Whoopi Goldberg

WHAT WE generically call Broadway covered itself with glory last week when Bernadette Peters and Glenn Close tossed a real showbiz party to celebrate John Travolta's performance playing a woman in the hit film Hair- spray. And now with awards season upon us, there is hope for an Oscar nod in John's direction. Hairspray producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron were also honorees. They are men who constantly seek to celebrate the triumphs of The Great White Way by taking its material to the screen.

In ordinary circumstances, no sane person would mistake Kym Washington for actress Whoopi Goldberg. Not to diss Whoopi, but Washington is -- well, beautiful.But with heavy makeup, a wig and just the right lighting, Washington has been mistaken by millions for the famous dreadlocked wonder.L And Washington, who lives in Frederick, doesn't mind at all.Being mistaken for Whoopi Goldberg is the bread and butter of her career as a stunt double. It's a career Washington, 40, has nurtured for nearly two decades.

Working at the zoo is never ho-hum; Award: Charles York, 41, co-foreman of operations, has been named employee of the year.Charles York can hardly remember when the Baltimore Zoo wasn't a part of his life.A Baltimore resident since the age of 3, York grew up just down the street from the zoo, and visited it on Sundays with his parents. As a teen, he got his first real job there, working in its maintenance department. Later, he met his wife through the zoo (her sister was a keeper).Now, after 23 years, the Baltimore Zoo can't seem to imagine itself without York, its co-foreman of operations.

"How Stella Got Her Groove Back," a tropical romance based on the novel, Stella gets her groove back relatively early in the game. Which is all to the good, since that means filmgoers wind up getting a major groove on for the rest of this funny, sensuous and thoroughly delicious picture.Angela Bassett plays Stella Payne, a divorced 40-year-old financial consultant with an 11-year-old son. Stella is comfortable: She has feathered a sumptuous nest in a gorgeous San Francisco neighborhood, her son is a terrific kid, and she maintains a close, if sometimes fractious, relationship with her two sisters, Angela (Suzzanne Douglas)

It cost $12 million to make, but Disney's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" would still be a deal at twice the price.On one of the most lavish and competitive sweeps nights in the history of television, this is the film tomorrow you do not want to miss.Stars? It's got a galaxy full. Whitney Houston as the godmother, Brandy Norwood as Cinderella, Bernadette Peters as the stepmother, Whoopi Goldberg as the queen and Jason Alexander in the newly created role of valet to the prince (Paolo Montalban)

It's easy to tell that actress Uta Hagen is an excellent teacher.She fervently imparts information and opinions on subjects ranging from theater as a religious vocation to blacklisting in the McCarthy era to psychoanalysis.Described in People magazine earlier this year as "arguably America's greatest living stage actress" and listed in a recent issue of Theater Week as one of the top 10 female stars of the year, Hagen, 77, has never become a household name, probably because she has shunned movies and favored the stage.

"Eddie" has great laughs, a charismatic star, a charming supporting cast and even a little thrilling basketball. Unfortunately, its plot is lacking.There's a plot, of course, but like any Sports Movie, it's pretty obvious. Losers become winners. And the obligatory obstacle -- involving the team's greedy owner -- is pretty contrived.So, are you here for laughs or for a story? If you've come for laughs, Whoopi Goldberg delivers as Eddie, a dedicated and wonderfully obnoxious New York Knicks fan who is discovered by the team's new owner, Wild Bill (Frank Langella)

"Bogus" isn't. But it tries to be.By casting a kid who's not so much an actor to be watched as a moppet to be hugged ... by getting Whoopi Goldberg to do essentially the same shtick she perfected in "Ghost" ... by suggesting a 7-year-old could safely walk the streets of Newark, N.J., at night ... by adopting a style that's some weird marriage of "Harvey" and Federico Fellini, complete with huge, unseen friends and circus-shrouded dreams ...It's all pretty fluffy and phony and forgettable.

NEW YORK -- "Fairy godmother. Oh, fairy godmother," the little, blond-haired Muppet known as Prairie Dawn calls out.And in bops the Whoopi Goldberg, silver scepter in hand, crown set at a loopy angle on her head, wearing a thrift-shop, blue gown with lots of spangles."

Graft "Trading Places" onto "Remington Steele," add a pinch of "Mrs. Doubtfire," and you've got "The Associate," the new film starring Whoopi Goldberg as a Wall Street whiz who realizes she'd be a whole lot more successful if she were a man.So she becomes one.Clever? Mildly. But the film hasn't got an original bone in its body. It's little more than a mix of "Steele," the TV series in which a female private investigator invented a male boss to bring in business; "Places," which milked the stock exchange for laughs; and "Doubtfire," which showed how make-up maestro Greg Cannom could accomplish almost anything with the proper prosthetics.

HAPPINESS IS having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city," said George Burns. Well, our friend Whoopi Goldberg has knocked the Broadway musical Xanadu up several big notches. It is finally getting the responsive audiences it deserves. Even Variety took notice last week of how the Whoop put the whoopee into this Tony-nominated, but sometimes neglected and enjoyable, romp. She'll be rolling around onstage at the Helen Hayes Theatre through Sept. 7. Cafe reopening I ran into the genial, good-hearted Drew Nieporent - restaurateur extraordinary - while sitting on a park bench waiting to enter Mayor Michael Bloomberg's party for Sen. Hillary Clinton.

WHAT WE generically call Broadway covered itself with glory last week when Bernadette Peters and Glenn Close tossed a real showbiz party to celebrate John Travolta's performance playing a woman in the hit film Hair- spray. And now with awards season upon us, there is hope for an Oscar nod in John's direction. Hairspray producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron were also honorees. They are men who constantly seek to celebrate the triumphs of The Great White Way by taking its material to the screen.

NEW YORK -- It's Whoopi time! Barbara Walters announced yesterday that Whoopi Goldberg will replace Rosie O'Donnell as a moderator on The View when the daytime show's 11th season premieres Sept. 4. The addition of Goldberg to The View should guarantee the ABC daytime talk show a regular source of controversy and salty humor, ingredients that helped lift the program's ratings during O'Donnell's provocative tenure. Goldberg jogged down the aisle of the New York studio, slapping hands with the audience, when the announcement was made live on the air. "I love this show," said Goldberg, one of few performers to win an Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy award.

Whoopi Goldberg Comedian Whoopi Goldberg comes to Baltimore, stopping at the Lyric Opera House on Saturday night at 8. Goldberg's portfolio includes her Oscar-winning performance in Ghost and roles in The Color Purple and Sister Act. Tickets are $50-$65. The Lyric is at 140 W. Mount Royal Ave. Call 410-685-5086. On Sunday night at 7, she's at DAR Constitution Hall, 18th and D streets Northwest, Washington. Tickets are $45-$67.50. Tickets for both shows are available through Ticketmaster at 410-547-SEAT or ticketmaster.

Whoopi Goldberg Comedian Whoopi Goldberg comes to Baltimore, making her first appearance at the Lyric Opera House on Saturday night at 8. Goldberg's portfolio includes her Oscar-winning performance in Ghost, and roles in The Color Purple and Sister Act. Tickets are $65. The Lyric is at 140 W. Mount Royal Ave. Call 410-685-5086 or go to lyricoperahouse.com. On Sunday night at 7, she's at DAR Constitution Hall, 18th and D streets Northwest, Washington. Tickets are $45-$67.50. Tickets for both shows are available through Ticketmaster at 410-547-SEAT or ticketmaster.

JUST ANNOUNCED Lionel Richie -- DAR Constitution Hall in Washington on Nov. 3. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. 410-547-SEAT or ticketmaster.com. Eric Clapton -- Verizon Center in Washington on Oct. 10. 410-547-SEAT or ticketmaster.com. Several Species -- Recher Theatre in Towson on Nov. 10-11. 410-547-SEAT or ticketmaster.com. Lowen and Navarro -- Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis on Oct. 26-27. 410-268-4545 or ramsheadtavern.com. Steve Winwood -- Warner Theatre in Washington on Oct. 9. 410-547-SEAT or ticketmaster.

Stories about performers who risk controversy and reach for the edge on network television seldom end happily. "But, so far, so good," says Whoopi Goldberg of her experience as star and executive producer of Whoopi, a multi-ethnic and politically charged NBC sitcom that dares to tackle issues and attitudes that even cable TV avoids. The show, which airs tonight at 8, features Goldberg as Mavis Rae, a cranky, chain-smoking owner of a small Manhattan hotel who speaks her mind whether discussing President Bush, her Iranian concierge (Omid Djalili)

For their second date, Patrick (David Sutcliffe) decides to take Alex (Teri Polo) dancing on I'm With Her (8:30 p.m.-9 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2). Trouble is, he doesn't know how to dance, so he takes swing dancing lessons from Les (Jim Belushi), a burly dance instructor, to show Alex a swinging good time. Jimmy Kimmel makes a cameo appearance. At a glance Whoopi (8 p.m.-8:30 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) - Frustrated after receiving a ticket for smoking in her hotel, Mavis (Whoopi Goldberg) feels responsible when poor Nasim (Omid Djalili)

The very first image viewers of the new NBC sitcom Whoopi will see tonight is that of Mavis Rae (Whoopi Goldberg) lighting a cigarette and taking a drag as she stands behind the front desk of the small Manhattan Hotel she owns. A guest standing nearby picks up a no-smoking sign and says, "Excuse me." "Oh, you're right, sir. I'm sorry. Here, I'll just put it out," she says meekly, moving her hand toward an ash tray. But as soon as the guest turns his back and starts to walk away, she puts the cigarette back in her mouth.

If you are looking for Maryland's hottest hunk, you will not find him in Baltimore, Annapolis or Columbia. You will not find him strolling the Inner Harbor or tasting a Maryland crab. Jason Downs, 29, Cosmopolitan's pick as Maryland's Hottest Hunk for its November "All About Men" issue, has lived in New York for the past seven years. Born in Columbia and raised in Ellicott City, Downs was wearing a Maryland T-shirt on the New York subway one day when he was asked whether he wanted to be considered for Maryland's hottest hunk.