OprahWinfrey-related stories
Posted Nov 21st 2009 11:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Talk Show
After watching
The Oprah Winfrey Show today and hearing her teary announcement about her decision to end her syndicated talk show, I had one thought in my head.
Oprah Winfrey is doing a
Johnny Carson. She's writing her own script (no pun intended). Oprah is leaving while she's still wanted, while she's still strong, and by setting the date 18 months down the road, she's giving herself a victory tour.
This is very much like Johnny Carson's decision to leave
The Tonight Show. The difference, of course, is that Oprah's show is not an established landmark entity like
The Tonight Show, which had Steve Allen and Jack Paar as hosts before Carson. No, Oprah was/is
The Oprah Winfrey Show. She will not leave it behind for someone else to inherit the throne. She's taking the throne with her.
Continue reading Oprah's exit is like Johnny Carson leaving The Tonight Show
Posted Nov 19th 2009 6:55PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: TV Royalty, Industry, Daytime, Talk Show, Cancellations, Reality-Free
There had been lots of
speculation that Oprah Winfrey was going to be giving up on her juggernaut of a syndicated talk show soon, but many of those rumors had been dismissed as negotiating ploys or some other silly rumor. Now, however, it seems like Oprah's departure from daytime is official: Tim Bennett, president of Harpo, confirmed that
Oprah will announce on her show tomorrow that she will be ending the program on September 9, 2011.
Not coincidentally, that date is the day after the 25th anniversary of her first nationally-syndicated episode, and she'll mark the anniversary on her last show. Bennett told WCCO that this decision was under discussion for months, but the decision ultimately came down to the big O herself.
Continue reading Oprah to end syndicated show in September 2011
Posted Nov 17th 2009 4:29PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
I watched
The Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday to see the one on one between two of the most powerful and influential women in America. Whether you're a fan of Oprah Winfrey or
Sarah Palin, there was no doubt that they command a large chunk of public opinion. How could I not see what they would be like in an interview setting?
My impression was that they both were completely civil and reserved. I didn't pick up the makings of a great friendship, not that that was likely considering Oprah's support for President Obama.
Still, what I found interesting was that if you
read the body language experts, they're reporting that Sarah was not nervous. They're coming to that conclusion based on her ability to control her blinking. Over-blinking mean you're agitated and a normal blink per minute rate -- 30-40 blinks -- is normal. Sarah was blinking normally.
Continue reading Sarah Palin on Oprah and the blinking of her eyes
Posted Nov 15th 2009 3:07PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
There's a lot of speculation in the biz about
what will Oprah do next. The daytime talk show giant supposedly made up her mind recently and decided that her syndicated show,
The Oprah Winfrey Show, would end its run in syndication and move to OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network (formerly Discovery Health). An official announcement is anticipated before the end of the year, but is that really was Oprah has decided? Nobody knows for certain.
There are
pros and cons on either side. The companies that syndicated her talk show stand to lose a significant asset if she wraps up the current incarnation and abandons the market. Think of all those afternoon hours around that country that count on Oprah at three or four o'clock, or the morning slots where Oprah leads in to noon newscasts. Companies like CBS Distribution and the Tribune Company have feasted on the robust ratings Oprah has consistently delivered.
Continue reading What would you do if you were Oprah?
Posted Nov 9th 2009 3:01PM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Celebrities, British TV
Oprah Winfrey is all over the news these days as she fires up her new network and considers moving her talk show from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Now, we get to listen to her narrate the epic BBC nature series,
Life. Subtitled by the BBC with, "
The Definitive Exploration of the Adaptability and Diversity of Life on Earth," the eleven-part series examines evolution and the behaviors that animals devised to live, thrive and survive. Discovery Channel is bringing it your way in March after Oprah vocalizes a bit.
I know the BBC has done this sort of thing before. In fact, no one does it better. But this time around, they're using state-of-the-art high-definition filming techniques.
But why is Oprah necessary? I have nothing particularly against the woman. Despite her massive media pull, I manage to more or less steer clear of her estrogen fest. But, the BBC production comes pre-narrated with world-famous naturalist, Sir David Attenborough. Is over-dubbing necessary?
Continue reading The voice of Oprah rules over all 'Life' on Earth
Posted Nov 4th 2009 7:03PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: News, Talk Show, Reality-Free
If your TiVo or DVR can't get enough of the syrupy charm of the former Alaska governor, you might want to install a memory upgrade.
Barbara Walters will do a sit down with Sarah Palin on the heels of her new memoir,
Going Rogue, in a five-part series starting Nov. 17.
Five parts? Seriously? Wouldn't one suffice? She's only doing ONE interview with
Oprah Winfrey and Oprah is the supreme overlord of the female television universe. Does "a five-part series with Sarah Palin" meet the textbook definition of overkill?
Posted Oct 29th 2009 8:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, Talk Show
If things don't work out for
Project Runway winner
Christian Siriano in the fashion biz, he might want to consider a full-time gig as a talk show diva. As the number one guest on
The Oprah Winfrey Show today, Christian was fierce, fun and oh-so-comfy that at times I thought Ms. O had her own little Ed McMahon or Andy Richter... but with a lot more style.
Oprah devoted the show to reality TV and the big get was Adam Lambert, the runner up in last season's
American Idol. You wouldn't have guessed he was second place based on the assertion by Oprah that he was the top choice of her viewers when asked which reality star they wanted to see on her show.
I know I'm cynical, but I think it was planned. Adam's album is coming out on November 23 and there's already been lots of buzz, including
the CD cover.
Continue reading Oprah's real time with Christian Siriano and Adam Lambert
Posted Oct 26th 2009 2:30PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Celebrities, Talk Show, Pickups and Renewals, Casting, Reality-Free
Apparently, Jennifer Aniston has been hanging out with Chelsea Handler a lot. She's so impressed with
Chelsea Lately and the format of her show, that she's found a reason to come back to the small screen. Aniston mentioned it to Oprah Winfrey, who took the idea and ran with it.
See, Oprah is launching The Oprah Winfrey Network in 2010. Now, suddenly, she could have a very high-profile project to help promote the new channel: a
weekly talk show fronted by both Winfrey and Aniston. I've always found Aniston to be very friendly, funny and personable, so this could work out very well.
It's an interesting pairing, Oprah and Jen. I'm curious to see if the new venture will be formatted like a traditional late-night talk show, or more like the daytime staple Winfrey has mastered. I have a feeling Oprah will want to differentiate the two a bit more. Perhaps with Aniston's influence, there'll be a much more playful and comedic atmosphere. What do you think? Nothing's been signed yet, but would you watch Oprah and Jen helm a talk show?
Posted Sep 17th 2009 4:35PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Talk Show, Ratings, Reality-Free, Mad Men
Does it seem like somebody lit a fire under Oprah Winfrey? It seems like it to me. Her new season commenced this week with
the Whitney Houston two-parter, she's off to Central Park for tomorrow show which will relaunch Oprah's Book Club, and on Monday
Oprah's doing a flashback to the 1960's with Mad Men's Jon Hamm and January Jones as guests.
Continue reading What's gotten into Oprah?
Posted Sep 15th 2009 8:36PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
If you tuned in to watch the first part -- day one -- of
Whitney Houston's interview with Oprah Winfrey yesterday, you weren't alone. The overnight ratings were gangbusters for
The Oprah Winfrey Show, the best premiere in three years, which is just what Oprah had in mind when her producers booked Whitney on her comeback trail.
And Whitney benefited, too. Her new CD debuted at number one on the Billboard chart, a fact confirmed at the end of the second half that was broadcast today. So Whitney won and Oprah won and Clive Davis was happy and smiling, probably because he had orchestrated the whole thing behind the scenes.
Continue reading Whitney on Oprah, day two
Posted Sep 15th 2009 3:12AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
Yesterday was the season premiere of
The Oprah Winfrey Show and the big "get" -- as you probably know -- was a two-part interview with
Whitney Houston. According to Oprah, this was the best interview she's ever done. Now, was that hype or was it really a great interview?
Judging by part one, it was a pretty powerful interview for Oprah. She was on her game. The setting was an empty theater, just Oprah and Whitney. Presumably, this was a no-holds-barred session, so I expected Oprah to ask the tough questions about Whitney's dysfunctional marriage to Bobby Brown, her drug use, the days she spent holed up in a stupor. It wasn't exactly A&E's
Intervention, but for Oprah, it was penetrating.
Continue reading Whitney on Oprah: part interview, part intervention
Posted Sep 14th 2009 11:48PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Music and Variety, Celebrities, Talk Show, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E01) A lot is riding on this little NBC pet project. Like one-third of their primetime lineup. But despite all their promises and promotions that this was a comedy show, vastly different than Jay Leno's work on
The Tonight Show, I saw virtually the same exact show on a different set. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you're NBC. Leno was incredibly successful for a long time on that show. Just call it what it is.
The promise that it would stay topical was brought to fruition. In the opening monologue, just like those
Tonight Show monologues of yore, he drops a joke right away about the situation last night at the
Video Music Awards involving Kanye West and Taylor Swift. Conveniently, Kanye was a booked guest tonight, as well, so with a little shuffling, he wound up on the chair next to Leno to talk about it.
Continue reading The Jay Leno Show: Jerry Seinfeld (series premiere)
Posted Sep 11th 2009 7:04PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Programming, Daytime, Talk Show, Reality-Free
Has television come full circle? Oprah Winfrey has her own radio station over on Sirius XM Radio (of course she does). But starting September 14, you'll be able to catch
repeats of The Oprah Winfrey Show on Winfrey's Harpo Radio the day after they air on television. She also plans to air classic episodes from her 20 year run on the radio network.
We've seen radio talk shows, like Howard Stern, Bob & Tom and even Rush Limbaugh, come to television, but this may be the first time the reverse has happened. Certainly it's the first time for Oprah's show. It's an interesting experiment. Satellite radio, like cable television, offers the chance for radio to expand beyond the expectations of over-the-air radio.
That means, radio can explore the world it used to dominate before television took over. Back then, most of our favorite programs were radio programs. Oprah's talk show is a good fit for the audio environment, as you generally don't need to see what she's talking about to get it. But could you imagine our dramas or comedies on the radio?
Posted Sep 5th 2009 10:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
Yesterday, we wrote about Chris Brown's appearance on
Larry King Live, where he tried to ameliorate his image. As
Jane pointed out, Chris didn't really say very much. On the other hand, in the new
People magazine, Brown has opened up and put his foot directly in his mouth.
Chris Brown is ticked off with Oprah Winfrey and thinks she owes him an apology. Or so it seems.
Brown was offended that Oprah did a show last March about domestic violence, based on Brown's public assault on his lover, the singer Rihanna. The incident took place in a car after they had both been to the Grammys. Brown was found guilty, ordered to stay away from Rihanna, sentenced to five years of probation, one year of domestic violence counseling, and six months of community service.
Continue reading Chris Brown is ticked off at Oprah
Posted Sep 2nd 2009 6:26PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
If you just watched the crowd while
Whitney Houston performed in Central Park on Good Morning, America today, you might have thought that Whitney was doing great. However, if you had the volume on, you know better.
Sadly, Whitney Houston's
GMA appearance was sad. Her voice cracked and she seemed to be struggling to sing one of her biggest hits, "I'm Every Woman," which ironically was used as the theme for
The Oprah Winfrey Show for years. I say ironically because Whitney explained to the fans at one point that her voice was a wreck because she had talked too much during her appearance on
Oprah earlier in the week. Ouch!
The entire appearance was enough to make you cringe. At one point, Whitney called her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, out to the stage to sing with her. Bobbi has grown into a beautiful young woman from the teenager she was on
Being Bobby Brown, the infamous Bravo reality show starring Whitney and then hubby Bobby.
Continue reading Whitney Houston's cringeworthy GMA appearance
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