I never saw it coming.
And neither did anyone else.
The Rosie O’Donnell story took everybody by surprise – even those of us who cynically believe we’ve seen everything and, even worse, know everything.
Naming Rosie to replace Meredith Vieira on “The View” was a shocker because it was so unpredictable.
I’d have bet money that the powers-that-be at “The View” (mainly Barbara Walters) would have hired some cookiecutter newswoman to take Vieira’s place.
That was the role that needed to be filled. For all her outspokenness, Vieira, who’s leaving to replace Katie Couric on “Today,” is the closest thing “The View” has to an anchor.
As the nominal moderator of the show’s freewheeling conversations, she’s the “serious” one – the straightwoman, if you will (no pun intended).
And yet, to replace her, they’ve hired a comedian, Rosie O’Donnell – an opinionated (some might even say overbearing) loudmouth. And I mean that as a compliment.
It was a wholly unexpected choice. It was also a stroke of genius.
Not everybody thinks so. Some commentators complained last week that Rosie is too assertive to mesh with the other women on “The View.” She comes on too strong, some said. She’ll upset the apple cart, said others.
They are all wrong, of course. Upsetting the apple cart is precisely what this show needs.
Rosie’s arrival on “The View” (alas, it won’t happen until September) represents the first significant cast change in the nine-year history of the show (the comings and goings of Debbie Matenopoulos and Lisa Ling don’t count).
Moreover, anyone who thinks the presence of a personality as strong as Rosie’s will somehow damage “The View” doesn’t know television.
This is an ensemble talk show that depends for its very survival on conflict.
Adding Rosie O’Donnell to the mix could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to it.
Mesh? Who wants to see people meshing on a TV talk show? I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t watch a talk show in which everyone agrees with each other. I want to see them disagreeing.
On the other hand, I doubt Rosie will come across like some sort of hot-tempered lady wrestler who is just one snide remark away from clamping a headlock on Star Jones.
By her own admission, Rosie is no longer the Queen of Nice – the nickname she earned on her old talk show.
But her challenge is this:
To be tough and outspoken, but also likable – if only a little bit.
