What's everybody talking about this week? What's the scuttlebutt?

Not American Idol 6, the finale. Nope. Heck, I didn't even watch it, although I caught up with all I wanted to see via the magic of YouTube.

Truth is, I'm a sucker for pretty girls, and there's no way I could be anything but happy for 17-year-old Jordin Sparks. What's odd is that in an Idol season with lower ratings and arguably lower talent, I suspect there is a good chance this could be the most successful season in the show's history commercially.

Seriously. I think both Jordin and Blake could do well outside the confines of the Idol orb. Here's why. Jordin has a good pop voice and a great pop look, and Blake -- while he ain't my cup of tea -- is actually very good at the white-boy soul thing as it pertains to hip-hop-pop.

Don't think he could ever be a serious hip-hop artist, but I do think he'll triple whatever Taylor Hicks does in sales, which ain't much. However, after watching Melinda Doolittle sing with BeBe and CeCe Winans, I don't think there's any doubt how successful the Tennessee native and expatriate Oklahoman will be.

While it's quite possible the show has jumped the shark, well, at least among the older half of its demo, I can't think of a more exciting pop culture moment, period, than the moment when the Idol is announced (1:45 into the clip). It is literally more exciting than the announcement for Best Actor, Actress or Picture, and we freakin' knew who had won like 12 hours earlier!

It's fun to watch, and it's fun to see her excitement.

Nevertheless, for the purpose of this blog, we're done with Idol until January, and then I plan to scale way back, commenting only when something pops up in the news, becomes controversial or wows me.

Meanwhile, even more than AI6 though this week, we all talked about Rosie and Elisabeth.

For those of you who live under a rock, they got into an argument that I thought would turn into fisticuffs on "The View" on Tuesday.

I watched it live and must say that I thought it was the most beautiful 10 minutes of television in years. It was tense.

However, from another perspective, I think it was very disappointing to those of us who have supported Rosie O'Donnell from time to time. Truly, I think she'd be fun to have a beer with, somebody to yap with on the porch about all topics, ranging from politics to pop culture, whatever.

Likewise, I'm not a fan of Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She strikes me as a typical, upwardly mobile, SUV-driving, suburban mom. Not my bag at all. Now, I should be careful to note that it's the concept of the typical, upwardly mobile, etc. etc. that I don't care for, as opposed to the person who embodies it. Big difference.

I'll be honest. In the real world, while I wouldn't mind having a beer with Rosie and talking the topics of the day, I'd be more likely to befriend Elisabeth.

We have more in common ... oh, and she's hot. A guy can't have enough hot-chick friends.

This "war of the Rosie," if you will, while it made for great television was nothing more than Rosie bullying her colleague in front of an audience that would agree with virtually anything O'Donnell said.

Rosie fed off that, and not only started the argument, she also turned it mean. While I don't think Elisabeth is all that bright, I also don't think she's a total idiot, even if I've flippantly said it in other columns. Furthermore, I suspect she's a good soul, which counts a ton to me, even if she's merely a mouthpiece for right-wingers.

This was a classic case of two colleagues who had to work together, pretended to be friends and maybe even tried to be amicable but who, I suspect, despise each other. I've worked with people I hate. They knew who they were, too. They hated me as well.

Unfortunately, while I agree with Rosie most of the time politically, the loud, fat lesbian, as she called herself Tuesday, is in fact just a negative, angry person, and that's why the vast majority of Americans don't like her. I don't dislike her, but I can see past a lot of that negativity, and I understand the point she was trying to make on Tuesday, the dichotomy, if you will, of perspective she was trying to draw with regard to how other countries might view our troops.

Shame on reputable pundits like Chris Matthews for twisting O'Donnell's example into a situation in which folks actually suggested she was calling the troops terrorists.

However, Rosie absolutely went over the top on Tuesday, and she owes Elisabeth an apology. What's dangerous for Rosie, and why we should really feel some sympathy toward her is because, truly, those of us focused on positive energy, doing good and being productive should strive to eliminate negative, angry people from our lives.

Within the context of that statement, it's quite possible that Rosie one day wakes up and finds herself with no gig and no friends.

No, I don't think Rosie's all bad either. Like I noted before, I've been one of her biggest defenders, and I think "The View" will suffer with her departure.

However, the reason kids are scored on "how they play with others" as early as preschool and kindergarten is because it is possibly the most important lesson in life. For as talented as Rosie is, for as bright as she is, for as much as I dig her blog ...

She really struggles playing well with others, and it very well could be her pop culture downfall.