Whoopi Goldberg to host 2008 Tony Awards

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

10:27 PM EDT, May 8, 2008

It will be Whoopi and Tony.

Whoopi Goldberg will serve as host of the 2008 Tony Awards June 15 at Radio City Music Hall, the show's executive producers, Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss, announced Thursday.

"I love Broadway and I'm thrilled to be doing anything for the first time," said Goldberg, who has hosted the Academy Awards four times. "I'm gonna have a blast."

Goldberg, a regular on ABC's "The View," has been on Broadway with her own one-woman show as well as in revivals of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

The 62nd annual Tonys, which honor the best of the 2007-08 Broadway season, will be broadcast live from 8-11 p.m. EDT on CBS. Nominations will be announced Tuesday.