Better known as Whoopi Goldberg, Caryn Elaine
Johnson took her stage name from the whoopee cushion. She once explained
that "If you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to
say to me, 'You're like a whoopee cushion.' And that's where the name came
from." She chose the surname
"Goldberg" after Jewish ancestors of hers who bore the surname, having said
that "Goldberg's a part of my family somewhere."
In 1983, Whoopi created The Spook Show,
a one-woman show devised of different character monologues. After Mike
Nichols saw the show, he offered to bring the show to Broadway. The
self-titled show ran from October 24, 1984 to March 10, 1985 for a total of
156 sold-out performances. While on Broadway, Whoopi's performance caught
the eye of Steven Spielberg. He was about to direct the The Color
Purple and offered her a lead role in her first motion picture..
The Color Purple was released in the late autumn of 1985,and
subsequently nominated for 11 Academy Awards including a nomination for
Whoopi s Best Actress.
Whoopi is one of only thirteen
people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards. In 1990, for
her performance in the film Ghost, she became the second African
American female, after Hattie McDaniel, to win an Academy Award. She has
also won two Golden Globes awards.
After an extensive film, theatrical, and
television career, Whoopi became the new moderator and co-host of
The View On September 4, 2007, replacing Rosie O'Donnell.
After two weeks, however, The View was averaging 3.5 million
total viewers under Whoop , a 7% increase from 3.3 million under
O'Donnell the previous season.
So there is only one recipe appropriate for
Whoopee's birthday - Whoopie pies
Whoopie pies are a popular dessert which is like a sandwich made with
two soft cookies with a marshmallow fluff filling. Commercial whoopie
pies can be purchased wrapped in plastic at Amish farmers' markets
throughout Pennsylvania, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio and are
an indigenous staple found in restaurants and gift shops throughout
Pennsylvania Dutch Country. According to Amish legend, the name of this
popular treat was based on the shouts of "Whoopie!" when children would find
these treats in their lunch bags.
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