- PRNewswire Monday, Novermber 13, 2006 - Caesars Palace in Las Vegas says it will celebrate 40 years of great headliner performers with the installation of bronze plaques in the sidewalks that rim the resort's front fountains and gardens at the Las Vegas Strip. The first superstar performer to be immortalized in the resort's new Roman Plaza walk of fame will be one of comedy's premiere funnymen, Don Rickles. On Wednesday, November 15th, Rickles will be presented a commemorative plaque in a sidewalk ceremony; the first of many presentations celebrating unforgettable performances at the resort. The plaque will be unveiled by comedy, film and radio star Whoopi Goldberg.
- Variety Monday, October 23, 2006 - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he's forming a task force to explore issues of diversity in Gotham's entertainment biz and has appointed Whoopi Goldberg as a member of that task force.
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![[Chris Rock]](../graphics/chrisrock200.jpg)
Actress Whoopi Goldberg has signed on to appear in two episodes of the CW comedy
Everybody Hates Chris starting October 8, 2006.
Whoopi will play Louise, a woman from Queens who moves in next door to Chris’ family, the family loosely based on the
upbringing of actor and comedian Chris Rock. Louise is also the grandmother of the latest object of Chris' affections.
While mostly known for a film career that includes roles in films such as Ghost, Sister Act and The
Color Purple, Whoopi is no stranger to the small screen including a shot at her own sitcom, Whoopi, and a
recurring role for five years on Star Trek: Next Generation.
Chris Rock talked about the addition of Whoopi Goldberg to the show. "I saw her in a movie (How Stella Got Her
Groove Back) that wasn’t that good but she was great in it," Chris said, when asked why he chose to cast Whoopi.
"It's not like stunt casting. She's got a real part," said Rock. "I mean, stunt casting, to me, is like, 'Hey, Shaq just came over.' "
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![[Comic Relief]](../graphics/comicrelief.jpg)
Comic Relief is returning after an eight-year hiatus to help children and animals recover from Hurricane Katrina. It was founded
20 years ago to help the homeless. The group's founder and president, Bob Zmuda, made the announcement in New Orleans during an
audience question-and-answer session with NBC news anchor Brian Williams. Williams had said during a luncheon conference that
some viewers want him to stop reporting on the hurricane and its aftermath. Zmuda told Brian Williams that Comic Relief and its
hosts -- Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal -- are listening. He said the live performance Nov. 18 will be
broadcast simultaneously on HBO, TBS and AOL.
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![[Clear Channel License Plate]](../graphics/clearchannel.gif)
Whoopi Goldberg announced Monday May 8, 2006, that she'll be joining the growing ranks of celebrity radio voices
this summer when she begins her live syndicated program, Wake Up With Whoopi. "I'm going to talk to people. People are
going to talk to me. I'm going to be singing and dancing in my chair. I want to have a good time in the morning and I want
everyone who wakes up with me to have a good time." the Oscar-winning actress told Associated Press. The show will air
weekday mornings from 5 to 9 a.m., says John Hogan, president and chief executive officer of Clear Channel Radio
[press release].
He didn't indicate which markets it would be in when it debuts July 31, but it will be targeted at adult contemporary
stations and will allow them to insert locally programmed music.
Besides taking calls and doing comedy bits, Whoopi plans to play music. She also hopes she'll be allowed to select some tunes of her own. "I've got all kinds of great wonderful things on my IPod," she said. "Everything from Shaggy to Pavarotti to Tony Bennett to Warren Zevon." Hogan said Whoopi will bring a much-needed female voice to morning radio, although the actress warned that she won't yell at people. Her radio idol, after all, is veteran oldies rock DJ Cousin Brucie. She hosted a TV talk show in the 1990s, but Goldberg, who won an Academy Award for her role in the film Ghost, has never done radio. "It's something I always wanted to do. I just really didn't have the opportunity before this presented itself," she said. "It came along just at the right time, and I think it will be a great deal of fun."
Search for a station near you
- Whoopi Goldberg will serve as a juror in the first-ever
New York Television Festival, which will give aspiring writers, directors and
producers the opportunity to showcase original pilots directly to network execs.
- First announced in November 2001, the deal between Cristina Saralegui Enterprises and Whoopi Goldberg's production company to develop a film about the life of Cuban salsa superstar Celia Cruz has been postponed indefinitely. Whoopi said she may still produce but that a younger actress will be selected to play the title role.
Warner Home Video to Release DVD
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![[Whoopi: Back to Broadway]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000ARXF8C.01.MZZZZZZZ.gif)
UK /
Canada
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Whoopi Nominated for Prime-time Emmy
- Whoopi Goldberg has been nominated for the Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program Prime-time Emmy for her HBO comedy special Whoopi Back to Broadway -- The 20th Anniversary, based on her recent Broadway show of the same name. She is up against Jon Stewart (The Daily Show With Jon Stewart), Jay Leno (The Tonight Show With Jay Leno), Hugh Jackman (The 58th Annual Tony Awards) and Tracey Ullman (Tracey Ullman Live & Exposed). CBS is scheduled to air the 57th annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 18 from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. Ellen DeGeneres is hosting. (Joal Ryan, Yahoo! News, July 14, 2005)
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![[Whoopi]](../graphics/drg-94778.jpg)
DRG Records announced it would produce a two-CD set of Whoopi Goldberg's recent
20th anniversary Broadway show,
Whoopi. HBO will be airing an edited version of the show in April. DRG's album will be the complete
performance as performed and recorded at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre on Jan. 29-30, 2005. DRG will also be
adding some bonus material from Fontaine Why Am I Straight, Whoopi Goldberg's 1988 recorded
performance. US Release date is Aug. 9, 2005. Click here to See Back Cover
(Kenneth Jones, Playbill.com, March 29, 2005)
- Whoopi Goldberg, who recently returned to Broadway with a revised version of the solo show that made her a
star in 1984, will perform that act on HBO on April 9 at 10 PM ET. The show, called
Whoopi: Back to Broadway—The 20th Anniversary, will include material featured in Goldberg’s
recent 12-week Broadway engagement at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City, which ended on Jan. 30. The
program is her first solo comedy special in 13 years. The special will also air on April 14, 17, 20, 25
and 29.
The Broadway show had an October tryout in Philadelphia at the Merriam Theatre before reaching Broadway. The opening at the Lyceum coincided with the 20th anniversary of the original run, which was also at the Lyceum. The show re-created the same material seen in the original, in which Goldberg impersonated a series of characters, including a Valley Girl and a pan handler. However, Goldberg revisited the material, adding to and updating it in some instances. A notable addition to the routine was an extended screed against George W. Bush and his administration. Goldberg is known as a vociferous opponent of the current president.
In 1984, Mike Nichols was listed under the heading "production supervised by." This time around he was lead producer. His associate producers are Tom Leonardis, Hal Luftig, Leonard Soloway and Steven M. Levy. (Robert Simonson, Playbill.com, March 22, 2005)
Funnywoman Whoopi Goldberg has hit back at Republicans gloating about President George W. Bush's election
victory--by sending them a box of chocolates accompanied by cutting letter. Right-wing group Citizens United
has been renting billboards all over Hollywood to poke fun at high-profile celebrities who opposed Bush's
re-election campaign. A poster bearing images of Goldberg, Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand, as well as other
ardent Democrat celebrities, features the jibe, "Four more years. Thank you, Hollywood!" Goldberg responded
by sending the confectionary with a note to Citizen United's Washington headquarters which reads, "Gentlemen:
I didn't realize how little faith you had in your candidate. To give so much power to folks like myself is
amazing. "I thought you all said that the President won because of what he stood for, and now I come to find
out that the only reason he got elected was because of people like me. This doesn't say much for your candidate.
Enjoy the chocolate."
(Hollywood.com,
March 2, 2005)
A young Kate Winslet credits an inspirational Oscar speech by Whoopi Goldberg with helping her become a
cinema star. Goldberg presented the Academy Awards in 1994 - when Winslet was merely a teenager dreaming of
big screen glory - and assured aspiring actors watching they could one day join Hollywood's elite if they
pursue their dreams. And Winslet - who's up for the Best Actress gong for her performance in Eternal
Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind at this month's ceremony - insists Goldberg's rousing speech gave her
added drive to succeed in the movie industry.
She says, "I never cease to be completely overwhelmed, bowled over and amazed to be nominated for anything. "I remember Whoopi Goldberg presenting the Academy Awards one year when I was younger, and at the end she said, 'To all those kids out there who are wondering if, one day, they could be sitting in this room: you can be. So [to be nominated for an Oscar] proves there is possibility, there is magic. I'm completely stunned, humbled and thrilled." (contactmusic.com, February 9, 2005)
- Bears, dinosaurs, frogs, birds, dogs, aardvarks, rats, lions, one pig and personalities from the world of
children's television came together to record an unprecedented children's version of the song "We Are Family."
Christopher Cerf, children's TV/music producer and co-creator of PBS's Between the Lions, supervised
characters from award-winning shows like Arthur, Barney, Bear in the Big Blue House, Between the Lions,
Blue's Clues, Bob the Builder, The Book of Pooh, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dora the Explorer, Dragon Tales,
Jimmy Neutron, Little Bill, The Muppet Show, Oswald, Out of the Box, Rolie Polie Olie, Rugrats, Sagwa The
Chinese Siamese Cat,Sesame Street, Sponge Bob Square Pants, Stanley, Zoom and many others, including
special appearances by Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg and Diana Ross, to demonstrate to children the importance
of togetherness embodied by the word FAMILY.
This historic music video airs on Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and PBS as a public service announcement to children of all ages. This collaboration proves that even on an interspecies level, the message of family and togetherness cannot falter in times of despair. A children’s We Are Family DVD will be available soon with the music video and exclusive behind the scenes footage of the making of the video. Proceeds of the DVD will benefit the We Are Family Foundation. (We Are Family Foundation, January 17, 2005)
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The Tuxedo Park home of Caryn Johnson has been listed for sale. The property, known as Turtle Point, has generated significant interest. Ms. Johnson, who has
enjoyed a successful performing career under the pseudonym Whoopi Goldberg, bought the home in 1998
, according to village property records. The home is listed exclusively by
Pamela Cromey Real Estate. For more information, visit
tuxedopark-realestate.com.
(Times-Herald Record, November 21, 2004)
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![[Lyceum]](../graphics/whoopilogo2.gif)
Whoopi Goldberg, who earned her star with an eponymously titled 1984 Broadway solo show, will revive
that work this fall at the Lyceum Theatre. The opening will coincide with the 20th anniversary of the original
run, which was also at the Lyceum. As in 1984, Mike Nichols will direct. The show will re-create much of the same
material seen in the original, in which Goldberg impersonated six characters, including a Valley Girl, a male crack
addict and a crippled pan handler, but there will be some updates to the show. The praised production launched
Goldberg. . . Since her solo debut, Goldberg has returned to Broadway in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to
the Forum and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. The show will have a one week tryout at Philadelphia's Merriam
Theatre in the middle of October and then open a limited run at the Lyceum on the 20th anniversary of Oct 24.
(Playbill.com, August 18-19, 2004)
- Actress Whoopi Goldberg bought a 745-acre retreat in Vermont a few months ago, public records show. The property includes a Colonial-style clapboard house. The partially fenced land comes with a barn, pond, stream, river, a shed, mountain views and wooded trails. Berkley & Veller Greenwood Country Realtors listed and sold the property. (by Danielle Reed, Wall Street Journal, August 9, 2004)
- Whoopi has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the category of Outstanding Art Direction For A Multi-Camera Series, for the episode "Sticky Fingers." NBC • Carsey-Werner-Mandabach in association with One 'Ho Productions Garvin Eddy (Production Designer), Ellen Waggett (Art Director), and Donna Hamilton (Set Decorator). The competition in this category includes Arrested Development (Fox), Frasier (NBC), Two and a Half Men (CBS) and Will and Grace (NBC). (AP, July 15, 2004)
- Comedian Whoopi Goldberg's city-centered sitcom has been scrapped from the NBC lineup after a season of low ratings and critical pans.
"Whoopi has been canceled," co-star Wren Brown sadly told the New York Daily News yesterday.
An NBC spokeswoman said the network would unveil its fall lineup today, but said no decision has been made about the show's fate. Executives at rival networks who have seen drafts of the schedule say Whoopi is not on it.
Goldberg, whose spokesman did not return a message, had high hopes for a comedy set in New York City starring a multicultural cast - unlike Friends and Seinfeld. She wanted the show to mix topical jokes with social commentary. Critics said the idea was great but the show was not funny. Viewers fled quickly: More than 15 million people watched the first episode in September. Last month's finale drew 5 million.
The show starred Goldberg as a flash-in-the-pan 1980s singer turned wisecracking owner of a small Manhattan hotel. Brown played her conservative brother, with a white girlfriend who acted black, and the hotel's handyman was Iranian. Brown said the cast got the word by phone Friday evening. "Whoopi saw to it that our show represented a diversity - and a New York diversity - that was really honest," Brown said.
Goldberg, a native New Yorker, insisted the show be taped in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg visited the set at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Long Island City in August, where he said it would mean 250 jobs and $13 million for New York. (New York Daily News, May 16, 2004)
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![[Hyperion]](../graphics/jumpatthesun.gif)
Add another name to the list of celebrity children's book writers: Whoopi Goldberg. The
actress-comedian has agreed to a multibook deal with Hyperion's Jump at the Sun imprint,
which specializes in releases by African-American writers. "If I can give kids and their
parents something that'll make them smile and maybe teaches them a little something about
living with one another on our planet, it makes me a happy granny," Goldberg said in a
statement Monday. The first of several expected books is scheduled for 2005. Other
celebrities who have recently written children's stories include Madonna, Jerry Seinfeld
and Billy Crystal. Goldberg stars in the new NBC sitcom Whoopi and also can be seen
on Nick Jr.'s Whoopi's Littleburg, a series of half-hour TV specials set in "The
Preschool Capital of the World." (AP, February 23, 2004)
- Firefly Entertainment Media is managed by Mary Gleeson, its executive producer and president. She has developed, sold and packaged over 60 shows for broadcast and cable television, including network syndication and international distribution, as well as five feature films. This includes projects for King World, CBS, NBC, Paramount, Food Network, Fox Family, Discovery, The Learning Channel, Sci Fi Channel, Travel Channel, MTV, History Channel, Court TV, Discovery Canada, Miramax, Universal And Lifetime, Cinamour Entertainment, IO Productions, BBC, French Television and Modern. Among Firefly's latest projects, Ms. Gleeson is working with Whoopi Goldberg on two shows, Headhunters and Signature. (Associated Press Online, November 24, 2003)
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![[NBC-TV]](../graphics/nbclogo.gif)
NBC gave the seal of approval on Wednesday to two new comedies with
well-known stars, ordering a full season of both Whoopi and Happy Family. In a
statement, the network said it ordered nine additional episodes of each show, giving them a
full-season order of 22. Whoopi stars Whoopi Goldberg as a hotel operator,
while "Happy Family" stars John Larroquette and Christine Baranski as parents whose adult
children do not want to leave home. While NBC is off 12 percent this season in the audience
of adults 18 to 49 that is key to advertisers, both shows have improved the network's ratings
in that demographic over the same time periods last season. (Reuters, October 29, 2003)
- Whoopi, the new sitcom starring Whoopi Goldberg, will lead off NBC's Tuesday night lineup for the 2003-04 fall schedule. Whoopi stars as an ex-diva living on charm, wit and a bit of larceny. Husband and wife team Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner (3rd Rock From the Sun) are writing. Whoopi is Executive Producing, along with Carsey-Werner-Mandabach Company. (Newswires, May 12, 2003)
- Whoopi Goldberg, Malcolm McDowell and Howie Mandel have been added to the vocal cast of CineGroupe's P3K, Pinocchio 3000. Canada's first full-length 3-D animated feature, P3K is slated for a 2004 release. McDowell will voice Mayor Scamboli, the technocratic megalomaniacal leader of Scamboville; Mandel voices Gepetto's trusted cyborg penguin assistant, Spencer; and Whoopi voices good fairy Cyberina. (Variety February 4, 2003)
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Thoroughly Modern Millie won six awards, including Best Musical and Best
Actress on Sunday at the 56th Tony Awards for excellence in Broadway theater. Sutton Foster, the
![[Tony Awards]](../graphics/tonys.gif)
energetic star of Thoroughly Modern Millie, a traditional musical based on the 1967 Julie
Andrews' movie of the same title, won as Best Actress in a Musical ("To say this is a dream come
true is an understatement," said the gangly Foster, who started with the production as an understudy
before getting the chance to make her star turn in the show.), while cast-mate Harriet Harris
won as Best Featured Actress ("My mother once said that my first words were 'Tony Awards.'").
Millie also won for Costume Design (Martin Pakledinaz), Choreography (Rob Ashford - "Any of you gypsies out there who want to be choreographers, I'd say 'Go for it!' and I hope that you are as supported and blessed and lucky as I am.") and Orchestrations (Ralph Burns and Doug Besterman - "The passing of Ralph Burns last November was a tremendous loss to the musical theatre community. I first met Ralph working on the Broadway show Fosse and three years ago had the privilege of sharing this stage with him. I am sad to be here without him this evening.").
Michael Leavitt, Fox Theatricals, Hal Luftig, Stewart F. Lane, James L. Nederlander, Independent Presenters Network, L. Mages/M. Glick, Berinstein/Manocherian/Dramatic Forces, John York Noble and Whoopi Goldberg ("This is the first musical to win the first (musical) Tony since the world shifted.") are the producers of Thoroughly Modern Millie. (June 3, 2002)
- It was center stage for Whoopi Goldberg as host of the Oscars but her role as center square on the syndicated Hollywood Squares will soon be history. Goldberg said Friday she will not go forward next season as executive producer and star of the successful King World Prods. syndicated game strip. Sources said Goldberg was reportedly being paid $10 million a year for the gig. Her move followed negotiations with King World, which wanted her to reduce her take from the show. Hollywood Squares is the third-rated highest game show in syndication -- behind King World's Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! (The Hollywood Reporter, April 13, 2002)
- Whoopi Goldberg, Christopher Plummer, Kevin Pollak and Zoe Warner will star in the indie
family feature Blizzard, which marks the directorial debut of actor LeVar Burton.
Additionally, Brenda Blethyn is in talks to join the live-action/CGI project, which will shoot
in Toronto and Quebec City beginning February 18th. No domestic distributor has yet been secured,
though the filmmakers are planning for a Christmas 2002 release date.
Written by Murray McRae, the project is a Christmas story about a young girl (Warner) and her relationship with Santa's most magical reindeer, Blizzard, voiced by Whoopi. When her heart is broken after her love of skating is taken away from her, Blizzard comes to help the girl find her way back to what she loves most. Along the way, Blizzard is in danger of being banished from Santa's kingdom by the chief elf (Pollak). The little girl must convince Santa (Plummer) otherwise. The entire story is told through the eyes of Aunt Millie (Blethyn) who relays the story of Blizzard and the little girl to her niece, whose heart has also been broken.
"This movie is about the greatest gift of all -- the gift of selfless love," Burton told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's about the power of friends and how important it is to get back up again when you fall down." More than 200 visual effects are expected to be used in the movie, which will employ a live deer and animatronics and computer-generated effects. (Zorianna Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, February 04, 2002)
- Cristina Saralegui Enterprises has made a deal with Whoopi Goldberg's production company to develop a film about the life of Cuban salsa superstar Celia Cruz. "Our company is doing the research on that now, and we'll be pitching to the studios next year," said executive producer Marcos Avila, who is Saralegui's business partner and husband. (Variety, November 28, 2001)
- "Murphy Brown" creator Diane English is writing The F Word for HBO, a 10-hour mini-series she's exec-producing with Linda Ellerbee, Whoopi Goldberg and Diane Keaton. It will, she notes, have the importance for women that HBO's From the Earth to the Moon had for men. HBO, she says, is "wonderful to work with, smart, and not very meddlesome -- it's time the ladies had a prestige project there." The F Word will cover the period from 1963-73, "The wild, outrageous golden age of the women's movement -- with stories that haven't been heard." She says the project is moving along "at a nice pace" and stresses it will also be star-studded. (Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith, July 30, 2001)
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