I know that when Oprah announced that she was creating a Twitter account, almost everyone that I knew immediately followed her.  She gained almost half a million followers in less than a month even though she hasn’t really done anything.

According to Chicago Now, Oprah “had 1,336,827 followers when she sent her last tweet on June 6. Today she has 1,801,684 (and counting).”  That’s really incredible.  If you’ve ever tried to build a following on Twitter, you will know that it’s not always that easy.

It’s unfortunate, therefore, that she really doesn’t interact on the site.  Her last tweet was exactly a month ago (June 6, 2009) when she wrote: "Today went to see Phylicia Rashad in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. It too was outstanding. Makes me crave BROADWAY!!"

I would love to hear more about what she’s doing this summer and what products she’s trying out and which restaurants she enjoys. 

I definitely don’t tweet as much as I should but I also am not a celebrity and I certainly didn’t send my first update on television. 

You’ve already created the profile - please tweet some more, Oprah!

image: Bauer-Griffin

Looking back at Oprah Winfrey’s 1993 interview of Michael Jackson is particularly poignant after the King of Pop died last week.  The primetime special begins with voiceovers explaining what Michael Jackson means to the world.  It was touching then and it’s heart wrenching now to watch. 

It was the most revealing look into Jackson’s life at that time and I remember everyone being amazed that he allowed Oprah into his private sanctuary – the 2700 acre Neverland Ranch.  She said that she was expecting to see some llamas roaming around the grounds but, instead, was surprised to find a beautiful home and a library filled with leather-bound books.  I was riveted the first time I saw the interview and I was riveted again as I watched it today. 

Watch Parts 2-4 After The Jump!

Read more

Oprah Winfrey is indeed a luxurious woman so it’s only natural that she thank people in luxurious ways. The staff of The Oprah Winfrey Show are being treated by the well-respected talk show host to a Mediterranean cruise! Not only that, but the staff will be permitted to bring some of their family members with them.

They will all be departing today and will tour Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Malta. All expenses will be paid by Oprah, which includes transportation, food, drinks and activities. Apparently, the cost of this cruise ship ride for one person is $5,400!  In 2005, she paid all the expenses so that her staff could get away for a little while in the tropical island of Hawaii.

Wow! I’m sure they are quite thankful for such generosity. There is no doubt in my mind that it is well deserved, though. It can’t be easy working for Oprah Winfrey!

Image: Bauer-Griffin

The Early Show aired a segment that basically questioned whether Oprah Winfrey was dishing out advice on her talk show that is potentially harmful to her over 40 million viewers.  CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller pointed to an investigative report in this week’s issue of Newsweek magazine, which specifically questions the "Oprah Effect."

I guess it is important to look at what Oprah says on her show since she really does have a lot of influence.  I can think of three things ((the Neti Pot, Acai berry and rolf therapy), right off the top of my head, that I tried just because I saw it on Oprah and I trust her.   I will also admit that I didn’t even look up whether these things were actually good for me because I believed Oprah wouldn’t recommend something that was dangerous.  What an obedient little sheep!

Anyway, the Newsweek article claims that Oprah “has managed to validate health claims that most people would call "real crackpot ideas.’”   The senior editor of the publication told CBS News:  "Some of the advice she gives, especially with regard to health and medicine, is not good advice.  Sometimes the advice guests give on the show could actually hurt you."

Among the things that they named were Jenny McCarthy’s theories about about the link between vaccinations and autism as well as the assertion that hormone replacement therapy can keep you young (according to Suzanne Somers).   The problem, Newsweek says, is that viewers are not given all of the information to make an informed decision.  I guess I could see that point.

Oprah had a response to the criticism:  "For 23 years, my show has presented thousands of topics that reflect the human experience, including doctors’ medical advice and personal health stories that have prompted conversations between our audience members and their health care providers…I trust the viewers, and I know that they are smart and discerning enough to seek out medical opinions to determine what may be best for them."

What do you think?  Is Oprah being reckless with her health advice? 

image: Bauer-Griffin

At last, the nominees for this year’s Daytime Emmy Awards have been announced! Of course, some of our favorite talk shows and talk show hosts have been nominated so here is a list of some of the categories and nominations.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show has by far taken the crown for the most amount of nominations this year with over six of them! Rachael Ray and Dr. Phil got a good amount as well. Who are you rooting for? I have no idea who’s going to win for Outstanding Talk Show. It’s quite a close match, so it should be interesting to see who takes it!

This year Vanessa Williams will be hosting the awards show! Make sure to catch the event on August 30th at 8 pm E.T on the CW Network!

OUTSTANDING MORNING PROGRAM

• “Good Morning America”
• “The Early Show”
• “The Today Show”
  

OUTSTANDING TALK SHOW / ENTERTAINMENT

• “Live With Regis and Kelly”
• “Rachael Ray”
• “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”

More after the jump!

Read more

Oprah Winfrey has done the right thing and apologized for publicly raking shamed author, James Frey, over the coals. 

The whole thing happened after it was revealed that Frey fabricated portions of his memoir A Million Little Pieces. 

Editor/publisher of the book, Nan Talese, felt compelled to call Oprah a “two-faced jerk” and I was inclined to agree with her after the talk show queen acted so judgmentally. 

She said "it is difficult for me to talk to you, because I really feel duped," Winfrey said on the 2006 episode.  She even accused him of betraying his readers and, within a month, his publisher dropped him.

Frey was apparently "grateful" for Oprah’s gesture.

image: Amazon

Talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, got to reunite with her friend, First Lady Michelle Obama, at Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2009 event at the Lincoln Center in New York City.  Both ladies made the list this year and I’m not surprised since they played a major role in the election of President Barack Obama. 

Since getting to know each other during the campaigning, Oprah and Michelle have regularly been spotted together and Oprah invited the First Lady to be the first person (other than Oprah) to appear on the cover of O magazine.

image: Newscom

Get ready to hear the term “Mother Warriors” a whole lot more.  Jenny McCarthy has signed a deal with Oprah Winfrey and is joining the HARPO family just like Rachael Ray, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz have. 

Under the multi-year deal, McCarthy will be tasked with developing “projects on different platforms, including a syndicated talk show.” 

McCarthy has written (and talked with Oprah in the past about) two best-selling books Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism and Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds.

I think that she could have a lot to say and I really respect her drive and passion, even if I don’t always agree with her.  I am very interested in seeing what she comes up with.

image: Amazon

Today, actress, Kirstie Alley, sat down and talked to Oprah about her weight gain.  Kirstie had famously appeared on the show (in a bathing suit) after losing more than 80 pounds but she’s gained it back and is feeling terrible about herself.

She said that she has found it “humiliating” to regain all of the weight and she also talks about how she feels she has let people down since she had been used as an inspirational spokeswoman for Jenny Craig.  "I have all these people I inspired, and then I let them down," she told Oprah. "I just said, ‘I’m going to cut myself some slack.’ Big mistake."

I don’t know why she stopped working with Jenny Craig but it sounds like it was the first step toward self-sabotage.  She explained that she actually moved all of her exercise equipment out of her house and turned the area into a dining room and didn’t exercise or weigh herself for more than 18 months.   That’s outrageous!

Anyway, Kirstie said that she was inspired by the weight loss of Valerie Bertinelli and the toned arms of First Lady Michelle Obama so she is going to create her own weight-loss program and plans to lose the 80 pounds again.

I’ve struggled with my weight for the last few years and I can understand Kirstie – to a point.  I can relate to just wanting to not think about being healthy but I can’t imagine actually giving up the way she did.  I hope she loses the weight and keeps it off this time!

image: Bauer-Griffin

Oprah Winfrey might be new to Twitter but she’s clearly a quick learner! 

Actor, Hugh Jackman, will be on her show this Friday where he will be promoting his upcoming movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  He tweeted the talk show maven last week saying: “Hey Oprah, looking forward to seeing you next Friday!”

She replied: “Hugh…I’m countin’ the hours. Wanna do dinner the night before. Same booth? Or catch up fresh on the air?”

Hugh tweeted back: “Dinner Thursday night, our same booth would be perfect.  I am going to work on getting to Chicago sooner. Cannot wait…”

I wonder if all this out-in-the-open chatter between celebrities will make it easier for paparazzi to find them.  Regardless, I find it interesting to see big stars talking back and forth.  It really reminds me of how normal they are (aside from the being really famous and wealthy part…).

image: Bauer-Griffin