ROSIE O’Donnell will host a live variety special for NBC.
“Rosie’s Variety Show” will air from New York on Thanksgiving-eve, Nov. 26 (8-9 p.m.), and will include a monologue and an as-yet-unannounced slate of musical guests, etc.
Depending on how it fares in the ratings, the network may turn the show into a weekly series.
“This is a dream come true for any performer,” O’Donnell said in a statement. “Old time variety, live from New York with a nod to Ed Sullivan, Carol Burnett and memories of Sonny and Cher.”
The possibility of a Rosie show has been talked about for several months. But the tip-off that it was about to happen may have been when O’Donnell took a month-long hiatus from her peppery and controversial personal blog, rosie.com.
The former “View” co-host used to blog to vent her political and personal wrath – all in a lower-case, e.e. cummings-type style.
Web postings got her into hot water with her “View” co-hosts (even before she joined the show in 2006).
Even after she returned to the Web after Labor Day, her postings have been sporadic and non-controversial – mostly family videos and plugs for pet projects – suggesting she did not want to risk stirring up any trouble before the variety show was set. Yesterday, O’Donnell posted a trade story announcing her NBC variety show.