Rosie O'Donnell made an hysterically ironic comment about Lindsay Lohan on Tuesday's Today show.
While criticizing the Lifetime Network's decision to cast the embattled star as Elizabeth Taylor in an upcoming movie, the recently fired by Oprah Winfrey for terrible ratings comedienne actually said on national television, "The interest level in her has waned significantly" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
MATT LAUER, HOST: Let's wrap up with one of our favorite people. Lindsay Lohan, it was announced yesterday...
STAR JONES: Bless her heart.
LAUER: ...has been cast to play a young Elizabeth Taylor in a new movie for the Lifetime Network. Is this a good idea?
ROSIE O'DONNELL: I feel very sorry for her. I think she needs a lot of help. She needs a lot of time away.
LAUER: Is it a good idea to cast her in this movie?
Ms. O'DONNELL: No. Because she's had a lot of trouble doing every single movie, including "SNL." She was out and not at rehearsal.
DONNY DEUTSCH: I...
Ms. O'DONNELL: I think she's not in a place to work.
Ms. JONES: I used to think she was extremely talented. But I have not seen enough of her as an actress in recent years to really make an evaluation.
Mr. DEUTSCH: It's a great idea. She's our generation's Elizabeth Taylor. She's the only one that...
Ms. JONES: Oh, my God.
Mr. DEUTSCH: No. You talk to any director...
Ms. O'DONNELL: You're a crackhead.
Mr. DEUTSCH: She's got acting...
Ms. O'DONNELL: You get out of here.
Ms. JONES: Yes.
Mr. DEUTSCH: You know, we were doing fine in this segment before you showed up. We were doing just fine.
Ms. O'DONNELL: The last thing she did good she was 16.
Mr. DEUTSCH: She's a great actress and she's got all that sensation. She's great--she's great...
Ms. JONES: How do we know she's a great actress?
LAUER: So wait a second.
Mr. DEUTSCH: Because you talk to any director, she is.
LAUER: Are you saying she's good for it because she's right for the role or will bring attention to the movie?
Mr. DEUTSCH: Both, both. And I think she's going to be this generation's in real life, Elizabeth Taylor.
Ms. JONES: So clearly...
Ms. O'DONNELL: I don't think she's right for the role and I don't think she's capable at this point of doing what's needed to portray that character.
Mr. DEUTSCH: I disagree.
Ms. JONES: He is so clearly an ad man because you are looking at this as a marketing opportunity and it works.
Mr. DEUTSCH: No, no, you talk to any director in Hollywood and see if she's a great actress.
LAUER: Given what she's been through over the last several years, when you attach her to a movie project does she attract viewers or repel viewers?
Ms. O'DONNELL: I think neither. I think kind of the interest level in her has waned significantly.
Mr. DEUTSCH: Not at all, it attracts.
Ms. JONES: I think she's going to attract viewers, but I don't think that it's going to be for her talent. It's going to be for the train wreck that they're trying to see.
Mr. DEUTSCH: Both.
Ms. O'DONNELL: Right and on "SNL" it wasn't as though she delivered. People watched expecting, hoping, wishing.
Mr. DEUTSCH: You lean in.
Ms. O'DONNELL: But, you know.
Mr. DEUTSCH: You lean in.
Ms. O'DONNELL: I don't know, she needs a lot of help.
Pot - meet kettle.
As NewsBusters reported last month, O'Donnell was canned by Winfrey due to her show's lousy ratings.
Prior to that, her 2008 variety show on NBC was such a flop the network chose not to pick it up as a series.
And let's not forget her basically being booted from ABC's The View for her atrocious behavior.
Let's face it - Rosie O'Donnell has become the female version of Keith Olbermann: she alienates everyone she works with and then gets dumped.
Yet she still goes on national television pointing out other people's publicity problems.
Might be the funniest thing she's ever said.
