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.
Well, the big interview happens this Monday: Oprah interviews former Alaska Governor and VP candidate Sarah Palin. The interview actually took place several days ago so some clips are starting to be released. Here's a first look, where Oprah asks Palin about Levi Johnston.
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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?
I saw that cover of the December issue of O magazine that was revealed today. Congrats to Ellen DeGeneres. She's been campaigning to get on the cover since last March, and it's good to see her goal become a reality. It proves that even regular folks with a daily daytime talk show and a million Twitter followers can realize their dreams too!
I'm not sure if this is the right venue for this, but I'll just come out and ask: can I be on your cover too? I don't have to be paid for it and you can dress me up any way that you like. I just want the honor of being on the cover with you.
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?
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?
Sarah Palin has a memoir coming out next month, Going Rogue. And as part of what I'm sure will be a big media blitz promoting the book Palin will appear on Oprah.
This could be an interesting episode. Palin has not really talked at length since leaving her position as Governor of Alaska, and Oprah was a rather, um, huge supporter of President Obama's. Oprah is advertising the appearance as a "world exclusive," but I can't imagine that Palin wouldn't do other shows.
The episode will air on November 16. The book comes out the next day.
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.
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.
(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.
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?
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.
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.
Michigan Avenue, also known as the "Magnificent Mile" in Chicago will be closing down part of the street so Chicago's own Oprah Winfrey can do a live location taping to open her 24th season. It will no doubt be a show so ostentatious and so grand that it could only be Oprah. Naturally, since Oprah is generous to her people, the show and its accompanying performance by the Black Eyed Peas is free and open to the public.
It's hard to believe that Oprah is going into her 24th season. Actually, it's not that hard, as it feels like Oprah has always been around. Oprah is likely such a big part of the economy of Chicago that she probably has the Mayor in twice a week to clean her apartment.
If this is how the Queen of Daytime Television is starting her 24th season, how is she going to top it when she starts her Silver Anniversary season? Will she simply given a thousand bucks to every person in Chicago?
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.
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.
Dear Oprah:
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. 
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.
Sarah Palin has a memoir coming out next month, Going Rogue. And as part of what I'm sure will be a big media blitz promoting the book 
If you tuned in to watch the first part -- day one -- of 
Yesterday was the season premiere of 
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 
Yesterday, we wrote about Chris Brown's appearance on Larry King Live, where he tried to ameliorate his image. As 
If you just watched the crowd while 
Michigan Avenue, also known as the "Magnificent Mile" in Chicago 
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