year-old daughter’s hair and graduated at the top of his class!  Whoopi said styling your kids’ hair just goes with the territory.  Nicolle thinks it is awesome that he made this special effort.  Whoopi just thinks it is part of the job of being a parent.  Whoopi has a friend who adopted an African child and asked her, “What do I do about the hair?”  Whoopi advised her to pull it back, put it in a poof, and when she is 21 she can get a weave.  Rosie O said that they used to have seminars for hair styling for parents on her R Family cruises because they had so many mixed raced families and the white parents often didn’t know how to do their kids’ hair.   She said too many of the kids looked like Buckwheat and they had to teach the parents!   Rosie P said in the Latin community, men and women are raised to believe they have different roles.  When she was raising her nephew she taught him how to cook, sew, clean and do her hair!  In turn, she developed an evolved man.  Cristela’s family is Mexican, very traditional, and the men are always outside drinking beer and cooking out and while it is the role of the women to take care of the household things.  In order to change traditions like that, she noted, you have to be a pioneer and it is hard to break that mold. Whoopi went to hair school and the thing she noticed was that you didn’t learn about different hair textures, which was something she thinks hair stylists need to learn so they can style everybody.  And, she said, if you have a kid, you need to learn how to style their hair.

Cristela Update:  The ABC series Cristela is on Friday nights and she is going to be on an episode of General Hospital on February 13^th!  She is going to play a prosecutor who is interrogating a cop because his girlfriend “did some bad stuff.”  Also, she is hosting America’s Funniest Home Videos on February 15^th!

Guests:

Jeff Perry:  Jeff Perry, who plays Cyrus Beene on ABC’s Scandal, was interviewed by Nicolle and Whoopi about his role on the series and what it’s like to play the Chief of Staff to the President.  Nicolle said Jeff plays the best political character on TV!  They discussed Shonda Rhimes, the show’s creator and the brilliance of the show.  ABC’s Scandal airs Thursday nights at 9pm EST.

Zosia Mamet:  Zosia Mamet, who plays Shoshana on HBO’s Girls, sat down with the ladies to discuss her role on the series.  She was excited to discuss the fact that Girls just got picked up for it’s 5^th season!  Rosie O wanted to know if she improvises, and Zosia said they do.  When asked about the racy scenes they are often asked to do on the series, Zosia said they really trust the writers to not ask them to do anything that isn’t important for their character.  Zosia is also rehearsing for American Psycho Musical set to open this month.  The HBO series Girls airs Sunday nights at 9pm EST.

The closed the show with a birthday cake for Nicolle!

Take a little time and enjoy The View.

written by Kelly Weist
KidRo Productions

Today The View welcomed back Rosie Perez!!!

Rosie P got a standing ovation at her preview of Fish in the Dark, her new Broadway show at the Court Theater starring Larry David!  The ladies welcomed her back with warm smiles and open arms and Nicolle told her they were “saving her seat for her.”

Hot Topics:

Pitbull Party: Republicans are making a play to have Cuban American Pitbull join their campaign. Rosie P said he is a very important person and this is about both his popularity and the fact that he is a very prominent Latino businessman.  She doubts the attempt will work as the Republican Party is anti-immigration. Rosie O said, “Good point.” Nicolle reminded that Jeb Bush has a more enlightened stance on immigration which she says is not only a way to win votes, but also about doing the right thing.  She thinks this is a very important discussion for Republicans to have because it means they are fighting for the Latino vote.  Republicans used to receive 44% of the Latino vote and in the last election they only received 12%!   “If you want to know why Republicans are losing elections, look at the Latino vote,” said Nicolle to which Rosie O responded, “Look at Romney.”  Whoopi suggested, if Republicans want to court Latinos they should not just pander to them but also follow through on the promises they make. Rosie P added that Pitbull is philanthropic and one of his causes is education, which is another reason he is being courted.

Bobbi Kristina:  Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina is fighting for her life after being found unresponsive in a bathtub over the weekend.  Her family is keeping vigil at the hospital but neither the hospital nor the family have released an official statement about her condition.  Rosie O called the situation “tragic” and said that it is nearly 3 years to the day since her mother was found dead in almost the exact same way.  Rosie P thinks the unauthorized movie biography of Bobbi’s mom must have really hurt her deeply.  She said too often people forget that famous people are human beings too.  Rosie O remembered the reality show, Being Bobby Brown, in which Whitney and Bobby both appeared to be high in nearly every episode.  She said the network just continued to tape and air the show, despite the fact that it was quite obvious that it played witness to two people in the throes of severe addiction in the presence of a child.  And, she said, “nobody seemed to care.”   Whoopi said that Whitney’s mother really did care about how bad the show was representing her daughter but she couldn’t do anything about it except sit back and watch.

Super Kiss: There is some controversy over Bill Belichick giving his adult daughter a celebratory kiss on the lips following his recent Super Bowl win. Whoopi thinks he was just “in the moment” and she didn’t see anything wrong with it. Nicolle didn’t ever remember kissing a family member like that.  Rosie O said she will lay kisses on her kids whenever and wherever they will let her, especially now that they’re teens and they want no part of it/her.  She thinks people are making a lot out of nothing.  Rosie P said it was an emotional moment and she also saw nothing wrong with it.  Whoopi asked listeners to go on Facebook and let them know how YOU feel about the Super Kiss.

50 Shades of Awkward: 50 Shades of Grey is supposedly the raunchiest mainstream movie ever released with over 100 minutes of sex scenes.  Nicolle thinks people will go to the movie in droves as they weren’t embarrassed to read the book on the subway.  Whoopi wondered how many guys are going to go see it.  Rosie O remembered seeing the first gay female sex in a movie, The Hunger, and it about made her head explode.  She said she was “so embarrassed.”  Rosie P remembered Last Tango in Paris that has a very graphic sex scene with a stick of butter.  Rosie P intends to go see 50 Shades, but she said she is upset that they are going to have full frontal nudity of women but not of men.  Rosie O asked, “We’re not going to get to see the meat and potatoes?!” Nicolle said this is probably because the studio was trying to maintain an R rating. Rosie P wanted to know why showing naked women means an R rating, but showing a man’s penis means an X rating.  Whoopi thought this was because the people who made the ratings were men and they were more comfortable seeing a naked woman. Nicolle thinks the net effect is that the book got women talking about sex, which is a good thing, and she hopes the movie does the same.

Is Divorce Okay for Kids: Kate Winslet recently said her two divorces have benefitted her kids because they taught them how everyone is faced with struggles and it helps shape who we become.  Rosie O agreed, saying, “Nobody gets out unscathed.”  She said 50% of marriages end in divorce and 80% of second marriages end in divorce.  She said marriage is a tough thing and the kids are along for the ride. She recalled growing up and wishing Julie Andrews would swoop in, make clothes out of curtains for them, save her family and then her motherless house would be alive again.  Only that never happened.  Whoopi agreed that life is a constant surprise and just when you think you know, something new shows up. Rosie P thinks that divorce is hard on kids but a lot of it depends on how the parents deal with it. Whoopi said the message to divorced parents is “be nice to your kids” and remind kids it isn’t their fault.  Rosie O did a documentary for HBO entitled, Don’t Divorce Me: Kids Rules for Parents on Divorce about how parents can help their kids get through divorce without enormous collateral damage.  If you have HBOGO, you can watch for FREE HERE!

Vacci-Nation: Chris Christie and Rand Paul both believe parents should have a choice on whether to vaccinate their children. Rosie O thought it was funny how a doctor (Paul) would tell this to people as it has been proven to be untrue.  Nicolle says when you become a parent you have to ask all the hard questions of your pediatrician.  She said Republicans are in “grave peril” by ignoring the science on this issue.  Whoopi understands that parents are afraid of Autism but said science has said it isn’t the vaccines causing it.  And she wants parents to consider the fact that they are putting other kids at risk.

Gone to Pot: Rosie P brought up the marijuana issue for discussion.  She said the fact that Jeb Bush, who may run for President, has admitted to smoking weed has to be discussed.  If Jeb had been caught with drugs he would have received jail-time and would never had gotten the opportunity to be President.  She thinks we, as a country, need to address the issue that people of all economic standings smoke marijuana.  Rosie O mentioned a documentary she saw that said white people use as many drugs as black people but it is mainly people of color who get prosecuted and arrested for drug possession/use.

Hot Sneaks: Rosie O plopped her foot on the table to show off her new sneakers!  Rosie P’s husband Haze designed the limited edition sneaks and they are only available at the Nike Lab.  Check ’em out!

Guests:

Martin Short: Martin Short is currently on Broadway starring in It’s Only a Play and he has just released a new memoir entitled I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend.   Martin said he was a bit apprehensive stepping into the role on Broadway originated by Nathan Lane.  It was only after Mike Nichols convinced him to do it that he called his agent and said, “The Pope has spoken. Sign me up!”  Martin joked about when other actors come backstage and try and tell you the truth about your performance in a Broadway show.  He said, “Don’t tell the truth!  The truth is not important.  Don’t say you can’t lie.  You’re an actor!  Act!”   Whoopi asked Martin about all the wonderful characters he has created in his career and Martin did a few characters for the audience.  He said all of the characters are loosely based on real people he’s come in contact with in his life.  The members of the studio audience received two tickets to It’s Only a Play!

The Actors from Fresh off the Boat: Based on Chef Eddie Huang’s memoir, Fresh Off the Boat, is a comedy about pursuing the American dream.  It’s the 1990s and 12-year-old, hip-hop loving Eddie (Hudson Yang) just moved to suburban Orlando from DC’s Chinatown with his parents (Randall Park and Constance Wu).  Randall Park and Hudson Yang joined the ladies to discuss the new series!  Randall also recently starred in The Interview as Kim Jong Un and Rosie P wanted to know if he was ever worried for his life!  He said he wasn’t but his family and friends have been worried for him.

Hudson, who is just 11-years-old, described the series for the audience as a show about an Asian American family that moves from DC to Orlando and has to fit in and become part of the community.  He said his character’s dad (played by Randall Park) is trying to get his restaurant off the ground and has to try many different ways to make it successful.  The two-hour premiere Fresh Off the Boat premieres tomorrow (2/4) on ABC!

Audience Giveaway:  Members of the studio audience received a copy of Dear White People on DVD and 2 tickets to It’s Only a Play on Broadway!

Take a little time and enjoy The View.

written by Kelly Weist
KidRo Productions

Today on The View Rosie and Whoopi were joined by guest co-hosts Mario Cantone and Joy Behar!  Nicolle was out sick again today and Rosie Perez returns in February.

Hot Topics:

With This Ring, I Me Wed: There’s a woman who was unable to find “the one” by the time she was 40-years-old so she threw herself a wedding to marry herself!  She bought a gown, walked down the aisle, had bridesmaids and invited friends and family to attend.  Mario said, “Marrying yourself is destroying the institution of marriage and ruining family values!”  Joy said, “Next they’ll be marrying beasts, pigs and cows!”  And she said the perfect wedding gift for this woman would be endless batteries.    Rosie said Jane Lynch’s character on Glee started this trend of marrying yourself.

Go with the Flo: One of TV’s favorite sitcom moms, Florence Henderson, says she’s having the best sex of her life at 80-years-old!  She also said she still has “friends with benefits” and will only date men who can keep up with her in bed.  Rosie said, “Way to go Carol!”  Mario thinks Florence is still a “hot mama.”  Joy wondered how Florence is dealing with the gynecological issues that happen at her age.  Joy’s doctor told her her vagina is the wrong color, for example!  It is violet and should be dark purple which means her vaginal wall is thinning!  Whoopi pretended to look up her vagina to see what color it was.

Aged to Perfection:  There is a 31-year-old man who was just profiled on My Strange Addiction who won’t date anyone under the age of 60.  In fact, he just finished dating a 91-year-old woman.  Joy joked that his ideal woman is Barbara Bush (get it?).  And Mario sat with his mouth agape, completely speechless…which is rare. Whoopi was thrilled about the story and said maybe someday she’ll be a cougar too!  Mario thinks there is someone out there for everybody.  And he heard dentures turned this guy on and he wanted to know if the guy preferred the dentures in or out of the mouth.  Joy thought this “older woman thing” was just a fetish and she asked Mario if he had any fetishes.  Mario said some people think he has a fetish for black men, because his husband is black, but that’s not true!  He said he likes all men and doesn’t discriminate.    Rosie. Didn’t. Say. A. Word.

Mommy Nearest:  Research is showing that kids grow to resent mothers that are overly controlling.  Joy agreed.  She said kids will start to hate you if you are a “Tiger mom.”  Rosie said her problem as a mom is that she’s “under-controlling” especially according to her ex-wife Kelli.  She said Kelli is a fantastic parent but Rosie simply has a different style.  She’s much more permissive.  Mario doesn’t know what he would be like as a parent but he said if he’s around a child who is crying, his instinct is to give them something to quiet them down.  He worried he would spoil his child rotten just to keep them happy.  Mario said his mother wasn’t overbearing but you never knew what kind of mood she was going to be in from one moment to the next.  Joy said her mother had mood swings like that too and she attributed it to B.I.D. or “Bipolar Italian Disorder.”  Joy said some would call her an overprotective mother but she said she can’t help being a worrier.  She thinks women, in general, are worriers.  Rosie said she’s a worrier too when it comes to her kids.  When her kids go to a friend’s house she wants to meet the parents and that infuriates her daughter Chelsea.  Joy’s father would never let her sleepover anywhere.

What’s in a Name: A French court has banned some parents from naming their child “Nutella.”  The couple argued that they wanted their child to be popular and sweet like the spread, but the court said no.  Whoopi was surprised a court would even care about a baby name especially with all the crazy baby names out there.  Joy pointed out that Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter, who is named Apple Martin, is just one letter away from being named Apple Martini!  Mario read some of the most popular food-related baby names including Apple, Brie, Basil, Candy, Chardonnay, Evian, and Hennessy.

Their Own Devices:  The country of Taiwan just made it illegal for children under 2 to use any electronic device – phones, iPads, etc.  Joy thought it was a good idea!  Whoopi wanted to know how an entire country could enforce such a law and Rosie pointed out that all those products are probably made in Taiwan!  Joy’s grandson, who is just about to turn 4, was playing a game on her iPad.  It said he had to pay .99 cents for the game he wanted so he said, “These fucking people always want money!”  He’s FOUR!  Whoopi wanted to know where he got that language from?!  Joy’s daughter blames Joy for teaching him the f-word but Joy swears she doesn’t say that word in front of him.  Maybe near him, but not “in front” of him.

Guests:

Antonio Banderas:  Antonio Banderas stopped by The View to discuss his new role in the new animated feature The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.  Antonio said this project fell into his lap accidentally.  He said years ago he acted in the movie Spy Kids which was a huge success.  Then he joined the Shrek movies which led to Puss ‘n Boots and now Spongebob!  He said he likes to remain versatile and do these characters in these kids’ projects.  Antonio said the essence of being an actor for him, is to be open to the possibility of visiting many different genres with his work.  He was the only actor in the film because every other character was animated, so he had to use his imagination for all the scenes.  Rosie complimented Antonio for all the work he’s done on Broadway including his work in the play Nine.  Antonio said he would love to come back to Broadway and acting on the Broadway stage was the happiest time he’s ever had living in America.  Rosie said the same with her.  She said Broadway is the most fulfilling experience she’s ever had as an actress. Antonio said theater is like a wonderful woman that loved him once but he’s abandoned her!  Antonio also play Picasso in 33 Days.  Before he got the role of Picasso he painted a little privately but never for anyone else.   The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water opens in theaters on February 6^th.  Go see it!

Rosie’s Weight Loss:  Two years ago Rosie had a heart attack and last year she had vertical gastric sleeve surgery to lose weight.  The doctor who performed her surgery whom she credits with saving her life, Dr. Amit Trivedi from Hackensack Medical Center, joined her for an intimate one-on-one discussion.  Firstly, she thanked him for saving her life.  Dr. Trivedi said we have to rethink the way we think about obesity.  There are gyms on every corner, thousands of books about diets and yet we’re the heaviest we’ve ever been as a nation.  Rosie chose vertical gastric sleeve surgery (VGS) but she said each person is different and they need to decide what is best for them personally.  She chose VGS because it has the least amount of complications after the surgery.  Dr. Trivedi said VGS is one of the safer operations that they offer and less than 1% of the people who get this operation have any issues whatsoever.  Rosie was on 16 medications after her heart attack but after losing the weight with the surgery, she’s now on just 4!  The surgery has tremendously helped her overall health.  Dr. Trivedi explained how VGS changes the size of your stomach from the size of a football to the size of a banana.  The stomach can no longer hold as much food and by removing about 80% of the stomach, he also removes the hunger producing hormones.

Rosie said her stomach surgery was done through her belly button and she doesn’t even have a scar.  Dr. Trivedi said Rosie’s new stomach, which is about the size of a toddler’s stomach, now matches her metabolism.  She has more energy now, she’s on less medications and her heart is a lot happier because of it.  Rosie said a lot of people like her who have been heavy for most of their life are heavy because of emotional eating.  Dr. Trivedi said the surgery helps those that eat emotionally but that’s not the only thing that contributes to their weight.  By removing the hunger hormone producing part of the stomach, the physical hunger is gone.  Rosie said that’s true for her.  Once she had the surgery and her body recovered she could walk past the popcorn at the movie theater without a problem!  She has no desire to eat it when before she couldn’t resist.  It’s almost like the surgery did something to her brain, she said.  Dr. Trivedi said that’s what removing the hunger hormones does.   He said they also have nurses and support groups to help people deal with emotional eating.

Rosie said every person has to be ready to make the change before they have the surgery.  She almost died and the doctors told her if she didn’t lose weight, the chances of her having another heart attack was much greater.  She had considered having surgery in the past but never took that step.  Dr. Trivedi wanted people to know that they don’t have to wait for a life-changing or life-altering event to decide to have weight loss surgery.  He said we have to see obesity as the disease that it is.  The disease is very specific and has specific symptoms such as diabetes, heart disease, knee problems, arthritis, polycystic ovaries, etc.  And instead of getting a patch for each one of those symptoms, Dr. Trivedi believes in treating the one underlying problem – the obesity.  Rosie’s only regret about the surgery was that she didn’t do it 10 years ago.

Is Weight Loss Surgery For You:   

Rosie took several questions from some beautiful and brave audience members.  

Q: How does one overcome the guilt and shame one feels because they aren’t able to lose the weight on her own?
A: Dr. Trivedi said the doctors at his hospital are asked that all the time.  He said guilt and shame are part of this disease but treating it is the best thing you can do for your health.  He said you have to make a decision.  You have to either choose life or choose staying the way you are which has definite health risks.  He said guilt and shame is a normal concern of his patients but they have support groups that can help patients with that issue.

The audience member also realized she has no photographs of herself with her kids and if something were to happen to her, her children would not have any pictures of their mom.  The audience member never allows herself to be photographed because of her weight.  Dr. Trivedi said these are more of the consequences of the disease of obesity.  It doesn’t just effect your health it has emotional consequences too.

Q: What it’s like to be pregnant after surgery?
A: Dr. Trivedi said surgery and losing weight will actually allow you to have a healthy pregnancy.  If you get pregnant at a high weight you’re immediately considered high risk because of the increased risks of diabetes and high blood pressure.  Losing weight is the best thing you can do for your pregnancy.

Q: How long is the recovery period?
A: Dr. Trivedi said the recovery period is very short.  The surgery only takes a day or two of recovery time in the hospital and most people are back to work within a week after VGS.

Q: Is Rosie still tempted to eat fattening foods since having VGS?
A: Rosie said not as much as before the surgery.  She said before VGS when her kids would ask to go to McDonald’s she would get a Quarter Pounder Meal.  Now she orders a small fry, eats a few, and gives the remainder to the kids.  The surgery has changed the way she feels about food and the way her taste buds react to food.  It has also changed her cravings and overall hunger.  Rosie said she doesn’t have the “obsessive relationship” with food that she used to have.

Q: An audience member who had VGS last June and lost 80 pounds, has noticed that some of his old habits of overeating are starting to come back.  He wanted to know what he can do to not fall into that same behavior he once had.
A: Dr. Trivedi stressed exercising and attending the support groups following the surgery so you can get support.   Rosie suggested the online support groups.  She found a lot of helpful people on them before she had her surgery and now likes to go on the online groups to give advice and offer support to others.

An audience member who had the lap-band surgery that didn’t work chose to have VGS and she’s lost 40 pounds in the last four months!
Rosie said she’s heard before that lap-band surgery doesn’t always work for everyone.  Dr. Trivedi said it’s important for people to find what works for them.  But he said if the surgery you chose doesn’t work for you, they can help you find that tool that does work.

Rosie encouraged anyone thinking about this surgery to take your life into your own hands.  Be the one to save your own life.
Watch part of the segment HERE on ABC.com

Take a little time to enjoy The View!

written by Kelly Weist
KidRo Productions

Today on The View, Rosie and Whoopi were joined by guest co-hosts Padma Lakshmi and Mario Cantone.  Nicolle was sick today and Rosie Perez returns in February.

Hot Topics:

Money Talks: The whole country is talking about the Super Bowl right now except for one guy, Marshawn Lynch.  He doesn’t like talking to the press but he likes talking about Skittles!  He’s been getting heat for not talking to the press and sports journalists are very upset with him.  Ed Sherman is calling for a Skittles boycott claiming they’re helping Marshawn mock the media.  Padma said meanwhile, the media makes it their job to go around mocking everybody.  And she said if she were an owner of a football team she would want the players to concentrate on what they’re going to do on the field not how they talk about it afterwards.  Mario thinks there are ways to work the press and Marshawn could have improvised.  Whoopi said all of the hosts would be able to improvise but maybe Marshawn doesn’t feel like he could.  Richard Sherman, who was blasted in the media last year for how he spoke to the press after a game, supports Marshawn’s choice not to speak to them.

Do What on a First Date: There’s a new book entitled Own That Guy in 60 Days that claims that if women have sex on the first date, pay for dinner and do not play hard-to-get, they will get the man they want in two months.  No one at the table thought that could possibly be true.  Whoopi doesn’t want to own anybody anyway! Padma called it “stupid” and said she wouldn’t be attracted to anyone she could own.  Rosie thinks the most valuable thing you have is your integrity and that should never be bought.  Mario thinks it’s different with men and he said if a man can have sex with a woman on a first date, they would.  But he knows a lot of straight men who, as much as they want sex on the first date, won’t respect the woman’s decision to have sex with them.  Whoopi would ditch the book.  Padma thought the only good advice from the book was to call or text the next day to say “thank you” for the date.  Rosie said if Padma called her back the next day after a date, she’d be celebrating!!

Oh Baby: The measles outbreak on the west coast  is causing some parents to speak out.  One woman took her baby to the doctor’s office when it turned out that another unvaccinated child, who had tested positive for measles, had recently been in that waiting room.  Now her baby has to stay in a mandatory 28-day quarantine.   Whoopi understands people are afraid of vaccines but doesn’t understand how parents can’t realize that they’re putting other kids at risk.  Padma spaced her daughter’s vaccinations out but said her daughter is up-to-date.  She understands the mom who is upset.  She thinks it’s fine if you don’t believe in vaccines but you should also make sure you don’t affect the health of other people.   Mario believes in vaccines.  Rosie’s kids have all been vaccinated.  However, a lot of parents at her children’s school chose not to vaccinate.  Padma thinks if you don’t vaccinate your children they should be required to wear a bracelet identifying them as non-vaccinated.  Rosie wasn’t sure about that idea but said it’s a difficult topic for some parents.  Whoopi thinks it’s crazy we are talking about a disease that was irradiated years ago all because some parents are being irresponsible.  She said if she gets measles from your child because they weren’t vaccinated, she’s coming to your house!

Padma wished there was a vaccine against jerks!  But Whoopi said jerks can be good in your life because they teach you what you don’t want.  Rosie listens to a woman named Esther Hicks on YouTube who calls that phenomenon “contrast.”  She says contrast presents itself in your world so you can be in alignment and realize what you don’t want.  And Mario said it’s just as important to “listen” to your history so you can learn from it and not make the same mistake in your next relationship.  Whoopi said we choose to play with jerks because we are often afraid to be alone even when all the signs tell us to run.  Padma quoted Maya Angelou and said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.”

Holy Matri-Money: Actress Gabriel Union wants people to know that she signed a pre-nup before marrying NBA superstar Dwayne Wade because she makes her own money and doesn’t need his.  Rosie thought it was fantastic and said, “Good for her!” Mario and Padma agreed.  Whoopi said she would talk about a pre-nup on the first date to ensure she leaves a relationship exactly how she entered it in case anything ever happens.

Padma Update: The first half of the Top Chef finale was last night!  And Padma also has a company called Easy Exotic that sells culinary products and tabletop items at places like Kohls and Target.  They are also introducing frozen organic rices at Whole Foods!   When Padma said “frozen” Rosie burst out into song and began singing Let it Go.  Padma said she and her daughter are big fans of the movie too!  Rosie mentioned how she wants to go on the Frozen cruise and they had a whole Frozen discussion about their love of the film.

Guests:

Kevin Costner: Oscar winner Kevin Costner joined our hosts to discuss his new film entitled Black or White.  He plays a widower who gets pulled into a racially-charged custody battle for his granddaughter.  Whoopi wondered if Kevin felt compelled to do a movie that discussed this issue because in America, we’re not having the discussions we need to be having about race.  He said he just knew when he read the story that he couldn’t run away from it.  He said the film tries have an authentic look at where we are with race today.  In the film, Kevin’s character and Octavia Spencer are in a custody dispute over their granddaughter.  He said when lawyers get involved in a custody issue, race can sometimes get used as a tool as it does in this movie.  Kevin said this movie says a lot of things he wished we could say.  He even chose to finance this movie himself.  Kevin said his problem is he can’t fall out of love with something and once he heard this project wouldn’t get made, he and his wife chose to finance it themselves.  He said he would like to make more movies, but if he never gets to do another movie, he would happily live with this one as his last.  Kevin spoke about the wonderful actress who plays his granddaughter in the film, about what it’s like to be a father a second time around and about being a musician.  Black or White will be in theaters nationwide tomorrow, January 30th.  Go see it!

Impractical Jokers: In Impractical Jokers, four very funny friends, Q, Murr, Joe and Sal, compete to embarrass each other in front of an unsuspecting public.  They dare each other to do crazy things and the public has no clue!  The four men have been friends since high school and have known each other for over 25 years.  Mario felt like he was at his cousin’s bachelor party and he loves the show.  One of The View producers got the four Impractical Jokers together before the show to perform some practical jokes on unknowing audience members!   Rosie’s favorite episode of Impractical Jokers was the mashed potatoes episode.

Rosie’s son is a HUGE fan of the show and told her she looks like one of the guys – Q.  She agreed!  So, she appeared in an episode to prove it!  Watch below.  But Q has since grown a beard so it ruins their look-alike contest so he handed Rosie a fake beard to wear.  So Rosie got Q a fake I.D. that says “Brian O’Donnell” so he can pretend they’re related!  The Impractical Jokers are on tour and this weekend in Florida.  And their new show premieres tonight on TruTV at 10/9(c)!

Audience Giveaway: Everyone in the studio audience got a copy of Impractical Jokers: Season 2 on DVD.

Take a little time to enjoy The View!

written by Kelly Weist
KidRo Productions