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Whoopi or Rosie? "The View" from hereThe View is part of my morning routine. I work late and sleep late, so the show usually serves as background for sorting through my e-mail. Last season, Rosie O’Donnell made me pay closer attention than I had in the past, not just because of the funny or controversial things she said, but because she talked about her spouse and family in the same way the straight women did. Every day, Rosie let America know that lesbian couples were just like anyone else. Whatever else you think about Rosie, give her props for that. I was sorry to see her go.
But I was thrilled when Whoopi Goldberg was announced as Rosie’s replacement. I love and admire Whoopi and knew she would be liberal and gay-friendly in her opinions in, perhaps, a less edgy way than Rosie. Plus, The View desperately needed a woman of color in the mix.
After a few days — and a bit of controversy when she suggested that Michael Vick might have been brought up to think dogfighting was OK — Whoopi settled in and seemed comfortable in first chair. In fact, she is the perfect moderator. She is strong but gracious, able to keep the discussion moving and prevent verbal brawls, and adept at politely but firmly pausing the chatter for commercial breaks. Yawn. Comedienne Sherri Shepherd joined the table as well, giving The View five cohosts for the first time since Star Jones left in 2005.
I expected Shepherd to liven things up. I’ve always been a fan, especially when she was on Ellen, and she fit in well when she guest-hosted on The View. But she’s lost me. She’s even more conservative than Elizabeth — and less informed. The defining moment of her short tenure was during a discussion about evolution. Even Elizabeth was speechless. How are the ratings? According to ABC, the number of viewers is up 16 percent from this time last year. But other sources, including Rosie’s blog, claim that the increase is about half that. More relevantly, ratings are down 19 percent among women ages 18–34 and up only in the over-50 age group — not good news in terms of advertising dollars. My opinion? Meh. I feel bad saying that, I really do. Honestly, The View is better than it was before Rosie was on it. The women don’t shy away from disagreements on politics or discussions of sensitive topics (although my life would have been much happier had I never heard Barbara Walters say the word “clitoris”). They seem to have good chemistry. But Rosie brought something to the show that it never had before and has lost now that she’s gone — the element of surprise.
Oh, I’ll hang in there. As I said, The View is part of my morning routine. But this season is, well, routine. And I can’t help being a bit sad about that. Have you been watching? Do you like the show more with Whoopi moderating? What do you think of Sherri? And does it make you feel as weird as I do to hear Barbara talk about her sex life? Submitted by on September 28, 2007 - 9:07am. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
Things an People an faces Change ?
myspace.com/mgilfoy
I'm sorry to see Rosey go ! an happy to see Whoopie on the seen !
But not because of color ! Talent ! an lots of it !
The term of "color" denotes basic raceism ? the mention denotes it ?
I never saw/heard any one say Rosey was of Color ? Lesbian ? yes , just more sterior typing ? This has to stop !!!
Marion
come again?
Were you drunk when you wrote that post? I thought I was the only one who posted drunk. And possibly also Not Only But Also who seems to have been spilling her gin everywhere.
Maybe you should avoid the "post-erior typing".
As for The View - the earth is round and Sherri Shepherd is an ass. No surprises there.
Love Pussy xx
I'm no Sherry fan, but I
I'm no Sherry fan, but I love the chemistry between the women on the View. When Rosie was on, I found the show unwatchable. People don't need to berate others in order to make their point. I think the current lineup is actually what morning tv should be.
And, I really don't believe Rosie's numbers, how could her numbers be so different from the ones being released by Nielsen and others who actually track these numbers for a living.
And just because Sherri is conservative, that doesn't mean that she can't have a point. The object of the show was to have women from different views and different walks of live give their perspective on different events, and that's what they've done. While I don't agree with Sherri's views, or think she's the brightest person in the world, at least, unlike Rosie, she can give her opinions without coming off like a bigot and a bully. And I would say that Elizabeth, Sherri, Rosie and Star were all on the same level as far as being uninformed was concerned. Rosie, Star, and Elizabeth all seem to speak from emotion and not from research, but at least with Sherri it doesn't seem to come from a place of negativity.
And in my personal opinion, Thursday's show was great, and an example of why many people may be drawn to this lineup more than any other.
Boring...
I haven't watch
I loved Rosie on the View, specially because of her ways. And I am overall happy the Star Jones is not there!!! Barbara Walters talked about her clitoris??? I am sorry I can't watch it here!
lesbian without borders
Where have all the intelligent 20- and 30-somethings gone?
I stopped watching the View around the time that Lisa Ling left for the National Geographic Channel, after I had realized that Elizabeth Hasselback in no way represented what I believed a strong, intelligent, twentysomething woman should be (and that's completely irrespective of her political orientation). I tuned in from time to time, but nothing got me back into it, not even Rosie.
That being said, I was really rooting for Sherri Shepherd. Having watched her on Less Than Perfect, with the all-too-perfect Sara Rue (the original modern "Ugly Betty" type, if you ask me), I thought she was funny and personable. I hadn't been able to watch an episode with her as a full-time host because NBC airs Ellen at the same time where I live, but then I stumbled upon that "Do you believe the Earth is flat?" clip, and realized that I could never watch the View again, no matter who was hosting it, because of the disservice it has done in representing my age bracket.
You mention a steep drop in the 18-49 female demographic, and I'm honestly not shocked. First, there was Elizabeth Hasselback, and now Sherri Shepherd: two women, the only ones on the show who are under 50, who continually make it clear that they are quite fine with the fact that they are, for the most part, uninformed. Why would any woman want to tune in to see her demographic represented in that way?
"Out of the box is where I live." -Starbuck
i think they're busy
i can't decide if the selection of co-hosts was intentional to bring forth the age/intelligence gap, along with controversy, or whether after Lisa Ling, the smart pool of candidates among the 18-39 demo simply vanished due to embarrasment of representation.
perhaps it has more to do with the fact that intelligent 18-39 yr olds are busy out in the work force making a difference and living life rather then voicing opinions on a talk show.
You know ..
Whoopie
I don't, and never have watched the view besides online clips, but I've lost some respect for Whoopie after her Michael Vick comments. In saying that someone who is raised around something that is wrong, and using it as an excuse or reason for their actions, is absolutely ridiculous. I couldn't believe she said that when I heard about it.
_________
"If you go flying back through time, and you see somebody else flying forward into the future, it's probably best to avoid eye contact." - Jack Handey
Whoopi never defended Vick
...
Oh, I don't believe she defended him, I feel she made an excuse.
_________
"If you go flying back through time, and you see somebody else flying forward into the future, it's probably best to avoid eye contact." - Jack Handey
Still watch the view but mainly for Joy since everyone else left
Being from the South, what
Being from the South, what bugs me is not that what people say is specifically false, but that it exists everywhere and people use the South as a scapegoat. I don't know much about dogfighting anywhere, but racism I do. Yes, people in the South are racist. But so are people in the Northeast and the Midwest, and though I don't have personal evidence for it, I'm sure people in the West are too. But you almost never hear about that. You hear about Jena, and people say oh, those racist southerners. But you hear about white cops killing an innocent black man in NYC, and nobody says oh, those racist northerners.
I haven't seen Whoopi's comments. But if she, or anyone else, gives someone a free pass on something just because they were raised that way, they need to think twice. Plenty of people were raised by bigots and realize it's not okay to be one. You have to think for yourself.
yeah
Being From the North, South, East and West
Okay, not really from the West...I lived in Oregon for several years and my partner is from the West. I was raised in both the Northeast and Southeast.
Yes racism is everywhere, but it is more severe and prevelent in the south. So's the dogfighting. And it's not as simple as deciding to not be a bigot. It's hard not to be prejudiced when people treat you like crap and they're all the same race. Even if you're not raised to be a bigot, it's not enough...you have to be taught NOT to be in the south. It takes effort. People are racist because it's easy to be. The dogfighting just makes it that much easier.
Sherri Shepherd
How can she NOT know if the world is flat or not??? I swear my brain just oozed right out of my ear…I need some Jill Bennett “comfort”
Rosie's Absence
I live on the West Coast and from 10 -11 a.m. I would laugh out loud when Rosie was on - it was the most fun part of the day. Now, I just have The View on in the background and it doesn't matter if I miss something. Whoopi is good, Sherri is funny if she would let go and not be so nervous, Elisabeth has to go, far too conservative and not very bright, I can't stand the sound of her voice - and for some reason Whoopi is giving her WAY too much air time. I hope she doesn't return from maternity leave, she needs to be muzzled.
Joy is a hoot, I love her, she makes me laugh, Elisabeth doesn't even get Joy's jokes - come on!!! BW, well, what can I say - it's time to go. Boring!!!
Caveman Defends Evolution
Nick Hedge from the new ABC sitcom Cavemen stopped by The View yesterday and the result was hilarious. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx9vW6lHDqY
It's also available on the show's website.
Dog Fighting