The irrepressible Rosie O'Donnell could not help herself. Coaxed to do stand up on the not funny subject of her heart attack by HBO's Sheila Nevins, the television star created a routine that is more than the heartfelt in its title, "Rosie O'Donnell: A Heartfelt Standup," it's a PSA for women, a wake-up call to the astonishing fact that the leading killer of women is not breast or ovarian cancer, but heart disease. After a special screening at the Athena Film Festival, a panel of doctors weighed in on heart health for women offering tips for prevention. O'Donnell created a mantra for detection, HEPPP: Hot, exhausted, pain, pale, puke, which she made into an infectious ditty. When someone in the audience told her own heart story, O'Donnell strained to find a place for H, an added symptom of heartburn.
Rosie being Rosie, she could not help herself. Topical, she took swipes as Brian Williams. "Oh yeah, and I wrote and directed A League of their Own. Oops, I forgot, I only acted in that movie," she quipped. Though she says she is leaving The View because of her health, Rosie seems in top form, casting a roving eye on the young women filmmakers in the crowd. "Ooh, did you feel something? I felt it. You may be my next wife."
A version of this post also appears on Gossip Central.
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