The Oprah Winfrey Show

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

New Monday, new television special. We're stepping away from game shows this week, and going to focus on talk shows (probably for two weeks, seeing the past pattern, LoL). Today's feature: none other than The Oprah Winfrey Show. She's less than a year older than my mom, but her abilities are astounding. I love how she can talk about anything to such an intelligent degree. Not only is her show the longest-running daytime talk =show, it is also the most highly-rated talk show. (And, it actually might have an ending. Oprah has mentioned that she will not be renewing her contract come 2011.) Ironically, in another comparison to my family, the show premiered the day after my brother was born.

Other accolades for the show include Time magazine's shortlist of the Best TV Shows of the 20th Century (1998) and TV Guide's 2002 list of the Greatest Television Shows of All Time. The show has 6 Daytime Emmy Awards, with Oprah as host holding another 7.

While I have never personally been a fan of Oprah (Jenny Jones is my favorite), the show has had many giveaways and dream-come-true moments. (Let's all take a second to recall the 2004 episode where EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE was given a Pontiac G6.) Throughout the history of the show, Oprah has revealed personal information about herself when it relates to a guest... like talking about being sexually abused, skipping a grade, being made fun of for her poverty, and having a child at fourteen. (Sidenote, Oprah's never been married nor had another child. While she's been engaged since 1992, no wedding has ever taken place.)

Guests of The Oprah Winfrey Show span all walks of life, and include Michael Jackson, Liberace, Barack Obama (twice before he even announced his candidacy for the 2008 Presidential Election), innumerable entertainment stars, blue-ribbon-at-the-county-fair winners, and authors (hence her book club's crazy following).

Actually, I'm now bored of talking about Oprah, so if you care, you'll have to read up more about her show yourself.