Brett Whitcomb: Last News

Reading Rainbow, the 1980s kids television series that was hosted by LeVar Burton for 23 years, is set to be the subject of a new feature documentary.

Addie Morfoot Contributor AMC Theaters and Fifth Season are teaming up to release Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb’s feature documentary “Butterfly in the Sky,” about the beloved 1980’s PBS children’s series “Reading Rainbow.” The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023, takes audiences behind the scenes of the children’s series and tells the story of the show’s creators, who believed the small screen could inspire a love of reading. The docu also spotlights the show’s host LeVar Burton and gives an inside look at the challenges he and the show’s creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television.

Whoopi Goldberg may be one of the most recognizable figures in Hollywood, but it took a lot of hard work to get to that point, and that included a fair bit of struggle.MORE: Whoopi Goldberg's backstage photo on The View gets fans talking for surprising reasonThe host of The View was one of the executive producers of the documentary film Butterfly in the Sky, chronicling the journey of the kids' reading TV show, Reading Rainbow.VIDEO: Whoopi Goldberg's comments on the HolocaustHELLO! spoke to the documentary's directors, Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb, at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere, as they revealed the actress' special connection with the project.When asked about her involvement with Butterfly in the Sky, Bradford said: "She was great! Her experience coming into this was that she had difficulty reading as a young person. MORE: Whoopi Goldberg jumps to guest's defense on The View - divides fans"Because of that, it was important for her to spread the word and help kids learn and love to read. So it's been a joy."Brett also added: "Also, LeVar [Burton] got her her first gig on Star Trek, they have such a rich history together.