Yes, Rosie O'Donnell takes over as the moderator on ABC's "The View" today, with a mission to knit together the fabric of this fraying daytime show. Now entering its 10th season, "The View" has experienced a considerable amount of wear and tear in the last few months. Meredith Vieira, who was the program's skillful moderator since its inception, departed in early June to take over Katie Couric's vacated slot on NBC's "Today Show." (She debuts on the morning show next week).

That was followed by Star Jones Reynolds's sudden exit. Ms. Reynolds had also been a longtime "View" regular and became highly controversial, soliciting freebies for her elaborate wedding and feuding with co-host Joy Behar. She quit on air, knowing that her contract was not being renewed. Last week, Ms. Vieira declared,"It's not a good time in the history of that show," and even called the program "a bit of a joke," though later she said her criticism was taken out of context.

But does Ms. O'Donnell have the skill to repair the damage? And exactly which Rosie O'Donnell will be sitting in the no. 1 seat? It's a fair question since the actress and comedienne has changed her persona as often as her hairstyles.

When she had her own daily talk show on ABC from 1996 to 2002,she was promoted relentlessly as "the Queen of Nice," a warm-hearted, good-humored, albeit tomboyish working mom who loved kids, crafts, and cooking. She also was a big fan of such celebrities as Barbra Streisand and Tom Cruise, on whom, she maintained, she had a serious crush. At that time she was also at the helm of her own women's magazine, a revamp of the century-old McCall's called "Rosie," on which she often appeared on the cover.

But when she quit her show, Ms. O'Donnell promptly came out as a lesbian and an activist for gay causes. She cut her hair into a buzz cut, became overt about her liberal views, and declared to a nightclub audience, "The bitch ain't so nice after all." The newsstand sales of her magazine immediately plummeted, and the magazine imploded soon after.

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