Ladies Who Punch

According to author, Ramin Setoodeh, "Whoopie vented to an executive about how much she hated my book cover, which she discovered online, because it featured an illustration of her sitting at the same table as Rosie."

That pretty much captures the overall tone of the book - petty comments on and off camera, eye rolling, sneaky, behind the back meetings, and lots of phony baloney live on air happiness.  If you watch The View, you certainly can't be fooled by the happy sisterhood narrative default after each cacophonous exchange.

I generally avoid  tell-all books, but since I am a fan of the show,  learning the details of the off stage antics seemed like a fun way to fill a Sunday afternoon.  To be honest, I didn't learn much that wasn't already right there for the world to see...Rosie resented Elizabeth. Whoopie resented Rosie. Barbara feared Whoopie. Clueless Debbie (who?) couldn't keep up with her more seasoned and spicy co-hosts; savvy Meredith always knew she could write her own ticket for a bigger, better gig.  And she did.

The book lays out the tenure of each - and there were many - co-host.  We learn about Barbara's courtship of each individual, and eventually her Pontius Pilate hand washing when, one by one, each woman was given the Manolo Blahnik out the door.  Although Barbara Walters created the show and pulled the strings in the network execs' inner sanctums, on air she took a backseat to the moderator du jour  Each  lead anchor, in turn, attempted to usurp Walter's seat at the panel to gain control of the empire.  Some were subtle, others cruelly overt, planting stories in various gossip rags about Walter's temper tantrums, age related issues, and her inability control her cast.

The book is all very show bizzy.  In most books of this nature, you only get the scoop on one star; because of the revolving door at The View, you get a whole lot more.  The book doesn't really dish the dirt; it simply elaborates on what astute viewers, already know.  The women of The View are hired to do a job; they are not hired to be friends, and that certainly shows in these pages.  If you like People Magazine and celebrity news, in general, this - as they say in some trade or another - is a "jolly romp" through a world quite foreign from our wholesome lives here in the Midwest.

Thanks for stopping by.