Manilow did what?

Sorry folks, I have been buried under work for the past few days and haven’t had a lot of time to pay attention to the critically important happenings on the View. However, I was reading through some of my backed up email and going through a few blogs and learned that — HORRORS!!!! — Barry Manilow was canceling his scheduled appearance on Barbara’s show (see the Sept. 17th post).

After a good cry, I picked myself up and managed to work through the tears to come up with a few thoughts on the issue.

Some people are wondering if this horrific schism in the entertainment world is related to the fact that Barry and Rosie are best buds (remember the tension between Rosie and Elisabeth that ultimately saw Rosie get the boot off the View).

Being a member of the brain dead, Hollywood left, Barry claims that he needs to stand up for his “principles.” I guess that sitting at the same table as Elisabeth would just be so … well … icky because she’s a “right-winger” and all that. (Never mind that he is reported to have already been on the View a couple of times.)

If Manilow has such a deep principled objection to Elisabeth’s politics, how come he appeared on ‘The View’ not once but twice last year when she was on? She’s been conservative since she joined the show. Did he just figure it out now?

Barbara and her producer are claiming that they put her producer-ly feet down to reassert control over the show. They claim that they would not allow a guest to dictate who does the interviewing on her show.

On Walters’ radio show, (Bill) Geddie, who co-executive produces ‘The View’ with Walters, maintains it was the show’s decision for Manilow not to appear.

“He said, ‘I’ll do Barbara and Whoopi or I’ll do Whoopi and Sherri or some combination, but I won’t sit with Elisabeth,” and I said “Well, then you won’t be on the show. It’s that simple,’ Geddie explained. ‘And that was the end of it. He’s not going to call the shots. You’re not going to tell me how to produce the show.”

Adding even more suspense and intrigue are the very important media sources who are saying that Manilow is just using the issue to try and drum up interest in the same old songs that he has been singing and singing and singing, over and over and over for the past several decades. (I think we’re getting closer to the truth here.)

The sources suggest Manilow is causing a stir in order to create a buzz as his new album, “Greatest Songs of the Seventies,” is getting ready to debut.

The best explanation for all this furor that I have seen, however, was Tristan Emmanuel’s take on things. While Emmanuel claims that the “important reason” for Manilow’s little fit was to get payback for Rosie. I believe that his other reason hits closer to the mark.

There’s nothing more involved here than the fact that Manilow’s a coward. In true liberal/socialist form, he refuses to debate with someone who might be able to offer up an effective argument against his liberal talking points. Where Rosie was physically imposing and mean enough to bulldoze anyone with whom she disagreed, increasing the volume on her black helicopter theories until her opposition relented, Manilow clearly doesn’t have the guts (or smarts) to engage in an argument. Instead, he uses this tactic as an indirect attack on Hasselbeck.

Liberals like Manilow and Rosie can’t debate, so they try to intimidate. The problem is that when they meet someone who isn’t going to shrivel up, they run for the hills. Manilow already knows he can’t beat Elizabeth, so he’s saving face. That’s why she’s dangerous. She’s too eloquent, too endearing, too attractive and thereby too effective and hard for Manilow (and Rosie) to handle.

Rather than facing up to the issue, Manilow is using it as a means to avoid an argument that he can’t win. In doing so, he manages to use the media interest to gain a few extra points with his bitter, delusional, ex-View host, friend and drive up sales for his new album. Anyone else with a shred of decency would never pull a stunt like that, but Manilow is part of the Hollywood elite and all they seem to care about is the headline.