The View

"View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck gave birth to a baby boy on Friday, ABC announced, but you're going to have to wait to find out the name. Can you stand it?

The conservative mouthpiece's son weighs in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces, but Hasselbeck is waiting to reveal the name until Monday -- when she'll call into "The View" and share the name with her friends and all of America. Is there no end to the excitement?

"View" fans take note: you've got less than a month with your beloved Elisabeth Hasselbeck before she goes on extended pregnancy leave.

The blonde conserva-mom -- who already has a daughter with former football-playing hubby Tim Hasselbeck -- is preggo with her second child, and Hasselbeck's spokesperson says Lizzy will be taking leave starting November 8 or 9. Who's Whoopi going to argue with now?

To satiate your Hasselbeck desires, "The View" will have a series of celeb co-hosts in her place.

Oddly enough, the two had breakfast together at the Carlyle Hotel in New York yesterday. Clearly, the television business does make for strange bedfellows ... and even stranger choices of pocketbooks.

The soon-to-be mom did shoot these fully clothed pics for the November 2007 issue, and TMZ got a sneak peek, if you dare.

This will be the second child for the shrill chat brat. Who knew pregnant could look so, um, appealing?

TMZ caught up with the man of exactly one face after a rehearsal, and he told us that while he loved "all those people" at "The View," appearing with Elisabeth on the show "didn't feel good." Barry said he wouldn't appear on the show because he disagreed with what he deemed Hasselbeck's "dangerous" opinions.

Manilow told TMZ yesterday that he decided to ditch his appearance on today's "View," because as a close friend of Rosie O'Donnell, he didn't want to sit on the same stage as right-winger Elisabeth Hasselbeck, whose views he called "dangerous." Babwa, on her Sirius radio chatfest last night, said it was "too bad" about Barry's stand. Added co-executive producer Bill Geddie, "We don't do that ... we support everybody ... he's not going to call the shots."

Geddie also pointed out that lefty celeb political flamethrowers like Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda have also appeared with Elisabeth, and it sure looked like everyone was having a pretty good time last November when Manilow appeared on the show.

TMZ has learned that legendary singer Barry Manilow has pulled out of his scheduled appearance on "The View" tomorrow -- because he strongly disagrees with host Elisabeth Hasselbeck's conservative view! Paging Rosie O'Donnell!

In an exclusive statement to TMZ, Barry says, "I strongly disagree with her views. I think she's dangerous and offensive. I will not be on the same stage as her." Barry, taking a stand!

Manilow is currently on a press tour promoting the release of his new album, "Greatest Songs of the Seventies."

A network spokesman had no comment.

Rosie O'Donnell and her two JaHeRo video blog pals, Janette Barber and Helene Macaulay (who worked with Rosie on "The View"), dished the show's debut episode. What did the trio think? "It was very beige," said Macaulay, adding, "I meant that metaphorically, as well."

"Nah, it was all right. It was good," said O'Donnell, who had high praise for her replacement, Whoopi Goldberg. "Whoopi was good. It was okay." O'Donnell took issue with the bland set design. "Why did they change the set back to beige? That was an error in judgment."

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk fired off an email to Whoopi that very politely said just how ignorant Whoopi's statement was. "I think a lot of people who live and work in the South -- as PETA does -- will not appreciate the "view" that cruelty to dogs is an accepted Southern pastime. Those who fight dogs do so in New York, Chicago, and even the Republic of

Ireland, and what unites them is lawlessness and callousness, not whether they eat grits or Belgian waffles for breakfast." Newkirk went on to say that "animals are as vulnerable to abuse as children are, and they need your voice more than Vick does right now." Whoops!

TMZ has exclusively learned that the first guest on the season premiere of "The View" will be none other than that limoncello-swillin' fluffer-lover himself, Danny DeVito.

DeVito will be visiting the new "View" on Sept. 4, which will also be Whoopi Goldberg's first day in the moderator's seat. His last appearance, of course, followed a night of boozy debauchery (and seven limoncellos) with pal George Clooney, and led to one of the more classically nonsensical talk-show-guest appearances in recent history, full of Three Stooges references and plenty of bleeped-out banter.

Of course, DeVito made out pretty well after his limonization -- he ended up starting his own line of limoncellos this year, called Danny DeVito's Premium Limoncello. No word on whether the green room will be stocked with the tart beverage.

Cameras caught the new "View" yenta walking through New York City, and while TMZ's cameraman was paying close attention to what the gracious Goldberg was saying about how her fellow gabfest gals, her fans, and having no advice for Lindsay Lohan -- our attention was focused a little lower.

Whoopi Coldberg is more like it!

After using hand motions to describe how to accurately decapitate a chicken, grossing out the audience more than she usually does, polite talk then resumed. Now Lizzy's in the soup with PETA, and they had this nugget for the right wing chicken winger:

"PETA has two words for Hasselbeck, 'Cluck you!' Next to Barbara and Joy, who expressed compassion, Elisabeth sat there chirping about the joys of killing defenseless birds. Conservatives love animals too, and she ruffled a lot of feathers today. Now that Whoopi has joined the show, maybe it's time for Hasslebeck's head to go on the chopping block."

What some may not remember: Goldberg had her own syndicated talk show: "The Whoopi Goldberg Show," which aired for one unmemorable season in 1992-93. The show was informal, had no house band, no co-hosts -- and no viewers! Oy vey! The talker was quickly cancelled and nearly as quickly forgotten ... until now.

Whoopi also had a brief foray into sitcomville with her uniquely titled, "Whoopi." Viewers had other plans. The comedienne won an Oscar in 1990 for "Ghost," and hosted the Oscars several times. While she was (sorta) successful with "Hollywood Squares," she had ample support from a rotating cast of Xs and Os.

Give the ladies on "The View" a rabbit's foot ... they bettah keep their fingahs crossed!

When asked what she would be looking forward to the most and the least, Whoopi replied: "I'm looking forward to the hot topics. The thing I'm looking forward to the least is getting in between everyone talking at one time."

Sources tell TMZ, "View" execs wanted a black woman who was funny. They also wanted a funny white woman but Roseanne was too expensive and they felt she was past her prime. And as for Gayle King, we're told, "it just wasn't happening."

And what about Sherri Shepherd, widely rumored to be the fifth member of Babwa's merry band? In Touch reports that Walters was all set to annouce Sherri today as well, but last minute talks stalled, with ABC balking at Shepherd's demand of $2 million per year, which is what Whoopi's making. What's more, ABC is said to be resuming talks with CNN's Jacque Reid.

Shepherd's rep tells TMZ, "They are talking but there's no news." The "View's" rep tells us that producers "are having ongoing discussions with several people."

Of course, no "View" post would be complete without some weigh-in from Rosie O'Donnell. What sayeth she? "Whoopi is perfect for the job and she is one of my favorites. She is absolutely amazing!"

Someone call Joe Francis and tell him we're ready for that "Girls Gone Gravid" spin-off.

Right-winging princess of perk Elisabeth Hasselbeck decided to get all flashy on "The View" when she responded to den mama Baba Wawa's lament about not being able to show pregnancy during her days on the "Today" show -- and exposed her burgeoning belly (she's due in November) to the world. Walters just about plotzed when E did her thing, and Joy didn't think we'd want to see her or Sherri lift up their shirts. Correct.