Just don't mention The View

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - For the women on The Talk, a new daytime talk show premiering on CBS and syndicated stations in the fall, The View is the name that must not be mentioned. However, The Talk co-hosts Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Sara Gilbert - managed to do just that in a meet-and-greet with surprised reporters Wednesday at the summer meeting of the TV Critics Association.

For the most part. Gilbert, who is also executive producer, did say, for example, that one difference between The Talk and The View is that The Talk is primarily for moms, about moms, starring moms.

But not just moms, Chen hastened to add.

"When you tune in, you should feel like you're seeing six women from different walks of life, who have gathered and are talking about everything that everyone is talking about, from Mel Gibson to immigration laws. It's like that movie Barbershop with Cedric the Entertainer and Ice Cube. Cedric would say the most ridiculous, controversial things, like, 'O.J. did it,' (or) 'Rosa Parks sat down because she was tired.' This show should feel like you're watching six women talk about what everyone is buzzing about, only there's no edit button. This is how we feel. We're not here to judge one another. We're not here to give advice. We're here to talk about what everyone is talking about."

Chen will walk away from her early-morning gig on CBS's The Early Show, while keeping her hosting duties on Big Brother during the summer. She will still do the occasional Early Show, but it will no longer be a full-time job.

"That would be too much even for the Chenbot," Chen quipped. "I am not programmed to do that."

The prospect of another version of The View - there's that word that must not be mentioned again - is one that will strike terror into the hearts of He-Men everywhere, which is possibly why Osbourne hasn't broken the news to Ozzy yet.

Ozzy is the perfect husband, Osbourne insisted.

"He's so perfect."

Except . . .

"Let me tell you something," Osbourne continued. "He doesn't even know I am doing this show. I am here today, and he thinks I've gone to America's Got Talent. He has no idea.

"He gives me all the freedom in the world that I want. He's a perfect partner for me. He does his thing. I do mine. We have the best family. We adore each other. Yeah, he snores. He farts. He pisses on the seat. It's like - on the toilet seat, that is.

"But, hey, that's life. That's what we all do. It doesn't annoy me. It would annoy me if he was sleeping with a room full of women. That would annoy me. But if he throws food on the floor and he's messy, it doesn't bother me. So he's perfect."

The Osbourne spawn aren't that interested in what their mother does, either.

"We work because that's how we live. Our work isn't, 'Oh, yeah, you're on the telly. Let's tune in to Mom.' They live their lives. It's not of great importance to them."

Peete, for her part, said her daughter is 12, and loves the fact that her mom is on TV.

"She loved watching The Celebrity Apprentice," Peete said. "She loves everything I do on TV."

"How come you get a kid like that?" Osbourne asked, "and my kids don't give a s---?"

Osbourne bristled at a suggestion, made earlier in the day by a highly placed CBS executive, that her role on The Talk would be to provide the conservative point of view.

"I'm very liberal with my views," Osbourne said. "I'm a very, very tolerant, liberal woman. But with certain things, like when it comes to kids, I am very, very conservative. You learn through your mistakes.

"The thing is, I'm not running for mayor. So I don't care what people think of my point of view. I have a point of view, but I'm not looking for votes. If people don't like it, fair enough. If people do, that's great, but I'm not going to get worked up about it. That's the way I feel about my opinion."