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American Morning
Whoopi Goldberg Returns to Improv Roots
Aired June 26, 2001 - 11:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL TUSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The actor who played cultural touchstone Archie Bunker will be laid to rest today in Los Angeles. Carroll O'Connor, star of the landmark, "All in the Family," died last week of a heart attack at age 76. A public mass will take place this morning. Among those expected to attend are "Family" cast members Rob Reiner and also some friends, like Larry Hagman and Martin Sheen.
The current reigning CBS sitcom star is about to get a big raise. "Variety" reports that the network must really love Raymond. The star Ray Romano is about to get a contract worth close to $40 million. The trade paper says Romano stands to earn $800,000 per episode.
Another famous comic is returning to her stand-up roots. Center square Whoopi Goldberg has hit the road in a national tour that has her performing solo in front of audiences for the first time in a decade. Sherri Sylvester caught up with the busy entertainment mogul who also has a new movie coming out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG, COMEDIENNE: My name is Whoopi Goldberg, and I'm so very glad to be here tonight.
SHERRI SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've talked about this before; you don't fly.
GOLDBERG: No.
SYLVESTER: Do you have a special bus ready for this tour? How are you going to get around?
GOLDBERG: Same way I always do: I have a giant bus, a big, old, purple thing that rolls across the country because I'm just not getting up in the air again. I know lots of people do it, they're really comfortable with it, and I love the airport people and I love airplanes, but it's just not for me.
GOLDBERG: I can't imagine what material you've picked up from Hollywood through the years. Are you going to work in some, you know ...
GOLDBERG: Well, yes, the fact that you go into to someplace on Wednesday and see somebody and see them on Sunday and not know who the hell it is. And it's just like what -- and you want to say to someone, do you think nobody's going to realize that you've just rearranged your entire face, and do you think it's cute? Because it takes like two, three, four years for the face to settle down. So you're talking to people and they're like this the whole time. It's the most amazing thing.
And this idea of having to weigh six ounces. You know, six ounces. I'm sorry, it's a horrific thing that people are putting themselves through to be an ideal that really doesn't exist. Very few of these supermodels look like themselves when they wake up in the morning. I mean, they're not super in the morning. They're doggie models like the rest of us. We're just kind of puppies when we wake up.
SYLVESTER: Tell me about "Rat Race." You have this movie coming up, also.
GOLDBERG: I have this movie coming up, and it's really funny.
SYLVESTER: Rowan Atkinson...
GOLDBERG: Rowan Atkinson and John Cleese and Jon Lovitz and myself and Cuba Gooding Jr.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "RAT RACE" AD)
ANNOUNCER: Six strangers are about to be given ...
JOHN CLEESE, ACTOR: $2 million!
ANNOUNCER: ... the chance of a lifetime.
CLESSE: First one there keeps it all.
GOLDBERG: It's like a race?
CLEESE: He said race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLDBERG: It's very funny, very funny -- like gut, tears, make- up gone if you happen wear it. I say wear Depends to go see this movie.
SYLVESTER: Would you host the Oscars again?
GOLDBERG: Not a prayer.
SYLVESTER: Really?
GOLDBERG: Yes, never again.
SYLVESTER: Why? Why not?
GOLDBERG: Because I hosted the last one of the 20th century, first of all. That was the last one of the 20th century. And I can never be better on that show than I was that night, coming out as Queen Elizabeth. I can never ever top that, ever.
SYLVESTER: "Hollywood Squares" -- we've talked on the set over there. What were your expectations when you started with the show and how have they been achieved or exceeded?
GOLDBERG: You know, I just wanted it to be fun. It's not "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" It's not "You are the nastiest person in the world" -- what is that show with the English lady? "You are the nastiest and ugliest person I have ever seen -- goodbye." We're not that. We're just ha-ha. We're just silly fluff for half an hour. I don't want to sweat it. I just want to have some fun, that's all.
SYLVESTER: All right, thank you.
GOLDBERG: Thank you. It's good to see you.
SYLVESTER: It's good to see you.
GOLDBERG: I love this set. You know, I've tried to re-create it in my home, but it's just never, never worked out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUSH: In Hollywood, anything worth doing once and makes a zillion dollars is worth doing again. We've already seen "The Mummy Returns." and "Dr. Dolittle 2." Now get set for the next barrage of Hollywood sequels, including Jurassic Park II, and American Pie 2 and Scary Movie II. We'll tell you why, in Hollywood, everything old is new again and go behind of the scenes of the hot new group, Sugar Ray. That's in our afternoon "Showbiz Today Reports." I am Bill Tush here in New York.
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