Whoopi Goldberg and Patrick Swayze co-starred together in the hit movie “Ghost,” and Goldberg has spoken many times about her affection for Swayze. Whoopi once said that Patrick was the one who pushed for her to play the role of the kooky psychic Ida Mae Brown in the film. When she heard about Swayze’s battle with pancreatic cancer, Whoopi reached out to her old friend. Recently, she spoke about Patrick’s “good spirits” in an interview, saying that the actor has thrown himself into work and isn’t remotely ready to give up his fight.

Whoopi Goldberg tells Usmagazine.com her cancer-stricken Ghost costar Patrick Swayze is “doing the best he can.”

“He’s kicking butt,” she told Us Monday at the 1st Annual Blossom Ball in NYC. “And, you know, he’s sick. And he, like the rest of us, doesn’t know when it’s going to happen – because it will happen, that he is going to go – but he doesn’t know when or where.”

“His attitude is, why wait for it to happen?” she went on. “So he’s busy as hell.”

Since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer more than a year ago, the 56-year-old actor — who denied reports in March that he is nearing “the end” — has thrown himself into work.

He’s writing a memoir and filmed the first season of A&E’s crime drama, The Beast, which concludes its season April 23. It remains to be seen whether the show will be picked up.

“As has been the case from day one, it is all about Patrick — in a lot of ways,” A&E President Bob DeBitetto recently told the Associated Press. “It is about his condition, and when and whether he would be up for another grueling production schedule.”

[From Us Magazine]

Whoopi is right about one thing – life is short, and you never know when it’s going to be taken away from you. Patrick definitely has the right attitude and seems to be staying positive. That kind of mind set is so important to the recovery. He has a lot of friends wishing him well who seem confident that he will beat this. I know there are millions of fans who are hoping he pulls through – and I’m one of them. Nobody puts baby in a corner!

Photos of Whoopi Goldberg at the Elton John Oscar Party, Feb. 2009. Photos of Patrick Swayze on the set of his TV show, “The Beast,” in 2008. More recently, Patrick has looked very ill, but we chose not to publish photos of him in that condition. It’s not cool that the paparazzi keep hounding him. Photo credits: Fame.

There is a long list of things I’d rather do than watch the shrieking harpies of “The View.” Gum surgery, Chinese water torture, a Celine Dion concert…the list goes on and on. But plenty of other people are watching the show, because its ratings are higher than ever. That’s why the co-hosts of the show – Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck – are asking for a raise. And of course, they’re going straight to the show’s executive producer and co-star, Barbara Walters, with their demands.

Ratings for “The View” have gone through the roof- and so have the co-hosts’ salary demands!

Although the show’s boss Barbara Walters is thrilled that her 12-year-old production is on the rise, set insiders tell The Enquirer that she’s suddenly found herself with “a mutiny on her hands.” Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck all believe they should be generously rewarded for the newfound success.

Demands from the stars’ agents began pouring into Barbara’s office in early March when Nielsen statistics reported “The View” – which often ranked 10th or lower among daytime programs – climbed to No. 2 among women aged 18-49, says the insider.

The sudden ratings boom is being attributed to Barbara’s decision to expand the “hot topics” segment, about the day’s headlines, which now accounts for half the show. “The View” is now enjoying its most-watched season ever, averaging 4.2 million viewers – up from 2.5 million a year ago.

“Barbara should be beaming because of the show’s recent success, but she’s furious that the other women have been pestering her for a bigger piece of the pie,” says the insider.

“Barbara thinks their new salary demands are outrageous – some are asking for several million dollars – and she told one confidant, “They should all be ashamed of themselves – I’ve never seen such a greedier bunch.’”

[From The National Enquirer print version, March 30, 2009]

Oh, come on. As long as Barbara’s been around at ABC, I’m sure she’s seen a greedier bunch. And I’m sure Barbara is making a nice chunk of change as the show’s executive producer. Why wouldn’t she do the smart thing and keep her co-stars happy? As much as I can’t stand the show, they must be doing something to appeal to the viewers who like them. I suppose some people actually enjoy watching five women sitting around a table screaming and talking over each other. If I want to see that, I can just go hang out at my mom’s house for a day. But the chemistry – or, more accurately, the tension – between the co-hosts must be what’s getting the ratings. Or does Barbara thing everyone tunes in to watch her?

Things have obviously gotten very tense on The View in the last few weeks as we’ve gotten closer to the election. Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck have been at each other’s throats constantly, with things coming to a head last week both on stage and off.

Hasselbeck responded to all the criticism by campaigning for Sarah Palin over the weekend. According to Whoopi Goldberg, the outspoken Republican gets more death threats than any of the other women on the show. Wonder if that bothers her or if she considers it a complement?

ELISABETH Hasselbeck gets more death threats than anyone else on “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg revealed Monday night at Cooper Union. Whoopi – part of a panel discussion on Art and Educational Justice hosted by the Stella Adler Studio with Rosie Perez, Phylicia Rashad and Anna Deavere Smith – said of her conservative co-host: “Politically we could not be more opposite, but I respect her tremendously. Truth is, we could not have a dialogue without Elizabeth. It’s not that we have to agree, the important thing is that we have the conversation.”

[From Page Six]

While I don’t think I’ve ever once agreed with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, I do appreciate Whoopi’s point. You need to hear both sides to really think about the issues. The problem is that the way The View often goes about it is clearly to get ratings, up the drama, and thus up the gossip. So no one’s really paying attention to the issues so much as they’re paying attention to how pissed off they are.

Whoopi’s probably the most fair person on the show when it comes to politics. But I think this is another case of her assuming that her way of approaching things is everyone’s way of approaching things, and that’s not necessarily the case.

Here’s Whoopi Goldberg walking through Soho in August. Elisabeth is shown at the ceremony for Barbara Walters honoring her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June 2007. Images thanks to Bauer-Griffin.

Despite all the assumptions to the contrary, Whoopi Goldberg says there is no animosity amongst the women on The View. According to Whoopi nothing gets personal behind the scenes and they all respect each other’s right to their own political opinion.

“What we want the viewers to understand is that you can disagree with your friends, loved ones and not make it personal,” Whoopi tells Extra at a signing for her new children’s book, Plum Fantastic: Sugar Plum Ballerinas. “In spite of what anybody reads or says, there are no personal digs taken at that table.”

Whoopi goes on to add that she hopes viwers will “stop listening for trouble and hear what we are talking about.”

[From OK! Magazine]

I’m not sure if Whoopi’s been watching the same show the rest of the world has. I do think it’s nice that she thinks it’s all done respectfully, but I also think she’s in some kind of denial. I’ve never interpreted Whoopi as mean and ugly on the show, at times maybe showing phony inquisitiveness to make a point, but not nasty. Maybe she thinks that’s the way they all come across. It makes me wonder if she actually watches the show after filming.

Whoopi should ask Elisabeth or Joy how they feel about each other. Her belief that none of them have any personal dislike for each other would be shot all to hell after a conversation with with either of them. But it’s sweet she thinks it’s all sunshine and roses on the couch.

Whoopi Goldberg is shown promoting her new book, Sugar Plum Ballerinas, at Barnes and Noble in New York City on 10/23/08. The photo agency points out her new cowboy boots. Credit: MLM/Fame Pictures

French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s hot wife, Carla Bruni, was on The View yesterday promoting her latest album. The issue came up of the 30 lovers she references in a new song and Whoopi Goldberg said that she could top that and she’s bedded 50 people. It’s unclear from this synopsis of the show if she’s including women in that number:

During a discussion on The View moments ago, Barbara Walters teased her Friday interviewee, the First Lady of France, Carla Bruni. She pointed out that Bruni “had over 30 lovers.” Sherri Shepherd, who admittedly has gotten around, asked in shock, “She told her husband she had 30 lovers!?” On the other side of the table, however, Whoopi Goldberg was less surprised. She flashed the number of lovers she has had in her life — a feat that required using both of her hands and her feet. Turns out she’s had “about 50.” “You should do an album!” Walters said, in awe — in reference to Bruni’s own song lyrics about her lovers. “It doesn’t matter how many people you’ve been with in your life,” Whoopi said, throwing it to commercial. “It’s who you stick with.” Which would have been a sweet sentiment, had we heard it. We were too busy sneezing coffee out of our noses.

[From NY Mag via We Smirch]

I agree with Whoopi about the issue that it’s “who you stick with,” but I’m also of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” mindset when it comes to discussing a concrete number with that person you’ve chosen to stick with. Some suggest that you should decrease the number if you’re a woman and have to give some sort of answer to a longterm lover.

There are a few male celebrities who claim to have bedded thousands of women, Jack Nicholson, Julio Iglesias, and Charlie Sheen among them. What’s 50 people compared to 20 times that number and why should men be somehow lauded for being super promiscuous while women are called names?

According a recent study, the median number of sexual partners for a US male in his lifetime is seven while a woman has four partners. About 29% of men have more than 15 partners, and that percentage drops to only 9% for women. Maybe men overestimate and women have a tendency to forget a few. Then we have Whoopi, who is like “whatever, here’s my number,” and that’s part of the reason why I enjoy seeing her on The View. She tells it like it is, but she’s gentle and humorous about it and isn’t combative like her predecessor Rosie O’Donnell.

Whoopi is shown on her first night starring in the Broadway musical ‘Xanadu’ at the Helen Hayes Theatre in NY on 7/29/08. Credit: Joseph Marzullo / WENN

Whoopi Goldberg and her colleagues on The View wondered aloud on Monday why the comedian wasn’t shown hosting the ceremony in the many clip montages shown at Sunday night’s Oscars. Whoopi was the first woman and the first African American to host the top Hollywood awards ceremony, and she served as emcee in 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2002. There was no specific clip montage dedicated solely to the hosts, but one that included other hosts didn’t have anything with Whoopi. She was seen accepting her award for best supporting actress for 1990′s Ghost. (She was the second of four black women to be awarded a statue in the event’s 80 year history.) Whoopi also mentioned on The View that she didn’t see two time host Steve Martin in any of the clips, either.

The producer of the Oscars has spoken about the slight, and unlike Brad Renfro’s exclusion from the In Memoriam clip, which they didn’t say was a mistake but claimed “It is simply not possible to include everyone in that segment,” Whoopi wasn’t left out on purpose:

“No harm was intended, and I feel very, very badly that she was left out,” Gil Cates said Tuesday. “I’m going to call her and tell her that.”

Although described as a montage of hosts, the piece shown at Sunday night’s telecast on ABC was actually “supposed to be a montage of 80 exciting moments of the Academy Awards” culled from hundreds of hours of footage, says Cates. “Basically, that was not a montage about hosts.”

He noted that former host Steve Martin also wasn’t in the montage.

Still, Cates said, “It was an absolute oversight” to leave out Goldberg, an Oscar winner and nominee who had hosted telecasts that Cates himself produced.

“I asked her to be on the show. She did it twice,” he said. “She is a formidable talent.”

[From People.com]

They were probably just looking for the most sensational clips and were scrambling to put those segments together ahead of the show. More care should have been taken to make sure that people were honored that deserved to be, though.

We thought that the Oscars were the most entertaining ever this year and although they were long they kept it moving well, with both funny jokes and well produced clips. Not many journalists agreed with us, and neither did the viewing audience. People called the Oscars unfunny and antiquated, and way too long to fit into anyone’s schedule. The Oscars had their lowest rating ever this year, which might also have to do with the fact that no blockbuster films were nominated. Only Juno took in more than $100 million at the box office, and that started out as an indie film.

Whoopi Goldberg hosted the Oscars in 1994, 1996, 1999, and 2002. She was the first woman to host the event, the first African American to host, the first Oscar winner to host, and the second African American woman to even win an Oscar, one of just four black female winners in the event’s 80 year history. She was shown accepting her award in the Oscar clip montages at last night’s Academy Awards, but wasn’t shown during one of her many hosting gigs.

Hattie McDaniel, the first black woman to win an Oscar, was also shown getting her Oscar in one of the clips. They didn’t show her walking all the way to the front of the room from the specially designated table for her and her guest at the very back. She won in 1939 for her hackneyed role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. It was a whole 50 years before another black woman took home a statue, and that was Whoopi. Halle Berry was of course shown giving her weepy over-the-top Oscar acceptance speech for best actress in 2001. She was the third African American woman to win an Oscar, and was followed by Jennifer Hudson for best supporting actress in 2006.

Whoopi talked about the apparent snub of her contribution to the event Monday on the roundtable talkshow she co-hosts, The View. Barbara Walters mentioned that she did see a clip of Whoopi accepting the award. Whoopi said that the video where the hosts were seen also failed to show Steve Martin, who hosted in 2001 and 2003 and Barbara said it was more of an Oscar memories video than one honoring all the hosts.

Whoopi said “Undoubtedly I pissed somebody off yet again.”

I definitely saw Ellen Degeneres hosting in one if the clips shown last night, and she was the second woman to host after Whoopi and only hosted once. Maybe the people who put the clips together were focusing more on the acceptance speeches and memorable moments and were under the gun and didn’t miss her on purpose. There weren’t many hosts in the clips unless something interesting happened.

The Academy’s clip montage team also failed to include a one or two second mention of Brad Renfro in their In Memoriam clip. A representative told TMZ that “It is simply not possible to include everyone in that segment.”

Here’s a link to an over four minute tribute to Brad Renfro, created by MissyVintage on YouTube. Just because someone dies of a drug overdose doesn’t mean their life was any less worthwhile than someone else’s. Not that the Academy was biased in excluding Renfro or Whoopi or anything.

I’ve always said that any show starring a talking armchair and a globe with hands should be sent back to the third level of hell from whence it came. Okay I haven’t always said that, but I’m pretty sure that any parents who lived through the eighties and had to be subjected to a constant barage of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse has said it. Mine sure did. Well after a blissful seventeen year break, Pee-Wee is back. No word on Chairry the arm chair – rumor has it that she’s become a total diva and is holding out for more money and a bigger trailer.

Comedy actor Paul Reubens is reprising his most famous character to make two new Pee-Wee Herman movies. Just months after vowing never to play the kids’ favorite again, Reubens is working on two new scripts – the first due for release in 2009, 19 years after he retired the beloved character. He explains his change of heart to MTV, “I feel like the time is really ripe right now. A lot of the kids who grew up with the show are young adults. The college kids are middle-aged adults. I feel like I have enough of a built-in audience to make back an investment.”

[From Contact Music]

Not all of the original cast will be returning. Penny – Pee-Wee’s little Claymation blond girl with pennies for eyes – sadly passed away in the late nineties. After Pee Wee’s Playhouse was canceled in 1990, Penny hit a rough patch and ended up with a pretty severe drug addiction. Eventually she started doing some Claymation niche porn to support her habit, and developed a small but loyal following. But there are only so many people with a Claymation sex fetish. Penny played it up for as long as she could, but blew most of her money on hamburgers and smack. She passed away in 1999 from a combination of cirrhosis of the liver and being left on top of the heater by a careless john.

Penny did, however, give him her two cents for it.

Note by Celebitchy: Here’s a clip from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Magic Johnson, Grace Jones, Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. I think it’s from 1988. I’m confused as to why they would want to make this movie now, because they already did Pee Wee’s Big Adventure in 1985 and Big Top Pee Wee in 1988.

In her first show on “The View” on Tuesday, Whoopi Goldberg defended dog fighter/football player Michael Vick, saying that he came from the Deep South, and dog fighting was part of the culture there.

“‘He’s from the South, from the Deep South … This is part of his cultural upbringing,’ Goldberg said of the Atlanta Falcons quarterback, whose recent fall from grace has been one of the most stunning in the history of U.S. sports.

“‘For a lot of people, dogs are sport,’ Goldberg said on the show. ‘Instead of just saying (Vick) is a beast and he’s a monster, this is a kid who comes from a culture where this is not questioned.’

“Veteran ‘View’ co-host Joy Behar took immediate issue with Goldberg.

“‘What part of the country is this? … How about dog torturing and dog murdering?’ she asked.”

[From Reuters]

Whoopi, I love you, but that’s waaaaaaaaaaay off base. First off, there’s reason to believe that dog fighting is considered barbaric by most of the country.

“Goldberg’s comments were denounced by Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, who disputed that dogfighting was a cultural fixture of the South or any other region.

“‘To suggest that there is some ethnic group or racial group or regional group that finds this acceptable is just not accurate,’ he told Reuters, adding that public opinion polls show opposition to dogfighting ‘is a universal value in America.’ He noted that dogfighting is outlawed in all 50 states, and a felony in all but two — Idaho and Wyoming.”

[From Reuters]

Secondly, just because something terrible is considered okay in one region doesn’t mean it is acceptable behavior. There were a lot of things that used to be considered okay in the Deep South that weren’t as common in the rest of the country. If we sat back and said, “Well it’s okay there so don’t be mad” the south would be a very different place today. And it couldn’t have been considered that okay, because Vick has pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges, and admitted that was involved in an interstate illegal dogfighting ring called Bad Newz Kennels. Vick also admitted that he helped kill dogs that underperformed.

Whoopi seems reasonably intelligent, so part of me is wondering if she really believes this, or is just trying to stir up some publicity for her new gig. If so, it’s clearly working – tons of papers and blog have picked up the story. There certainly aren’t a lot of people out there willing to defend Michael Vick right now, so that gets her some attention. It seems like she’s trying to make it clear that she’s going to continue Rosie O’Donnell’s role as instigator of controversy – though to what extent remains unclear.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Whoopi at the 6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival – Vanity Fair Party on 4/24/2007. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Well it’s not much of a surprise, but ABC announced that Whoopi Goldberg will fill Rosie O’Donnell’s position as the moderator on “The View.” Whoopi makes a lot of sense in that position, as she is similar to Rosie, though she strikes me as someone who is less easily baited. Like O’Donnell, she’s also a known commodity, and very liberal.

“I have known Whoopi for years,’ Walters said in a statement released to ABCNews.com today. ‘She is brilliant, funny and irrepressible, and is an enormously popular and talented star. We are delighted that she is going to join the program as our moderator. This is going to be a great new chapter for ‘The View.’”

Goldberg, 51, has sat in as a guest host since O’Donnell’s departure. She joins Walters and current “View” panelists Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Joy Behar.

“This is a big old thrill for me,” said Goldberg, who appeared with her new colleagues toward the end of the show. “The thing I’m looking forward to the most are the hot topics and everyone trying to get in at the same time.”

[From ABC News]

Whoopi has been an outspoken opponent of the Bush administration and the Iraq war, so we’ll obviously see some more fighting with Elizabeth Hasselbeck. Somehow I don’t think it’ll be quite as personal as the Rosie v. Elizabeth matches, but who knows. Rosie could be a little immature and sink to name calling and the like. I can’t see that coming from Whoopi. But anything could happen, and “The View” certainly likes to boost its ratings with fighting co-hosts.

Nothing was said of the other vacant position, so no one knows if they’ll fill it or leave it open. Technically it’s Star Jones’ position that’s still open. Meredith Viera and Star left at about the same time, after Rosie had already been slated to fill the moderator position, which was Meredith’s. There was a lot of talk that comedian Sherri Shepherd would fill the other position, but no other names were mentioned by Barbara Walters.

“With her household-name status and vocal criticisms of President Bush, Goldberg will likely give “The View” the star power and sound bites formerly supplied by O’Donnell. On today’s show, she hinted that like her predecessor, she won’t shy away from contentious topics, regardless of whether or not her co-hosts share her opinion.

“’I’m going to be a little meaner than normal,’ she said jokingly.

“’Just be yourself.’ Hasselbeck said.”

[From ABC News]

Hopefully the show will take a slightly more sophisticated route this next season. All of the drama, in-fighting, and diva-like behavior really detracted from the smart things the co-hosts had to say. I know Rosie’s feud with Donald Trump helped her career (and probably his too) but I think it came at the expense of some dignity, for all involved. With any luck this coming season will be a little more mature, and a little less bitchy. Not that there’s anything wrong with bitchy.