Hot Topics:

• Bill Cosby Rape Allegations: The women of The View discussed the mounting allegations of rape against Bill Cosby.  Netflix, NBC and TVLand have dropped Cosby from their programming.  In a recent AP interview, Cosby refused to discuss the charges and he asked that the conversation about it that took place during the interview not air.  Nicolle said she can’t remember another time where someone asked to be “off the record” and the interviewers didn’t honor that request.  She wondered if maybe that was because he asked for the comments to not air after he “answered” their questions instead of before.  Nicolle said we don’t have any new facts to add to the conversation but Rosie O has been keeping up on the story and said there have been new allegations coming to light.  Rosie O said there are allegations of rape against Bill Cosby going back to 1969.  She thinks it’s hard for the ladies to discuss Cosby in this context because he’s seen as the “beloved father” that we as a society hold dearly.  She said to even talk about anyone you know or love doing such a horrible thing can be hard for people.  Rosie P can’t understand why people are slamming him so badly on social media.  She thinks the networks are only dropping him because of the social media outrage, not because of the charges themselves.  She said the charges themselves are none of her business.  Rosie O wanted to clarify that Rosie P’s biggest problem with the story was the fact that Cosby was losing business deals not because of the allegations themselves.  Rosie O pointed out that the only reason the story was in the news again wasn’t because the victims were coming forward for personal gain but because a comedian put it in his act and then went on Howard Stern to talk about it.  Rosie P said it’s not for her to say whether Cosby is guilty or innocent.  She would only comment on the media backlash.  Nicolle said everyone who has been a victim of rape is brave to come out and speak about it but none of them on the panel can know the unknowable, which is what truly happened.   Whoopi said we’ve seen famous people lose their endorsements and business deals because of rumors that have started in the media in the past.  She listed Tiger Woods, Paula Deen, and Kobe Bryant, as examples.  Rosie O thinks there’s a big difference between a rape allegation and Paula using the “N” word.  But Whoopi said until you know it’s true, it’s simply an allegation.  She knew Paula Deen for years and she is okay with Paula using the “N” word because she admitted to it and it exists in a place where she was raised.  Whoopi then said, once you’re accused of something and the media gets a hold of it, you’re guilty no matter what and people can’t wait to jump on the bandwagon.  But she said for her, she’s going to wait to make a judgment against Bill.  Rosie O asked what she’s waiting for because there are no charges pending against Cosby. She wanted to know what the other ladies think the motivation of the women is to come forward now.  She asked if they all think the victims woke up one day and said, “I want to ruin Bill Cosby today.”  Rosie P thinks it’s probably hard for the women as well because everyone is piling up on them too on social media.  Nicolle said either 13-15 women were raped by a man too powerful to face charges or an innocent man is being accused, but either way it’s a tragedy.  She said she finds the truth unknowable but maybe she’s missing something.
• Slammed By Snow:  Buffalo and other parts of the Northeast, are getting slammed by snow.  Rosie P was watching Anderson Cooper last night about a woman who went into labor during the snowstorm.  The husband went searching for help and found a woman stuck in her car in the snow who just so happened to be a labor and delivery nurse!  The woman stuck with them and helped deliver their baby.  The ladies passed on their congratulations to the young family.  Nicolle said it was brave of everyone involved. Rosie P loved the story and believed it was a true miracle.
• Viral Video: A seven-year-old girl is on a mission to send a message of peace to the people of Ferguson through her trusty violin.  The video brought Whoopi to tears.  She thought it would be wonderful if they put up the video on giant screens to play for the people of St. Louis.
• Mike Nichols Passing:  Mike Nichols has died at the age of 83 and he meant the world to Whoopi.  Whoopi was in tears and couldn’t even speak so Rosie O explained to the audience that Mike was a major force in Whoopi’s career.  He saw her performing and saw her talent that no one else had yet to discover.  He recognized her brilliance and gave her a career in show business before anyone else.  Rosie P talked about some of the great gifts Mike has given, to not only Whoopi but to the world.  Last year on The View they did a show where they each brought in their mentors and Whoopi brought in Mike.  They showed a clip of their interview.
• Viral Video:  A video about transgender acceptance by a boy named Alex has gone viral.  Rosie O spoke personally about an experience she and her children had with a little boy at their school who was living as a girl.  She commented on how far parents have come today and how proud she was of kids who are so able to articulate their feelings.  Whoopi also gave props to today’s parents for being so accepting of their kids.
• Mickey Rourke:  Actor Mickey Rourke has said he’s going to revive his boxing career  even though he is 64 years old and hasn’t been in the ring since 1994.  Rosie P said Mickey once tried to start a career in boxing but got his face beaten in and that’s why he had to have plastic surgery.  She said with all due respect, Mickey is not Bernard Hopkins (the fighter he intends to fight).  She’s more than a little worried for him.
• Rosie P Doing Good:  Rosie P has a speech tonight at the Teddy Atlas Foundation which raises money for individuals and organizations in need.  And on Saturday, you can catch Rosie P giving a speech benefiting the Burns Latino Studies Academy which helps fund student field trips and help revamp the school.

Guests:
Mayim Bialik:  Mayim Bialik from the hit television shows Blossom and The Big Bang Theory joined the ladies of The View to discuss what she’s been up to these days!  She also wanted to set the record straight about her supposed “feud” with Rosie O over the movie Frozen.  Rosie O asked Mayim about her role in the movie Beaches and how she got the part.  Mayim said it took her 4 months of auditions to land the role in the film.  After Beaches, Mayim landed the series Blossom.  Mayim was two years out of high school when Blossom ended and then went to UCLA where she got her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Neuroscience.  They talked a little bit about her character on the show The Big Bang Theory and how the actors truly don’t know what’s going to happen next.  When Rosie O asked Mayim if she thinks her character, or the other characters on the show, are on the spectrum Mayim said she knows lots of people exactly like those characters on the show.  They showed a sneak peak of tonight’s episode of The Big Bang Theory.  She said she has a great relationship with Jim Parsons in real life.  She said he’s an incredibly humble, gifted actor and a wickedly funny person too.  Mayim is a big advocate for attachment parenting and the notion of gentle discipline.  Rosie O said she wants to be BFFs with Mayim because they parent the same way but joked that her opinion about Frozen is absolutely wrong.

Rosie & Mayim Bialik

Aaron Sorkin: Writer, Producer and Actor, Aaron Sorkin, joined the ladies of The View about his latest series on HBO entitled The Newsroom.   Nicolle was a major superfan of Aaron and fangirled all over him.  In The Newsroom Aaron explained that he doesn’t have the inclination or ability to tell real journalists what to do.  But just like in The West Wing, where he wants our leaders to be heroic and capable,  he wanted to do the same thing with journalists.  Nicolle said when she worked in the White House she felt like her career was made possible in some way by the fictional Press Secretary Aaron created in The West Wing.  Nicolle thinks he created one of the most important working women ever created in television.  Aaron gave all the credit to Allison Janney who played CJ Craig on the series.  He said Janney is one of the most fun people to work with and all the credit for the character goes to her.  When asked about whether he was done writing for television Aaron said the hard deadlines of TV and the inability to be flexible with his writing, have made him not want to write for TV anymore.  That being said, if he gets another idea for a TV series, he said he’s sure he won’t be able to resist.  The Newsroom airs Sunday nights on HBO at 10/9(c).

Quoteables:

Rosie P: “In this world of the Internet and the information highway and social media I think that it’s pretty fascinating that public opinion can turn the tide.”   
Whoopi: “Until you know that it’s true, it’s an allegation.”
Nicolle: “I am officially a superfan [of Aaron Sorkin].”
Rosie O: “It’s very hard for any of us to discuss Bill Cosby in this context because he is the beloved father image.”
Mayim Bialik: “I think one of the most important parts of attachment parenting, that people don’t really think about, is the concept of gentle discipline which is the notion that children deserve to be listened to.”

What’s your view on the Bill Cosby rape allegations?  Do you think we are too quick to judge?  Is this just a problem with social media and jumping on the bandwagon?  Or do you think where there’s smoke there’s fire?  Do you think Cosby should lose his deals with companies like Netflix and TVLand?  

Take a little time to enjoy The View!