Oprah Winfrey

July 2008

'FitFlops' Latest Toning Rage

newser | Seattle Times | Jul 16, 08 11:48 AM CDT

FitFlops, the sandals that exercise your leg and derriere muscles as you walk, are this summer’s must-have, Newhouse News Service reports. With celebrity support from Heidi Klum to Jennifer Garner, the fitness flip flop made Oprah’s “summer favorites” list, and has sold a million pairs since launching last year. Chronic back-pain sufferers also noted therapeutic benefits from the $50 shoes. More »

June 2008

Oprah Tops Powerful Celebs List Again

newser | Forbes | Jun 12, 08 11:12 AM CDT

Forbes ranks the 100 most powerful celebs of 2008 (complete with tweens), and Oprah leads the pack for the second year running. Stars are judged on the size of their paychecks and media clout, including their showing on the Internet. Here's how the A-listers stacked up: Oprah Winfrey Tiger Woods Angelina Jolie Beyonce Knowles David Beckham More »

May 2008

Oprah's Slipping—or TV Is

newser | New York Times | May 26, 08 12:17 PM CDT

Oprah’s still the queen, but her ratings have been sliding, the New York Times reports. Her flagship show's average ratings have fallen 7% this year, continuing 3 straight years of slipping; her reality show, Oprah’s Big Give , lost about a third of its audience over the course of its single run. Meanwhile, O magazine has lost 10% of its circulation. More »
ABC Schedules Only 2 New Fall Shows

newser | Associated Press | May 13, 08 8:00 PM CDT

ABC will debut just two new shows in the fall, partly because of the writers' strike. One will be a reality show produced by Ashton Kutcher that tests family members on how well they know each other. The other, Life on Mars , is based on a British show about a police detective transported back to 1973, the AP reports. ABC also is picking up Scrubs from NBC, but the network said Oprah Winfrey has decided not to bring back Oprah's Big Give . More »
Oprah Also Turned On Rev. Wright

newser | Newsweek | May 4, 08 3:19 PM CDT

Like Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey attended Jeremiah Wright's church but ultimately gave up on it, Newsweek reports. She went for nearly a decade, starting in 1984, and wasn't surprised by his angry sermons. But "Oprah is a businesswoman, first and foremost," a friend said. "She's always been aware that her audience is very mainstream, and doing anything to offend them just wouldn't be smart." More »
James Frey Returns, Like It or Not

newser | Vanity Fair | May 2, 08 4:32 PM CDT

James Frey regrets nothing. In an interview with Vanity Fair to promote his new novel, Bright Shiny Morning , the author discusses the 2006 controversy regarding his "memoir," A Million Little Pieces , and how he was vilified by the media and humiliated by Oprah Winfrey. "I've said all along that I never wanted my books published as memoirs," he tells the magazine. More »

April 2008

Not Again! Cruise Back to Oprah

newser | MSNBC | Apr 25, 08 10:13 AM CDT

What hopping mad announcement does he have now? Tom Cruise will return to the Oprah Winfrey Show for the first time since his notorious couch-jumping, Katie-Holmes-crazed fiasco in 2005, MSNBC reports. In addition to a studio interview, the two-part show, planned for May sweeps, will tour his Telluride mountain getaway, People notes. Read: possible cameos by Holmes or daughter Suri. More »
Oprah Dedicates Program to Her Late Dog

newser | Associated Press | Apr 2, 08 3:00 AM CDT

Oprah Winfrey's show on Friday will be in honor of her late cocker spaniel, Sophie, AP reports. The show features a probe into "horrific" abuses at puppy breeding mills, according to the correspondent who investigated the piece. Sophie gave me 13 years of unconditional love," said Winfrey. "She was a true love in my life." More »

March 2008

With Big Give , Oprah Shows Smaller Side

newser | New Yorker | Mar 21, 08 6:26 PM CDT

The new ABC show Oprah’s Big Give might be exactly what it claims—an epically scaled, nurturing-obsessed cult of personality—but the format is old and unsuitable, Nancy Franklin writes in the New Yorker , and the star is self-obsessed. The competition charity program sometimes reduced to her tears, Franklin allows, but mastery of manipulation is no great shakes in and of itself. More »
Oprah Makes Giving Competitive

newser | New York Times | Mar 2, 08 12:42 PM CST

Heavyweight philanthropist Oprah Winfrey will outsource giving to a whole new level tonight: Her new ABC reality show, “Oprah’s Big Give,” makes charity a competition. Contestants compete to raise money for needy folks and causes, and each week the lowest-earner is given the boot, reports the New York Times. But warm fuzzies aside, even a blogger for Oprah’s hometown Chicago Tribune notices “something off-putting” about competitive giving. More »

February 2008

Oprah's Back on Campaign Trail

newser | New York Times | Feb 2, 08 6:55 AM CST

Oprah Winfrey is getting back on the campaign trail, reports the New York Times . Insiders say she will join Barack Obama's wife Michelle and Caroline Kennedy at a rally in Los Angeles tomorrow, aiming to sway women voters Obama's way before Tuesday's crucial vote. Oprah's credited with having helped boost Obama to his Iowa and South Carolina wins, but she's been out of the spotlight since December. More »

January 2008

Oprah Gets Her 'OWN' TV Network

newser | Wall Street Journal | Jan 15, 08 12:35 PM CST

Oprah Winfrey is launching her own TV network, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Oprah Winfrey Network, aka OWN, will be a collaborative enterprise with Discovery. OWN will replace the flagging Discovery Health channel in mid-2009. The channel’s programming will be managed by Oprah and in her “own voice,” a spokeswoman says, and Oprah described the enterprise as "a natural extension of my show." More »

December 2007

Big O Is Outshining Senator O

newser | Newsweek | Dec 9, 07 10:19 PM CST

“It’s Obama time!” Oprah Winfrey roared today before thousands of supporters at a campaign rally in South Carolina, but the Queen of Talk is upstaging the presidential hopeful, Newsweek’s Howard Fineman says. After remarks from Michelle Obama, Big O eloquently championed Obama’s cause, suggesting that he was continuing the legacy of Dr. King and would restore hope to jaded Americans. More »
Oprah Shines for Obama

newser | Chicago Tribune | Dec 8, 07 5:10 PM CST

Oprah Winfrey made her debut in presidential politics today, challenging an electrified crowd of 18,500 in Des Moines to "think seriously" about Barack Obama, a candidate she said she supports not because he is a Democrat but for "very personal" reasons. “For the very first time in my life, I feel compelled to stand up and speak out for the man who I believe has a new vision for America,” she said. More »
How Much Will Oprah's Support Help Obama?

newser | New York Times | Dec 2, 07 10:59 AM CST

Oprah Winfrey's formidable power of endorsement is well known: Long-neglected books become instant bestsellers when she announces she likes them, reports the New York Times . But as she hits the campaign trail, the daytime diva will see whether voters will scoop up Barack Obama as quickly; or as skeptics say, that "Oprah can't turn Obama into Oprah." More »

November 2007

Oprah to Test Clout on Trail for Obama

newser | Chicago Tribune | Nov 27, 07 10:55 AM CST

Now that the Barack Obama camp has confirmed that Oprah Winfrey will stump for the candidate in key primary states, analysts are wondering whether Winfrey's massive clout will translate into votes. Celebrity endorsements rarely do, the Chicago Tribune notes, but Winfrey, who can turn a book into a best-seller in a snap, may be the exception. More »
Oprah Secretly Visits South African School

newser | People | Nov 26, 07 12:20 PM CST

Oprah Winfrey yesterday secretly visited the South African school she founded, People reports, to meet with a girl who said she was abused by the staff. The media titan also met with the girl's parents for the first time. "The meeting went well," said the girl's father. "I appreciate that Oprah took time to listen." More »
Johnny (Sorry, Jay) Top TV Icon

newser | Associated Press | Nov 15, 07 1:49 PM CST

Letterman and Stewart made the cut, but Leno got stiffed when Entertainment Weekly and TV Land did their list of the top 50 TV icons. Leading the list, of course, the guy who started it all: Johnny Carson Lucille Ball Oprah Winfrey More »
Oprah: 'The Buck Stops With Me'

newser | Associated Press | Nov 5, 07 11:55 AM CST

When first told of abuse allegations at her South African school for disadvantaged girls, Oprah Winfrey "spent about a half-hour going around my house crying," the talk show star said today. Winfrey, who has publicly discussed the abuse she suffered as a child, called the incident "one of most devastating experiences of my life," the AP reports. More »
Celebs Who Carry a Big Stick

newser | Forbes | Nov 4, 07 5:58 AM CST

Oprah is not just the queen of daytime talk shows. With her wide-ranging cultural, political and philanthropic interests, she's also the most influential celebrity in a new poll from E-Poll Market Research, Forbes reports. The top celeb honchos: Oprah Winfrey Bono Michael Jordan More »