The View January 29th Recap: S. Epatha Merkerson
Yesterday, Joy Behar had a rodent in her office. She said it was big and “had a personality.” She said she jumped on the couch and screamed and everyone came running to see what was wrong. Elisabeth Hasselbeck said that her daughter Grace saw a rodent there last week and she was chasing after it. Whoopi Goldberg said that it is unacceptable to her and that she is “too big” to have rodents in her workspace. Elisabeth keeps getting stuck on the glue paper set up on the floor to catch the rodents.
Elisabeth is excited about New Kids on the Block getting back together. She and Sherri Shepherd started singing “Hangin’ Tough” together. Elisabeth was a member of their fan club and since she never got an official cancellation, she still considers herself a member. She said that they were “my Beatles” and Whoopi looked offended and Joy said that was too much and that there is “no comparison.” Then Elisabeth got up and did a little dance. Whoopi joked they are now the “old dudes on the block” and there are other bands that are great that she should like
Sherri found out that she had to register early to do an absentee ballot in California for the election. She called and was told that it was the deadline day and there was not enough time to get it in. She told them she was on The View and she if she didn’t get to vote she would have to sit there for a year and not be able to complain, so they allowed her to fax it in. Whoopi explained to her that it would be four years that she could not complain. This will be Sherri’s first election. Whoopi told her that now that she has registered, she will end up with jury duty. Sherri said that jurors from the OJ Simpson trial went on to pose in Playboy. Whoopi reminded her that she was on The View and should stay away from that. Whoopi also said that she doesn’t pay attention to stores about men who kill their wives.
The State of the Union was on last night. Joy said that was interesting that Hillary Clinton was campaigning saying how great it was the last State of the Union from President Bush and then she was sitting there watching him, even participating in a few standing ovations. She said that Dick Cheney looked happy when Bush said he wanted to keep the tax cuts for the wealthy.
Barack Obama was sitting with Ted Kennedy. Whoopi said that it was a “tough room” for Hillary Clinton to walk into. Whoopi said that Barack turned when Hillary went to shake his hand, but that maybe he didn’t see her. She said that if he wants to be president he has to be nice even if he doesn’t want to. They showed a photo of Hillary shaking hands with Ted Kennedy and Barack is turned away. (His campaign has since said that it was an awkward situation and he was allowing the two to greet one another without feeling like he was hovering or “lording over” them).
They brought up the Heath Ledger story again and how Mary Kate Olsen called her security detail, rather than calling 9-1-1. Elisabeth said it is fun for the press to blame someone in the celebrity spotlight and it is sad that they are doing it to her. Joy said that she is a child of showbiz and never had a real life, so her first instinct was to call her security detail. She added, though, that little children even know to call 9-1-1. Whoopi said that the blame should go to the massage therapist. Elisabeth said that the woman was not even licensed and if she were she should have been trained in CPR.
S. Epatha Merkerson, from Law and Order, appeared on the show to promote her new play Come Back, Little Sheba. She has been on Law and Order for fourteen years, making her the longest running African-American female on primetime television. When she won her Emmy award, she had her speech in her strapless bra and it got stuck and she couldn’t get it out because she had a hot flash.
She believes that she qualities of both her Law and Order character and Lola, her character in Come Back, Little Sheba. Sheba was Lola’s dog who ran away. The character goes through a rough time and reflects on when things were better, like when she had her dog. Her husband in the play is white, but because the directer wanted to work with Merkerson, the couple ended up being interracial. They don’t touch on the fact that the couple is interracial in the play.
Merkerson smoked for 23 years and Whoopi, who is her good friend, calls her the “President of Non-Smoking People.” She was smoking three packs a day and quit cold turkey. Her sister is a lung cancer survivor. Whoopi said she is down to one cigarette a day. She told Whoopi to drink a lot of water.
Bob Iger, President/CEO of Disney, called into the show because he was concerned about the rat problem. He said he is already working on fixing the problem. He joked that he cannot do anything about mice (like Mickey), but can do something about rats.
“Queen of Chili” Cindy Reed Wilkins appeared on the show. Her parents and grandparents also won awards, which are the Oscars of chili. She demonstrated how to make Texas chili. She said that fresh spices are very important. I will post a link to the recipe later on when it is posted at the ABC website.
The View, New Kids on the Block, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd, Whoopi Goldberg, S Epatha Merkerson, rats, Come Back Little Sheba, Law and Order, smoking, Bob Iger, Disney, chili, Cindy Reed Wilkins
January 29th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Whoopi really annoyed me. First she said she watched the SOTU address. Then she said she watched it but turned it down. Then she started talking about the picture of Barack snubbing Hillary. Joy said that was a snapshot of the moment, what happened after that. Whoopi said she saw all of it. This is the same woman that said she falls asleep around that time, so excuse me but I don’t believe her. I think she saw it make the news and is drawing conclusions on that. Frankly the picture looked like Hillary was reaching to shake TED’S hand, not Barack’s.
Joy saying she does not know who she will vote for…please. She’s been gunning for Hillary from day 1. I have a hard time believing she has changed her mind, but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.
Sherri using the excuse that she did not know about deadlines for mailing in her absentee ballot got on my nerves too. Yes, we know all this is new to you. Joy pegged it right - there are no excuses and she really needs to educate herself. Luckily for her she’s a star on tv and all, else I am certain she would have received a ‘tough cookies’ response from the lady manning the phone. I sincerely doubt one of us would have been allowed to fax something in. How nice for Sherri. Hopefully she will show the same enthusiasm for keeping on top of voting deadlines as she did in receiving the info that NKOTB were getting back together.
S. Epatha interview was okay. I like her. Has she lost weight?
Why was EH asking her questions and then answering them? Why did she not give S. Epatha the opportunity to tell us what the play was about? And then Bob Igers interupting the segment to discuss rats was T-A-C-K-Y. Was that truly necessary? Couldn’t they have waited till after the show? In an employee meeting? Hec, even the end of the show? To me, it seemed like he was trying to save face but good grief I thought it was rude to cut in on the guest interview like that.
January 29th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
It’s just something about Whoopi that just makes me want to scream. I agree with you Stacee, it’s really hard to see where she’s coming from. Did she watch or didn’t she? Sherri is criticized a lot about her ignorance but sometimes I think some of Whoopi’s comments are overlooked. Or is it me, doesn’t it seem like the others on the panel are a little intimidated by Whoopi at times? I have to give it to Joy, she will speak up about the things she truly believes in. Eventually though, I think we’ll be seeing Whoopi putting her foot in her mouth with her off the wall logic. I’m just saying…Hey getting a little bit off the subject, I was wondering why she hasn’t she announced her daughter’s engagement. That’s her only kid, you’d think she’d be telling the world.
http://www.blackvoices.com/blogs/2008/01/28/real-love-whoopi-s-daughter-gets-engaged-to-stevie-j/
January 29th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I got the chance to see most of the show today, and i enjoyed it. I missed the first 5 min. so didn’t see whatever dance Elisabeth did.
ahh Sherri is learning about voting and elections…I love it. I think it’s great.
When I was young I didn’t pay that much attention to politics. I was in my late 20’s the first time I voted. I think young people are more interested in politics now, ..at least I think that’s true. My daughters are anyway.
I didn’t pay that much attention to the President’s address last night, although it was on ..my daughter & husband were watching, so I heard bits & pieces.
The ladies were discussing how awkward it was for Hilary and Barack. In that Hilary had participated in a few standing ovations. The hosts came to the conclusion (I think) that it was out of respect for the office of the Presidency. Which I agree with. You my not like or respect the person, but, IMO, one should respect the Presidency. And I believe that was what Hilary was doing.
They did talk about Hilary shacking Ted’s hand and Barack looking away. Which they kinda gave him the benefit of the doubt, after discussing it.
Winnie says that his campaign has “since” explained that he was allowing the 2 of them to greet one another without feeling like he was hovering over them.
I believe that is probably true.
I like S.Epatha, as well as her character on Law & Order. I enjoyed seeing her. The play, Come Back Little Sheba sounds pretty good, and I know I’d like it.
The Chili looked good, but also tooooo spicy for me.
January 29th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Umm, I take that back guys, I guess Whoopi has good reason not to ummmm be talking about this engagement. I just finished reading the article. Next time I’ll read everything before commenting. LOL! (pulling my foot out of MY mouth)
January 29th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Well I’ve heard it said that the third time is the charm,..as in Alex’s wedding plans. I hope it is for them.
Thanks for the link Justeena.
January 29th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
I enjoyed the show today, as I always do. I missed seeing Barbara. I’m a little concerned about their rodent problem but I’m sure that will be remedied very soon. My my, doesn’t Elisabeth look radiant after having a little one just several weeks ago? Oh, I adore her. I’m thrilled she’s back. She should keep a watchful eye out for Grace chasing those rodents. I’m sure she knows how nasty those varmints can be. Lastly, I’m curious if there are certain scheduled days Barbara is on the show such as Mondays and Fridays or does she join in with the others whenever she feels the need for discussion? I hope all of you are having a terrific Tuesday!
January 29th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Here is an article concerning the so-called Obama ’snub’.
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/29/618263.aspx
Justeena, thanks for that link. I had no idea Alexa is engaged. I’m a little surprised she did not mention it.
January 29th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Whew, that girl has a mouth on her just like her mama! Sorry but I had to say that. This is my first time posting. Anyway I’m happy for her tho. Thanks for the link Justeena.
January 29th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I think Whoopi’s comment “I’m too big for this” really sums up why I dislike her so much on The View. It is why she makes rude, annoying, and distracting faces during hot topics. It is also why she is terrible at interviews. Finally, it also explains why the other co-hosts may be intimidated by her. Let me expand on these things a little bit…
Whoopi’s rude faces: It seems like Whoopi thinks she is too “big” or too good to discuss a lot of the hot topics. She can’t get excited about much of anything because in comparison, she feels that she is more important. This is most obvious when the co-hosts discuss something celebrity-related. Whoopi does not participate in the discussion because she feels she has nothing to learn about it, since she already knows everything. If she does participate, it is to tell everyone “the truth of the matter” since whatever she says is absolutely correct. I would like it if the producers had the camera cut her out of the table shot and never do an individual shot of Whoopi while she is making one of her faces. It is incredibly rude to anyone who is speaking. Whether we agree or not, everyone has a right to have their say. If she has a problem with it, she should discuss it rather than resorting to being rude.
Whoopi’s interviews: There is not much more to say about this except that Whoopi is completely uninterested in what the guests have to say because again, she thinks she knows everything and is always right. Also, she feels like she is “bigger” than any of the other celebrities that are guests on the show, and therefore, should not be in the position of asking the questions.
Whoopi the bully: When Whoopi does decide to chime in on hot topics, she often comes off as a bully. Well, she is a bully. She often starts off sentences with “Let me tell you” or “The fact is” or “The truth of the matter is”. These sentences are indications that she is not willing to hear any other perspectives because hers is the only one that matters. We all know how insulting she can be to Sherri. Like all bullies, Whoopi is picking on someone in a weaker position, in this case younger and less informed. Sherri annoys me a lot with some of her comments, but I prefer her to Whoopi. Sherri is a better co-host because she is willing to absorb other people’s views and think about how they may challenge her own. Whoopi does not like being challenged. She handles challenges with rude faces or just rejecting the comment altogether. This is the equivalent of a child throwing a fit when s/he doesn’t get his or her way in my opinion. Joy also does not bother challenging Whoopi because it will not be received at all. Whoopi is a brick wall to any thoughts that contradict her own. She has also had some wierd and downright incorrect views, like promoting John Edward as “the real deal” or incorrectly analyzing what she calls “the death tax”. Her inability to absorb any other points of view make her a terrible co-host and often painful to watch.
Sorry for the long post. I’m more and more irritated with Whoopi after every show and today her comment about being “too big for this” threw me over the edge.
January 29th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I forgot to mention, Whoopi is in total denial about smoking 1 cig a day. She is smoking 8, regardless of how many puffs she takes. She has cravings and entertains them 8 times, not 1. Whoopi is not giving this any effort and it was a mistake to try it on the air. I hope other people trying to quit will not look at her as an example.
January 30th, 2008 at 12:25 am
Whoopie is just wrong for this gig. Rosie was great at talking, interviews, misc segments etc…big loss for the show. Also, BW and BG can SUCK IT big time for banning Kathy Griffin from the show (correction: for RE-banning her)…pathetic….why do these fools keep getting ratings??
January 30th, 2008 at 4:47 am
Whoopi always slips up. She pretends she doesn’t watch all these shows and then accidentally implicates herself and says something which makes us KNOW she watches them. We know she watches the shows, she just wants to seem high-falutin and pretend she doesn’t watch them.
I’m Australian and voting in our country is compulsory. We line up and get our names ticked off the voting registrar. If we don’t vote there is a fine of over $100.00.
January 30th, 2008 at 11:44 am
Wow, I never knew that about Australia- very interesting.
January 30th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Tammera
I want to say hi, welcome, and i hope you keep posting. The more people the merrier, and the more opinions we all get to share and read.
M,
I read your comments with interest. I only get to watch the View maybe 2 days a week now. On some of those 2 days I am also doing other things while I “listen”.
That’s some of the reasons I really love this blog,..I get to read Winnie’s recap, and all the various different comments, and opinions and views.
I can watch the show, and come and read this blog, and find out I watched the same thing and missed something that someone else saw. Or they might have a different perception of something.
Anyway I have noticed some of the faces that Whoopi makes,..and her seemingly disinterest in what she is doing.
Her only comment that really irritated me..in the little bit of time that I do get to watch the show,..was the other day when they were discussing Britney’s mental health problems, and she made a comment about having to go backstage and wipe her tears as she was so emotional about Britney. I thought it was VERY insensitive and mocking.
Anyway enjoyed reading your View of Whoopi.
Ann,
Very interesting, and I as well did not know that about Australia. Now I do, and always enjoy learning new things.
January 30th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I never thought something could annoy me more than EH, but Whoopi’s antics have been lately. The way she always thinks she is right, how absolutely condescending she is to other hosts on the show, those absurd facial expressions she makes to show she disagrees with something someone else is saying. The unnatural way she leads into commercials or new topics. I swear she thinks it is her show. She is so closed off to hearing what others say and how she reaches out with her hand and talks slow at the other hosts in her condescending way when they say something that she considers uninformed or stupid (like she did yesterday to Sherri over the voter registration process). It seems like her intent is to make others look stupid because they disagree with her. If I was a host on the show, I wouldn’t put up with that b.s. I wouldn’t let her talk down to me. If she did that slow talk condescending dumb talk to me, I’d mock her and do it right back saying “Okay Whoopi” in that same tone. I admire Joy because she seems to be the only one on the show that doesn’t tolerate it or get all submissive around her. I don’t think Sherri is the most educated person on that show and she takes a lot of heat for it, but we all have areas that we don’t know much about. Even areas that most people know about, I’m clueless on some of them and I consider myself a pretty sharp and educated person. I’d like to hear more of what Sherri thinks on things without Whoopi giving her these you-are-so-stupid looks that she likes to give to show how superior she is in being.
As annoying as EH was yesterday with her scripted NKOTB stuff, watching Whoopi’s reaction to it was even more annoying to me.
January 30th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
I think Whoopi’s doing a fine job. She’s not the only one on that panel who’s convinced she’s right, and in fact to me she seems a lot more felxible than the fervent Joy and EH on many things. They’re supposed to think they’re right. It’s the nature of debate. Her facial expressions are not all that bad either. Many would react the same if they were sitting at that table. I can’t blame her. And her segways into commercials and new topics? What’s the big deal? They’re not usually very funny, no, but not that annoying, really. It’s just her way of saying “we need to take a break” without saying it the same way every time. I don’t get what’s so terrible there.
That’s just me though.
I really find Sherri endearing and a fun addition to the show, and I do like how she’s learning about politics and broadening her horizons. Very cool. Usually most of her “ignorant” comments that everyone gets hung up on I can let slide, because everyone says silly things and slips up. So it goes. But today it was kind of bad. Like, does she not even live in the US or what now? “I didn’t know when the dates were…” Uh-huh. Yeah. That’s the problem with the American Democratic System. It’s the secret election dates that nobody tells anybody about. C’mon Sherri. Just say you haven’t voted. It’s not like you’re the only American in that boat. Ahh well. She’s learning.
I just can’t help but wish she wouldn’t expose herself so badly some of the time…
January 30th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Derek, she did say she hasn’t voted before and that this is a first for her. And she’s just being herself…she hasn’t voted before…at least she is trying to educate herself on the process now.
January 30th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Yes, you’re right Shannon, she did. But to me saying you didn’t know the voting dates and using that as an excuse, as she seemed to be doing, is just being silly. And not knowing the length of a presidency term… This is knowledge that anyone can easily have without being at all active in politics. It’s all over the media… I guess it just baffles me that she really doesn’t know this stuff. But you’re right, she is trying to grow and absolutely should be commended for it. Many people could take a leaf from her book.
January 30th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
I was started to worry that I’d gone from finding EH annoying to liking finding EH annoying. But I’ve decided that’s not it. I just like coming here to have a place to whine, and find out what I missed when I got too irritated and turned it off. I am really liking Sherri. In fact, I think I like her the best (even if she is conservative.)
I thought EH inviting herself to Joy’s Super Tuesday party was a little odd, and perhaps rude. EH watching the election returns at Joy’s house, is sort of like a Yankees fan watching the World Series with Red Sox fans. Having someone from the other camp, even though neither camp is illegal, immoral or unethical, is just uncomfortable. When the returns come in, I’d be constantly debating with myself, 1) do I say what I want amongst a bunch of similarly thinking citizens and voters, complete with snide comments, or 2) do I pull my punches so as not to insult one person at the party (which takes some of the fun out of the party.) And what if my/our candidate is losing - do I want to admit that publicly with EH watching and being pleased, even if she doesn’t say anything (you KNOW what she would be thinking). Probably not. It would just put a damper on the party.
Now, if Joy is inviting people of different political persuasions, I wouldn’t think it so odd - but that isn’t my guess about this party. Nor does that seem like as much fun.
January 30th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Am I the only one that does not have a recap of todays ( wednesday 1/30 ) recap ? How did you guys know where to post? I was searching and found posts on 2 past recaps, and they referred to today’s show.
By the way, I am enjoying EH. She has let her hair down and I enjoy that side of her. She can be cute and funny.
January 31st, 2008 at 5:19 am
Derek Says:
“But today it was kind of bad. Like, does she not even live in the US or what now? “I didn’t know when the dates were…” Uh-huh. Yeah. That’s the problem with the American Democratic System. It’s the secret election dates that nobody tells anybody about. ”
LOL
