OntheWilderSide

From Kimberly:

With the new scuffle of Montel Williams getting “fired” from FOX for trying to talk about 28 dead war victims, instead of one dead celebrity (Heath Ledger, may he rest in peace), I am starting to see a pattern.

Celebrities feeling empowered, wanting to communicate something imminently important to the American people, dare to speak out, only to get slapped down by the corporate media (and whoever runs that media.)

Remember what happened in the Spring of 2007, when Rosie O’Donnell was arguing with “Elizabeth-I-got-to-have-dinner-in-the-Bush-White House” of The View? Rosie lost for trying to express the fact that our soldiers are harming innocent civilians. How dare Rosie make all those housewives, trying to watch tv on weekday morning think about what their country is doing to innocent men, women and children overseas? (There are oodles of youtubes covering several days of this drama.)

I think the celebrities should do what other victims of “the man” do: Get empowered. Grow from it. Use the notoriety gained as they try to smear you, to launch something new.

I propose that Montel Williams and Rosie O’Donnell should embrace their controversy and join each other on a television show to discuss the important issues of the day. I think that they would be a good compliment to each other, because they don’t have entirely the same backgrounds or views.

And, I have already figured out who the backup guesthost could be for each star. (Well, Ian helped with the Montel one.) Rosie O’Donnell’s stand-in would be Roseanne Barr (She has made some wonderful political screeds lately). And, to stand in across from Rosie O’Donnell when Montel Williams is out-of-town, another unfairly de-frocked talkshow host: Phil Donahue.

Of course, wouldn’t it be great to have a roundtable with all of these celebrities? Hmmm…Roseanne Barr, Rosie O’Donnell, Phil Donohue, and Montel Williams, just chatting about the state of American five times a week. I say, when you get dissed, you strike back. And, your friends and fans should help you figure out how.

Bios for Montel Williams and Rosie O’Donnell

Montel’s bio (excerpt from his web-site):

Mr. Williams has been the host of THE MONTEL WILLIAMS SHOW, a daily, one-hour, nationally syndicated talk show for over 17 seasons. Mr. Williams is also an accomplished author who has published six books to date.

Mr. Williams’ unique place in the television landscape has made him a welcome presence beyond the studio. For example, he has conducted interviews in federal prisons and has been on the scene of recent American tragedies such as Ground Zero after 9/11 and throughout the Gulf Coast after hurricane Katrina. On site in the Gulf Coast, Mr. Williams spent several days gathering first person stories from survivors of the hurricane, visiting homes and shelters. Mr. Williams later revisited the area with executives from FUBU, with whom he distributed $1 million dollars worth of clothing throughout the ravaged area.

Mr. Williams began his professional career in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1974 when he enlisted in his hometown of Baltimore after graduating high school.

Mr. Williams has four children, ages 11 through 22, and resides in New York City.

When he was diagnosed with MS in 1999, Mr. Williams made a pledge to use his celebrity to find a cure. Because of his unique position, he has had access to the latest research being conducted around the world.

He is an avid snowboarder, who finds the sport challenging and therapeutic. In addition to being an accomplished talk-show host, he is also the owner of several successful Fatburger restaurants in Colorado. Mr. Williams recently celebrated his 50th birthday with a birthday party in Manhattan where he announced his engagement to Tara Fowler.

Rosie O’Donnell’s bio (from IMDB)

Rosie O’Donnell was born into an Irish family in Commack, Long Island. [Yeah! Middle-of-nowhere-Long Island!] She was in the middle of 5 children. Her mother died when she was ten. She said that she watched TV nearly 24 hours a day. When she was 18, she dropped out of college and went on to do shows like “Gimme a Break!” (1981), and she produced and hosted “Stand-Up Spotlight” (1988). [Rosie O’Donnell has also been a stand-up comedian and movie star.]

Related post: The Montel Williams honors Iraq deaths video here.

Filed under: Anti-War, Iraq, media, war Tagged: | Montel Williams, Phil Donohue, Roseanne Barr, Rosie O'Donnell, television