It's Official: Sherri on the View

Barbara Walters has made it official that Sherri Shepherd will be the new permanent panelist on The View. A great addition. I was still rooting for Kathy Griffin.

Sherri Shepherd Set to Sit on the View

Although Barbara Walters won't make the official announcement until Monday, Sherri Shepherd is set to join the panal on the View. This comedian and former guest host of the show will make a great addition to the cast. I know John has been rooting for Kathy Griffen, but I loved watching Sherri Shepherd interact with the rest of the panal, and I think the show will be funny and interesting from now on.

New View Co-Host is Coming

Barbara Walters announced today that they will announce who the new View co-host will be on Monday, September 10th during the show. The new co-host will join Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Joy Behar. Here's hoping it's Kathy Griffin!

Whoopi Starts New View Season

Image courtesy of BuddyTV

Whoopi Goldberg officially joined the panel of The View today as the show began it's 11th season. Goldberg joins Barbara Walters, very pregnant Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Joy Behar. No mention on if or when the final panelist chair will be filled.

Women's Equality Day

On this date, August 26, 2007, we commemorate the adoption of the 19th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which guarantees a woman's right to vote. The extraordinary accomplishments at the Seneca Falls convention in 1848, where strong, leading women believed that "all men AND women were created equal" should be honored to the highest degree.

Since that convention, the women's rights movement has grown strong and continues to thrive across the country. The 19th Amendment does not only represents equality among genders to partake in one of the defining principles of our democracy, but also a great change for women's opportunities.

There have been great achievements made by women throughout history that should be honored and praised. From Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, and Margaret Sanger, to Madeline Albright, Amelia Earhart, and Barbara Walters - all should be commended.

Even today, women have continued to rise above. Just this past year, Nancy Pelosi became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives and Hillary Rodham Clinton, if elected in 2008, will become the first woman President of the United States.

So as today is designated Women's Equality Day, we must celebrate and honor the audacity, intellect, and great accomplishments of women. Without their hard work and leadership, our country would not be half of what it is today. I salute you all!

What Whoopi Means For The View

As announced earlier today, Whoopi Goldberg was named the new moderator at The View. Whoopi is a great addition to the panel and I'm saddened I will not be in the US when the Oscar/Tony/Emmy/Grammy award winner takes the seat once held by Meredith Vierra and Rosie O'Donnell. The comedienne's inclusion as moderator will serve the show quite well. Whoopi Goldberg is a big name star and while she is not known for being as controversial as the former Queen of Nice Rosie O'Donnell...she doesn't come completely without baggage. Weight Watchers fired her as a spokesperson in 2004 after Whoopi criticized President Bush. Goldberg is outspoken and she'll fit in well. However, unless she really steps it up, The View shouldn't expect to see ratings as high as they were when Rosie was famously feuding with everyone from Donald Trump, Kelly Ripa, and, of course, panelist Elizabeth Hasselbeck. On choosing Goldberg, Barbara Walters probably did not want a repeat of last year, which most definitely must have caused the legendary broadcast journalist some serious stress, so Whoopi is a perfect choice as a big name who won't stir the pot as vigorously as Rosie did. Not to cause Ms. Walters more agita, I hope Whoopi does push the limits and speak her mind very loudly. While I have always been a fan of the show, Rosie O'Donnell made the show relevant and newsworthy. Rosie helped panelist Joy Behar step up her game as well and Behar's passion has really shone through since Rosie joined (and now exited) the panel. The View cannot take a step backward.

Now The View has typically had five people on the panel. Barbara Walters did not do the show daily when the panel had five women. With Star Jones Reynold's abrupt departure last year after ABC did not renew her contract and O'Donnel's departure, Barbara Walters has rarely missed a day. She especially has not missed a day since O'Donnell left because that would leave Joy and Elizabeth alone with a guest host and, more importantly, the guest hosts have been serving as auditions to permanently fill the vacated seat. The most frequent guest host this past year has been comedienne Sherri Shepherd. Shepherd is hilarious and definitely a great guest host when she fills in. Her chemistry with the other hosts has been spot-on and Sherri even tried to squash the fight between Rosie and Elizabeth, which Barbara must have approved of, that led to O'Donnell's early exit. Insiders were already leaking information that Sherri Shepherd had been offered a spot on the panel alongside Whoopi Goldberg and that negotiations had started.

However, today saw the announcement of only Whoopi Goldberg as moderator. There was no mention of the other empty seat. No offense to Sherri Shepherd, but they wouldn't announce a big name like Whoopi Goldberg before they announced Sherri Shepherd as a new panelist. Therefore, I have the feeling things maybe did not go as planned for producers and we aren't going to see a colorful and comic (Shepherd's addition would make for three comedians on the panel) group come Labor Day. Now, reports and rumors are being circulated that negotiations with Shepherd fell through and she will not be joining the panel permanently. Sources say that Shepherd was asking for $2 million and that the show was not willing to give her that. Goldberg's salary is reportedly going to be $2 million and, clearly, Whoopi is a much bigger and known name than Sherri Shepherd so I think Shepherd asking for $2 million is a bit outrageous and I don't know why she thought they would pay her that much. I doubt that even Joy Behar (who's been with the show since the beginning) and Elizabeth Hasselbeck get paid that much. Who knows? This is all a bit of rumors for now and come Fall, the panel may very well include Sherri Shepherd. If they choose to go with someone else my vote goes to Kathy Griffin, who would really make the show catch fire and the combination of her and Whoopi would make the show skyrocket in the ratings department. Kathy, though named a front-runner, seems like a long shot to me since Barbara Walters does not seem to be a fan of the outrageous My Life on the D-List red-head at all. But who knows if Barbara will put aside her distaste for some stellar ratings. Sherri Shepherd...I love you girl but let's all move aside for Miss Kathy Griffin. All in all, we should be in for a fun ride once The View starts its next season in September.

Whoopi Joins The View

Whoopi Goldberg was officially announced as the new moderator for The View today by Barbara Walters. The hilarious comedienne is taking the spot of Rosie O'Donnell and which once belonged to Today's Meredith Vierra. Walters did not name who would fill the spot vacated by Star Jones Reynolds. Many believe that spot will soon go to Sherri Shepherd.

Kathy Griffin...not so D-List

Alright, so maybe Big Brother 8, isn't the only thing to watch this summer. I was reminded of the brilliance that is Kathy Griffin's Bravo show My Life On The D-List. The show, now in it's second season, is a reality show following the red-headed comedienne and her staff of three. In addition to the show showing a lot of Kathy's hilarious stand-up performance, the real humor occurs when Kathy is prepping for a show, making fun of her staff, trying desperately to have the papparazzi take her picture so she can land a spot in the tabloids, and, of course, making fun of Hollywood's top celebrities. She's known for her potty mouth and her no holds barred attitude. Kathy Griffin is most definitely a breath of fresh air.

Kathy Griffin may have been a D-list celebrity back in the day...but she's definitely not D-list anymore. Her show has been a huge success for Bravo and, in addition to more episodes being ordered, has even been picked up on the United Kingdom's E! network. Also, Kathy's one hour stand-up performance shows (one was called Everybody Can Suck It) have also proved a ratings hit for the Bravo network.

Also, it has been rumored that Kathy Griffin is among the front-runners to replace Rosie O'Donnell or Star Jones Reynolds on The View. I would absolutely love if Kathy were given a permanent spot on the panel. In addition to the comedy that her and Joy Behar would produce together, it would be awesome to see Kathy Griffin square off against Elizabeth Hasselbeck as Rosie O'Donnell, now infamously, did. However, ultimately, I don't think Kathy will be given that spot on the show and join the rest of the ladies. She's guest hosted a couple of times and she's been great but I can't help but see how much she annoys big mama Barbara Walters. Also, after the highly controversial year, maybe Walters would like to choose someone less controversial than Ms. Griffin. I'm not going to lie, Kathy's voice and personality may be a bit too much for daytime television. We shall have to see. My prediction is that the two vacant spots will be filled by Sherri Shepherd and Whoopi Goldberg. That's fine by me. I love Whoopi and Sherri and think they will add plenty to the show. However, if Barbara and producers want to have another year with high ratings, such as the one they enjoyed with the always loud and feuding but lovable Rosie, then Barbara should definitely select the always loud and feuding but lovable Kathy Griffin.

By the way, John Raphael Oliveira is bumping Ms. Griffin up to the B-list.

Check out the season finale of My Life on the D-List next Tuesday at 10 PM est time on Bravo.