The Big O

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(The show aired today and here's Caver's 3 seconds of fame. ;)



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I went to Chicago for the October 8th taping (air date = October 14th) of The Oprah Winfrey Show. I know that sounds nothing like me. I think most people respect Oprah, as do I, but in recent years I haven't had much more than respect for her. Put in her position, I think a lot of us would be like her. Being a billionaire, by definition, puts you out of touch with most of the world.

I like Oprah, though. My love of pop culture has always made me curious about attending a taping of her show. More than that: she's a historical figure really. She will go down in history as a very significant person. All of those are reasons I was excited to go to Chicago for the show...

Not to mention that I am a complete freak for large cities. Chicago was literally next on my list of places I wanted to go (Austin's the next one). I don't know what it is about large American cities that makes me so giddy, but I LOVE them. Although I love Vancouver, B.C. as well...

My mom knew of Oprah - of course - way before she was famous. My uncle lived in Cleveland and called my mom once to tell her about this "wonderful woman named Oprah who was going to be famous some day." My mom loves ("deifies") Oprah. She adores her. When mom turned 70 yrs old (2004), we tried to get tickets and never could. Caver finally did this year.

The show was a depressing subject: Proposition Two in California. It's about the housing of animals. Basically - "Where does the food you eat come from?" You can research it yourself (see the link), but needless to say, it just adds more fuel to my fire that the way our food (animal-based food) is treated is reason enough not to eat meat. Of course, I still eat it but it's gross if you think about it.

There is so much to tell about going to the show. It's a well-oiled machine, as you can imagine. The security is impeccable. There is lots of waiting at the beginning. They place people in the audience based on look, color (of clothing), and filling out rows. After placing the rows that get lots of camera time, they called the rest of us by number, and we were allowed to choose seats.

Oprah was very low energy. She was not rude, but it was as if she was just putting in her time. Probably how you and I feel when we go to work every day. She was gracious and did engage for quite a few minutes (20?) after the taping, but didn't ask for questions. My theory was that people love Oprah so much: if she gives an inch, they will take a mile - and they did, somewhat.

I loved that she was candid with us about her thoughts on the Presidential candidates. She said she regrets saying she wasn't going to have any of the candidates on her show and not have a political show, until AFTER the election. After she endorsed Obama, she's vowed not to talk about it. She says she's itching to talk about the issues. She also said she's never received more hate mail than when she wouldn't have Sarah Palin on her show. She's not having her on, because she vowed to have NONE of them on, but still people were upset with her. She said a couple of times: "Only 27 more days and I can talk about it."

Overall I'd say an underwhelming experience. It could have been better if it were a happier topic. I think the tone from the beginning was that we were to be somber. We were.

Oh yeah - and Lisa Ling was the Investigative Reporter for the subject. I was never a fan of her's on The View - I got the impression she was full of herself. More and more, seeing the subjects she does on Oprah, I love her. She's so brave. She'll do anything. Seeing her in person - gorgeous. A pretty, pretty girl.

I can't thank my sister enough, though, for thinking of me and getting tickets for me. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm so glad I did it. During the pre-show prep, you hear some of the stories from people and how hard it was for them to get tickets. We were very lucky. Thank you, sister. :) Oh yes...and, Caver also made sure we all rode to the show in style. Isn't she wonderful?

in line at harpo studios - no cameras once inside.