Nov 10, 2008 -
Between her postelection special and her hilarious appearance on 30 Rock, Oprah Winfrey had a pretty huge week last week. But there was one big rumor swirling toward the end of it: that Oprah might quit her talk show in 2011 to focus on starting her TV network.
Oprah's current contract expires in Fall 2011, but her production company, Harpo, said no decision has been made about whether to continue the show beyond that.
- 27 Comments
Nov 09, 2008 -
I know I don't usually recap 30 Rock around here, but after this week's episode — which featured a guest appearance from Oprah — I figured there was no better time to talk about the show. If you haven't seen the episode yet, the whole thing's on Hulu, so treat yourself this Sunday and give it a watch. Some of my favorite moments:
- The idea that Jack Donaghy's tranquilizers might lead to "sleep crime."
- Liz, under the influence of said tranquilizers, whispering that she was "snitting next to Barpo."
- Tracy Jordan's monster claw.
- Sweater capes!
- Oprah's ninth-grade boyfriend.
If none of this makes sense to you, you owe it to yourself to watch that episode now.
- 19 Comments
May 13, 2008 -
Soon after Oprah chose James Frey's A Million Little Pieces for her book club, the memoir became a bestseller. But then it was revealed that Frey had exaggerated and even made up pivotal plot elements and characters in his "memoir." Not only was Frey humiliated in the publishing world, but after Oprah dragged him onto her couch for a difficult-to-watch public tongue lashing, many figured the man would never work again.
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Apr 02, 2008 -
Oprah's book club has had its ups and downs over the years. On the positive end, the book club often provides huge success for authors when the queen of talk bestows her little golden sticker on a book. Downs have included things like the scandal around A Million Little Pieces, and a public dissing of her book club from The Corrections author Jonathan Franzen.
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Feb 13, 2008 -
Oprah is hoping to convert her daytime success into some primetime interest with a new series called Oprah's Big Give, in which 10 regular people will compete to "outgive" each other in a variety of contests. In the first episode, for example, contestants are tasked with changing someone's life in a big and creative way. The person who does the least to help his or her stranger will be sent packing, while the rest continue on to other charitable challenges.
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Jan 15, 2008 -
It was probably only a matter of time before Oprah Winfrey staked out a TV network of her very own, but now it's official: Oprah will launch her own cable channel, OWN, in mid-2009. She issued a statement saying:
Fifteen years ago, I wrote in my journal that one day I would create a television network, as I
always felt my show was just the beginning of what the future could hold. For me, the launch of The Oprah Winfrey Network is the evolution of the work I’ve been doing on television all these years and a natural extension of my show.
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Dec 04, 2007 -
Speaking of lists today, this morning The Hollywood Reporter held its annual Power 100 breakfast to honor their list of the most powerful women in entertainment. These are some of the industry's heaviest hitters; the Hollywood Reporter names the Power 100 based on "their ability to greenlight content, their position within the company, the number of people who report to them and the amount of money they control." At the top this year is Anne Sweeney, co-chairman of Disney Media Network and president of Disney-ABC Television Group.
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Nov 29, 2007 -
Recently Josh Groban made a surprise appearance on Oprah, and soon after, his album soared to No. 1 on the charts. I'm not sure what I think of the guy's music; sometimes it's really cheesy.
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Jun 15, 2007 -
- "Gilmore Girls" mom Lauren Graham will take a dramatic turn starring opposite Greg Kinnear in the movie Flash of Genius, Zap2It reports.
- Oprah is No. 1 and Madonna is No. 3 on the Forbes most powerful celebrities list, writes Reuters.
- James Gandolfini tells the New York Post he doesn't know what happened to Tony Soprano, either.
- Mischa Barton will join Bruce Willis and his daughter Rumer in the comedy The Sophomore, says Reuters.
- Oasis will start work on its seventh full-length album in July, writes NME.
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