'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.

[Mears]

Good for Whoopie! At least someone is willing to go against the anti-smoking fantics.

This whole anti-smoking thing is ridiculous,especially where television and movies are concerned. The sex,violence,and alternative lifestyle crap is okay but God help anyone who lights up a cigarette.

[ibheath]

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

ROFL!!!!

[hchutch]

Nicole Kidman lit up during a press conference - Cannes, IIRC.

[isthisnickcool]

I saw Whoopie and she "influenced me" to become black. I'm no longer white

I saw OJ and he "influenced" me to slit my ex-wife and some guys throats then butcher them. He also influenced me to search for the killer. Fore!

I saw that story about Kobe Bryant. I'm now and NBA player and rape women when I want.

I saw the story on Kobe Bryants accuser and now I'm a young wman that entraps NBA stars.

etc,etc,etc,etc

[TheSpottedOwl]

"We expect TV to portray real life and people smoke in real life," said Andy Donchin, director of national broadcast for the ad-buying firm Carat North America. "But we wouldn't want anything that portrays drinking or smoking in a positive light."

The entertainment industry never fails to amaze me. Oh no, you can't show people smoking or drinking, but you can show young people bedhopping on 'reality' shows. While I understand that cigarette smoking is a wretched habit(actually managed to quit for 23 whole days), I don't find it leads to the problems that occur when young people are promiscous.

The crap I see on tv, and they whine about someone smoking cigarettes. I'm going to check this show out. I'll probably check Roseanne's show too, because until the last season, her show with John Goodman had some great moments. I'll skip Ellen.

[jae471]

Nice Catch.

[50sDad]

She has an "Iranian" handyman who drops "funny" comments on the order of..."this toilet is shot more than the Repblican Guard."

Why is the Left so fond of "tolerance" on one hand, and then feels it must "push the envelope" and offend people on the other?

Hey Hollywood! The country is different after 911!

[CygnusXI]

.
Why are people (libs especially) more concerned with physical health than spiritual/soul?

The moral crevass that is on TeeVee 24/7 is O-Tay, while showing someone smoke a cigarette is taboo?!?!

WTF.

[Drew68]

Nicole Kidman lit up during a press conference - Cannes, IIRC.

And the press (particularly Australian) went ape s--- over it.

See: Smoking Kidman Sparks Controversy and Nicotine Nic (Kidman in trouble over public smoking) .

Be forwarned, these threads take a long time to load. Some of us FReepers decided that any thread about Nicole Kidman required lots and lots of pictures.

[hchutch]

She dished second-hand smoke out to the French?

*applause*

[Drew68]

She dished second-hand smoke out to the French?

No such thing as second-hand smoke in France.

French resturaunts have two sections: smoking and chain-smoking.

*rimshot*

[Drew68]

Be forwarned, these threads take a long time to load. Some of us FReepers decided that any thread about Nicole Kidman required lots and lots of pictures.

Unlike threads about Whoopie Goldberg.

[small_l_libertarian]

...She will portray the smoker that Smoke Gnatzies think we all are...

You know, that wouldn't have even occurred to me, but I bet you're right. Good thinking.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

I seem to recall an interracial couple on tv in the past.

[Lee'sGhost]

Man, that's a gaggle of ugly people.

[Conspiracy Guy]

She is a smoker in real life and is not good for the cause. She is the Smoke Gnatzies' dream smoker and will only serve to reassure the nannies that they are indeed doing the right thing. Would you want some convicted crack head killer being the spokesperson for legalizing Marijuana, or Eric Rudolph speaking out for Pro-Life.

No of course not. The extreme left and the extreme right can accomplish little on their own. Each group must court the middle to get a majority. That may suck but that's America and the sooner we all realize it the better ; )

[honeygrl]

"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."

Some parents screw the kids up so badly though that they want it to be anyone's fault but their own.

[honeygrl]

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

If you don't like it, don't be on the ping list. Some of us enjoy it though.

[rockfish59]

You know, second hand smoke causes extreme ugliness!

I know, and so am I!

Anyone got a pic of Ted Danson in 'black face?'

[GSWarrior]

Any bets on which will crash and burn first?

Roseanne will be the first casualty.

[billhilly]

Whichever one crashes and burns first does not matter to me.....as long as it is not Whoopi. As a former smoker and a Whoopi fan, I think it is a hoot. All in the family was funny too.

[rockfish59]

Some 'Archie-isms'

'Chinkie Puncture' (acupuncture)

'Floorplay' (foreplay)

[Just another Joe]

Some parents screw the kids up so badly

That's where the extended family should step in.
Case in point, my cousin has a son that just turned sixteen. She and her husband of 15 years divorced when he was 14.
He started to go down the wrong road, playing both of his parents against each other at the same time among other things. The parents were just going to let it go. Neither one wanted to be the bad guy and set some limits. They both wanted him to live with them and so didn't want to do anything to upset him.
I invited him to spend a week, during the summer, with my family.
While he was here I sat down with him about three times and we just talked. I explained to him that I thought he was going down the wrong road, the reasons why I thought that, why he shouldn't try to play his parents against each other (bad idea all around if you ever want your divorced parents to talk to each other ever again), and numerous other topics.
He is now sixteen, holding down a part time job, drives a mustang that he bought for himself, a member of the high school basketball team, still a little rambunctious (but what 16 year old male isn't) but all in all a pretty good kid.

He credits that week with me as the turning point.
No one had ever sat down with him and treated him as an equal. Maybe not an adult, but a potential equal. Talked with him, pointed out where certain behaviours were going to lead, consequences of certain actions, etc.

This is what family, extended or not, should be about.
Family takes care of family.

[honeygrl]

"Nicole Kidman lit up during a press conference - Cannes, IIRC. "

And the Smoke Gnatzies went nuts over that too.

[honeygrl]

"I'm going to check this show out. I'll probably check Roseanne's show too, because until the last season, her show with John Goodman had some great moments. I'll skip Ellen. "

I liked Roseanne too until whatever season that was where they won the lotto. Yet another comedy turned wannabe Drama at that point. I hate it when they attempt to add drama to a comedy sitcom. Always ruins it.

[honeygrl]

I wish more families would realize that. My hubby has a brother with kids from a previous marraige that are just hell on wheels. I tried 3-4 times to talk them into sending them to visit us for a few months one at a time, but they won't do it. And they are royally screwing the kids up. When they get too much for them to handle, they send them to gramma as punishment (which is NOT fair to the gramma at all) and she gets a 2wks hellish visit with them and it makes them hate her and the parents more.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Oh yeah, it went to hell when they hit the lottery. It was like she was purposely sinking her own show.

[Just another Joe]

When they get too much for them to handle

Not an option. When they're too much for me to handle either they, or me, will be in jail.

[honeygrl]

"Not an option. When they're too much for me to handle either they, or me, will be in jail. "

That's one of the big problems they have with the kids. Whenever they attempt some futile punishment, the kids call the cops. But, if you saw how the real mom and real dad treat each other, how the step mom wants to be their "friend" and figure into it that the step dad is a shrink, it's not so surprising that they are screwed. I've spent a couple weeks with both of them and I know the girl will grow out of it but the boy I'm not so sure of. He has a LOT of anger issues and likes to blame everyone else for his problems. Everything is his dad's fault, or the drugs fault, or his mom's fault, etc. I think the only way they could salvage him at this point would be military school.