Rumor has it that Kathy Griffin might be up for a hosting gig on The View.

Courtesy of the New York Daily News: 

Kathy Griffin made a big impression on “The View’s” producers as a guest last Monday. They’ve now batted around the idea of asking the comedian to consider a regular guest-hosting gig, which might lead to a full time position on the show, Confidenti@l has learned. 

“She was great and has Whoopi (Goldberg)’ s backing. Whoopi loves Kathy,” says our insider at the talk show. “ ‘The View’ would be a perfect fit if Kathy wanted to fly to New York weekly. It’s a Monday-through-Thursday job and she can tour on the weekends, the best two nights to sell tickets.”

Gee I bet that Sarah and Bristol's feet are still swollen from their victory dance last week over news that Kathy quit, or as the Palins put it was fired from, her gig with the Fashion Police. And here she is with a potential new job already.

Maybe it is just the mean girl side of my personality, but how cool would it be to see Nicolle Wallace and Kathy Griffin sitting side by side trading barbs about the Palins?

Today The View featured two Nicolle Wallaces. And a look back at our favorite scene from Game Change.

Loved seeing my friend @MsSarahPaulson today pic.twitter.com/PNL2CAovCD
— Nicolle Wallace (@NicolleDWallace) October 7, 2014

Just wish I were as tall as my beautiful pal @MsSarahPaulson !! pic.twitter.com/BtxusziK6B
— Nicolle Wallace (@NicolleDWallace) October 7, 2014

So as you can see Sarah Paulson was on The View this morning, which allowed her the rather unique opportunity to be interviewed by the woman she played in a movie on cable television.

I actually found the exchange quite interesting, especially when they showed the iconic moment in the stairwell where Paulson's Wallace is trying to reason with a hysterical Sarah Palin ("I am not your puppet!") played by the wonderful Julianne Moore.

I also loved it when Wallace said "That was not a dramatic interpretation of events." And that Palin thought when she said sarcastically "Because you're just like Hillary Clinton" Palin took it seriously and agreed that she was.

You can watch the clip for yourself by clicking here.  (It's the fifth clip down.)

P.S. By the way I am a huge fan of American Horror Story and have watched every season, and Paulson is magnificent in it every single time.

In order to find humor in the recent Secret Service security failures cartoonist gets a tiny bit racist.

Courtesy of CBS Boston:  

The Boston Herald and cartoonist Jerry Holbert are apologizing for a political cartoon that mocked President Obama and the Secret Service security failures. 

The cartoon shows the president brushing his teeth in a White House bathroom with a surprised look on his face as a white man sits in the bathtub behind him, asking Mr. Obama, “Have you tried the new watermelon flavored toothpaste?” 

“As Jerry Holbert discussed on Boston Herald Radio this morning, his cartoon satirizing the U.S. Secret Service breach at the White House has offended some people and to them we apologize,” a statement from the newspaper read. “His choice of imagery was absolutely not meant to be hurtful.

Okay now I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but exactly how could this have been perceived as anything BUT racist?

Apparently there is actually a watermelon flavored toothpaste, but it is marketed for children.

Whoopi Goldberg came to the cartoonist's defense, which is nice of her, but I'm sorry I just don't see this as accidental.

"Comedy is hard." The ladies of The View mock Palin for her Values Voters speech.

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

The co-hosts of ABC’s The View on Monday mocked former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin‘s weekend speech at the Values Voter Summit, wherein the former Republican vice presidential candidate mistakenly referred to the White House address as “1400 Pennsylvania Avenue.” 

During the speech, Palin cracked a joke about President Barack Obama‘s now-infamous “latte salute” and, when talking about the president’s current home, gave the wrong address. 

“She’s proving once again that comedy is difficult,” said Rosie O’Donnell after the show aired a clip from Palin’s speech.

As you see it is left to poor Nicolle Wallace to come to Palin's defense. Which I think we all  know must really burn her ass.

You know I predicted way back in 2009 that someday Palin's name would only turn up as a question on Jeopardy or the punch line to a joke.

Nice to see how close we are to those predictions coming true. 

Today hosts of The View discussed the Palin family brawl. Nicolle Wallace could not be less surprised. Update!

So this morning Whoopi brings up the Throwdown at the Hoedown:

"Sarah Palin has broken her silence about her family's recent brawl at a party supporting her children in a gushing Facebook post that reads 'I have to say this as a proud mama: right up there with their ethic and heart for those less fortunate, my kids' defense of family makes my heart soar.'"

Then Whoopi turns to Nicolle Wallace, who of course handled Sarah Palin during the 2008 campaign, for her thoughts.

Wallace: "I worked with Sarah Palin, I have political staffer version of PTSD. So whenever I hear that she is breaking her silence I sort of, my heart stops."

Whoopi then asks Wallace to share what she has heard:

"This was a brawl of some sort?"

Wallace: "Yeah sometimes with the Palins it's exactly what it looks like right? This was a family night out it would appear. And um one of the kids, one of the sons, got into a fight and the family rushed to their defense. Which is admirable I think up to the point when you know every one is punching other kids in the face. And it has been reported, though she has denied, that she screamed out 'Do you know who I am?', which I think they did and I think therein lay part of the problem for them. Right? Maybe?"

I think that Wallace certainly has Palin's number, in that no matter how crazy the story you hear about her and her family there is often a kernel of truth to it.

However I was a little surprised that she seemed unsure which son might have been in the fight.

Because unless little Trig is known to toss aside his juice box and throw down at the slightest provocation, clearly it had to be he PTSD counselor himself, Track Menard Palin.

Personally I am just happy that here we are a two weeks out, and this drunken brawl is STILL getting national coverage.

(P.S. Here is the site that had the video, but let me warn you that it is the conservative site Newsbusters. So it is up to you to decide if you want to give them a click to here the above conversation for yourself.)

Update: Okay Mediaite has the video. So if you want to see it click here instead.

The premiere of The View, featuring the new cast, was the best premiere in eight years and the second best of all time.

Courtesy of USA Today:  

The revamping and reinvigorating of The View worked. 

For a day, anyway. 

ABC has happily announced that The View's Season 18 premiere on Monday, showcasing newcomers Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace with returning Rosie O'Donnell and veteran moderator Whoopi Goldberg, was the best premiere in eight years. 

The show drew 3.9 million total viewers, making it the best since O'Donnell joined the cast in 2006.

Well I'm still not going to watch, but congratulations ABC.

Of course the first thing that came to mind is that ABC really dodged a bullet by refusing to even consider hiring Sarah Palin. Because that would have undoubtedly driven the show's ratings into the cellar.

And of course the second thing that occurred to me is that this must also just drive the Wasilla Wendigo crazy, and only adds to her worst week ever.

Yes we do. We know that you are NOT a host on The View.

By the way if you missed the episode and really want to see it just click right here.

So the season premiere of The View happened today, featuring their new cast, and guess whose name came up? Update!

Courtesy of Mediaite:  

Whoopi Goldberg couldn’t get through asking about Palin with a straight face, and Rosie Perez jumped in with a few questions of her own. She asked Wallace, “One, what was it like when you first met her? Two, did the winking get on your nerves? And three, when did you want to just pop her?” 

Wallace laughed a bit before explaining that the first time she met Palin, she was on Vicodin and had absolutely no idea who she was. And while Palin was “cool” at first, Wallace said, “Our relationship really erupted and exploded, and it was irreparably damaged after the Katie Couric interview when she thought I set her up for failure and I felt like the questions were pretty fair.”

Here is the video:

You know all I can think when I look at this lineup is "Could you just imagine how quickly these women would destroy Sarah Palin if she had the cojones to sit on that couch?"

But of course she doesn't.

For some reason it does not seem that the ladies of The View brought up the drunken brawl, which I find inexcusable, but that does not mean it is not still receiving plenty of attention.

Famous award winning TV news anchor Deborah Norville talked about it briefly on a South Florida radio show:  

Norville’s appearance started out by her asking the hosts, Paul Castronovo and Young Ron, if she could play their trademark Q&A games. 

Of course, the hosts obliged here request to play the game, and to limit it to one “easy” question. 

Castronovo: What northern redneck thing was Sarah Palin’s family involved in? 

A) A drunken fight at a snowmobile party 
B) Midnight moose hunting 
C) Eskimo hunting 

Norville: It should be all of the above, but the actual answer is ‘A’ 

(Palin’s son Track and daughter Bristol, were both involved in a fist fight a few days ago) 

Norville: Ok, let me ask you that, just as a follow up, wouldn’t you want to ask John McCain if he is sorry now? 

Castronovo: Of course he is. 

Of course he is, the only question is when will he admit it?

Perhaps my favorite mention of the drunken brawl comes to us courtesy of that defunct website Breitbart, which of course ignores all of the sourced reporting by various blogs and news sites, and instead uses that Real Clear Politic's schmoe as their primary source:

By now you've all heard about the infamous drunken brawl the Palin family was supposedly involved in last week. While Sarah Palin screamed "Do you know who I am!" (which she didn't), the Governor's 20 year-old son Track (a Veteran), 50 year-old husband Todd, and 23 year-old daughter Bristol, were all bloodied up in a beer-soaked melee they started (which they didn't). Fun fact: according to the media, the left-handed Bristol rains down blows with her right.

Then to drive home their point they bring up the IRS "scandal" and Benghazi as more important stories that the left leaning media is simply ignoring.

Yeah go figure.

To help out the Washington Post's Jonathon Capehart even offers two graphics to keep the stories straight.

First the Palin's version:

Then, you know, every other person's version:

Well you know what, that does kind of help.

Thanks Jonathon!

P.S. By the way apparently Palin did not get the memo that she is now a national laughingstock and politically poisonous because she actually went and endorsed another candidate today.

You know what they say, denial is not just a river in Egypt.

Update: Check out Palin's newest Facebook post:

Feel bad for the poor paparazzi hounding outside my truck this morning hoping to capture a tabloid "exclusive" of me coming out of Bikram Hot Yoga. How about we take away their "exclusive" and I'll give you the photos first, for free! Yup, here's what I looked like sans makeup, drowning in sweat when the camera rolled; looking much like a sheepdog, I'd say. No one said workouts were glamorous!

Hmm, so there is a tabloid up here taking pictures of Palin? That is VERY unusual.

I wonder if they asked her any questions as well?

Update 2: Mystery solved it was Radar Online that snapped the pics.

Update 3: Oops the Daily Mail has the pics too, as well as a longer article.

By the way both articles mentioned Palin's missing wedding ring.

Nicolle Wallace will officially join The View on September 15th. Because everybody hates Sarah Palin.

Courtesy of Deadline:

The search is over. Final details are still being worked out but I’ve learned that actress Rosie Perez and political commentator Nicolle Wallace are expected to take the vacant seats on The View when the ABC daytime talk show returns for a new season September 15. 

They would join Rosie O’Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg. Perez and Wallace would succeed co-hosts Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy, who exited last month.

My headline is sort of tongue in cheek but you have to admit that the new lineup of this show has got to work as extra strength Palin repellant. 

I mean can you imagine ANY scenario that would have Palin voluntarily sharing the couch with Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O'Donnell, AND Nicolle Wallace?

Oh hell to the no!

Not only that but Perez is not exactly a huge fan of the conservative point of view either, so all in all it would be an incredibly uncomfortable visit for a woman so prickly that she literally started her own blog where she can choose the questions she answers, and NEVER has to worry about any "gotcha questions," like "what do you read" ever again.

Did Sarah Palin launch her website in the hopes of using it as leverage in order to get a gig on The View?

Courtesy of Radar Online:  

Tea Party darling Sarah Palin‘s recently launched video channel is not just a place where she can express her controversial conservative views: RadarOnline.com has learned that it’s an audition tape of sorts because the former Alaska governor is openly competing for a spot on The View! 

“Sarah has been in talks with The View to become a part of the cast as the voice of the far right,” an insider revealed. “During talks, it was brought to Sarah’s attention that mainstream Americans haven’t heard from her in a while, despite her appearances on Fox News. Being very media savvy, Governor Palin decided to launch a video channel as a way to engage with more Americans, and prove to network executives that she can create buzz.” 

“The one sticking point in the talks is how much time she will have to spend in New York City and away from her native Alaska,” the source continued. “She has proposed that she work three weeks a month in NYC, and then go back to Alaska. During sweeps, she would of course not take time off.”

I have already expressed my doubts that Palin would seriously consider taking an actual  job on network TV, and especially the View. And after it was revealed that Rosie O'Donnell was coming back I thought that pretty much drove a stake through any idea that Palin would be on the show.

Not to mention that Rachel Maddow's executive producer is taking over The View.

However if Radar Online's sources are to be believed, it would appear that Palin is actively pursuing the idea, and that ABC is seriously considering it.   

“Whoopi Goldberg has given her seal of approval for the hire, but Rosie O’Donnell isn’t sold on it,” the source continued. “She is concerned that Palin is just too controversial, and the show will become all about her.”

Yeah I can imagine that Whoopi would be all over the idea of having Palin to  verbally bitchslap every morning, but why Palin would put herself in that situation is somewhat harder to imagine.

Unless of course that her money situation is even worse off then we have previously reported.

Still after watching how Elizabeth Hasselbeck was ridiculed and shut down over and over on the show, it would be hard to imagine that Palin would put herself on that panel.

Especially since she has spent her time since 2008 isolating herself as much as possible from any possible embarrassing questions, and making sure that she is surrounded by like minded people who will not judge her on her stupidity.

I mean going so far as to charge sycophants for the right to see you respond to current events and answer questions from the safety of a vanity website is just about as far removed as one can get from seeking public scrutiny.

All I can say is that if ABC is serious they better put a clause in her contract saying that if she quits halfway through she will have to pay them a truckload of money for their troubles.

Let's end the day on a high note. Michelle Obama wins the hearts of the ladies of the View.

I am sorry that today was so video-centric here at IM, but there just seemed to be a lot of important video to share.

As you know I am NOT a regular watcher of The View, but I did catch the entire episode this morning and really thought that Michelle Obama was the very epitome of charm and class. I don't like to make comparisons, but I kind of felt she did a better job than the President did during HIS visit two weeks ago.

BTW I joked earlier today that by the end of the show FLOTUS and Elizabeth Hasselbeck were hugging and joking with each other like two high school girlfriends. I would not put it past the First Lady to have made such an impact on the View's token conservative that Hasselbeck might be questioning her political point of view and wondering HOW she can justify being in opposition to this delightful couple.

Just our President being awesome.

To see the image larger just click here.

Immediately after making these remarks Barbara Walters said that in her entire time on the View that this was the FIRST time that she could ever remember the ladies on the panel being respectful and not talking over a guest for such an extended period of time.

And they say this President can't perform miracles.

He got the ladies of the View to stop talking for almost three minutes, compared to that walking on water should be a snap!

President Obama visits The View to talk politics, gay marriage, Wall Street reform, and pop culture.

I am not a huge fan of The View, but I did watch this whole segment and thought the President looked very calm and cool, as usual.

He also seemed to really enjoy the banter and for the most part the ladies were all very polite, and perhaps a little starstruck. And the women in the audience LOVED him.

However even though Hasselbeck commented early in the show that she had talked with the President backstage and found him very charming, she still apparently felt the need to carry water for the GOP and tried to trip the President up a few times.

At one point Hasselbeck tried to make the case that essentially the President and Mitt Romney shared the same views as it pertains to gay marriage.

But the President was having NONE of that:

Hasselbeck wanted to know how he would approach the issue differently now. She argued that he and Mitt Romney "actually agreed personally on the definition of marriage" until last week. She wondered how Obama would "move things forward any more than Mitt Romney in terms of leaving it to the states. Because at this point, you both said leave it to the states to decide." 

"Elisabeth, that's actually not true," Obama responded. "OK," Hasselbeck replied. 

Obama said that Romney wanted a "constitutional amendment," which "federalizes" a ban on gay marriage.

Yeah saying that you support gay marriage, as opposed to being someone who supports the idea of a federal ban on gay marriage, is not exactly "agreeing personally."  But nice try Elizabeth!

Okay now I don't like her again.

(P.S. If you want to watch the entire episode just click here.)

Elizabeth Hasselbeck calls out Bristol Palin for attacking President Obama on her ghostwritten blog. Ya gotta love this!

Courtesy of The New Civil Rights Movement:

 “I have a major problem with her saying this. Number one, as you mature as a mother you will also find out that the conversations you have with your kids do influence how you place your opinions on the table. Secondly, for someone who was the victim of being brought into an election as the child of someone on the ticket, how dare you then bring in Sasha and Malia to this situation. You need to mature because you are not.”

You know I used to have a crush on Hasselbeck back when she was on "Survivor," and before she became a hateful mouthpiece for the Right Wing. After this I almost remember what I liked about her back then.

Damn, called out by Elizabeth Hasselbeck AND JWOW, apparently Bristol is an equal opportunity bitch!

I wonder how Nancy French and Sarah feel now?

The hosts of the View ridicule the idea for Bristol Palin's new reality show.

 I love the part where Joy says that Gino "makes Levi Johnston look like Stephen Hawking."

You know you are a huge fuck up when even  conservative hack Elizabeth Hasselback can't defend you.

By the way below is video of the Oprah interview that Sherri Shepherd alluded to while discussing that Bristol is opening herself up to a whole lot of judgmental scrutiny based on her assertion that she will NEVER have sex again until she was married. (I don't think the Palin family has a firm grasp of the definition for "never.")

Can you say "Stockholm Syndrome?"

By the way I think this video clip tells VOLUMES about the relationship between Bristol and her mother.

Everything about Bristol's body language screams "Help I'm a prisoner!" and it should come as no surprise that seven months later she tried to make a run for it with Levi.

I have to wonder if this newest reality show idea is yet another attempt to get out from under her mother's thumb, or if her mother is orchestrating it as well? It is becoming increasingly difficult to tell where Sarah ends, and Bristol begins.

(H/T to Mediate.)

Full Bristol Palin interview on the View.

It is interesting to me that Bristol walks out there  is NONE of the usual hugging and enthusiasm that you see with virtually EVERY other guest.  Instead she she walks right past Elizabeth, Sherri, and Joy to sit down next to Barbara who seems to be the ONLY person glad to see her there.

Then Barbara, no stranger to the plastic surgeon's knife herself, begins to compliment Bristol on her weight loss and her new look. Awkward!

However Tripp is an extremely cute little boy, and when they show him on screen it suddenly defrosts the other co-hosts, allowing yet another Palin to use their children to gain sympathy and acceptance.

Barbara then confronts Bristol concerning her story about having her virginity "stolen," asking her whether or not she gave consent. Bristol stumbles over her response, seeming to believe that "losing your virginity" is akin to losing your car keys, and then claiming that if she had not been drunk it would never have happened. (I did think it funny when Barbara asked her if she was "high." Especially since I have talked to a few ex-friends of hers that say she is not a virgin in that area either. So much for that "moral code.")

By the way Levi WAS at the house almost constantly, and essentially moved in there when her mother was on the campaign trail. I have talked to both Mercede and Sherry about this extensively and they both say he was there constantly for months. Once Tripp was born, that is when the relationship suddenly ended (yet again).

When Bristol admits she has asked Levi to hand over his parental rights, that part is accurate. Bristol seems determined to have the opportunity to refer to herself as a "single mom" (And earn money by doing so) and Levi has made that hard by constantly attempting to be a part of Tripp's life.  It seems much of the reason she wants him out of the picture is because his presence screws up her ability to attract pity for raising her son on her own, with no support. (I guess everybody is just supposed to ignore that her mother is a millionaire now.)

Now as for WHY Levi has not taken Bristol back to court for not allowing him his visitation rights, I cannot explain.  I will say that back when Levi was first going through this legal process with Bristol that I tried to get Tank and Rex to hire a REAL family lawyer to represent him, even going so far as to find one willing to look at the case for free, and possibly representing him pro bono.

They refused, and instead seem to have made the worst possible custody deal I have seen in a long time.

Yes, it has occurred to me that Team Levi was paid off, but I have no real proof of that. I have also wondered if Levi himself was paid off, but both Sherry and Sadie simply refuse to accept that possibility. And once again I have no real proof.

As for Tripp being Levi's child, I truly believe that he THINKS Tripp is his son, which is why he has his name tattooed on his bicep. I know that he never had a paternity test, which I also pushed for back in the day, so of course we can always speculate, but Sherry and Mercede went to the hospital on December 27, and believe they met their nephew/grandson on that day.

After this Levi portion, around the 4:37 mark, Whoopi asks Bristol if the criticism she has received since "writing" the book has bothered her, which gives Bristol the opportunity to trot out her newly discovered Christian talking points.

Next Barbara asks her about her new abstinence pledge to wait until she is married before having sex again.  Bristol ABSOLUTELY lies right to her face when asked about this. (Hey Bristol if you are reading this I saw the pictures, and I know you are lying.)

By the way I really believe that Bristol's dislike of Meghan McCain and her family stems from NOTHING more than simple jealousy.

Clearly Bristol has had her hand slapped for saying that Sarah has made her decision to run or not, and refuses to answer the question this time.

At the end I almost choked when Whoopi said that Bristol was being a good mother (I totally disagree with that), and when Bristol said that she welcomes Levi into Tripp's life all of the time (Nothing could be further from the truth). She has become a seamless a liar as her mother, and I truly fear for how Tripp will be raised by this family.

You know I really do not believe that Bristol, nor Sarah for that matter, are really able to perceive just how poorly they come across to the majority of Americans. Even the terrible book sales may not be enough to convince Bristol that she has defined herself as an untalented, money grubbing, hypocrite, who uses her child to line her pockets while disrespecting his father in the public square, and that MOST people find that extremely distasteful.

If things don't go her way she will simply blame it on the "haters," and walk away without learning anything, or growing as a person in any way.

Essentially, despite her often expressed denials as a teenager, she has now BECOME her mother. Which, by the way, is EXACTLY the fate that she deserves.