Rosie O’Donnell is returning to the airwaves just in time for the holidays, signing on to host Rosie’s Variety Show as a one-off special for NBC.

The hourlong show, airing live Nov. 26—the night before Thanksgiving—could develop into a regular series should enough Nielsen-boxed viewers tune in to the program.

O’Donnell and NBC seem to be throwing everything they can into the show to ensure a something-for-everyone appeal.

After backing out of work commitments because her oldest son broke his wrist, Rosie O’Donnell has also decided not to do any blogging during the month of August.

I understand that kids come first, but that is a lot of time off for a kid’s broken wrist. Maybe Ro just needs some time to decompress. Maybe she is resting and preparing for a possible hosting gig with NBC.

i am taking off august
in blog-ville
2 c if i can
rosie unplugged

happy summer peeps

peace in
peace out

Remember when Rosie ODonnell was known as the Queen of Nice?  We adore Rosie, but that seems so long ago.

Rosie O’Donnell might have a deal with NBC in the works.  If everything pans out, Rosie will be the host of a variety show.  They are looking to have the show on the air by 2009 and it will have the same feel as The Ed Sullivan Show.

It should be noted that Jay Leno’s contract is up with NBC in May 2009.  I wonder if NBC would want Jay to host a variety show if the plan with Rosie doesnt work out.

Hmm…

Check out a clip from Howard Stern’s radio show this morning.  He and Rosie O’Donnell were dishing the dirt together.  They even discussed Rosie doing a radio show.  I think they were just kidding, but I would absolutely listen to Rosie on Sirius!  Uncensored Rosie would be fantastic!

Rosie O’Donnell has Miley Cyrus’s back. She’s taken to her blog to defend the Disney star after her controversial Vanity Fair photographs set off a surge of criticism.

“Leave Miley Cyrus alone,” O’Donnell says in a video posted Monday night. “Disney [is] making her apologize. Ay yi yi.”

While some have described the portraits as too risqué and have deemed them “inappropriate” for a 15-year-old – O’Donnell finds them beautiful, she says, explaining that working with celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz can be an intimidating experience.

“Listen, Annie Leibovitz – I had two photo shoots with her,” O’Donnell says. “You kind of do what she says. It’s intimidating. I also didn’t think it was a pornographic photo in any capacity. I thought it was sort of a beautiful portrait.

And she continued: “I like the one of her and her dad, too. I don’t know. It’s Annie Leibovitz, people.”

O’Donnell has also polled her readers, asking in her “Question of the Day” feature: Do U Care About This Photo? (A majority of her readers have responded ‘no.’)

For her part, Cyrus apologized for the photographs – and Leibovitz too has said she’s sorry for any misinterpretation.

We think the photos of Miley and Billy Ray are pretty creepy. As for the picture of Miley with the sheet around her, her people (parents, wranglers, etc.) were there for the shoot and approved of it. They were shown all of the pictures as they were being taken. Remember that Britney was once a Disney kid, turned sexy young lady. Just sayin’.

At a star-studded event sponsored by Gucci to raise money for UNICEF and her own non-profit organization Raising Malawi at the United Nations on Wednesday, host Madonna – with daughter Lourdes, 11 – greets guests Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise and Rosie O’Donnell.

Everyone looks so pretty!