The View's Nicolle Wallace on Torture: “I Don’t Care What We Did”

Image from Salon

Torture's back, as I noted in my last post. The currently and briefly Democratic Senate has released their Torture Report after six years of study. It pretty much lays out that yes we tortured people, and that no, it wasn't a useful tactic, though it was illegal. War crimes. The reaction from the left is, "Yep, we knew that. Arrest them!" The reaction from most in the middle (or your average non-voter from this last election) is a shrug. "Whatever. Where's my iPad?" And from the right?

Predictably, many on the right are in denial. It wasn't torture. If it was, it wasn't that bad. Our Navy Seals are subjected to worse in training. Besides, they're terrorists, and they'd do worse to us. Hey, at least we aren't beheading them! And then there's the "Whatever it takes to keep us safe, all bets are off, just DO it."

That seems to be the position of Republican strategist and The View co-host Nicolle Wallace. I like her, or rather, I have in most appearances of her that I've caught. She's a conservative, but she's bright, articulate, funny and wry. She's sparred with Rachel Maddow several times, and they always come away laughing. But lately, she seems to be prone to outrageous statements, possibly because of her new gig? Though I wouldn't have expected her to say this.

[Excerpt]
 
“I don’t care what we did”: What Nicolle Wallace’s rant reveals about America’s torture problem

After years of excuses and delays, Americans finally have a chance on Tuesday to read the Senate Intelligence Committee’s so-called torture report (or at least most of its executive summary which, as the Intercept’s Dan Froomkin has noted, constitutes less than 20 percent of the whole report). And while it’s likely that most of the summary will focus on information we basically knew already, there have been hints of new and significant revelations, too. If it’s true that the CIA misled President Bush about the effectiveness of the torture program, for example, then the intelligence agency, which has already been caught spying on Congress, is even more of a threat to American democracy than we feared. Either way, the story of how the United States came to embrace “interrogation” techniques pioneered by . . .

Read more at: Salon

Rachel Maddow on Watch What Happens Live

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Moves from The View to FOX & Friends

The good news is, Saturday Night Live's Vanessa Bayer will barely need to change her wig to go from Gretchen Carlson to Elisabeth Hasselbeck in their FOX & Friends sketches.

[Excerpt]

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Exiting The View for Fox and Friends Gig — Who Should Replace Her?

The View might be looking a little more to the left later this week. The show’s resident conservative panelist Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who began her broadcast career as a contestant on Survivor, will exit Barbara Walters’ ABC chat-fest after Wednesday’s installment to begin a gig as host of Fox and Friends. The news was broken by The New York Post. . . .
 
Read more at: TVLine

The View: Is Sharron Angle Ad Racist?

Easy answer: yes. But if you want to see how the ladies of The View see it (hint: Joy Behar uses "moron," "evil" and "bitch"), take a look. By the way, I don't particularly like the program (though I love Behar, Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Walters in other venues), and have never sat through an entire episode. And I have to say after this clip, Kristin (Saturday Night Live) Wiig's Elizabeth Hasselbeck impression is spot on. 

Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg Walk Out on Bill O'Reilly on The View

The only time I see The View is when there is a confrontational clip floating around on the interwebs.  Still, I love Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar as performers, and find Bill O'Reilly's schtick hard to stomach. So good on them.

Glenn Beck, Lying Sack of Dog Mess

Earlier, I said "No one but no one deserves a skewering more than Rush Limbaugh." I may have spoken too soon. Limbaugh has been around for 20 years after all, and there is probably nothing that could be said about him that would even make an impact. Glenn Beck is a much more recent creation, or rather, his popularity has ascended recently. We are in real danger of Beck filling Rush's enormous chair if his bubble isn't popped.

Leave it to the ladies at The View to show what a clod he really is. I'm not a fan of the show at all (though I love a few of the ladies individually). And how close do you think Whoopi Goldberg came to full-on Tourette's when she called Beck a "lying sack of dog mess?" I'll fondly remember a scene from Jumpin' Jack Flash while you watch this. . .

Rachel Maddow on The View

You know the drill. I don't watch The View, though I love Whoopi Goldberg. And I love Rachel Maddow too, so two reasons to inflict the other ladies of the show on you now.

Ladies of The View Talk About Rush Limbaugh

I hate to subject you to The View, a show that wasn't even on my radar until conservatives started railing against it. But one of the members of the show--Whoopi Goldberg--is a favorite of mine. And try as I might, I cannot write off my fondness for her because she is on questionable program.

Here, Whoopi--a sort of moderator on the show--frames the current tit-for-tat war of words between President Barack Obama and drug-addled gas-bag Rush Limbaugh. First, she reads his words. Then, the other ladies discuss them: Joy Behar from the liberal side and Elizabeth Hasselbeck from the blonde bimbo conservative side. Barbara Walters provides the gentle middle ground. Sherri Shepard doesn't know what's going on, and is mercifully silent. And then Whoopi whoops ass. It's toward the end, if you want to zoom through it.



And for absolutely no reason, other than I'm talking about Whoopi, and that this is one of my favorite movies (which I recently re-watched for like the 85th time), here is a clip from Jumpin' Jack Flash. Whoopi (Terry Dolittle) is trying to decipher the title song by the Rolling Stones, to figure out a spy's password. Just watch.

Ann Coulter on The View

I haven't watched this clip yet, but it dovetails nicely with the previous post about pundits. And the combination of the ladies from The View and poisonous harpy Ann Coulter was just creepy enough to inspire morbid curiosity. Watch at your own risk. . .

Elizabeth Hasselbeck vs. Melissa Etheridge on The View

Thankfully, most of the contestants on CBS's Survivor do not go on to greater fame. Some of the million-dollar winners go on to have a minor splash (like original winner, Richard Hatch, who was in a movie or two, and um. . .went to jail for tax evasion). Most are forgotten as soon as--or even before--the next edition of the show comes on.

Why couldn't that have happened with Elizabeth Hasselbeck? How did this non-winner get a spot on a national TV show, cluelessly espousing half-baked conservative "values?" Here she is arguing why it's OK to vote against minority groups' civil rights. I knew there was a reason why I don't watch The View. . .

[Excerpt]

Keith Olbermann Looms Over Ladies on The View

I can't stand The View. But I love Whoopi Goldberg. And I love Keith Olbermann. What to do, what to do?

Keith Olbermann & Elizabeth Hasselbeck Skewered on SNL

I'm a big fan of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, but don't say I can't have a sense of humor about Keith's eccentricities. Ben Affleck did a fantastic job lampooning him last night, though I don't think the writing kept pace with his impersonation. What's with the girly-girly cat?



I am not a big fan of The View, though I do love Whoopi Goldberg. I've had a bit of a hard time understanding Elizabeth Hasselbeck's "hero" status on the right. Apparently just being an outspoken conservative on TV is enough to earn that, even if the Survivor survivor comes off badly much of the time.

Stuck on Stupid II: Sherri Shepherd

I didn't realize when I ran the last post that Stuck on Stupid might become a running feature. But what do you know, it's two in a row.

Sherri Shepherd of ABC's The View has already earned her stripes in the stupid rally, but here she outdoes herself. Yes, Sherri, the focal point of a 2,000-year-old religion out-dates every other religion. Sheesh.



EDITOR'S NOTE: As far as I can tell, Sherri Shepherd's "thing" on the show is her devotion to religion in general, and Jesus in specific. So why is it that in her "area of expertise," she's so clueless? If her religious beliefs are so unexamined, why does she even try enter those discussions?

UPDATE: As is often the case with these "hot" clips, this video disappeared sometime today. I've updated it, however, and it should be working now! Bumped to the top of the list.

Rosie O'Donnell on MSNBC?

Photo from About.com

It's hard to figure out if this is just one of those industry rumors that has caught fire, or if it is serious. I can see them trying to land Rosie for a morning or even afternoon show, but nighttime seems like a really bad fit. Only if it were a panel show like The View would it seem to make sense.

One thing is for sure, there would be huge sampling, at least at first. And Rosie has proven she can bring a consistently high audience--one larger than any cable news program can claim. But even with the relatively recent liberal slant (if you want to call it that) of Countdown with Keith Olbermann, I just can't see a Rosie show either as a lead-in or lead-out to that program. Still, it would be hysterical to see Bill O'Reilly's head explode, not to mention those of Brit Hume, Sean Hannity and Neil Cavuto. FOX "News" is already worked up about it.

[Excerpt]

Is Rosie Right For MSNBC?

The NYTimes' Jacques Steinberg follows up on his story about MSNBC being in "serious discussions" with Rosie O'Donnell about a primetime show on the network.

Rosie would fit the roster, Steinberg writes, because "[T]he cable channel believes there is ratings gold in shows that criticize the [Bush] administration with the same vigor with which Fox News's hosts often champion it." Countdown with Keith Olbermann being the standout. . .

Read more at: Media Bistro

The View: Is the World Flat?

Daytime TV stinks. On those rare occasions I've been home sick, I'll turn on the set, and find relentlessly awful programming, from soap operas, a stream of judge shows, Jerry Springer and yes, The View. I've never watched the program outside of the occasional YouTube clip. Some of the Rosie stuff was good, and anything with Kathy Griffin. But it seemed to me that it fit squarely into that daytime TV stink-fest. I had no interest.

Through all of the Star Jones controversies, I never was interested enough to watch. Then the daily Rosie drubbing from FOX "News" (and others) ignited national interest in the program. I still didn't really care. I thought the Rosie vs. The Donald thing was just one more ridiculous thing for the news to focus on that wasn't news.

Rosie left, and the news was out that Whoopi Goldberg--one of my all-time favorite personalities--was joining the show. She's funny, shares my politics, and radiates thoughtful intelligence. But then I thought, "oh great, another lightning-rod for Sean Hannity." So far, only a slight blip.

Shortly after Whoopi's start, another woman was brought in, Sherri Shepherd, a person I have no knowledge of. But apparently, she's got Star Jones' former zaftig figure, Elizabeth Hasselbeck's religion, and the brains of a doorknob. I still don't watch the show, but this clip caught my eye: Sherri Shepherd The world is flat

Whoopi Goldberg to Join "The View"

I must make a confession. I have never watched ABC's morning program, The View. I have managed to catch some of the funny clips on YouTube, featuring Rosie O'Donnell and Kathy Griffin, but that's about it.

That said, I think it is amazing news that Whoopi Goldberg is joining the show! Whoopi is one of my favorite Hollywood personalities. She simply killed in "The Color Purple" and "Ghost," and "Jumping Jack Flash" is one of my top 10 80s movies. Her political views are right on my page, and her fearlessness is to be respected (even from the likes of Bill O'Reilly). Not to mention the contortions Bill (and Hannity, and Abrams, and Scarborough, and Tucker will go through).

First up, an [Excerpt]

Friday, Jul 27

Whoopi To View

Mark it down: Whoopi Goldberg will be named the new co-host of The View, FishbowlNY has learned. Sources close to the decision say the announcement could come in a matter of days. The move has been rumored since Rosie's departure in May, while boldfaced names from Paris to Perez have been tossed around as possible replacements. Barbara Walters told FishbowlNY recently at Michael's that a decision would be forthcoming: "We have to decide by the end of the month [July] because we're off in August, so, soon."

From: MediaBistro.com

And, because I just can't help it, the scene that taught me what "Tourette's Syndrome" means: (Warning: Strong lanugage and hilarity ahead)