Written by | Ray Cornelius
Without a doubt, Whoopi Goldberg is one of America’s most successful entertainers of all time. She has starred in over 150 films, has appeared in seven Broadway productions, has hosted two talk shows and is one of very few stars to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. It is also rumored that at the peak of her career in the early 1990’s, she was the highest paid actress in Hollywood.
Whoopi addressing fans at the meet and greet
Goldberg managed to bring all of that enormous talent to Atlanta recently for a special one-night-only performance at The Cobb Energy Center. Before the show, I and a host of other ATL tastemakers had the pleasure of meeting the iconic star during a private meet and greet. Not only was she the “down-to-earth” Whoopi we all love from The View but she was very accommodating considering she had traveled from New York City by way of a private bus. After lots of picture taking and a few autographs, we were then escorted to our seats where we enjoyed Goldberg in rare form.
Whoopi with her NYC friend and classmate, Marilyn Clark
During her one-of-a-kind act, the 50-something-year-old shared colorful stories from her childhood. She also revealed that she wasn’t coping well as a great-grandmother and that she had recently become addicted to Farmville. Of course she gave her two cents about the usual suspects—God, Sex, and Politics—but it was her confession about fearing apps and new electronic gadgets that had us rolling in the aisles. She also talked about the highs and lows of marriage (she’s been divorced three times) and the hilarious story behind her support of medicinal marijuana which had the audience in stitches.
Whoopi embracing her former assistant
The second part of her set included a Q&A session where she answered questions about everything from her memorable movie roles to her growing obsession with shoes. She also shared her thoughts about the rotating door of co-hosts on The View to which she admitted that she only had two years left on her contract. Goldberg purposefully avoided talking about her late friend, Robin Williams and admitted that this was her first stand-up gig since his death. She also said that while most people think of her as a successful comedienne she would rather be remembered as an accomplished actress.
Goldberg is currently developing a 10-part documentary series on the lives of various African-American entertainers from the 1800’s until now.
Whoopi signed my postcard and told me this was her first professional photo taken by Annie Leibovitz
Photo Credits: RayCornelius.com