Oprah's Goodbye -- Kisses and Hisses for the Talk-Show Queen
The hate displayed here is just the sort of thing Oprah has fought against so
valiantly all her life! To call her a racist is ugly, hateful, and a total lie!
She has given away so much to people of all colors, faiths, and creeds! Why be
so mean and dance upon the already broken hearts of those who have found meaning
in existence through Oprah's show and all she has done for them? I probably
would not have read "A Million Little Pieces" or voted in the last election if
Oprah had not worked so hard to encourage me.
Sometimes it seemed she could look
into my soul and connect with me in a way no one else ever has. She is a very
special person and without her show millions and millions of people would have
had no inspiration in their lives. Oprah taught us to love, to read, to laugh,
to cry. She deserves our undying gratitude and ovations here for all she has
done!
Someday I pray I can meet her in person and thank her with all my heart. I
have written many letters and she has sometimes taken time from her busy
schedule to reply with a postcard. Not many people do that kind of thing anymore
except my dear departed mother. She used to.
Oprah has lifted us up to her own
level so many times and allowed us to share her joy in life. Those who can't
understand what she has meant to America are to be pitied for their pathetic
tiny minds and even more miniscule hearts!!!
Read the article ABC NEWS/Oprah Winfrey's last show approaches
<>
It is hard to imagine what my life will be like without her. The days will be so
empty now, I know. Before Oprah, I never read hardly at all. But with her book
club I became a voracious reader. All the way through high school I just skimmed
the Cliff notes and never read any books really. Now I read at 2 to 3 books
every year without skipping a page. My husband is always complaining I
constantly have my nose in some book.
Also, I love how Oprah shares her wealth
with folks at her show by giving away cars and other stuff. She is the most
generous person on the planet. But she is the most generous with herself and
seems to be always sharing a story about how she has gone some fancy place or
built another lovely home. I hope she is happy in the years ahead because nobody
deserves all she has worked so hard for the way she does
Read the article ABC NEWS/Oprah Winfrey's last show approaches
<>
One of the underlying messages the mainstream media promote is that the entire
country is like minded when it comes to celebrities.
If you are an Oprah devotee
you have probably bought into the consumer ethic which the media so relentlessly
strive to instill in their audience. It is why the media exist. Evidently, Oprah
was a great pitch person for rabid commercialism. That’s the void they’re
talking about.
In reality, the Oprah show was just a major player in the vast
wasteland that is commercial television. It’s heartening to know that most
people on this thread didn’t buy into it.
Read the article NPR/O, the Void Oprah leaves behind
<>
I am a black female and don't get it. Why are these people putting so much faith
in this woman? She appears to have all the answers for a happy marriage, but has
never been married. She appears to have all the answers for child rearing, but
has not children. She appears to be so health conscious, but struggles with her
own weight issues.
Don't be fooled, I've seen her type; a victim of sexual
abused who craves to be the center of attention at all times. Instead of being
sexual permissive, she gets her gratification from manipulating the lives
others.
Look at her Gayle, she wasn't satisfied until she pulled Gayle down to
her level. I sure she played a part in the demise of her marriage. She is
selfish, self-centered and in the end everything she does will benefit Oprah.
She needs therapy and needs to learn how to be happy in her own life without the
need of controlling others. It's time for her to leave daytime TV and stop
brainwashing those who can't see here for what she is.
Someone needs to let her
know it's not all about her and people need to live their own lives. And the
biggest revelation, money can't buy you happiness, because if you really take a
close look. Oprah is not a happy person, just someone who wears a mask and puts
up a good front.
Read the article ABC NEWS/Oprah Winfrey's last show approaches
<>
I believe Oprah is generally sincere. But I also found the cult of personality thing really obnoxious. It's as if no one could make simple decisions about their lives unless Oprah endorsed it, usually in the form of episodes that sometimes resembled infomercials.
Thanks to Oprah, people apparently discovered compassion, books, various weight loss programs, "best things ever," favorite quotes, personal "journeys" and "aha moments," and even more reasons to love celebrities who didn't need the sucking up.
Talk shows exist to promote the host as much as the guests. But Oprah bothered me because, too often, it was crass commercialism packaged as self help you couldn't live without. Sounds crazy, but I think we'll be okay.
Read the article BOSTON GLOBE/Alex Beam -- Say good night, Oprah
<>
I never liked her shows where she interviews famous people from Hollywood, or those shows where she gave gifts away. But her shows about social issues were extraordinary. They provided information, compassion, and more sources for people to contact, consult. If you, quite by accident, only came across the show when she was giving away a car, you never really got to know why Oprah was so appreciated.
Some people watch her, not because they have too much time/money, but because they are doing something extremely routine & boring that requires multi-tasking to keep them from quitting; some people watch because they are home & disabled, and maybe they've been reading, crafting all morning. Oprah brings the world into your house, and some people are very lonely. Some people only watch Oprah when they are interested in the topic; many people learned what else to pursue because of what they learned on her show.
Read the article NPR/ON POINT/The final Oprah Winfrey Show
<>
Some in this comment thread would say that anyone who gets their ideas from TV, especially TV like the Oprah Winfrey Show is ignorant. That may or may not be true but one thing is true:
Oprah and her producers figured out a long time ago that a lot of people watch TV and if they could produce the kind of show that those people wanted to watch, they'd watch it. This simple calculation has made Oprah one of the wealthiest women on earth.
It's very much like Google and Facebook figuring out how to monetize their large user base AFTER they accumulated the large user base. Oprah built a show people wanted to watch, then later figured out a way to link it to products (books, etc.).
I don't watch much TV and I've never watched Oprah's show but I'm well aware of Oprah's media empire, the Oxygen network, her publications, etc. She also has great taste in real estate: what she owns in Chicago is spectacular. If Oprah were a publicly traded company her stock would be a hot commodity.
There's no denying that Oprah as a media and cultural force belongs in the first hour of On Point and those who think this is low brow material and not newsworthy need to get their heads out of The Nation and consider the channels other people are getting their information from.
Read the article NPR/ON POINT/The final Oprah Winfrey Show
<>
I used to read all sorts of magazines- Cosmo (UK and US), Elle, Redbook, Glamour, Grazia, heat, Company and New Woman. And I can safely say that O blows them all out of the water. In terms of a high quality magazine for women who want more than lame advice on pleasing a man, or rubbish quizzes that let you know you're stressed, O has no equal. I subscribe to it, and it is one of the things I really look forward to getting in the mail.
What I like about Oprah, is that she's understood that while she has amassed all this wealth and power, she now has a responsibility. And she takes that responsibility very seriously indeed. It amazes me how generous she is. And unlike with others who are wealthy, people don't seem to begrudge her being so rich. They just seem to get caught up in her enthusiasm.
But what also amazes me about Oprah, is that for someone who is so much in the public eye, the public know very little about her. She appears to be so open and honest about everything (which I'm sure she is), but the public know only what SHE wants us to know. Nothing more. She has managed her image in a way other celebrities only dream of doing. The amount and the level of control she has managed to maintain is really quite incredible.
I wish I could have seen these final shows as I'm sure they've been as spectacular as she wanted them to be. But at least I have next month's issue of O to look forward to.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Farewell the Oprah show, I will miss you
Can Cinemas Survive in the Home Theater Era?
When I arrived as a youth in Paris I saw Elia Kazan's A Streetcar Named Desire on Rue des Ecoles (possibly at the Action Ecoles theatre?): Everything was genuinely old in there, the seats, the decorated walls, everything - It was full to the last seat, probably a couple of hundred people, for this rare showing of the classic masterpiece .
Before Marlon Brando enters the picture you can hear his voice, and the entire crowd was like paralysed (not a foot or finger moved - the air dense with proper tension), only to heave a collective sigh of ... well, desire! ... when he actually appears, and eventually pulls off his trunktop - Amazing experience - Like living together a musical performance or sport event.
Similarly, there is great power in the feeling of a magical moment in a great film that seems to speak precisely about your own individual experience, being moved, in the presence of all the other people surrounding you (regardless or not of whether you realize they are having the exact same sensation): for that you need the old school reverence for cinematography.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Cinema, that plucky heroine, will always survive
<>
One of my worst memories was watching 'Se7en' when the cop leaned over the corpse, which then moved. The woman next to me was so shocked she threw up over my feet, not really my idea of a shared audience experience.
I love to watch films in the cinema where they're supposed to be seen, I just wish that those who've also decided to do so thought the same. You're either permanently shifting about to see round someone's head, trying to ignore others talking or texting, or having to stand up to let someone get past, concentrating on the actual film is impossible.
It's not as though it's a cheap treat, factor in something to eat and drink and it's understandable how attractive downloading a film onto your large flat screen TV with the uninterrupted view will be.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Cinema, that plucky heroine, will always survive
<>
Just a few points for discussion and in no particular order.
1) Fewer and fewer cinemas are in town - multiplexes mean driving or relying on late night public transport.
2) Home cinema is a reality for many people now, so the viewing experience can be near replicated with wall mounted large screen TVs, surround sound systems,
Blu Ray players etc. And in more comfortable chairs as well.
3) Multiplexes are designed to take your money off you. Large popcorn = re-mortgage. The notion that you are being fleeced is never far off.
4) Anyone taller than 5'5 is going to be uncomfortable.
5) I just bought the original 'Get Carter' for less than a fiver from ... well from your favourite online retailer. See Point 2 as to how I will watch it. Now beat it with anything on at a cinema tonight.
5) Mainstream Hollywood cinema, by and large, would insult the intelligence of a garden slug and they can shove it. I stopped going the night I paid £12 to see Men in Black II.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Cinema, that plucky heroine, will always survive
Of course cinema will always survive if you live in London or similar, but the problem comes in smaller cities or towns where many are just hanging in there - many will just not survive if the gap between cinema release and online/dvd gets too close. Especially as the viewing quality at home gets better and better with higher quality screens - some digital home projectors give quite amazing quality now, every bit as good as some cinemas.
Its not an abstract fear - my wonderful local 5 screen art cinema just closed down making the choice increasingly academic.
The one thing that is lost with private viewing is sharing the impact of a film with other people. I recently went to see the Japanese film Cold Fish - a very gory but blackly funny film. The two women next to me were muttering 'too much!' 'oh, you can't show that', at regular intervals. I thought they hated it, but when it finished they immediately said 'that was brilliant' to each other as the credits finished.
A couple of years ago I went to see Bad Santa. The most memorable thing about it was the woman next to me who spent the first half berating her boyfriend for bringing her to such a rude, offensive film. The second half the poor woman nearly choked as she desperately tried to stop laughing. By the end, she had given up, and was practically falling off her chair with laughter. I could see her boyfriend grinning in triumph in the dark. Its such moments that you miss watching a dvd at home, even if the popcorn is cheaper.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Cinema, that plucky heroine, will always survive
<>
It seems the Aussie Cinema experience is both different and the same as Great Britain. The cost of films and the candy bar for both are ridiculously expensive (Average adult ticket cost AUD$20.00 which is approx GBP13.00), but the quality of the actual cinema and service couldn't be more different.
Most chain cinemas (Village & Hoyts) were revamped years ago - no more having to stand up to let people pass (unless you're really tall) as we have enough leg room, they are mostly clean and don't smell - they are cleaned between screenings and most of the staff (even the young ones) are usually friendly/smiling.
Australian consumer laws states if a monopoly exists ie: the only candy bar belongs to the cinema then customers MUST be allowed to bring their own food/drinks (no sneaking required); with one exception, the cinema can restrict to allow cold food only ie: snacks like chips (crisps), chocolate, soft drink, water and NOT hot food such as burgers, Indian food etc. If the restriction is in place it applies to their products as well - and you won't get in. If you do sneak these in and annoy someone, you will be kicked out.
I have never seen cinema staff search anyone or their bags for food.
Behaviour is generally good once the film starts, but as with anywhere you can get the odd yobbo - which you either embarrass them to shut up/sit down etc or get the nearest cinema employee to give them a warning/kick them out.
You can usually get to a Village or Hoyts (or independant) within 15/20 minute drive in Metro areas (although I am only5/10 minutes dependant on traffic). Anything upto an hour in the country - although the bigger towns usually have at least a single or twin cinema. This is normal for everything in the country and expected.
Overall I always assumed GB would have more and better cinemas than in Oz, since your country is 31 times smaller in size and your population is nearly 3 times bigger. Maybe our definition of close by is different, or traffic congestion plays a part? Either way cinemas in Oz seem to be thriving especially for the big blockbusters as the big screen and large audience make it a more enjoyable experience.
Read the article GUARDIAN/Cinema, that plucky heroine, will always survive
READ MORE BEST COMMENTS: APRIL 2011
Extreme Couponing: Deal or No Deal? APRIL 2011
Elizabeth Taylor: The Star with the Violet Eyes APRIL 2011
