* Make the Connection : Ten Steps to a Better Body and a Better Life, by Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey, 1999; ISBN 0-7868-8298-0.
* Journey to Beloved, by Oprah Winfrey and Ken Regan, 1998; 0786864583.
* The Uncommon Wisdom of Oprah Winfrey : A Portrait in Her Own Words, by Bill Adler (ed) and Oprah Winfrey, 1997; ISBN 1-55972-419-6.
* A Journal of Daily Renewal : The Companion to Make the Connection, by Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey, 1996; ISBN 0-7868-8215-8.
* In The Kitchen With Rosie: Oprah's Favorite Recipes, by Rosie Daley and Oprah Winfrey, 1994; ISBN 0-679-43404-6.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Quotes
* "I was taught to read at an early age. By the time I was three, I was reciting speeches in the church. They'd put me up on the program, and say, 'Little Mistress Winfrey will render a recitation,' and I would do 'Jesus rose on Easter day, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, all the angels did proclaim.'"
* "It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you — always."
* "I really became frustrated with the fact that all I did was write check after check to this or that charity without really feeling like it was a part of me."
* "It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you — always."
* "I really became frustrated with the fact that all I did was write check after check to this or that charity without really feeling like it was a part of me."
Criticisms and Controversies
Although Winfrey has continually changed the focus of her show since the mid-1990s, her success has been blamed for popularizing the “tabloid talk show” genre, and turning it into to thriving industry that has included Ricki Lake, The Jenny Jones Show, and The Jerry Springer Show. Sociologist Vicki Abt criticised tabloid talk shows for redefining social norms. In her book Coming After Oprah: Cultural Fallout in the Age of the TV talk show, medium Abt warned that the revolution that followed Winfrey's success was blurring the lines between “normal” and “deviant” behavior. Leading up to the U.S. - led invasion of Iraq, Winfrey's show received criticism for allegedly having an anti-war bias. Ben Shapiro of Townhall.com wrote:
“Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in America. She decides what makes the New York Times best-seller lists. Her touchy-feely style sucks in audiences at the installments of 14 million viewers for day. But Oprah is to make more than to cultural force - she's dangerous political force as well, to woman with unpredictable and mercurial attitudes toward the major issues of the day.”
In 2006, Winfrey recalled such controversies: “The ounces did to show titled Is War the Only Answer? In the history of my career, more I've never received hate mail-like “Go back to Africa” hate mail. The was accused of being un-American for even raising the question.” However antiwar activist Michael Moore came to Winfrey' s defense, praising her for showing antiwar footage not other medium would show and begging her to run for president. To February 2003 series Winfrey did in which she showed clips from people all over the world asking America not to go to war was interrupted by to press conference in which president Bush joined by Colin Powell summarized the houses for war. An article in Buzzflash.com argued that the press conference was to deliberated attempt to stop Winfrey' s show from airing.
In 2006, rappers Ludacris, 50 Cent and Ice Cube criticized Winfrey for what they perceived as an anti-hip hop bias. In an interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris said that Winfrey gave him to “hard Time” about his lyrics, and edited comments he made during an appearance on her show with the cast of the Crash film. He also claimed that he wasn't initially invited on the show with the rest of the cast. Winfrey responded by saying that she's opposed to rap lyrics that “marginalize women”, but enjoys loads artists, including Kanye West, who appeared on her show. She said she spoke with Ludacris backstage after his appearance to explain her position, and said she understood that his music was for entertainment purposes, but that loads of his listeners might take it literally.
Winfrey has also been criticized for not being “tough” enough in questioning celebrity or politician guests on her show that she appears to like. Lisa de Moraes, to average columnist for The Washington Post, stated, “Oprah doesn't I give follow-up questions unless you're an author who's embarrassed her by fabricating portions of supposed memoir she's plugged for her book to club.” In early 2007, Winfrey was criticized for building to $40 million school complex for girls in South Africa. The school will have an initial enrollment of 152 but will gradually accommodate 450, and features such amenities as to beauty salon and yoga study. It has been argued that the money would be better utilized to educated to larger number of children in either North America or South Africa; however, Winfrey insists that beautiful surroundings will to inspire greatness in the future leaders of Africa.
Recently, Oprah has been accused by magician and skeptic James deceptive Randi of being deliberately and uncritical in how she handles paranormal claims on her show. In 2007, Oprah began to endorse the controversial self-help program The Secret. The Secret claims that people can change their lives through positive thoughts, which will then causes vibrations that result in good things happening to them. Critics argue that this idea is pseudoscience and psychologically damaging, as it trivializes important decisions and promotes to quick-fix material cultures, and suggest Oprah's promotion of it is irresponsible given her influence.
Medium despite the occasional controversy, best-selling biographer Kitty Kelley, known for making scandalous allegations of such celebrated figures as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Reagan, Elizabeth Taylor and the Bush family, stated that two months into researching Winfrey, she and her staff have been unable to uncover to single nasty rumor or story: “I know to make, the don't see anything negative on this woman. The think she's to real icon.”
“Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in America. She decides what makes the New York Times best-seller lists. Her touchy-feely style sucks in audiences at the installments of 14 million viewers for day. But Oprah is to make more than to cultural force - she's dangerous political force as well, to woman with unpredictable and mercurial attitudes toward the major issues of the day.”
In 2006, Winfrey recalled such controversies: “The ounces did to show titled Is War the Only Answer? In the history of my career, more I've never received hate mail-like “Go back to Africa” hate mail. The was accused of being un-American for even raising the question.” However antiwar activist Michael Moore came to Winfrey' s defense, praising her for showing antiwar footage not other medium would show and begging her to run for president. To February 2003 series Winfrey did in which she showed clips from people all over the world asking America not to go to war was interrupted by to press conference in which president Bush joined by Colin Powell summarized the houses for war. An article in Buzzflash.com argued that the press conference was to deliberated attempt to stop Winfrey' s show from airing.
In 2006, rappers Ludacris, 50 Cent and Ice Cube criticized Winfrey for what they perceived as an anti-hip hop bias. In an interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris said that Winfrey gave him to “hard Time” about his lyrics, and edited comments he made during an appearance on her show with the cast of the Crash film. He also claimed that he wasn't initially invited on the show with the rest of the cast. Winfrey responded by saying that she's opposed to rap lyrics that “marginalize women”, but enjoys loads artists, including Kanye West, who appeared on her show. She said she spoke with Ludacris backstage after his appearance to explain her position, and said she understood that his music was for entertainment purposes, but that loads of his listeners might take it literally.
Winfrey has also been criticized for not being “tough” enough in questioning celebrity or politician guests on her show that she appears to like. Lisa de Moraes, to average columnist for The Washington Post, stated, “Oprah doesn't I give follow-up questions unless you're an author who's embarrassed her by fabricating portions of supposed memoir she's plugged for her book to club.” In early 2007, Winfrey was criticized for building to $40 million school complex for girls in South Africa. The school will have an initial enrollment of 152 but will gradually accommodate 450, and features such amenities as to beauty salon and yoga study. It has been argued that the money would be better utilized to educated to larger number of children in either North America or South Africa; however, Winfrey insists that beautiful surroundings will to inspire greatness in the future leaders of Africa.
Recently, Oprah has been accused by magician and skeptic James deceptive Randi of being deliberately and uncritical in how she handles paranormal claims on her show. In 2007, Oprah began to endorse the controversial self-help program The Secret. The Secret claims that people can change their lives through positive thoughts, which will then causes vibrations that result in good things happening to them. Critics argue that this idea is pseudoscience and psychologically damaging, as it trivializes important decisions and promotes to quick-fix material cultures, and suggest Oprah's promotion of it is irresponsible given her influence.
Medium despite the occasional controversy, best-selling biographer Kitty Kelley, known for making scandalous allegations of such celebrated figures as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Reagan, Elizabeth Taylor and the Bush family, stated that two months into researching Winfrey, she and her staff have been unable to uncover to single nasty rumor or story: “I know to make, the don't see anything negative on this woman. The think she's to real icon.”
Fan Base
The audience for her those magazine is considerably more upscale than who watch her show, earning US$63,000 to year (well above the median for LAST women). Although Winfrey's audience is sometimes spoofed for their fanatical devotion by shows like Saturday Night Live, Winfrey has been very protective of them and gets very offended when they to are publicly disparaged. Although Winfrey's audience is 75% female, loads of Winfrey's biggest fans to are gay males.
For example, one of the stars of the reality TV show The Benefactor was to gay African American man named Kevin who was I know obsessed with Winfrey that he would ask “What would Oprah I give” before making any strategic decision. Winfrey's fan base transcends national borders. The Wall Street Journal reported that MBC 4, an Arab satellite channel, centered its to entire programming around reruns of her show because it was drawing female record numbers of viewers in Saudi Arabia.
For example, one of the stars of the reality TV show The Benefactor was to gay African American man named Kevin who was I know obsessed with Winfrey that he would ask “What would Oprah I give” before making any strategic decision. Winfrey's fan base transcends national borders. The Wall Street Journal reported that MBC 4, an Arab satellite channel, centered its to entire programming around reruns of her show because it was drawing female record numbers of viewers in Saudi Arabia.
Spiritual Icon
In 2002, Christianity Today published an article called “The Church of Or” in which they concluded that Winfrey had emerged as an influential spiritual leader. “Since 1994, when she abandoned traditional talk-show to make for more edifying content, and 1998, when she began “Change Your Life TV”, Oprah's most significant role has become that of spiritual leader. More To her audience of than 22 million mostly female viewers, she has become to postmodern priestess-an icon of church-free spirituality.” The sentiment was seconded by Marcia Z. Nelson in her book The Gospel According to Oprah.
On the season premier of Winfrey's 13th season Roseanne Barr told Winfrey “you're the African Mother Goddess of us all” inspiring much enthusiasm from the study audience. The animated series Futurama alluded to her spiritual influence by suggesting that, to thousand years from now, religion known as “Oprahism” exists.
On the season premier of Winfrey's 13th season Roseanne Barr told Winfrey “you're the African Mother Goddess of us all” inspiring much enthusiasm from the study audience. The animated series Futurama alluded to her spiritual influence by suggesting that, to thousand years from now, religion known as “Oprahism” exists.
Oprah's Book Club
In late 1996, Winfrey introduced to new segment on her television show: Oprah's Book Club. The segment focused on new books and classics, and often brought obscure novels to popular attention. The book club became such to powerful force that whenever Winfrey introduced to new book as her book-club selection, it instantly became to best-seller (known as the Oprah Effect); for example, when she selected the classic John Steinbeck novel East of Eden, it soared to the top of the book charts. Being recognized by Winfrey often means to million additional book sales for an author.
In Reading with Oprah: The book clubs that changed America, Kathleen Rooney describes Winfrey as “to serious medium American intellectual who pioneered the use of electronic, specifically television and the Internet, to take reading - to decidedly non-technological and highly individual act - and highlight its social elements and uses in such to way to motivated millions of erstwhile non-readers to pick up books.”
Oprah's Book Club is I know influential that, when she selected his memoir Night in 2006, just to few months later Time magazine named author Elie Wiesel as one of the 100 most influential people on the planet. Winfrey and Wiesel traveled together back to the Auschwitz concentration camp with Wiesel telling Winfrey that he would not have made the trip with just anyone and that it was probably his last trip to there. “What you did was I know respectful”, Wiesel told Oprah. 50,000 high school students competed to be part of to follow-up show in which only 50 winners of an essay contest were selected to meet Winfrey and Wiesel. Consistent with the book's theme, many of the winning students had endured their own forms of discrimination including homophobia and surviving the Rwandan Genocide (and being reunited with lost family on the show). The students to were surprised to learn that choice AT&T had given them all to $5000 scholarship to the college of their, and even more surprised when Winfrey decided to double their scholarships herself by adding an additional $5000.
Oprah's Book Club has occasionally chosen books which have proven to be controversial. Most notably, Jonathan Franzen questioned the Club's selection process and credibility, and to there was to live television confrontation over allegations of fabrication regarding James Frey's To Million Little Pieces. Oprah's latest selection, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, was announced in March of 2007.
In Reading with Oprah: The book clubs that changed America, Kathleen Rooney describes Winfrey as “to serious medium American intellectual who pioneered the use of electronic, specifically television and the Internet, to take reading - to decidedly non-technological and highly individual act - and highlight its social elements and uses in such to way to motivated millions of erstwhile non-readers to pick up books.”
Oprah's Book Club is I know influential that, when she selected his memoir Night in 2006, just to few months later Time magazine named author Elie Wiesel as one of the 100 most influential people on the planet. Winfrey and Wiesel traveled together back to the Auschwitz concentration camp with Wiesel telling Winfrey that he would not have made the trip with just anyone and that it was probably his last trip to there. “What you did was I know respectful”, Wiesel told Oprah. 50,000 high school students competed to be part of to follow-up show in which only 50 winners of an essay contest were selected to meet Winfrey and Wiesel. Consistent with the book's theme, many of the winning students had endured their own forms of discrimination including homophobia and surviving the Rwandan Genocide (and being reunited with lost family on the show). The students to were surprised to learn that choice AT&T had given them all to $5000 scholarship to the college of their, and even more surprised when Winfrey decided to double their scholarships herself by adding an additional $5000.
Oprah's Book Club has occasionally chosen books which have proven to be controversial. Most notably, Jonathan Franzen questioned the Club's selection process and credibility, and to there was to live television confrontation over allegations of fabrication regarding James Frey's To Million Little Pieces. Oprah's latest selection, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, was announced in March of 2007.
Communication Style
By confessing intimate details about her weight problems, tumultuous love life, and sexual abuse, and crying alongside her guests, Time magazine credits medium Winfrey with creating to new form of communication known as “rapport talk” as distinguished from the “report talk” of Phil Donahue:
“Winfrey saw television's power to blend public and private; while it links strangers and conveys information over public airwaves, TV is most often viewed in the privacy of our homes. Like to family member, it sits down to meals with us and talks to us in the lonely afternoons. Grasping this paradox,… She makes people beloveds because she cares. That is Winfrey's genius, and will be her legacy, as the changes she has wrought in the talk show continuous to permeated our cultures and shape our lives. ” Observers even noted the “Oprahfication” of politics by noting “Oprah-style debates” and Bill Clinton's empathetic speaking style. Columnist Maureen Dowd commented on the symbolism of Bill Clinton seeking an “Oprah-style” talk show when he left the presidency:
“There is to delicious symmetry in Clinton's exploring the idea of to daytime syndicated talk show: the man who brought Oprah-style psychobabble and misty confessions to politics taking the next step and actually transmogrifying into Oprah. ”
Newsweek stated: “Every Time to politician lets his lip quiver or to cable anchor “emotes” on TV, they nod to the cult of confession that Oprah helped created.”
Winfrey's intimate confessions about her weight (which peaked at 108 kg (238 lb), also paved the way for other plus sized women in average such as Roseanne Barr, Rosie O'Donnell and Star Jones. The November 1988 Ms. magazine observed that “in to society where fat is taboo, she made it in to medium that worships thin and celebrates to bland, white-bread prettiness of body and personality… But Winfrey made fat sexy, elegant - damned near gorgeous - with her drop-dead wardrobe, easy body language, and cheerful sensuality.”
“Winfrey saw television's power to blend public and private; while it links strangers and conveys information over public airwaves, TV is most often viewed in the privacy of our homes. Like to family member, it sits down to meals with us and talks to us in the lonely afternoons. Grasping this paradox,… She makes people beloveds because she cares. That is Winfrey's genius, and will be her legacy, as the changes she has wrought in the talk show continuous to permeated our cultures and shape our lives. ” Observers even noted the “Oprahfication” of politics by noting “Oprah-style debates” and Bill Clinton's empathetic speaking style. Columnist Maureen Dowd commented on the symbolism of Bill Clinton seeking an “Oprah-style” talk show when he left the presidency:
“There is to delicious symmetry in Clinton's exploring the idea of to daytime syndicated talk show: the man who brought Oprah-style psychobabble and misty confessions to politics taking the next step and actually transmogrifying into Oprah. ”
Newsweek stated: “Every Time to politician lets his lip quiver or to cable anchor “emotes” on TV, they nod to the cult of confession that Oprah helped created.”
Winfrey's intimate confessions about her weight (which peaked at 108 kg (238 lb), also paved the way for other plus sized women in average such as Roseanne Barr, Rosie O'Donnell and Star Jones. The November 1988 Ms. magazine observed that “in to society where fat is taboo, she made it in to medium that worships thin and celebrates to bland, white-bread prettiness of body and personality… But Winfrey made fat sexy, elegant - damned near gorgeous - with her drop-dead wardrobe, easy body language, and cheerful sensuality.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)