Oprah’s Morning TV Face-Off with Gayle King

So much for friendship! ABC Network announced a bevy of big names –including Oprah Winfrey - will be filling in for Robin Roberts while the “Good Morning America” host takes an extended medical leave.

Did Oprah forget that her best friend, Gaye King, hosts the CBS Morning show?  I guess  nothing stands in your way when you’re trying to boost the ratings for your network.

Robin Roberts, who is battling the rare bone marrow disorder MDS, began her leave on Thursday. The show devoted its second hour to her, and during that time, announced some of the people who would take over from Roberts during her absence. It’s not clear how long she will be gone, though her treatment will take at least some months.

ABC News is drawing from its extensive stable for some of its guest hosts. Diane Sawyer, Amy Robach, Elisabeth Vargas, Katie Couric and Barbara Walters will all do stints.

What fruits and vegetables do  you like to eat to stay healthy? The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic plays his newest food game, Serve, Taste or Trash to reveal the world’s most loved and hated foods.

Meet Mr. Divabetic on the red carpet at  Central Farm Market in Bethesda, MD, Plus Night Out NYC, New York, NY Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes in Philadelphia, PA the American Diabetes Association Expo in Pittsburgh, PA and the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes Health Fair & Conferences in San Diego, Ca and Austin, TX in Fall 2012. For more glitter, games and glucose advice visit: www.divabetic.org Original music by Douglas Clay: www.douglasclaymusic.com

LISTEN NOW: Free Diabetes Podcast Inspired by Katy Perry  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/07/10/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-katy-perry

 

Rosie O’Donnell Recovering from Heart Attack

Emmy Award winner, Broadway actress and television personality Rosie O’Donnell suffered a heart attack last week, according to her blog at Rosie.com.

In O’Donnell’s Aug. 20 entry, entitled “my heart attack,” the actress explained that she felt sore after helping an “enormous woman” get out of her car in a parking lot in Nyack, NY, on Aug. 14.

“A few hours later my body hurt/i had an ache in my chest/both my arms were sore/everything felt bruised,” wrote O’Donnell, 50, who admitted to not calling 911 when the pain did not subside.

“I googled womens heart attack symptoms/i had many of them/but really? – i thought – naaaa/i took some bayer aspirin/thank god/saved by a tv commercial/literally,” she continued.

O’Donnell said she had a stent inserted the next day after doctors found that her coronary artery was 99 percent blocked.

O’Donnell’s representative Cindi Berger told People magazine, “She is now home and resting comfortably. She is very, very lucky.”

O’Donnell’s Emmy-winning talk show, “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” ran from 1996 to 2001. The performer made her Broadway debut as Rizzo in the 1994 revival of Grease! Following Grease!, she went on to play a limited engagement as the Cat in the Hat in the Ahrens-Flaherty musical Seussical, and portrayed Golde in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof.

 

LISTEN NOW: Free Diabetes Roundtable Inspired by Whitney Houston hosted by Mr. Divabetic   http://ning.it/NcR3ug

Let Mr. Divabetic help to inspire you overcome aversions to fruits and vegetables you think you don’t like, and even learn to love them with his new food game, Serve, Taste or Trash.  

Meet Mr. Divabetic on the red tomato carpet at  Fashion’s Night Out in New York, NY, Central Farm Market in Washington, DC,  Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes outreach event in Philadelphia, PA, the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Expo in Pittsburgh, PA and the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes Conferences & Health Fairs in San Diego, CA and Austin, TX in  2012. Watch more of Mr Divabetic‘s  videos, enjoy over 75 free diabetes podcasts and get expert advice on diabetes and diabetes self-care at: www.divabetic.org

Rosie O’Donnell And Fiancee Dealing with Major Health Crisis

2012 has been a rough year for Rosie O’Donnell. First her TV show was canceled on OWN network, then she started an awkward public feud with Lindsay Lohan and now we learn that  her fiancée Michelle Rounds has been diagnosed with a rare disease.

“Again and again, her pain grew worse,” O’Donnell writes on her blog. “It seemed impossible. No one knew what was wrong. Life changes in an instant.”

The couple went through a “maze of medical mystery,” according to the blog post, until Rounds was eventually diagnosed with desmoid tumors. O’Donnell calls it a “beyond rare” disease that isn’t cancer but “acts cancerous” and only affects three out of every million people.

“She is recovering from surgery [she had] in June,” O’Donnell reveals. “[She's] getting stronger every day. We have joined the fight against this disease, raising money and awareness.”

Rounds’s illness has put a damper on upcoming nuptials for the couple, who in December publicly announced their plans to marry.

“We had to postpone our wedding scheduled for next summer,” O’Donnell says. In lieu of gifts for their eventual union, the couple is asking for donations to the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation.

Thank goodness, Rosie’s a fighter! The diva might be ‘down’ but she’s definitely not ‘out’. We have no doubt that she’ll continue to  provide love, support, encouragment and laughter to her partner, Michelle.

Look who else is flexing their diva attitude. Check out real people’s reactions to Mr. Divabetic unique way of promoting healthy eating habits at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA.

Mr. Divabetic is the host of Divabetic’s dynamic free online and mobile podcast channel featuring health care professionals, beauty, image/style and fitness experts, entertainment industry leaders and VIPs: women and men living with, at risk of and affected by diabetes.

Meet Mr. Divabetic on the red carpet at the American Diabetes Association Expo in Pittsburgh, PA and the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes Health Fair & Conferences in San Diego, CA and Austin, TX in Fall 2012. For more glitter, games and glucose advice visit: http://www.divabetic.org Original music by Douglas Clay: http://www.douglasclaymusic.com

LISTEN NOW: Free Diabetes Podcast Inspired by Katy Perry  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/07/10/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-katy-perry

Oprah’s Shocking New Look Stirs Controversy

After more than 12 years of monthly publication, “O, The Oprah Magazine” is finally featuring  Oprah Winfrey, with her hair au naturel — no blow dryer, no flat iron, just a mop of tight curls framing her smiling face.

Inside the September 2012 issue , the TV legend says sporting her natural texture makes her feel “unencumbered”

For many ‘O’ fans, her new low maintenance hairdo  seems to take years off the 58-year-old celebrity’s face and gives her that Beyoncé-in-the-summertime look.

It wasn’t always the hairstyle Oprah wanted, though, as she explains:

“I wanted to wear it close-cropped, à la Camille Cosby, but her husband Bill convinced me otherwise. ‘Don’t do it,’ he said,” she recalls. “‘You’ve got the wrong head shape and you’ll disappoint yourself.’ I took his advice.”

It’s a seemingly authentic and honest interview, but not everyone has had a positive reaction.  On People Style Watch, someone posted:

 “I don’t blame non-black people for loving it and believing Oprah when she says this is her ‘natural’ hair but this B.S. is what makes actual kinky-haired women feel inferior because THIS is a LIE. This is NOT what most black women have on their heads unless they are mixed at some level and, no, you don’t have to be light to have mixed hair. “

Others, commenting on urban fashion site Fashion Bomb Daily, seized the opportunity to express their wishes that First Lady Michelle Obama likewise embrace her natural hair in order to help young girls across the country with similarly-textured locks feel good about it.

We feel this eye-catching magazine cover — starring a curly-tressed version of one of the country’s most celebrated African-American women — is certainly a step in the right direction. By Hilary George-Parkin, Styleite

How natural are your food choices?  Check out real people’s reactions to Mr. Divabetic unique way of promoting healthy eating habits at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA.

Mr. Divabetic is the host of Divabetic’s dynamic free online and mobile podcast channel featuring health care professionals, beauty, image/style and fitness experts, entertainment industry leaders and VIPs: women and men living with, at risk of and affected by diabetes.

Meet Mr. Divabetic on the red carpet at the American Diabetes Association Expo in Pittsburgh, PA and the Taking Control Of Your Diabetes Health Fair & Conferences in San Diego, Ca and Austin, TX in Fall 2012. For more glitter, games and glucose advice visit: http://www.divabetic.org Original music by Douglas Clay: http://www.douglasclaymusic.com

LISTEN NOW: Free Diabetes Podcast Inspired by Katy Perry  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/divatalkradio1/2012/07/10/diabetes-roundtable-inspired-by-katy-perry

 

Oprah Talks About OWNing Her Mistakes

Oprah Winfrey speaks to “CBS This Morning” co-hosts Gayle King and Charlie Rose about the live taping of “Oprah Lifeclass: The Tour,” and her struggling cable network, OWN.

Rosie Addresses Her Show’s Cancellation

Rosie O’Donnell addresses The Rosie Show’s cancellation on OWN Network. We love her attitude!! For more info on The Rosie Show visit http://www.rosie.com

Is The Rosie Show Moving To New York To Save Ratings?

Rosie O’Donnell’s TV history is repeating itself — and, as in the past, it’s getting ugly.

O’Donnell’s talk show, “The Rosie Show,” is imploding just five months after launching on Oprah Winfrey’s little-watched OWN cable network.

Not only is “The Rosie Show” a ratings disaster — it averaged just 150,000 viewers last week — but O’Donnell is selling her $2.5 million mansion in Chicago, where the show tapes, and reportedly wants to move the production to New York. That would leave producer Harpo with empty, expensive, unused studio space it might not want to surrender so easily.

Adding fuel to the fire are reports in the Chicago media that “The Rosie Show” is plagued by a lack of focus, a cranky, erratic, disinterested host and a backstage power struggle between Team Rosie and Winfrey loyalists who worked on the now-defunct “Oprah” and are at odds with O’Donnell.

It now seems that what’s worked for  Rosie O’Donnell in the past isn’t working anymore.

I like Rosie O’Donnell. She’s smart and funny and probably one of the most generous celebrities on the planet. Plus, she loves theater and goes out of her way to support it!  She seems to be trying everything she can to save her talk show. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be working. Imagine yourself in her shoes. How would you deal with the pressures of fame?

Rosie O’Donnell Talk Show Cuts 30 Jobs

Divabetic: Everything's Not Rosie

Nearly five months after launch, Rosie O’Donnell‘s Chicago-based talk show has shifted gears in an effort to boost eyeballs.

The show, which had been taped in the massive studio vacated by The Oprah Winfrey Show, has moved into a smaller, more intimate area. As a result, about 30 employees have lost their jobs.

There’s been so many sudden changes (the set, the band, the audience) on the show over the past few months, we feel confused just watching!! Plus, our good friend, Katreese Barnes, who was Rosie’s music director lost her job along with the rest of the house band in January.

“What’s going on with the show is what goes on with a lot of shows — they evolve over time to better deliver upon what viewers’ and advertisers’ expectations are,” the publication quoted consulting producer Scott Carlin as saying.

The changes follow the departure last week of Lisa Erspamer, the executive vice president of production and development at OWN, The Oprah Winfrey Network.

Oprah: She’s Back!

Divabetic: Oprah's Next Chapter

Seeing a bit of positive ratings movement, the struggling Oprah Winfrey Network is getting more of what seems to work — Oprah.

She’s back!!! The network revealed Tuesday that Winfrey’s “Oprah’s Next Chapter” would expand from one to two nights a week, starting next weekend, and run that way through February.

The two-night approach begins with a piece on a trip Winfrey took to Haiti with Sean Penn to run Sunday and Monday.

“Oprah’s Next Chapter” is Winfrey’s latest series since her talk show went off the air last spring.

It’s landed just in time for the struggling network.

In the series, Winfrey visits people on location for in-depth interviews. The show has turned into OWN’s most-watched program of any kind, averaging 924,000 viewers.

“I think it is a good thing,” says ratings expert Brad Adgate of Horizon Media about the program’s expansion. “It seems that Oprah’s on-air commitment to OWN continues to increase as time goes by, and I don’t think that was something she had originally planned when the network was announced,” said Adgate. “How much more on-air time beyond this will she, or can she, do?”

OWN arrived in January 2011 to great fanfare and huge expectations. It also launched with a partial lineup of shows and little by Winfrey. At the time, her daytime talk show was still eight months from ending, limiting her ability to get on the air.

The most-talked-about show when the network began was a reality series that merely followed behind-the-scenes activities on Winfrey’s talk show.

Since then, though, the channel has been dogged by executive changes, programming shifts, weak ratings and a suggestion that Winfrey isn’t the draw she once was.

Moreover, Discovery, Winfrey’s partner on the channel, has invested more than $250 million into getting the network off the ground. To start OWN, Discovery gave up on Discovery Health.

Expectations for OWN may have been too high, with people believing everything Winfrey touched would turn to gold.

“We did overestimate it a bit,” Adgate agrees. “I think the landscape is cluttered with female-targeted cable networks and shows. They have failed to create a franchise show; it is difficult to program compelling content 24 hours a day. OWN has a niche in the TV landscape that could be a little smaller than originally anticipated.”