Raising the Barr
By LIZ SMITH
ROSEANNE? She calls herself Roseanne Barr again and well she should. This is a woman who has chosen to represent the middle class, the working class, the down-trodden. She can call herself anything she likes for my money because she's a real life-giver -- a woman who speaks up and speaks out, using humor for change. If your negative memory of Roseanne is of the time she clutched at her crotch on the baseball diamond and mis-sang "The Star-Spangled Banner," then you missed the true satiric essence of Roseanne's demonstration against male crudity -- a phenomenon that seems to be so applauded when it comes to sports. Through her tempestuous beginnings, Roseanne was a revolutionary, often vulgar and offensive and she ran the gamut experimenting with her private life in public. But along the way she became a real all-American hero. She understood most of us better than we understood ourselves. I never miss Roseanne's long-running TV series whenever it reappears on television, for surely it was a gold mine of philosophy about kids, marriage, sex, motherhood. It was, in fact, one of the best shows ever seen on the tube and we probably won't ever see its like again.

MAYBE YOU caught Roseanne last week with Bill Maher where she went to town on politics, voting, the Bush administration and anything else that took her fancy. She was looking good. As you read this, Roseanne is starring at New York, New York Casino in Las Vegas, bringing back the standup comedy that first made her famous. But when we talked about this outing, which will play in Vegas until May 1, Roseanne wanted to give most of the credit to her new opening act. "She's a drag superstar named Jackie Beat and the funniest comic I've seen in my life. We have been touring around and I love working with her. The audience just goes berserk when they see her; they can't believe how great she is. She gets them up for me so that I don't have to work so hard." Roseanne told me she had a facelift at 39 which is "the age where it's supposed to last the longest for you ... I also had a nose job and now my nose runs all the time, but everything costs something. I am kind of blonde now going to brunette, but I can't wait to be really grey. After all, I have three grandsons now and I also have a smart nice new boyfriend. But, no more marriage, no more pregnancies." (She has five children.) I asked, "So what are you up to, darling?" Roseanne quipped, "Oh, about 180 pounds." "No, seriously Roseanne, how are you after all you've lived through?" Roseanne pauses: "Well, I survived through my troubles. If you stick around and live through them, they go away. You've just got to be brave. I am a lot smarter, now, calmer and I began meditating. I try to live in the moment.

"If you want to make me happy, mention my blog site roseanneworld.com. I tell everything there. I give opinions. I work to get the minimum wage raised because the disparity between the classes is growing and working people seem to be in a race to the bottom while the rich get richer. We all need to vote for what we really believe in and not just for the candidate we hate the least. Stay brave, I say. You know, to be a stand-up comic and a mother are two of the bravest things anyone can do." Roseanne has moved away from Brentwood and Hollywood. She now has a home outside of Los Angeles. And she'll be introducing "America's Funniest Moms" when it premieres on Nickelodeon come April 10. So we'll all have another chance to see this dynamo do her stuff.