View's Whoopi Do?

Fri., Jul. 27, 2007 8:24 AM PDT by Julie Keller

With its outlook no longer Rosie, The View is ready to make Whoopi.

The Academy Award-winning funnylady is in final talks with ABC to join the daytime chatfest, replacing the not so dearly departed Rosie O'Donnell. Goldberg had been one of the show's many guest hosts since O'Donnell's abrupt exit in May.

"We have no closed deal," Brian Frons, the network's president of daytime programming, told Variety, which first reported the negotiations.

There was no immediate comment from ABC, but sources say an official announcement could come as soon as next week.

News of the talks spread quickly and generally have been met with approval.

"She is exactly what the show needs," Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman told the Los Angeles Times. "She is a beloved brand name, she is outspoken, she has done this before, she is a person of color, she is as far left as Rosie, she lives in New York and she can kick Elizabeth Hasselbeck's ass."

That may indeed be a requirement for the job, as O'Donnell's May departure was spurred by a nasty on-air catfight with conservative cohost Hasselbeck. That little brouhaha left two open spots on the show roster, which includes denmother Barbara Walters and comic Joy Behar.

The View has had significant turnover in recent years. O'Donnell replaced Meredith Vieira when the latter left to take over Katie Couric's spot on NBC's Today in 2006. Walters and crew had also never replaced Star Jones Reynolds, who was fired in 2006.

O'Donnell's controversy-brimming run jacked up ratings for the 10-year-old show, and the network wants to maintain that momentum; producers have been working overtime to get a full quintet back into action.

That second slot will reportedly be filled by comedian Sherri Shepherd, another frequent post-Rosie guest host. ABC isn't commenting on her appointment either, but her hiring will likely be announced in concert with Goldberg's.

Shepherd, 40, is a stand-up comic who has appeared in a number of TV and film roles, including Beauty Shop. Next up for her is a run as Lady G in the comedy Who's Your Caddy?, which opens today.

Goldberg, who won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 1991 for her role in Ghost, fronted an eponymous, short-lived NBC sitcom in 2003 and has made dozens of TV appearances, including Everybody Hates Chris, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Star Trek: The Next Generation, HBO's Comic Relief benefits and Lifetime's Strong Medicine, which she also produced.

The 51-year-old former Hollywood Squares quipster and two-time Oscar host currently holds forth on a syndicated morning radio show, Wake Up with Whoopi. Her next film, the comedy Homie Spumoni, is due out later this year.

Goldberg and Shepherd were among several names in contention, along with Sex and the City alum and comic Mario Cantone and Tonight Show correspondent Ross Mathews. Last week, Ivanka Trump shot down reports that she was being eyed for the role.