'The View' Joins Celebrity Kissing Saga - Puts Its Own Take on Celebrity Kissing Couple(Pic)

ABC News ^ | 09/04/03 | The Associated Press

[bedolido]

Madonna and Britney Spears are so last week. The hot new celebrity kissing couple is Meredith Vieira and ... me?

"The View" co-host laid one on me a la Madonna and Britney at the MTV Video Music Awards during my audition Thursday for the open spot on the ABC daytime talk show I had no idea it was coming (though my co-workers placing bets back in the newsroom insisted that I did). But it was good TV. At least I think it was the whole experience was such a blur.

This much I remember: In the pre-show meeting, Vieira, Star Jones, Joy Behar and I co-host Barbara Walters was away on assignment had been discussing the pop singers' now-infamous kiss from last week's awards show.

With "L.A. Law," "Roseanne," "Ellen" and other shows having featured girl-on-girl kisses before, was a sapphic smooch a sure sign of a TV show that's begging for buzz? Should it be one of the "Hot Topics" we talked about at the beginning of the show?

It became a hot topic, all right.

After introducing me, Vieira mentioned that I was writing a first-person story about my two-day tryout. Then she said, "We are desperate for attention on this show. We don't get a lot, and when we get it, we love it. ... So I thought of the perfect way for us to get attention."

Then she got up from her chair, walked over to me, grabbed my head and smushed her face onto mine. It was live television and it was funny, so I went with it and it lasted a lot longer than Madonna and Britney's wimpy on-stage peck.

Afterward, with the studio audience in hysterics and Jones motioning for me to wipe the lipstick off my teeth, Behar joked that she was miffed because she'd never gotten a kiss from Vieira.

"You desperate hussy," Jones said. "It's jumping the shark. It's Fonzie on 'Happy Days' all over again."

Since then, I've been fielding phone calls and e-mail from friends, asking how Vieira stacked up as a kisser compared to my husband.

I'll never tell. I have to go back to "The View" Friday morning then I have to go home to my husband Friday night.

[bedolido]

[finnman69]

Much more attractive than Madonna and Britney.

[cmsgop]

Kinda looks like bad CPR.

[bedolido]

Hold Muh Tongue

Ping!

[pianomikey]

I do not like this trend.

[Ronly Bonly Jones]

I do not like this trend.>>

Hill and Chelsea next.

[bedolido]

Hill and Chelsea next

No I don't think so... unless it's a motherly kiss.

More like Hellary and Barbra Striesand.

[Taliesan]

Uh, who is the writer?

[bedolido]

Heh, i think it was Starr, but i was kinda in and out watching tv and i saw her flash her breasts.

Ewwwwww... you must have a wide angle tv and strong stomach.

[Lost Highway]

Who is the author (the kissee)?

[Springman]

That Starr Jones, she does have more 'cushin for pushin'!!!
LOL!!!!!

[rockfish59]

More like Hillary kissing my @$$! =)

[Palladin]

They could have bare naked wild and crazy all-girl sex on "The View" and it still would not boost the ratings of this cheesy show.

[Sally'sConcerns]

Christy Lemire....whoever that is!

[pianomikey]

>>Hill and Chelsea next. <<

Sarandon and Oprah

[Astronaut]

Nothing surprising about Madonna kissing Britney. Madonna is a washed up old whore whose albums dont sell anymore, and whose movies are bombs. She needed something to generate some buzz and feed her addiction to the spotlight. Spears is trailer trash, and a moron who can be led by her handlers to do anything. She is a product, just like the cans of Pepsi she helps sell. Two skanks, one old and one young, who share nothing but narcissism and a craving for publicity. Watch for something more degenerate next year.

[Paul Atreides]

Apparently, prime-time isn't the only cultural wasteland of television. There was a time, when you could see a better class of people on game shows. Now, people are treated to 24/7 freak shows.

[meg70]

The View could have Britney making out with Jessica Simpson and I still wouldnt watch.

[Paul Atreides]

I've never understood the appeal of four chatterbox cows trying to talk over each other on camera. Just set up a camera in a beauty salon and you have the same effect.

I've only seen a snippet of that show one time, and that was one time too many. It featured a guy on there trying to teach the bovine hostesses how to paint a wall. He finally had to tell them to shut up so that he could get a word in edgewise.