While I did not think it was the greatest show ever...it was a nice change from the usual TV fare..where else can you see stars drop by and entertain?
Did anyone watch Rosie's Variety Show?
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Apparently very few did, it was cancelled after one show.
nmaineman36
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The critics panned it and I didnt see it so I have no opinion but I did hear on OutQ that they said that Liza Minnelli rose up thru the floor and it looked like she was rising from the dead. Kathy Griffin was awful and of course they had Miss Clay Aiken on. Kinda wish now I had watched this train wreck....
It's on You Tube
There are clips galore on You Tube..I actually liked the Gonna Eat for Thanksgiving song with Gloria Estefan..
There are clips galore on You Tube..I actually liked the Gonna Eat for Thanksgiving song with Gloria Estefan..
It was painful to watch. We couldn't stick with it. But was probably the only time anybody ever saw or will see Rosie in a sequined dress and lipstick.
I was expecting her to try and revive the old Carol Burnett format but instead it was like watching an attempt to recapture a hokey TV genre from around 1947 when television was still a novelty and people were hungry for any images they could see on their expensive new 10" round screen regardless of the quality of the content.
I was expecting her to try and revive the old Carol Burnett format but instead it was like watching an attempt to recapture a hokey TV genre from around 1947 when television was still a novelty and people were hungry for any images they could see on their expensive new 10" round screen regardless of the quality of the content.
On
I had this to say about the show before its airing:
The good old fashioned variety television show has been mostly dead in the US for many years now. It's hard to imagine a program such as The Ed Sullivan Show, with its many and varied acts for people of all ages, to succeed in today's video universe. The last time the broadcast networks tried to do a traditional variety show was in 1987, with the expensive failure of Dolly, the ABC series headlined by singer-actress Dolly Parton.
But Rosie O'Donnell thinks she can make variety series hip again.
At least NBC hopes so. It will air a special November 26th, called Rosie Live. The former talk show host and co-host of ABC's morning gabfest The View tells "Television Week" magazine she has recruited a list of guest stars for the show--including Liza Minnelli (whom she calls "showbiz royalty"). Plus, she'll take a tip from the days of Ed Sullivan and the beloved Carol Burnett Show, by having musical guests (rapper Ne-Yo and singer Alanis Morisette ), big production numbers and comedy sketches. And as the name implies NBC will air Rosie Live will air live from New York City's Little Shubert Theater--with a five-second delay--on the East Coast. (It will be taped for later broadcast for those of us who live on the West Coast.)
If enough people tune in, NBC will likely order more episodes for 2009. Both CBS and Fox are also developing variety shows (the latter featuring the Osbourne family).
O'Donnell is hoping for success; she has been working for six years to bring a variety series to a major network. Though she has been executive producer of The Big Gay Sketch Show--a half-hour skit series on the GLBT cable network Logo--that program is definitely for adults only. As Rosie told "TV Week":
“Since my (syndicated talk) show ended May 22, 2002, I’ve been telling everyone I want to do a variety show,” she said. “And everyone said to me, ‘Well, variety doesn’t work.’ I said, ‘“American Idol,” hello? “Dancing With the Stars”? People!’ These are all variety shows, only they have judges, and they’re not quite as entertaining.”
It was only after a meeting with NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman that she was given the green light for the live pilot. Silverman justified his decision this way:
“The moment everyone else is saying no is probably the best moment to say yes. Variety is a format that’s not on the air right now, and doing this show live feels so relevant in the age of the DVR.”
So will Rosie Live succeed? I'll quote the words of Fred Silverman, the man who headed entertainment at both CBS and ABC (and was president of NBC): When an underling at NBC told Silverman the variety format was dead, he had this simple reply:
"It's dead until the next hit variety show is on the air."
The Verdict:
The day before Thanksgiving was not a good day for the return of variety on network television. NBC's much-touted "Rosie Live," starring Rosie O'Donnell as the host of a music and comedy variety hour that harkened back to the days of Ed Sullivan, pulled in only five million viewers (and tied in the advertiser-friendly 18-49 category with ABC's soon-to-depart "Pushing Daisies" for third place). By contrast, an ABC special with Barbara Walters interviewing Barack and Michelle Obama later that night pulled in nearly 12 million viewers, nearly overtaking CBS' CSI: New York and beating NBC's Law & Order.
Like most variety shows, there were highlights of "Rosie Live" (several of the musical and talent numbers) and low points (some of the comedy skits fell flat). And Rosie is a polarizing figure; you either love her or hate her. I love her, but I'm in the minority, I guess. (Her political views on the show didn't help matters.) Overall, a good try, but it needed far better execution. Bottom line: Don't look for any more "Rosie Live" shows on NBC anytime soon.
UPDATE: This response from Rosie O'Donnell's website blog to one of her fans:
there will b no more
no ratings
bad reviews
yet still - a thrill 4 me
I had this to say about the show before its airing:
The good old fashioned variety television show has been mostly dead in the US for many years now. It's hard to imagine a program such as The Ed Sullivan Show, with its many and varied acts for people of all ages, to succeed in today's video universe. The last time the broadcast networks tried to do a traditional variety show was in 1987, with the expensive failure of Dolly, the ABC series headlined by singer-actress Dolly Parton.
But Rosie O'Donnell thinks she can make variety series hip again.
At least NBC hopes so. It will air a special November 26th, called Rosie Live. The former talk show host and co-host of ABC's morning gabfest The View tells "Television Week" magazine she has recruited a list of guest stars for the show--including Liza Minnelli (whom she calls "showbiz royalty"). Plus, she'll take a tip from the days of Ed Sullivan and the beloved Carol Burnett Show, by having musical guests (rapper Ne-Yo and singer Alanis Morisette ), big production numbers and comedy sketches. And as the name implies NBC will air Rosie Live will air live from New York City's Little Shubert Theater--with a five-second delay--on the East Coast. (It will be taped for later broadcast for those of us who live on the West Coast.)
If enough people tune in, NBC will likely order more episodes for 2009. Both CBS and Fox are also developing variety shows (the latter featuring the Osbourne family).
O'Donnell is hoping for success; she has been working for six years to bring a variety series to a major network. Though she has been executive producer of The Big Gay Sketch Show--a half-hour skit series on the GLBT cable network Logo--that program is definitely for adults only. As Rosie told "TV Week":
“Since my (syndicated talk) show ended May 22, 2002, I’ve been telling everyone I want to do a variety show,” she said. “And everyone said to me, ‘Well, variety doesn’t work.’ I said, ‘“American Idol,” hello? “Dancing With the Stars”? People!’ These are all variety shows, only they have judges, and they’re not quite as entertaining.”
It was only after a meeting with NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman that she was given the green light for the live pilot. Silverman justified his decision this way:
“The moment everyone else is saying no is probably the best moment to say yes. Variety is a format that’s not on the air right now, and doing this show live feels so relevant in the age of the DVR.”
So will Rosie Live succeed? I'll quote the words of Fred Silverman, the man who headed entertainment at both CBS and ABC (and was president of NBC): When an underling at NBC told Silverman the variety format was dead, he had this simple reply:
"It's dead until the next hit variety show is on the air."
The Verdict:
The day before Thanksgiving was not a good day for the return of variety on network television. NBC's much-touted "Rosie Live," starring Rosie O'Donnell as the host of a music and comedy variety hour that harkened back to the days of Ed Sullivan, pulled in only five million viewers (and tied in the advertiser-friendly 18-49 category with ABC's soon-to-depart "Pushing Daisies" for third place). By contrast, an ABC special with Barbara Walters interviewing Barack and Michelle Obama later that night pulled in nearly 12 million viewers, nearly overtaking CBS' CSI: New York and beating NBC's Law & Order.
Like most variety shows, there were highlights of "Rosie Live" (several of the musical and talent numbers) and low points (some of the comedy skits fell flat). And Rosie is a polarizing figure; you either love her or hate her. I love her, but I'm in the minority, I guess. (Her political views on the show didn't help matters.) Overall, a good try, but it needed far better execution. Bottom line: Don't look for any more "Rosie Live" shows on NBC anytime soon.
UPDATE: This response from Rosie O'Donnell's website blog to one of her fans:
there will b no more
no ratings
bad reviews
yet still - a thrill 4 me
