Jennifer Beals is a good way to start the day

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In what felt like a retro move, I got up early this morning to watch The View. Last year, at this time, I rolled out of bed every weekday in eager anticipation of what crazy thing Rosie was going to do or say. I can’t say that the post-Rosie show has captivated me in the same way. I can barely stand to watch it now, but I watched it today. Who could possibly cause me to sacrifice my principles?

That’s right. Jennifer Beals was on The View.

Let’s get the superficial stuff out of the way first. She looked stunning in this red dress that showed just the suggestion of cleavage, but she was wearing stripper shoes. I was blaming the stripper shoe phenomenon on the L Word wardrobe people, but now I am forced to wonder if Jennifer herself like stripper shoes.

The View ladies were obtuse as usual. I don’t know why I always expect so much from those clowns. Every single time I watch that show, I am disappointed. I want it to be edgy and feminist and strong, and I end up wishing it were Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler doing “Bronx Beat” on SNL because that’s actually a more preferable image of more than one woman doing a talk show together. Jennifer and Cybill (did I mention Cybill Shepherd was on, too?) had barely sat down on the couch before the inevitable “what’s the difference between kissing a man and kissing a woman?” question. Bleck. Also, am I supposed to forget that y’all asked pretty much these same lame questions when Cybill was on last year?

The highlight for me was when someone (I think it was Whoopi or Joy) asked how Cybill and Jennifer felt about the results of the New Hampshire primary. Jennifer gave this measured, elegant response about Barack Obama. She used words like “impetus” easily, and the entire place went quiet while she talked. She made a really good point about how healthy for the political process this neck-and-neck thing with Obama and Clinton is. Cybill offered that it stimulates voter turnout. I was proud of both of them.

Then someone brought up the U-Haul thing. They all acted like they had never heard of lesbian relationships progressing quickly to the moving-in-together stage. This ignorance is ridiculous on so many levels, the most obvious being that Rosie totally already explained this to them (well, to Joy and Elisabeth) last season.

Jennifer was gracious and articulate, and exactly what I have come to expect. She does not disappoint me. In fact, she continually amazes me. It would be OK if I didn’t have to watch her on The View again, but I’ll take her where and when I can get her.