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Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Barbara Walters, Sheri
Shepperd and Elisabeth Hasslebeck in "the View"
courtesy of ABC
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“The View” (ABC)
The show to watch these days during the daylight hours is “The View.” For years it had been considered just another woman’s program and only good for gossip and glorification of celebrities. But then Meredith Vierra left and a new host was sought. Barbara Walters’ eyes fell on Rosie O’Donnell and she was offered the spot. This led to Star Jones either quitting or being fired, depending on which camp you ask.
Rosie’s one year reign on the show was full of explosive controversy, coming to a head with the infamous Elisabeth Hasselbeck showdown. This was the closest thing to a train wreck I have ever seen on TV. It was brutal.
Following Rosie’s volunteer departure Whoopi Goldberg accepted the role of moderator and she has been a good choice. She keeps the panel, which consists of herself, Joy Behar, Sheri Shepperd, Hasselbeck and Barbara Walters, on target. The major problem with keeping it fair and balanced is Walters.
Barbara Walters is BARBARA WALTERS! She is the five hundred pound elephant on the set. If there is someone “important” to be interviewed you can be sure Barbara is going to hog the questioning. If the panel is split on opinions you can be sure she is going to have the final say.
In the beginning Walters said her appearances on “The View” were going to be rare. She would be there when someone was absent or if it was a special occasion. That didn’t last long. With her “retirement” from “20/20” her time on “The View” has grown much more frequent.
Her being on the panel throws things off completely because everyone defers to her. Without her Whoopi, Joy, Sheri and Elisabeth keep a pretty good and open dialogue going. Whoopi and Joy tend to be liberal whereas Sheri and Elisabeth are the more conservative.
“The View” group knows how to grill a politician as has been shown during the past year. To their credit they had on politicians from the left and from the right. They were a little tougher as a group on the conservatives than they were on the liberals, but an effort for fairness was made. Barbara Walters kept asserting that no one knew her political views. Get real, Babs, we aren’t that dumb.
When a celebrity appears on the show pushing a movie, play, book, etc the panel seems to gather itself into a lovefest. They never saw a movie they didn’t like, a book they didn’t enjoy, or a play they didn’t love. This gets pretty saccharine but you can fast forward through those moments.
The best thing “The View” has going for it is its topicality. The show is live Monday through Thursday and taped on Friday. Not being live destroys any interest I might have had in seeing the Friday show.
It might get a little heavy in fashions and foods from time to time, but overall there is something for everybody to enjoy. So do yourself a favor and take a little time and enjoy “The View.”
“The View” airs Monday thru Friday at 11AM (EST) on ABC. |
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©2009 Jackie K. Cooper |
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