'Whoopi' Ignites Furor (Anti-smoking goons upset with Goldberg & NBC)

Los Angeles Times ^ | 8.4.03

[mhking]

The first scene in NBC's new fall sitcom "Whoopi" begins with the star, Whoopi Goldberg, puffing on a cigarette, ignoring a nearby "No Smoking" sign.

"You know, secondhand smoke kills," says an irritated guest of the hotel Goldberg's character owns.

"So do I," she shoots back, glaring at the guest.

Scheduled to premiere Sept. 23, the show is designed to be a Norman Lear-like commentary on American society, in the same vein as the groundbreaking "All in the Family." That show was built around bigoted jokes that boomeranged on Archie Bunker, while "Whoopi," featuring a relationship in which her brother is dating a white woman, takes a swipe at everything from fears about terrorism, Arab American stereotypes, kids who talk in exaggerated street slang to mispronunciations by President Bush.

But the topic that's catching fire is Goldberg's smoking.

It is "extraordinary when you have an interracial couple in the show, and the thing that people are freaking about is that I'm smoking," Goldberg said recently. "I love it."

[mhking]

I know most folks here don't like Goldberg, but this Gestapo-like draconian attitude by the anti-smoking crowd is for the birds...

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[Gabz]

PING!!!!!!!!!!

[Range Rover]

It's shaping up to be a real stellar TV season.

The resurrection of Whoopie, Ellen DeGeneres and Roseanne.

Any bets on which will crash and burn first?

[DM1]

i think that this is the show that will have a relative of hers as a mentally challenged individual which is why he is conservative.
Yep i pretty much will avoid this one

[shadowman99]

"...but this Gestapo-like draconian attitude by the anti-smoking crowd is for the birds."

I for one am pleased to see Whoopi catch a little fire from her overly sensitive friends on the far left. Not that I think it will make her change her stripes, but at least she'll share some discomfort with the rest of us.

BTW... the early word of mouth is this new sitcom redefines the word "crap". Bad writing, bad acting, bad characters... it's all a mess. Don't blink or you might miss it. It will be cancelled in record time.

[mhking]

I figure a tie between Whoopi & Roseanne. I'm guessing Ellen will last a little bit longer, simply because here show is syndicated (they tend to wait a little longer before cancelling syndicated shows - those shows take a bit longer to make some money). She'll probably last until November-December. I'm guessing the other to will go away by late October.

[Sloth]

the early word of mouth is this new sitcom redefines the word "crap".

The brief descriptions of it I've seen lead me to believe it will be a sorry rip-off of Fawlty Towers.

[TontoKowalski]

Really, you think Ellen will last the longest?

I think she'll be the first to go. Why watch her sitcom when you can flip to Bravo and watch GayTV reality shows any night of the week?

Bravo was a good channel when they had the Cirque on a lot.

[Conspiracy Guy]

I'm a smoker but I could care less if Whoopi set herself on fire. She will portray the smoker that Smoke Gnatzies think we all are.

[shadowman99]

"Any bets on which will crash and burn first? "

Handicapping the Horses -

I think I saw on Ain't it Cool News that Whoopie's new show has been testing very poorly in focus groups. This show is a short-timer.

Roseanne's 15 minutes are up but knows how to sell a sit-com, so I think she lasts two seasons. Longer than Whoopie at least.

DeGeneres has been warned by the network to not turn this into a gay show. Also she recently soft-peddled her activism whem promoting her HBO special. I think she'll outlast the other two, which really doesn't take much.

[WestPacSailor]

Any bets on which will crash and burn first?

Whoopi: 2-1

Ellen: 3-1

Roseanne: 5-2

[Just another Joe]

"The entertainment industry, in large part, has been negligent," said Brown, executive director of the National Assn. of African Americans for Positive Imagery. "They have the power and ability to shape behavior and attitudes of young people, and yet they deny any responsibility."

Yeh, let's blame anyone but ourselves. That's the ticket.

I get so mad when I hear self righteous snots blaming the 'entertainment industry', 'advertising industry', society, etc for shaping the "behavior and attitudes of young people".

A parent, grandparent, sibling, cousin, aunt, uncle, etc has a much greater impact on the "behavior and attitudes of young people" than any other one item.

[mtbopfuyn]

After reading the entire article, I'm not offended by the smoking. I will however reserve any comments on the show after I've sat through at least one episode. I wouldn't give Ellen the time of day but will give Whoopi a fair chance. A few years ago she stated on national tv what she thought of all the whiny Wanna Go Back To Mother Africans; that she, unlike them, had been to Africa and seen the horrors so is eternally grateful to be in America and that she was an "American" not an "African American".

[sam_paine]

"Just Damn" has officially achieved UTTERLY ANNOYING status along with:

"Hugh"
"Series"
"Shower"
"Hold my beer"
etc...

Thanks for running another one subterranean.
-
As for the content of the story......Whoopi's hair doesn't cause kids to get dreds, does it? So why should smoking cause them to smoke?

[Lee'sGhost]

"It is "extraordinary when you have an interracial couple in the show, "


Do these people live in a time warp. Interracial couples have been done forever. Nobody cares anymore.

[TontoKowalski]

"The entertainment industry, in large part, has been negligent," said Brown, executive director of the National Assn. of African Americans for Positive Imagery. "They have the power and ability to shape behavior and attitudes of young people, and yet they deny any responsibility."

I swear, I need to check if this is from The Onion...

A black organization whose acronym is pronounced "Nappy"???

[Wondervixen]

Show of hands...Who else will be tuned in to one of the other hundred or so channels when this crap airs?

[DallasMike]

Do these people live in a time warp. Interracial couples have been done forever. Nobody cares anymore.

No kidding. Do these folks not remember "I Love Lucy?"

[RGSpincich]

executive director of the National Assn. of African Americans for Positive Imagery.

Let me guess. The federally funded manufacturing of imaginary role models? Bizarre.