1996: ROSIE O'DONNELL

WHAT WE SAID THEN ''Oprah made it okay. Regis and Kathie Lee made it kitschy. But only Rosie made it cool to watch daytime TV again. With her smart, upbeat chatter, Rosie O'Donnell brought a sweet scent to a junk-heap genre. And during a year when nice was in and cranky was out (just ask Bob Dole), Rosie was the nicest of them all.'' —Bruce Fretts