WHOOPI GOLDBERG
Whoopi Goldberg (born Caryn Elaine Johnson; November 13, 1955) is an American actress, comedian, and talk show host. She has been nominated for 13 Emmy Awards for her work in television, and is one of the few entertainers who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. She was the second black woman in the history of the Academy Awards to win an acting Oscar. She was co-producer of the television game show Hollywood Squares from 1998 to 2002. She has been the moderator of the daytime television talk show The View since 2007. (More from Wikipedia)
Several of the performers that had appeared at the original Woodstock Music & Art Fair in 1969 were in attendance at the Vietnam Veterans Benefit Concert near Washington, D.C., on July 4, 1987: Richie Havens, Country Joe, John Sebastian, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (at least individually, with Stephen Stills and Neil Young appearing in a reformed Buffalo Springfield). Other musicians at the Vietnam Veterans Benefit Concert included James Brown, Stevie Wonder, the Byrds, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, Linda Ronstadt, Frankie Valli, and the Four Tops; and there were also speeches by John Ritter, Louis Gossett, Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Oliver Stone, and Ed Asner.
(January 2013)
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Black Russian had some assistance with the lyrics, perhaps because English is not their native language; they hardly spoke the language at all at the time that they defected. Lyricists who lent a hand include Allee Willis, who co-wrote the lyrics for their beautiful first single “Leave Me Now”. Willis has had a long career as a writer, songwriter, set designer, and artist. Her musical credits are as wide-ranging as can be imagined; together with Stephen Bray and Brenda Russell, Allee Willis wrote the music for the 2005 Broadway musical The Color Purple, based on the 1982 novel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker and the 1985 movie, The Color Purple that was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and Rae Dawn Chong.
(April 2015/1)
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The name of Hollis Brown is taken from a Bob Dylan song “Ballad of Hollis Brown”. (Did I mention that I have a cover version of “Ballad of Hollis Brown” by Iggy and the Stooges? Quite good also). Like “Ruby Tuesday” (which became the name of a major American restaurant chain) and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (Jumpin’ Jack Flash is also the name of a Whoopi Goldberg film, and as I remember, the song lyrics figure into the story also), Amanda Jones is a character in a Rolling Stones song, “Miss Amanda Jones”. The song appears on one of my favorite Rolling Stones albums, Between the Buttons – “Ruby Tuesday” also appears on that album, at least the US version. I don’t think it a coincidence that the UARB shares its name with this song, though I suppose it is possible.
(December 2015)
