Rosie O'Donnell Talks Lifetime's 'AMERICA' to AP

13 time Emmy Award winner Rosie O'Donnell stars in and executive produces the poignant new Lifetime Original Movie, "America," premiering, Saturday February, 28th 2009. Based on E.R. Frank's book of the same name, the film follows the story of a boy named America, an emotionally vacant sixteen-year-old, who spent his entire life shuffled through the foster care system.

The mega talent spoke to the AP's Ryan Pearson about the project, The View and her life as a mother of four children, to the read the interview click here.

O'Donnell stars as a therapist who gives America the support he needs to deal with his troubled past and helps him find the courage to live. Emmy winning actress and Academy Award nominee Ruby Dee ("Decoration Day," "American Gangster") stars as Mrs. Harper, one of his caretakers while in foster care, and the only person in America's life who provided him with love and stability.

"America" reunites O'Donnell with three-time Emmy nominated producer Larry Sanitsky ("The Last Don," "Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All," "Paris Trout") and writer Joyce Eliason (Lifetime's "Gracie's Choice") with whom she worked on the 2005 CBS telefilm, "Riding the Bus with My Sister." Multiple Emmy Award winner Yves Simoneau ("Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," "Napoleon") will direct the Sony Pictures Television project.e 100 in 2007,

Rosie O'Donnell spent a year as moderator on the 10th season of "The View."

For six years, O'Donnell was host and executive producer of the critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning and nationally syndicated talk/variety series "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." In her first season in "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," O'Donnell won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show Host. She continued her success for five consecutive seasons by winning Daytime Emmys for both Outstanding Talk Show Host and Outstanding Talk Show. She also won a Primetime Emmy for "The 52nd Annual Tony Awards." She returned to the small screen with her own LIVE variety show for NBC, "Rosie Live" which aired on November 26th at 8pm.

O'Donnell has a starred in wide-ranging film and television roles. In 1992, she made her feature film debut in "A League of Their Own," starring opposite Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna and went on to appear in such hits as "Sleepless in Seattle," "The Flintstones" and "Harriet the Spy." On television, she made her dramatic debut starring in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production "Riding the Bus with My Sister," directed by Angelica Huston. She recently guest starred in FX's acclaimed series, "Nip/Tuck."

A best selling author and star of the Broadway stage, O'Donnell also keeps up with cultural trends, starting her own award-winning blog where she publishes photos, artwork and corresponds directly with her fans. A tireless crusader for children, O'Donnell established the Rosie's for All Kids Foundation in 1997 and Rosie's Broadway Kids in 2003.

Photo Credit: Fernando Leon/Retna Ltd.