By Andrew Gans
21 Nov 2008

Clay Aiken in Spamalot.
photo by Joan Marcus

Additional guests stars have been announced for the eagerly awaited debut of Rosie O'Donnell's television variety show, "Rosie Live," which will air Nov. 26 at 8 PM ET live from New York's Little Shubert Theatre.

As previously announced, the holiday special will boast the talents of Alec Baldwin, Liza Minnelli, Ne-Yo, Alanis Morissette, Kathy Griffin and Jane Krakowski. Newly announced talent includes Elmo, Rachael Ray, Harry Connick Jr., Anti-Gravity with the Lombard Twins, Clay Aiken and Gloria Estefan.

The one-hour special, according to press notes, will feature "an unparalleled array of celebrity guests and musical performances, comedic skits and one of a kind games for the in-studio and at home audience. This spectacular show concludes with a massive primetime giveaway where the home and studio audience has a chance to win remarkable prizes. . . Rosie will kick off the hour doing what she does best — sounding off about current events, pop culture and whatever is on her mind."

The program is produced by Universal Media Studios in association with KidRo Productions. O'Donnell and David Friedman are the executive producers.

Rosie O'Donnell made her Broadway debut as Rizzo in the 1994 revival of Grease!, played a limited engagement as the Cat in the Hat in the Ahrens-Flaherty musical Seussical, and portrayed Golde in the recent revival of Fiddler on the Roof. The performer also spent some time on the other side of the footlights as producer of the Broadway version of Boy George's Taboo.

O'Donnell rose to fame as a stand-up comic before landing roles in such films as "A League of Their Own," "Sleepless in Seattle," "The Flintsones" and "Exit to Eden." Her Emmy-winning talk show, "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," ran from 1996 to 2001, and her more recent TV credits include appearances on "Will & Grace" and "Queer as Folk" as well as the made-for-television movie "Riding the Bus with My Sister" and the cable series "Nip/Tuck." She also spent a year as co-host of ABC-TV's "The View."

O'Donnell is married to Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell; the couple has four children. O'Donnell's autobiography is titled "Find Me"; her newest book is "Celebrity Detox."