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'The View's' Barbara Walters talks 'The Talk'
Barbara Walters knows imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery.The legendary broadcast journalist has seen the approach of her weekday ABC show "The View" -- of which she's an executive producer as well as a host -- parodied by NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and borrowed by other programs including the new CBS entry "The Talk," which premieres Monday, Oct. 18.
"We've been imitation-mongers from the time we began," Walters tells Zap2it before giving a speech Saturday (Oct. 9) at the University at Albany (N.Y.). "At one point, Dick Clark did a [similar] show with all men, and the morning shows also have done it." Indeed, some deem the Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford-hosted fourth hour of the weekday "Today" to be NBC's stab at "The View."
"The idea for 'The View' is not that unusual or unique," allows Walters, now recovered from her recent heart surgery. "You have people with different personalities and different opinions and, to some degree, different ages. I've been very lucky, because what it really is is the chemistry, to have intelligent women and also to have women with opinions that are not the same."
"The Talk" clearly is aiming for that as well, with a mix of female hosts that includes Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Leah Remini ("The King of Queens") and series creator-producer Sara Gilbert ("Roseanne").
"Other programs will copy us," Walters acknowledges, "just as there are certain kinds of discussion programs now on Fox News Channel or MSNBC. It's people talking, people talking, people talking. The most important thing is who it is that's doing the talking.
"To have Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Sherri Shepherd ... these are very smart women, and they're also funny. Three out of the five of us are comedians, so we can be very serious, but we can also be funny and entertaining."
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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How a about a "Conservative View" instead of another lib show for a ratings boom. Guess the LIB agenda is more important than money to the powerbrokers.
Another show that'll be just another hour of interuptions with time out to remove the wounded.
There is a conservative View. It's called Fox & Friends.
The Talk will fail instantly as it's just a cheap rip-off of The View and with ChenBot on there, forget about it!
Anyone find it odd that Julie Chen is in on this? I mean she is the head of the networks wife. I get that most people make fun of soap operas but I think I'd rather spend an hour watching a soap than another talk show.
And they cancelled As the World Turns for this junk?
Whoopie understands comedy and its application. Joy is just plain mean spirited.
Saying that Joy Behar is a very smart woman is laughable.
The only funny about Joy Behar is the pathetic ratings for her HLN show. talk about being in the crapper, every night she loses 200,000+ viewers from her lead-in.
The show with Bill O'Riely on, was the best ever. Ihad to call my friends to tune in.