Thursday, April 30, 1998
Innovative program presents new view on current topics
TV: Four-woman show tries to counteract trashy daytime
programming
By Teron Hide
Daily Bruin Contributor
Rushing into the conference room of the Century Plaza Hotel, two
women skitter quickly through the door, gabbing and laughing.
Holding a plate filled with food, the first woman hungrily devours
her breakfast. The other wears an eye-catching bluish-green
tie-dyed dress complete with mood rings and glitter adorning her
arms. Apparently this is not going to be a run-of-the-mill press
junket.
After walking around the table to introduce themselves, the
women calmly sit down and prepare themselves for the upcoming
barrage of questions. The duo treats this professional event as a
relaxed, laid-back occasion. They are genuinely enjoying
themselves.
They are Meredith Vieira and Debbie Matenopoulos, half of the
group who make up the daytime talk and informational entertainment
program "The View."
For those who don’t know, "The View" is an ABC morning program
that premiered in mid-August, which features and is produced by ABC
news correspondent and interview-expert Barbara Walters. Joining
her are four women of varying ages, experiences and backgrounds;
Matenopoulos (the Gen-Xer) and Vieira (the working mom), along with
Star Jones (the single professional) and Joy Behar (the comedian),
who fills in on the days Walters does not appear.
This past week, "The View" has taken its act across the coast to
Los Angeles. Normally broadcasting live from New York City, the
show consists of a review of the day’s headlines, celebrity
interviews, audience participation and topic experts. This leads to
very energetic and intriguing conversations. It all adds up to a
formula that makes this program unique from anything else on
television.
"’The View’ has a daytime slant that will appeal to the thinking
woman," Behar says. "It’s a spontaneous show, and that’s the appeal
of it. You never know what’s going to happen, and people appreciate
that fact."
Having the opportunity to discuss topics of their choice, the
cast of this show is careful not to abuse their privilege.
"We get to do the kind of stories we’re interested in doing. You
don’t get ‘schlock’ TV with ‘The View,’" Jones says. "It’s
intelligent without being intense. And fun without being
frivolous."
For Vieira, the moderator of the show and former ABC News chief
correspondent for "Turning Point," becoming accustomed to the
workings of "The View" was a dramatic change for her. But she has
quickly grown to revel in her new-found responsibility: the freedom
of discussion in a strikingly normal conversational setting.
"For me, the hardest part is voicing an opinion. I’ve spent 20
years as a journalist, and never giving an opinion," Vieira says.
"A journalist just gets the facts, so sometimes on this show I feel
like a loose cannon. I’m the one who is always willing to take the
plunge."
The highlight of the show is the thought-provoking
question-of-the-day, where the women and the scheduled celebrity
guest discuss their viewpoints over a varied range of topics from
birth control to pondering over what specific dance-step
exemplifies your life.
"I think the best interviews have take-away value. Some kind of
understanding or knowledge that an audience member gains and
carries with them," Jones says. "We want our celebrities to be
involved with the topics. Guests enjoy that, instead of just
plugging what their latest project is. This allows them to show
that they are thinking, feeling, human-beings who are
well-rounded."
Despite Jones’ role as a lawyer and former prosecutor; Vieira’s
as an Emmy-Award winning journalist and mother; Behar’s as a
leading comedic talent and experienced TV correspondent; and
Matenopoulos as the young twenty-something (or someone for the
younger generation to relate to), they do not want to be labeled as
the poster-women for their respective spots.
"I can’t have the answer to everything that a twenty-something
person might ask. I don’t think that anybody should do that,"
Matenopoulos says. "I can’t represent the entire generation.
Meredith is a working mother, but that only makes her responsible
for herself. But if she does something wrong, then all those other
women who share the same position will begin to criticize her.
What’s that about?"
While the four women all agree that they get along extremely
well and that there has been no off-camera drama, there was an
initial problem with how the four seasoned women initially reacted
toward the inexperienced Matenopoulos.
"At the beginning of the season, I felt that the others did not
take my opinions into serious consideration," Matenopoulos says.
"Just because I’m a twenty-something doesn’t mean I’m an idiot. And
if you people are dismissing me when you’re supposed to be my
friends, then that’s not very fair."
Often stereotyped as a dumb blonde, Matenopoulos was an easy
target for the comedic world. Recently, the cast of "Saturday Night
Live" began to poke fun at Walter’s creation. But the members of
"The View" have taken it good-naturedly. They have even gone so far
as to appear on the April Fool’s Day Special of the show to play
themselves.
"I think it’s great that ‘SNL’ wants to make fun of the show,
because it’s hilarious," Matenopoulos says. "A year ago I wasn’t
even known, so hey, if Claire Danes wants to make fun of me, I say
go for it!"
Offering an alternative to soap operas or tabloid talk shows,
"The View" hopes to achieve understanding through simple
conversational interaction between individuals.
"There is nothing more fascinating than a conversation. I don’t
want to water-ski, mountain-climb or ride a motorbike," Behar says.
"Whenever there’s a problem in the world, if people would just talk
about it instead of hitting, we’d probably have an easier time of
it."
TELEVISION: "The View" is on weekday mornings at 10 on ABC.