Whoopi Goldberg,
officially named Wednesday as the new moderator of The
View as the show puts Rosie O'Donnell in its
rearview mirror, said her new job is a ''big ol' thrill for
me.''
Goldberg jogged
down the aisle of the New York studio, slapping hands
with the audience, when the announcement was made live on
the air by show creator Barbara Walters. ''I love this
show,'' said Goldberg, one of a select few performers
to win an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy award. ''I
love coming on it. I love hanging out with you guys.''
O'Donnell announced this spring she was leaving ABC's
daytime talk show after less than a year filled with
controversy and feuds with Donald Trump and costar
Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Despite
O'Donnell's polarizing presence--or maybe because of
it--ratings went up last year.
Goldberg, 51,
gives The View a big name to fill the slot of
moderator, who generally steers the discussion.
Similar
to O'Donnell, Goldberg is no stranger to political
controversy. She was dumped from a Slim-Fast advertising
campaign in 2004 after making a speech mocking the
Bush administration at a political rally, at one point
using the president's surname as a sexual reference.
The View is in ''ongoing discussions'' with
several people for another cast slot, a spokesman said. That
would fill the chair left unoccupied since the stormy
departure of Star Jones Reynolds last year. Among the
candidates for that role is actress Sherri Shepherd,
who has appeared on The View as a sub several
times over the past month. (AP)
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