Has Whoopie whomped Rosie as the new star of The View?

Yes

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by Ted Sherman

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YES: It looks like Whoopie is a whoppingly refreshing welcome replacement, and the door of "The View" has slammed decisively on Rosie's substantial derriere. After just a couple of weeks since Whoopie came aboard, industry statistics said the show's viewership is up more than 16 percent over last year, when Rosie started as the over-publicized and over-the-top gabber.

For whatever they're worth, the TV-scrutinizing statisticians who conjure up such figures claim the programs featuring Whoopie now attracts more than 3.5 million viewers, while Rosie's top numbers only reached 3.3 million in her best days yakking it up on "The Veiw", before the public, boss Barbara Walters and network suits got tired of listening to her rants.

Maybe the question should be, what the hell are all those millions of couch potatoes doing watching TV in the morning when they should be out working or doing something useful with their lives? Nevertheless, the success of "The View" continues despite the feuds and fights that often broke out among the participants. On the other hand, maybe the problems that led to the axing of Rosie and Star Jones actually added to the viewership. And dare I guess, maybe much of it was contrived.

Whoopie,lo ng-time stand-up comedian who was always much more popular than Rosie in her stand-up days, is a renowned Broadway actress and movie star (Academy Award for "Ghost"). With her calm, gentle manner, she has shown a much more relaxed personality than the hyper-angry Rosie and the previously dismissed lawyer-opinionated Star Jones. Whoopie brings to the show a humorous sense of acceptance of the foibles of her fellow TV and Hollywood performers, as well as more balanced political and social behavior opinions.

While Rosie ranted about all the wrongs of America's political and military activities around the world, Whoopie gives such discussions a sense of endearing respect for the opinions of others. For instance, she was more amused than shocked about the college student at Florida University who disrupted the John Kerry speech, and was dragged off shouting, "Don't taze me, bro!"

Whoopie didn't go into the politics or possible accusations of campus police violence in the case. She said the student's actions reminded her of her mother's strict rules about public behavior. She recounted humorous and endearing memories of her mother's instant corporal punishment doled out to any of her children who acted out deliberately in front of other people just to get attention. Did you hear that, taze boy?

I predict the ratings and viewership of "The View" will continue to improve while Whoopie is in the cast. We can all be sure her behavior will be much more controlled than that of Rosie, and boss Barbars Walters won't have any occasions to roll her eyes and make excuses for outrageous antics on the show.

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