To a happy year of the rabbit!!!

Barbara Walters: 'The View' pays tribute

Passed away peacefully on Friday Dec 30 2022

As an avid watcher of 'The View', I was sad to have learned of Barbara Walters passing from Sunday Today with Willie Geist.

I've followed her in the past due to my enjoyment of following 'The View'.
After watching the 20/20 special on her over the weekend, I was reminded why she was so popular... that she's mostly known for charasmatic interviewing ability with us, the viewers. Other than The View, I knew her through her specials on ABC.

In today's 'The View' tribute, there was a parade of View veterans on the panel including current and onetime OG table mates Joy Behar, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones and Debbie Matenopoulos. They paid their respects to Barbara during and throughout today's special episode.

Barbara Walters defied sexism and ageism. She validated people's opinions. - Sunny
For someone who gets paid to talk. What she did so well was she listened. - Sara
There will never be another Barbara Walters - Whoopi

Conspicuously missing from the hour-long tribute: former co-host Rosie O’Donnell. According to O’Donnell’s spokesperson, the actress-comedian was invited to take part in Tuesday’s retrospective. However, “She is on a plane and couldn’t change her schedule,” the rep explained. A View spokesperson confirms that an invitation was indeed extended to O’Donnell. O’Donnell honored her former boss, who died Friday at the age of 93, on Instagram over the weekend. “What a long and eventful legendary life she had,” O’Donnell marveled. “Spoke to every prominent world leader in memory, interviewed everyone who’s anyone, and I was lucky enough to be in her orbit for a good many years.” Despite the pair’s well-documented rocky relationship, O’Donnell focused on the good times she shared with Walters. “We saw a lot of Broadway shows together,” she recalled, “and whenever we go backstage, I’d, like, try to help her, you know, over the steps backstage and she would always smack my hand and tell me to leave her alone. She [knew] what she was doing I could tell you that. “May she rest in peace and may everyone remember just what barriers she broke down for women,” O’Donnell concluded. “She… was the first, and will always be remembered.”

The OG's
'Without Barbara Walters there wouldn't have been me - nor any other woman you see on evening, morning, and daily news.
She was indeed a trailblazer.'
- quote from Oprah Winfrey via Instagram

What an end to 2022...names of most notable deaths:
Queen Elizabeth II; Kirstie Alley (Dec);James Caan (July);Coolio (Sep);Irene Cara (flashdance Nov);Emilio Delgado (sesame street Mar);Gilbert Gottfried (Apr); Taylor Hawkins (Foo fighters Mar); Anne Heche (Aug); Leslie Jordan (Oct); Naomi Judd (Apr); Angela Lansbury (Oct); Ray Liotta (May); Meat Loaf (Jan); Olivia Newton-John (Aug); Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek July); Bob McGrath (sesame street Dec); Pele (soccer Dec); Sidney Poitier (Jan); Ivan Reitman (ghostbusters Feb); Andre Leon Talley; Bob Saget (Full House Jan); Paul Sorvino (July Mira Sorvino GoodFellas); Stephen tWitch Boss (Ellen;So You Think You Can Dance Dec); Barbara Walters (the view Dec); Vivienne Westwood (fashion designers Dec); Pope Benedict XVI (abdicated in 2013 @Pontifex 'Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives' final tweet Feb 28, 2013);

Boxing Day bail out…

Congrats Argentina on FIFA World Cup 2022

Farewell tWitch (& Boss Family Workouts)

The hardest part are the questions of 'what if' and if anything could have been done after the fact.
It's the EXACT same feeling after Robin Williams nearly eight years ago.
Thing is, Robin knew he had a debilitating disease and only had so much time left,
TWitch's thoughts to his actions will always be only with him...

I was heartbroken to learn about the passing of Stephen "tWitch" Boss,
who I got to know over the years through my Let's Move! initiative and visits to
The Ellen Show. Stephen was an incredible force - someone who radiated kindness
and positivity, and made sure that people around him could feel it, too.
We felt his spirit in every dance,
every DJ set, every piece of creativity that he brought to life. My heart goes out to his wife, Allison, and their three children, Weslie, Maddox, and Zaia.

And if any of you out there are struggling and need someone to talk to, please know that you are never alone.
There is always someone ready to help.
You can call or text the suicide and crisis hotline by dialing 989. - Michelle Obama

RIP TWITCH

Hosted by LL Cool J at the White House with performances by Shania Twain, Andy Grammer, the Estafans, Joss Stone, Ariana DeBose & Yolanda Adams.

People’s Choice Awards 2022

From Thursday's Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade

My favorite float from the parade, the Pikachu!!!

The rest of this weekend was spent out of town.
After rents picked me up after work, we spent the weekend out of town in Niagara Falls. Went over to Buffalo to shop at the Walden Galleria mall since the pandemic began back in 2020. The trip went surprisingly well with no issues at the border (yay!).
I was pleased to now have a new sleeping eye mask and a pair of mittens (in the new style where the top of the mitten can be pulled back for the fingers).

Finished the weekend with watching The Wonderful World of Disney: A Magical Holiday Celebration hosted by Derek & Julianne Hough with performances that included:
* Maren Morris - Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
* Becky G - Frosty the Snow Man)
* Jordin Sparks - Joy to the World
* Elton John appearance
* Neyo -The Christmas Song
* Black Eyed Peas appearance & performance
* Jake Gyllenhaal & Gabrielle Union appearance from Disney's Strange World
* Appearance by Britt Robertson & Kevin Zegers from The Rookie Feds, Cierra Ramirez from Good Trouble and Israel Johnson from Bunk'd.
* Meghan Trainor - I Made You Look)
* Appearance by Darryl McDaniels & Joseph Simmons - Run DMC (The Hip Hop Nutcracker)
* Appearances by Maryn Morris, Madeleine McGraw from Secrets of Sulphur Springs, Elizabeth Allen-Dick & Tim Allen from The Santa Clauses & the Backstreet Boys from A Very Backstreet Holiday
* Chloe Flower Popsicle - Silver Bells piano solo
* Appearances of Rece Davis, Joey Galloway and David Pollack ESPN
* Appearances of Letitia Wright & Danai Gurira from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, * David Foster & Kat McPhee - Jingle Bell Rock
* Appearances from Yara Shahidi Grown-ish, Cast of The Rookie, Frankie Quinones from This Fool
* Chloe Flower, Becky G & Neyo - What Christmas Means to Me
* Appearances from Il Volo, Miranda May from Bunk'd, the cast of Station 19, Jimmy Chin & Alex Honnold from Edge of the Unknown with Jimmy Chin, Jamie Flatters, Trinity Bliss & Bailey Bass from Avatar: The Way of Water
* Il Volo - O Come All Ye Faithful
* Appearances from Trevor Tordjman from Bunk'd, the Cast of Willow, The Case of Raven's Home
* Black-Eyed Peas - I Got A Feeling and Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis

#DisneyHolidayCelebration

Romy & Michelle turn 40 90's Dance Part-ay!!!

Getting ready to party selfie shots with Fayewood and a shot of the buffet spread!!!