Latest news with #TheView
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Before social media, Barbara Walters said ‘Tell Me Everything.' And many did
There is no single figure in television history whose longevity and influence match Barbara Walters'. She became a star on NBC's 'Today' in the early 1960s, raising the stature of the morning franchise. She opened doors for women as a network anchor and turned newsmaker interviews into major television events — 74 million tuned into her 1999 sit-down with Monica Lewinsky. She created one of daytime TV's longest-running hits with 'The View,' which evolved into a major forum for the country's political discourse. 'The audience size that Barbara was able to capture and harness is unmatched in today's world,' said Jackie Jesko, director of the new documentary 'Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything,' debuting Monday on Hulu after its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this month. 'Everything she did sort of made a difference.' Jesko's feature — produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Documentaries and ABC News Studios — is the first in-depth look into Walters' storied career. The film also serves as a sweeping historical review of the decades-long dominance of network news that made figures such as Walters a gatekeeper of the culture, as Jesko describes her. Before the advent of social media and podcasts that allowed celebrities to control their messages, going through the X-ray machine of a Barbara Walters interview delivered exposure on a massive scale. David Sloan, a longtime ABC News producer who worked with Walters, recalls how the screen images of her specials flickered through the windows of Manhattan apartment towers. 'Tell Me Everything' came together not long after Walters died at the age of 93 in 2022. Sara Bernstein, president of Imagine Documentaries, approached Betsy West, executive producer and co-director of the Julia Child documentary 'Julia,' about taking on a Walters project. Sloan, who oversaw an Emmy-winning tribute after Walters' death, also wanted a deeper exploration into the impact of her career. West, also a former Walters colleague, and Sloan became executive producers on the film. 'Tell Me Everything' taps deeply into the ABC News archives, which contain thousands of hours of interviews Walters conducted over her 40 years at the network. Imagine not only gained access to program content but also outtakes that give parts of the film a cinema vérité-like look at Walters on the job. The newly unearthed footage provides some surreal moments, such as Walters — in a pink Chanel suit — exploring the damaged palace of Libya's deposed leader Moammar Kadafi. 'The archive gave us a the perfect canvas to relive her scenes and her moments,' Bernstein said. Walters' story also gives a guided tour of the obstacle-ridden path women faced in the early days of TV news when it was dominated by patriarchy and self-importance. Female reporters were relegated to writing soft features and kept at a distance from hard news. But Walters shattered those barriers through her grit and wits. She toiled as a writer in local TV and a failed CBS morning program before landing at NBC's 'Today' in 1961. ('They needed someone they could hire cheap,' she said.) Walters went from churning out copy for the program's 'Today Girl' to doing her own on-air segments, including a famously beguiling report on a Paris fashion show and a day-in-the-life look at being a Playboy bunny. More serious assignments came her way. The morning viewing audience loved Walters even though she didn't believe she was attractive enough to be on camera. Her career trajectory was slowed down only by male executives unwilling to embrace the idea that a woman could be the face of a network news operation. By 1971, Walters was the main attraction on 'Today' when she sat alongside host Frank McGee every morning. But she was denied equal status. A respected journalist with the demeanor of an undertaker, McGee insisted to management that he ask the first three questions of any hard news subject who appeared on 'Today' before Walters could have a chance. The restriction led to Walters going outside the NBC studios to conduct interviews where her subjects lived or worked. The approach not only gave her control of the conversations but added a level of intimacy that audiences were not getting elsewhere on television. Walters also had written into her contract that if McGee ever left 'Today,' she would be promoted to the title of co-host. NBC brass agreed to the provision, believing McGee was not going anywhere. But McGee was suffering from bone cancer, which he had kept secret. He died in 1974 and Walters was elevated to co-host, making her the first woman to lead a daily network news program. (Or as Katie Couric candidly puts it in the film, 'She got it literally over Frank McGee's dead body.') Walters made history again when she was poached by ABC News in 1976. She was given a record-high $1-million annual salary to be the first woman co-anchor of a network evening newscast, paired with Harry Reasoner, a crusty and unwelcoming veteran. Walters was mistreated by her colleague and roasted by critics and competitors such as CBS News commentator Eric Sevareid, who, with disgust in his voice, described her as 'a lady reading the news.' The evening news experiment with Reasoner was a short-lived disaster, but Walters found a supporter in Roone Arledge, the ABC Sports impresario who took over the news division and had an appreciation for showmanship. He recognized Walters' strengths and made her a roving correspondent. Walters scored a major coup in 1977 when she was the first TV journalist to speak jointly with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during Sadat's historic visit to Jerusalem. 'She was a household name in the Mideast,' Sloan said. Over time, Walters would become known for her prime-time specials, where lengthy interviews with world leaders aired adjacent to conversations with movie stars. She could be a blunt questioner in both realms, asking Barbra Streisand why she chose not to get her nose fixed and former President Richard M. Nixon if he wished he had burned the White House tapes that undid his presidency ('I probably should have'). News purists clutched their pearls, but the audience welcomed it. 'She had a vision back then that celebrities are news,' said Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger in the film. 'She was practicing the art of journalism when she was interviewing them.' The film explains how Walters developed an understanding of celebrities after growing up around her father's nightclub, the Latin Quarter, a hot spot in Boston. Sitting in the rafters above the floor show, she observed how audiences responded as well. Even though Walters' programs earned significant revenue for ABC News, she still had detractors, including the network's star anchor Peter Jennings. A clip from the network's political convention coverage in 1992 shows Jennings surreptitiously flipping his middle finger at her following an on-air exchange. But Walters was unstoppable, and as the 1980s and 1990s progressed, she became a mother confessor for perpetrators and victims of scandal. During a memorable jailhouse meeting with the Menendez brothers in which Eric describes himself and Lyle as 'normal kids,' a stunned Walters replies, 'Eric, you're a normal kid who murdered his parents!' As always, she was speaking for the person watching at home. 'She always wanted to ask the question that was percolating in the brain of someone who didn't have the opportunity or was too afraid to ask,' said Meredith Kaulfers, an executive vice president at Imagine Documentaries. Walters became a pioneer for women broadcasters out of necessity. While in her 20s, her father's nightclub business collapsed and she became the sole source of financial support for her family, which included her mentally disabled older sister. The terror of the insecurity she felt during that period never left. 'There was a survival instinct in her that drove her,' said Marcella Steingart, a producer on the film. 'Not necessarily on purpose, but in her wake, she opened doors for people.' 'Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything' is not a hagiography. The film explores her fraught relationship with her adopted daughter Jacqueline, who did not sit for an interview. Walters' unhealthy obsession with colleague and rival Diane Sawyer is covered, too, as is her willingness to use the social connections she developed through her career, and not just to land big interviews. Walters had a friendship with unsavory lawyer Roy Cohn, who pulled strings to make her father's tax problems go away. She carried on a secret romance in the 1970s with a married U.S. senator — Edward Brooke — while she was a fixture in national political coverage. While the film draws on interviews where Walters laments not being able to have both a successful career and a family life, Jesko sensed no regrets. 'I think if she could live her life over again, she wouldn't change anything,' Jesko said.
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Come on Whoopi, the US may not be fun but you're hardly in danger of being flogged
Whoopsi Goldberg. When will she learn that acting and activism are two very different skill sets? I'm not sure we want more of the former from her but we want absolutely none of the latter. Her latest toweringly stupid prime-time pronouncement is that for black people, living in the US is as bad as living in Iran. Appearing on The View, a topical panel show, Oscar winner Goldberg was enraged when her co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin stated, perfectly reasonably, that 'it's very different to live in the United States in 2025 than it is to live in Iran'. 'Not if you're black,' snapped Goldberg, who then proceeded to shout the other woman down, wildly claiming time and again that the prevailing culture in the democratic US is in lockstep with the systematic oppression imposed by the Iranian theocracy. We know you're a lefty. We know you hate Trump. But really? 'Let's just remember, too, the Iranians literally throw gay people off of buildings. They don't adhere to basic human rights,' pointed out Griffin, an Arab-American. This cut no ice with Goldberg, who by now had clambered onto her bandwagon and refused to concede a single point as it would represent an unthinkable climbdown. 'Let's not do that,' she countered crossly, 'because if we start with that, we have been known in this country to tie gay folks to the car.' Her false equivalence was as ugly as it was ignorant. Call me a bigot, but conflating state-sanctioned execution with illegal acts of murderous criminality is mortifying, stupid and dangerous. In a new report presented to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that Iran was executing people at 'an alarming rate'. At least 975 people received capital punishment in 2024, an increase on the estimated 834 in 2023 and the highest rate of executions since 2015. Flogging, torture and amputation are accepted forms of punishment in a country where the security forces act with impunity and women are 'disappeared' for refusing to wear the 'correct' veil. But Goldberg, who is worth an estimated £45 million, appeared to have no intention of listening – or allowing the audience to hear – any point of view other than her own. Even when Griffin pointed to the actress's clothing and argued that in Iran she wouldn't be allowed to walk around with her hair and legs showing, Goldberg predictably dragged the debate – such as it was – back to her specialist subject of race relations in the US. A worthy topic – but this was a programme focusing on Iran. 'Nobody wants to diminish the very real problems we have in our country,' responded Griffin carefully (to her credit, she didn't just reach over and turn off Goldberg's mic). 'But there are places far darker than our country.' She's right. But Goldberg wasn't interested. Her empathy doesn't appear to extend beyond her home turf. Or beyond colour. In 2022, she was suspended from the selfsame show for 'wrong and hurtful comments' after she asserted the annihilation of six million Jews in the Holocaust wasn't about race because 'these are two white groups of people'. Wow. You'd think Goldberg might have learnt something – anything. But no. She inhabits a myopic world of privilege in which her opinions are the only opinions – and if you're not with her, you are against her. The sorry truth is that now Hollywood no longer comes calling, she's plying her trade as a TV loudmouth. She doesn't need the money, but she clearly craves the attention – a deluded egotistical actress clinging to the excruciating belief that she's still the star of the show.
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Lefties Losing It: The View's week from hell
Sky News host Rita Panahi has looked back at The View's week from hell, ranging from Arnold Schwarzenegger's opposition to the show's immigration take to Whoopi Goldberg's bizarre Iran-US comparison.
New York Post
9 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
Mark Cuban reveals Kamala Harris considered him as a potential VP — but turned her down
Mark Cuban revealed that former Vice President Kamala Harris had considered him as a potential running mate in her bid for the White House last year – but he turned her down. The billionaire entrepreneur, who served as a high-profile surrogate for Harris's failed campaign, made the shocking admission in a sneak preview of 'The Bulwark' podcast after host Tim Miller pressed him about 'some green room gossip at MSNBC' related to the request. The former 'Shark Tank' judge said the Democrat's team had reached out to ask him to submit vetting materials – but he felt a review of his extensive background would be a waste of time. 4 Mark Cuban made the shocking admission in a sneak preview of 'The Bulwark' podcast. The Bulwark 'My response was I'm not very good as the number two person,' Cuban told Miller in a clip of Friday's episode. 'And so if the last thing we need is me telling Kamala, you know, the president that, no, that's a dumb idea. And I'm not real good at the shaking hands and kissing babies.' 4 Kamala Harris ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to join her losing ticket. AFP via Getty Images Miller responded by telling the Dallas Mavericks minority owner that he may have been a bigger – and 'meaningfully different' – asset to Harris's campaign than Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who she ultimately chose to join her losing ticket. 'I mean, obviously it would have been different,' Cuban said, noting that he's not a politician. 'My personality is completely different than Tim's. My experiences, my backgrounds are completely different. I think I've cut through the sh–t more directly. I'm not a politician. And so, it would have been different, but it would have been awful.' 4 Host Tim Miller pressed Cuban about some gossip he had heard at MSNBC related to the request. The Bulwark The businessman joked that Harris probably would have fired him within six days. Miller pushed back, saying that Cuban joining the presidential ticket would have been 'better than the present situation,' referring to President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who overwhelmingly won the election last November. 4 The former 'Shark Tank' judge said the Democrat's team had reached out to ask him to submit vetting materials. Getty Images 'Well, yea, that's true. But, you know, I really thought she was going to win,' Cuban replied. Cuban actively campaigned for Harris on the trail, even facing some backlash after claiming Trump does not surround himself with 'strong, intelligent women' during an appearance on 'The View.' He immediately regretted his careless remarks and tried to clear them up — later congratulating the commander in chief for winning the election 'fair and square.'
New York Post
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Wealthy Whoopi Goldberg fails to see the irony of her ‘oppression' narrative – or that the US is NOTHING like Iran
They say the more money you have, the more problems you'll encounter. For many wealthy leftists, it seems that the more money they possess, the more willing they are to exaggerate the problems of society. And the tendency to overstate social ills and life hurdles tends to get worse if you're a black person who thrives in the highest tax bracket. Advertisement Whoopi Goldberg is one of these wealthy black Americans who enjoys rhetorically disassociating from their economic privilege to wallow in race-oppression narratives. On Wednesday's edition of ABC's 'The View,' Goldberg ridiculously equated life under Iran's oppressive regime with life in the United States for black Americans. 'Let's remember, too, the Iranians throw gay people off buildings. They don't adhere to basic human rights,' co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin argued. Advertisement 'I'm sorry, they used to hang black people [in America],' Goldberg retorted. 'It is not even the same,' Griffin tried to explain. 'I think it's very different to live in the United States in 2025 than it is to live in Iran.' 'Not if you're black!' Goldberg countered. Advertisement 'Nobody wants to diminish the very real problems that we have,' Griffin responded. 'But I think it's important to remember that there are places that much darker than this country.' 'Not everybody feels that way!' exclaimed Goldberg. 'Black-people whisperer' Advertisement As the conversation devolved, Joy Behar was momentarily anointed the 'black-people whisperer' as she attempted to translate Goldberg's sentiment. 'Try to reverse roles with a black person in this country, just try to understand from their point of view,' Behar pleaded. 'From that point of view, this country does not do them well.' One of the many problems with weaving a victim narrative is that it transports you into an ideological oblivion, making you nearly incapable of recognizing how self-unaware you sound to normal people. Watching millionaires on 'The View' trash a nation that has given them lives of abundance is absolutely nauseating to witness — and, to the average American, comes across as incredibly ungrateful. Like Goldberg, many wealthy black people, lacking any ongoing sense of personal struggle, feel guilty for their success. Yet they believe being black in America is synonymous with strife — and through race association, they can live the poor black experience vicariously, safe inside their gated communities and penthouses. Goldberg is one I would classify as a 'verbal victim,' because she has in fact overcome a multitude of personal and social obstacles to achieve worldwide fame and fortune. Advertisement Yet she pathetically holds on to her oppression narratives because they carry no negative ramifications in her luxurious world, only applause from victim-enabling white leftists like Joy Behar. Goldberg could instead hold up her life as an example of an American success story — but then she'd have no struggle to complain about. So why are you still here? She can't even see the irony of crying 'oppression' as a public commentator who unabashedly ridicules and disrespects the president — a role that could simply not exist in truly oppressive Iran. Advertisement A person's actions mean more than their flippant words: If Goldberg feels so unsafe living in America as a black woman, why is she still here? People from nations like Iran flee to America to escape real persecution with nothing but an ambitious spirit to support them, yet a multimillionaire with an appetite for whining can't seem to purchase a one-way ticket elsewhere. Goldberg is one of those upper-class comfortable complainers who uses the perceived problems of others as a form of social currency. When convenient, she'll use my race as either a tool to grab attention for herself, or a weapon to bludgeon the people she despises. Advertisement I'm black, I love America, and my experience here is in no way comparable to life in Iran. Whoopi doesn't speak for me. Adam B. Coleman is the author of 'The Children We Left Behind' and founder of Wrong Speak Publishing.
