Rosie O'Donnell Returns to TV with Variety Show

• Oct 2, 2008 02:09 PM ET
• by TV Guide News

Rosie O'Donnell is returning to TV, and she's hoping to bring back a mostly dead genre when she does.

The former View moderator will host Rosie's Variety Show live from New York at 8 pm/ET on Nov. 26, the night before Thanksgiving, Variety reports. The special, airing on NBC, is said to be the frontrunner of a regular variety show hosted by O'Donnell, expected to launch in 2009.

The one-hour event will feature celebrity appearances, musical appearances and comedy sketches. David Friedman ( Last Comic Standing) joins O'Donnell as exec producer.

O'Donnell, who hosted her own daytime talk show for six years before joining The View, is the most recent celeb to attempt reviving the variety format. Then-married Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey hosted a program for ABC in 2004, and Fox announced a deal for six episodes of a Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne-hosted show.

Do you think Rosie can breathe new life into the format? - Adam Bryant

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