Rosie Bids Farewell to Talk Show. It’s hard to describe how I feel about THE ROSIE O’DONNELL SHOW going off the air, because it’s served as a kind of cultural touchstone for me for the past 6 years.

I still remember the first season during my senior year of college, racing to the lounge to snag the TV so I could watch it everyday. Here was a show that matched my interests in classic sitcoms, musical theatre, and liberal political issues. When we pouted after the election of 2000 and grieved after Columbine and 9-11, Rosie spoke her mind. While the rest of popular entertainment focused on rap music and action movies, Rosie promoted Broadway and gave me the opportunity to see so many great performances that I usually only got to hear on CD.

And though I faulted Rosie (and her band-leader, John McDaniel) for years for not coming out and serving as a positive gay role model, she finally did so this year and championed the important issue of gay adoption (and today’s show was certainly the “biggest, gayest celebration since Liza’s wedding“).

I’m really going to miss the show being part of my usual afternoon routine.