Now that Rosie
O'Donnell has exited, stage left, The View must find
someone to fill her seat and somehow match her
watercooler appeal. That won't be easy, but there's a
lineup of famous ladies who could make worthy successors.
The brash,
big-hearted O'Donnell brought edge and excitement to The
View, lifting ratings and making enemies along the
way. But in a move out of line with her fighting persona,
she chose to depart the ABC talk show earlier than
planned following an on-air confrontation with cohost
Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
There's no
disputing the star wattage or entertainment value of
possible replacements Roseanne Barr, Whoopi Goldberg,
and Bette Midler. Other names that have come up are
former talk show host Ricki Lake, comedians Kathy
Griffin and Wanda Sykes, Oprah Winfrey's friend Gayle King,
and genial actress Sherri Shepherd.
No contender is
buzzier than Barr, who has said she wants the job.
Griffin, whose acid-tongued bark is equal to her bite, would
be another good choice, said In Touch magazine
executive editor Dan Wakeford.
''She's very
similar to Rosie in a lot of ways,'' Wakeford said. ''She
elicits strong reactions like Rosie. Love her or hate her,
you have a reaction which makes great TV.''
In that respect,
Griffin-- who puts it all out there on her
Bravo reality show--certainly delivers. But can
she deliver viewers?
''After dealing
with Rosie for a year, Barbara and the producers may
prefer someone who's easier to manage and less dramatic,''
noted Wakefield, who said the less controversial
Shepherd is popular with the show's producers. Still,
he said, ''the most important thing is ratings.''
Pop culture
critic Ken Tucker is skeptical that such hopefuls can match
O'Donnell's TV talents: humor, controversy, and ''an ability
to keep the show moving.'' The chatfest needs to
''look for a different personality'' post-Rosie,
Tucker said.
He has an idea:
Make cohost Joy Behar the moderator and hire the spunky
Sykes as a panelist to replace Star Jones (who either quit
or was fired last year, depending on whom you
believe).
The likeable
Behar, who has an eternal expression of bemusement, has
''really come into her own in the past few months since
Rosie's been on,'' said Tucker, editor-at-large for
Entertainment Weekly. ''She is somebody who
could be the moderator and the kind of voice of reason to
keep things going when everybody starts talking over
each other.''
Behar illustrated
that talent when she attempted to distract O'Donnell
and Hasselbeck during last week's infamous spat, saying,
''Who is directing the show? Let's go to a
commercial.''
Tucker's other
favorite is Lauren Graham, who formerly starred on TV's
Gilmore Girls. The brunette beauty is ''really
smart,'' he said, and is available since the mother-daughter
dramedy closed this year.
As long as we're
on the subject, there are others who should get a look.
For your consideration:
- Marie Osmond:
The wholesome singer and sister of Donny is now an
outspoken mother of eight. She was a surprisingly
self-assured and appealing guest cohost a few weeks
ago. Despite her religious upbringing, no ''hot
topic'' seemed off limits. Osmond, who's got loads of life
experience and is divorcing her second husband, could be an
unexpected foil for the girlish Hasselbeck.
- Sharon
Osbourne: The wife of Ozzie and mother of three has battled
colon cancer, managed her husband's music career, and earned
TV experience on America's Got Talent, The
Osbournes, and her own talk show.
- Kelly Ripa: The
adorable sidekick to Regis Philbin has juggled multiple
TV gigs at once. What's one more?
- Mo'Nique: The
hilarious host of VH1's Charm School tells it
like it is. But she's charismatic enough to get her
own talk show, sans cohosts.
Can O'Donnell be
equaled? Show creator Walters seems to think so.
''We've been a
hot show for 10 years,'' she proclaimed Tuesday on the
air, ''and we'll be a hot show for many years." (AP)