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Tag: Oprah Winfrey

  • Lindsay Lohan Source of Dina Lohan’s Angst

    Lindsay Lohan was the source of mom Dina Lohan’s angst during her days of drug and alcohol abuse. The elder Lohan recently told Oprah Winfrey she was afraid her daughter would die as a result of abusing her body.

    “Did you think there were days when she wouldn’t make it?” Winfrey asked Dina Lohan during her OWN docu-series called Lindsay.

    Dina Lohan appeared visibly shaken by the question, so Oprah asked a variation of it again.

    “What was the darkest for you?” she prompted Dina.

    “That. Losing her,” she replied.

    “The more the press would keep staying she’s going to be [one of those tragic Hollywood stories]—they were like putting that out in the universe,” Dina Lohan added as she worked to not lose her composure during the interview. “That was scaring me the most, ’cause I knew that could happen to her.”

    Oprah Winfrey made sure to mention that Lindsay Lohan is back home in New York during this, her post-rehab phase. This makes Dina Lohan happy, however she admits she is still feeling a small amount of that familiar angst.

    “Uneasy, but calmer,” she said of her present demeanor.

    Dina Lohan is often portrayed in a very unflattering light, but during her interview with Oprah Winfrey it became clear that she was still a mom who loved her daughter.

    Lindsay Lohan admits that reliving all of her rough times for Oprah Winfrey’s docu-series wasn’t an easy thing to do.

    Fortunately the young actress is still around to appear on the OWN network, and maybe her experiences will help save others from traveling down the same dismal road.

    Are you surprised to see such a caring side to Dina Lohan?

    Image via Facebook

  • Lindsay Lohan: Has Oprah Winfrey Had Enough?

    Some might be wondering if Oprah Winfrey regrets working with actress Lindsay Lohan, as the two partnered up to release the documentary series Lindsay, which shows the actress trying to get her life back in order and get back into show business again.

    If you’ve watched the series, you’ll see that Lohan has given Winfrey quite the hard time, because she hasn’t showed up for scheduled shoots, she shooed away the camera crew on the days she didn’t feel like filming, and she’s been missing in action for several days on end.

    According to a source of the show, Lohan has come up with a nifty little scheme to keep her job: She keeps telling Winfrey that she’s doing her best to be sober, but as soon as the cameras go away, she does the exact opposite and reverts back to her partying lifestyle.

    “She’s got people coming and going at all hours,” said the source. “Lindsay loves talking about her sobriety, then going to the Electric Room every Friday and Saturday night.”

    And she’ll play the keep-away-game from Winfrey too, says the source. “Lindsay avoids her calls some of the time,” the source revealed. “She thinks she has it handled. Oprah really does care and really wants to see her healthy.”

    In a 2013 interview on CNN’s Piers Morgan Live, the 27 year old said a lot of her arrests and problems with the law come from making bad and hasty decisions, and she also said that getting better was difficult because the media wouldn’t give her enough space to heal.

    My arrests were “totally irresponsible, a stupid mistake,” she said.

    “And from then on, the press were on me all the time. It was the first time I’d taken drugs. I was out in a club with people I shouldn’t have been with, and took cocaine, and got in the car. It was so stupid.”

    With Lohan’s docu-series suffering low ratings, it’ll be interesting to see if Winfrey decides to pull the plug, especially since the red haired actress has been nothing but a pain in the you know what for Winfrey.

    Image via YouTube

  • Andrea Bocelli Weds Longtime Girlfriend

    Andrea Bocelli Weds Longtime Girlfriend

    Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli married longtime companion Veronica Berti Friday, in the coastal town of Livorno, Italy. Bocelli, 55, had been dating Berti, 30, for 12 years, and the couple has a two-year-old daughter together named Virginia. The newlyweds married on their daughter’s second birthday.

    Singer-songwriter Bocelli was born on September, 22 1958 with with poor eyesight, and eventually went blind at twelve following a soccer accident. The singer has recorded fourteen solo classical and pop albums, and nine full operas, selling over 80 million units worldwide. Bocelli’s 1997 pop album, Romanza, became the best-selling album by an Italian artist in history, and his Sacred Arias became the biggest selling classical crossover record ever, moving 20 million units.

    Seven of Bocelli’s albums have reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, and a record-setting 10 have hit number one on the classical crossover albums charts in the U.S.

    Here Bocelli performs Franz Schubert’s Ave Maria:

    Bocelli was previously married to Enrica Cenzatti, but was divorced in 2002. His sons, Amos, 19, and Matteo, 16, attended the intimate ceremony Friday, along with other close friends and family. A small reception followed at the newlyweds’ home in Forte dei Marmi, near Pisa.

    Bocelli with daughter Virginia:

    While some classical purists have criticized Bocelli’s vocal ability and technique, he’s been widely praised – During her Christmas Special for These Are Special Times concert in 1998, French Canadian singer Celine Dion said while introducing the tenor that “if God would have a singing voice, he must sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli,” Oprah Winfrey had once commented, “when I hear Andrea sing, I burst into tears.” Late actress Elizabeth Taylor once said, “My mind, my soul were transported by his beauty, his voice, his inner being. God has kissed this man and I thank God for it.”

    Bocelli is set to perform next on May 30th in Sofia, Bulgaria at Armeets Arena.

    Image via Twitter

  • Chai Tea: Oprah and Starbucks Team Up for a Cause

    Chai Tea: Oprah and Starbucks Team Up for a Cause

    Take Oprah, add in over-priced tea at Starbucks and pour it over a good cause. This will be the formula for Starbucks’ newest addition to their menu: Oprah’s Chai tea.

    The tea will be sold at Starbucks and Teavana locations beginning two weeks before Mother’s Day. The proceeds from sales of her tea, which features an infusion of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves, will benefit The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation.

    Oprah revealed that she had spent some considerable time with Starbucks’ “teaologists” to get the formula just where they wanted. “I think we got it right,” she said.

    We hope for her sake that they did indeed get it right. This is actually the first time Oprah has lent her name to any brand outside of her stunning empire, according to CNN Money.

    “I looove tea,” Winfrey said in a release. “My daily tea ritual is a vital part of my morning. Savory and spicy chai, with its deep flavor, has long been a favorite of mine.”

    She continued,”When Howard and Starbucks offered me a chance to create my very own tea blend, I thought that sounded like fun to the tenth power. To share one of my favorite things with you and support youth education at the same time is truly the perfect blend.”

    Anything Oprah Winfrey and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz sounds like a super-effective power combo to me, but will the tea take off like they hope?

    Chai tea originated in India and has increased in popularity throughout the world in recent years. The concoction consists of a base black tea, heavy milk, spices and a sweetener of some sort.

    It is said that many Indians are perplexed by the big fuss over Chai in the rest of the world, as it is a part of their daily life.

    Best wishes to the new tea and hopefully it will be of great benefit to the charity and a boon to the support of youth education.

    Image Via YouTube

  • Oprah Winfrey Partners With Starbucks

    Oprah Winfrey Partners With Starbucks

    Oprah Winfrey is partnering with Starbucks where she will launch her own blend of tea called Oprah Chai Tea. The tea will debut on Mother’s Day–Sunday, May 11th–in Starbucks and Teavana stores in both the United States and Canada. The media icon traveled to Seattle and worked with teaologist Naoko Tsunoda.

    Oprah’s special blend of tea includes “notes of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves, blended with loose-leaf black tea and rooibos (a legume whose leaves are used to make herbal tea).”

    “I love tea. My daily tea ritual is a vital part of my morning. Savory and spicy chai, with its deep flavor, has long been a favorite of mine,” while discussing her Starbucks collaboration. “When Howard Schultz offered to have me come into the Starbucks tasting room and create my very own tea blend, I thought that sounded like such a unique opportunity and fun to the tenth power. To share one of my favorite things with the rest of the world and support youth education at the same time is truly the perfect blend.”

    Winfrey shared her exciting news with her fans via Twitter.

    Every time a patron purchases a cup of Oprah Chai Tea Starbucks will donate a part of the proceeds to the Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation.

    Oprah Winfrey announced the collaboration at the Starbucks annual shareholders meeting in Seattle on Wednesday.

    “Whoa Starbucks, and Teavana!” she screamed in her typical boisterous Oprah voice.

    Oprah’s tea selections will be sold in loose leaf format or as lattes.

    Is there anything the media mogul doesn’t have her hands in? She has a TV network (OWN), a magazine, her own TV show, and now tea–at Starbucks.

    Will you be walking into Starbucks placing an order like this?

    “I’d like a skinny Oprah. Hold the sugar, please.”

    Do you expect that Oprah Chai Tea will become a Starbucks best seller?

    Image via YouTube

  • Oprah Winfrey Partners With Starbucks For Teavana Oprah Chai Tea

    Oprah Winfrey has yet another business venture!

    This time, the famed media proprietor and former talk show host has partnered with Starbucks to create a new product – Teavana Oprah Chai Tea.

    On Wednesday, Mar. 19, Winfrey and Howard Schultz, chairman, president and CEO of the Seattle, WA-based coffeehouse chain issued an official press release announcing the “first-of-its-kind collaboration.”

    The press release states that the tea product will be sold in both Starbucks and Teavana stores across the United States and Canada.

    Product development details were also revealed. “Oprah Winfrey personally developed the tea with Teavana’s leading ‘teaologist’ Naoko Tsunoda,” the press release said.

    The tea is described as a “distinctive blend of tea, which features a  bold infusion of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves, blended with  loose-leaf black tea and rooibos.” The 60-year-old billionaire philanthropist shared her deep admiration of tea, as well.

    (image)

    “I looove tea,” said Oprah Winfrey. “My daily tea ritual is a vital part of my morning. Savory and spicy chai, with its deep flavor, has long  been a favorite of mine. When Howard Schultz offered to have me come into the Starbucks tasting room and create my very own tea blend, I thought that sounded like such a unique opportunity and fun to the tenth power. To share one of my favorite things with the rest of the world and  support youth education at the same time is truly the perfect blend.”

    Schultz also weighed in with his sentiments of the partnership with Winfrey. “Partnering with Oprah Winfrey in the creation of this distinctive and  remarkable tea is a strong next step forward in accomplishing this objective, while also giving back in a meaningful way through the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation. I am personally humbled to work  with such an inspirational leader and visionary who shares so many of our core values and beliefs. I truly believe that, together, we will set the bar for a world-class tea experience at Starbucks and Teavana.”

    (image)

    Teavana Oprah Chai Tea will be available in United States and Canadian stores by Mother’s Day, which is Sunday, May 11, 2014. A percentage of the proceeds received from each product sold will be donated to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation to provide educational opportunities for youth.

    Image via Oprah Winfrey, Facebook
    Image via Oprah Winfrey, Facebook
    Image via Starbucks, Facebook

  • Oprah Winfrey Plans to Sell Harpo Studios for $32 Million

    Oprah Winfrey plans to officially leave Chicago behind in a game-changing move.

    Winfrey will sell Harpo Studios to the highest bidder, Sterling Bay Cos, a Chicago-based real estate investment and development company. The deal is expected to total about $32 million. Ownership rights to Harpo lead to a bidding war that caught the attention of companies all over the globe.

    Harpo Studios began in Chicago in 1990, with Winfrey leaving it in 2011 when her long-running The Oprah Winfrey Show ended. With the end of the series, she relocated to Los Angeles to run the Oprah Winfrey network (OWN). Her decision to sell the company represents her final transition from Chicago to LA. Harpo Studios has four buildings, over 200 employees, and sits on a 3.5-acre campus.

    A spokeswoman for Harpo made the announcement by saying:

    “We have entered into a purchasing agreement with Sterling Bay for the four-building Harpo Studios campus in Chicago’s West Loop. We expect the transaction to be closed in 30 days. The property will be leased back to Harpo for two years and the studio will continue to produce programming for OWN.”

    Originally Winfrey hoped to lease the building for three years instead of two.

    Though Winfrey no longer has business ties to Chicago, she still owns a condominium in Water Tower Place, which she is currently trying to sell for $7.75 million.

    According to Crain’s Chicago Business, “the eventual redevelopment could include some combination of office, restaurant, retail, apartment and hotel elements…Portions of the property could maintain their current use as TV studios and editing rooms.”

    Winfrey first came to Chicago in 1984 to WLS-TV’s morning talk show, which was entitled A.M Chicago. The show quickly became the number one in its market. It was renamed to The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1985. Winfrey is credited with transforming the neighborhood surrounding Harpo Studios into a thriving location, with popular restaurants and a family friendly environment.

    Image via Oprah Winfrey, Twitter

  • Harpo Studios, Home of Oprah’s Show, To Be Sold

    On the West Side of Chicago sits Harpo Studios, home of The Oprah Winfrey Show until 2011. When Oprah first moved her morning talk show to the location in the meatpacking district in 1990, the neighborhood was transformed from gritty to trendy in a few short years.

    However, it was recently announced that Oprah will be selling the 3.5 acre campus to a Chicago developer.

    “We have entered into a purchasing agreement with Sterling Bay for the four-building Harpo Studios campus in Chicago’s West Loop,” a spokeswoman for Harpo confirmed in a statement. “We expect the transaction to be closed in 30 days. The property will be leased back to Harpo for two years and the studio will continue to produce programming for OWN.”

    In the past, Sterling Bay has also purchased other properties in the area, including a 10-story storage building two blocks from Harpo Studios, now commited to Google Inc.

    “If [Sterling Bay] is going to work their strategy to its obvious conclusion, which is really controlling that part of the West Loop, it required owning those pieces,” said Harry Huzenis, principal at Chicago-based JRG Capital Partners, about the purchase of Harpo Studios.

    Huzenis’ company also bid on the property, but lost out to Sterling Bay.

    Approximately 200 people currently work on the campus, which includes 170,000 square feet of office and production space. Two digital sports networks, 120 Sports and Campus Insiders, still currently have office and studio space on the property. It is not known if they will be able to continue leasing their space after the end of the two-year period.

    Oprah still owns a 9,625-square-foot condominium in Water Tower Place, which is on the market to be sold for $7.75 million. When sold, she will no longer control any property in the windy city.

    Currently, Oprah runs her cable network, the Oprah Winfrey Network, from Los Angeles. The network, which replaced The Discovery Health Channel, includes shows such as The Gayle King Show, In the Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman, and Enough Already! with Peter Walsh.


    Imaga via Wikimedia Commons

  • Lindsay Lohan to Appear on ‘2 Broke Girls’

    Lindsay Lohan to Appear on ‘2 Broke Girls’

    CBS announced Wednesday that Lindsay Lohan will make a guest appearance on the network’s hit TV series 2 Broke Girls next month.

    The series follows Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs) as they try to navigate life and make enough money to start and maintain a successful cupcake business. The two work as waitresses at a diner and sometimes take on other odd jobs to earn extra income.

    In 2 Broke Girls, Lohan plays Claire Guinness, an indecisive soon-to-be bride, who hires Max and Caroline to make her wedding cake.

    The episode airs on April 14 at 8 p.m. EST, the first time the series will air in its new time slot.

    News of her casting comes just days before the premiere of OWN‘s upcoming docuseries Lindsay, which debuts March 9. Oprah Winfrey’s Discovery-operated OWN network released a trailer for the series Tuesday. The eight episode series follows the 27-year-old actress’s recovery after several personal crises, including a stint in rehab.

    The CBS announcement comes at an opportune time for the Mean Girls actress, just days before the launch of her new series this weekend. She makes a return appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show March 6, after she appeared as a guest in Fallon’s inaugural episode.

    Lohan tweeted her excitement about appearing on 2 Broke Girls Wednesday.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Lindsay Lohan Once A Week in Your Living Room?

    Lindsay Lohan will soon be back on your TV, but she won’t be featured in or fleeing from a courtroom. Instead she is starring in a docu-series on the OWN network, with Oprah Winfrey at the helm. The real question before the official premiere on Sunday (a special preview aired on Tuesday night) begs answering, however. What has Lindsay Lohan possibly said or done that isn’t already firmly implanted into the minds of Americans? She has appeared on the nightly news, in newspapers and on practically every website to ever grace the internet. In addition, all of the celebrity magazines share on a regular basis everything from what she wears to what her incredibly boring and dysfunctional parents–Michael and Dina Lohan–are doing.

    Rest assured, Michael and Dina will appear on the show as well. And it’s likely they’re just as dull and ridiculous as they usually are. One need only spend a few minutes watching even just one of those two to understand why Lindsay turned out the way she did.

    A tweet to Lindsay Lohan from Oprah Winfrey was included in Tuesday night’s preview.

    And of course Lindsay Lohan tweeted Oprah back.

    Even just reading about those tweets makes one wonder what on earth Oprah hopes to achieve by airing this special. Is OWN desperate for new shows? It sounds about as predictable as Christmas arriving on the 25th of December.

    Lindsay was especially excited to receive all of her fan’s tweets. One of those messages, from former Jersey Shore star Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi–got a Twitter reply.

    Will you–or anyone else for that matter–be tuning in to watch Lindsay Lohan, along with Oprah Winfrey on OWN? It’s almost unfathomable as to why anyone would.

    Image via YouTube

  • Lindsay Lohan Gets Scolded by Oprah

    Viewers were treated to a special sneak peak of what to expect on the new Oprah Winfrey backed docu-series “Lindsay.” The reality show is set to premiere on OWN this Sunday at 10 pm. A teaser trailer has made its way around the internet, and it features an already fed up Oprah telling Lindsay to get herself together.

    After one of Oprah’s assistant’s tells the former Queen of talk that Lohan is not following the established rules and not being cooperative with the production, Winfrey replies, “This is exactly what everybody said was gonna happen, and I believed differently. She doesn’t understand, this is your life!”

    Oprah later confronts Lohan, “I really do want you to win.” She then adds, “You need to cut the bullsh*t, you really do.”

    Here’s a look at the trailer. Several familiar faces make an appearance including Lohan’s spotlight-seeking parents Michael and Dina. We also see Lohan’s defeated-looking “sober coach.” There are plenty of tears, personal claims of staying clean, and of course complaints about the paparazzi and how Lohan “feels like a prisoner all the time.”

    Many questions emerge from the trailer that may spark viewer interest. Will the 27-year-old actress use the show as a way to win back the hearts of the public? She was nearly at “America’s Sweetheart” level after successful star-making turns in Freaky Friday and Mean Girls. However, after multiple stints in rehab, several arrests, jail time, and constant bad press…can Lohan make a comeback? Or is she already washed up? Is she even capable of acting responsible and putting in the necessary hard work that it takes to stay sober and act like a professional?

    She says at the end of the video, “I know this is my last shot at doing what I love to do.” Only time will determine if she actually means what she says. Either way, by the looks of this trailer, audiences who do tune in should expect to see a lot of drama.

    One thing is for sure, Lohan still has plenty of fans that root for her. She currently has over 7.8 million followers on Twitter, and that number should go up dramatically after Sunday night.

    Image via Lindsay Lohan, Twitter

  • Tina Turner: No Stroke, Oprah Winfrey Confirms

    Tina Turner didn’t suffer a stroke recently as many media outlets reported late last week. Oprah Winfrey has even chimed in saying the rumors are false. She and Turner are long time friends and she would certainly know if the singer with the long, gorgeous legs had been that seriously ill. Instead she is happy, fairly healthy–it seems she was ill–and living in Switzerland.

    Oprah turned 60 years old very recently and she is living life to the max as well. She was all too happy to share regarding the rumors of Tina Turner’s stroke that the What’s Love Got to Do With It singer even sent her a red rose to celebrate her big day.

    Absolutely no one is going to refute what Oprah says. If the woman claims there was no stroke–then Tina Turner didn’t have one. Oprah made sure everyone got their facts straight by sending out a tweet to all of her many followers.

    Oprah traveled to Switzerland this past summer to share in her dear friend’s joy as Turner wed her long time boyfriend–at the age of 73. It was there that Oprah experienced that horrid incident of obvious racism where the store clerk assumed because she was black that she couldn’t afford the purse she asked to see.

    Not one to raise a rude ruckus, Winfrey simply left the store without buying the handbag, saying later she didn’t want to see the clerk receive the high commission she would have earned had she bought it.

    “There’s two different ways to handle it,” Oprah later said. “I could’ve had the whole blow-up thing…but [racism] still exists, of course it does.”

    So Oprah didn’t get her fancy bag–turns out it cost $38,000–and Tina Turner didn’t have a stroke. For the moment at least it sounds like all is well with both of these lovely ladies.

    And to celebrate the fact that Turner only had the flu, take a couple of minutes to watch her in action during one of her performances. The woman’s talent is incomparable–and be sure to check out those legs.

    Image via YouTube

  • Tina Turner Stroke Rumors Refuted By Oprah Winfrey

    Tina Turner had a stroke?! That’s what the media has been reporting these days.

    Earlier today, a story began circulating around the Web claiming that Turner had suffered a stroke at her home in Zurich, Switzerland. So, there’s been a lot of chatter and speculation about the 74-year-old singer’s health.

    However, there’s one prominent public figure that has taken the initiative to diffuse the rumors with some clarity about the situation.

    According to E! News, famed talk show host and media proprietor Oprah Winfrey has refuted the claim.

    When a concerned fan asked Winfrey about the “Nutbush City Limits” singer’s health via Twitter, she responded with accurate information.

    Ironically, Winfrey recently visited Zurich, Switzerland where Turner resides. An incident actually occurred where Winfrey was discriminated against when she inquired about a handbag the store clerk felt was too expensive for her liking. Obviously, the clerk had absolutely no idea who Winfrey was or how deep her pockets actually are!

    But, nevertheless, Winfrey strategically diffused that situation as well. Instead of causing a public uproar over the blatant disrespect she’d received, she simply left the store without purchasing anything, as she felt the clerk didn’t deserve the commission. She later spoke of the various outcomes that could have occurred.

    “There’s two different ways to handle it,” Oprah said. “I could’ve had the whole blow-up thing…but [racism] still exists, of course it does.”

    Although the situation was quite discriminative, Winfrey also quipped about the issue via Twitter from a buoyant perspective. She tweeted, “Turns out the store clerk did me a favor. Just found out that bag was $38K!!! She was right I was NOT going to buy it.”

    She came to her longtime friend’s defense, just as she did when she addressed her own situation. Winfrey’s tactful nature saves the day yet again!

    Image via Tina Turner, Facebook

  • Tina Turner Did Not Suffer Stroke Says Oprah

    If Oprah says so, we have to believe it.

    Rumors made their way around the internet the past couple days that 74 year old singer Tina Turner suffered a stroke at her home in Zurich, Switzerland, after the gossip website, Hollywood Street King posted the claim.

    The site also stated that Turner was at her home “under nurse’s care.” Also, according to an unnamed source, that since her stroke Turner had been “reminiscing.”

    However, Turner’s pal Oprah Winfrey took to Twitter to squash the rumor. It seemed like the Proud Mary singer had a bad case of the flu and not a stroke.

    Oprah posted the Tweet after a fan asked about whether or not the rumors were true regarding Turner’s stroke.

    Tina Turner, born Anna Mae Bullock, has been on the music scene since the 1950s. She worked in a band with ex-husband Ike Turner and then branched out on her own in the 1970s and 80s. A few of her most popular solo hits include Private Dancer and What’s Love Got To Do With It.

    Turner has lived in Switzerland since the mid 1990s. She married her longtime boyfriend Erwin Bach, a record producer, this past July. The singer is a Swiss citizen and even formally relinquished her American Citizenship last November after stating that she had no ties to the United States “except for family, and has no plans to reside in the United States in the future.”

    The rock and roll singer is known for her energetic and lively stage performances. Even into her late 60s, she moved around the stage like a woman half her age. Turner launched a 50th Anniversary Tour in 2008 that lasted six months. She played to sold out arenas throughout Europe and North America.

    Rolling Stone Magazine ranks Turner #63 on their list of 100 greatest artists of all time. The power singer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Jay Leno Sent Off With Billy Crystal, Garth Brooks

    Jay Leno bid farewell to The Tonight Show and his beloved cast, crew and fans on Thursday night, accompanied by Billy Crystal, Garth Brooks and a bevy of fun and poignant surprises. Following Jay’s final monologue a few pre-filmed goodbyes were shared. Steve Carell sat at his desk from The Office and wished Jay well. Martha Stewart made overt sexual innuendoes. Even President Obama filmed a clip to say goodbye to the late night host.

    Billy Crystal was the perfect guest for Jay Leno’s last show. Not only does he know Leno personally, he also knows his style of comedy. The two played perfectly into one another’s hands. Crystal wasn’t without a bit of sentimentality, however.

    “You work so hard because you love this job, and more than anybody I know, you love being a comedian,” he told Jay–and he even choked up a bit as he said it. “It’s been such a thrill to watch you be one of America’s friends, who they turn to before they go to sleep at night.”

    He then segued into a rendition of The Sound of Music’s song Goodbye, Farewell, with a string of celebrities walking or dancing on stage singing their own lyrics dedicated to Jay. Jack Black, Sheryl Crow, Jim Parsons, Kim Kardashian, Chris Paul, Carol Burnett–who did her famous Tarzan call–and even Oprah Winfrey sang a few lines.

    “So long, farewell, you really raised the bar,” Oprah belted out. “If you were me, you’d buy them all a car.”

    Justin Timberlake bid Jay adieu via Twitter.

    Following this segment of the show it was clear the end was near. Leno queued up his good friend Garth Brooks who performed The Dance. The song set the tone for what was to come. When it finished, Jay Leno sat at The Tonight Show desk for one last time.

    “This is the hard part,” he said, with his voice cracking and his eyes welling. “This is tricky. I have to thank the audience. We wouldn’t be on the air without you people. This has been the greatest 22 years of my life.”

    “I am the luckiest guy in the world. I got to meet presidents, astronauts, movie stars,” he continued, wiping away a few tears. “First year of this show, I lost my mom; second year, I lost my dad. Then my brother died. I was pretty much out of family. The folks here became my family … When people to say to me, ‘Why didn’t you go to ABC? Why didn’t you go to Fox?’ I didn’t know anybody there. These are the only people I’ve ever known.”

    Leno lauded Johnny Carson as “the greatest” to ever hold The Tonight Show seat, and he quoted him before queuing Garth Brooks one last time.

    “I bid you all a heartfelt goodnight.”

    Brooks closed out the show with Low Places.

    Leno’s last words on The Tonight Show as he symbolically passed the torch to Jimmy Fallon were directed at wife Mavis, who sat in the audience for Jay’s final show.

    “I’m coming home, Honey!” he shouted.

    There was likely not one dry eye in the audience.

    Image via YouTube

  • Oprah Winfrey Finds Lindsay Lohan Hard To Work With

    When word got out that Oprah Winfrey’s OWN was releasing a reality show surrounding Lindsay Lohan’s life, the world uttered a collect “Oh-Oh,” because we all know that Lohan hasn’t shown the most amount of responsibility in the past several years. And now Winfrey is experiencing some of that irresponsibility first hand.

    “There’ve been bumpety-bumps, bumpety bumps,” said Winfrey in an interview with the E! channel.

    But despite those challenges, it seems the show will still air on March 9. At least as far as Winfrey can tell. “But as far as I know, as of right now, whatever time this is, we’re still filming. And that’s a part of it, that’s part of live, that’s part of coming out and trying to put your life together,” she said.

    Most people first heard that Lohan and Winfrey were working together when the red-haired actress sat down with Winfrey in a no-holds-barred interview last year, but reports came out that Lohan was up to her usual tricks of jumping on a plane and leaving the country without telling anybody.

    In fact, the person from E! interviewing Winfrey alerted her to the fact that Lohan was out of the country, much to the former-talk show host’s surprise. “You would probably know more than I do,” said Winfrey, when she was told that Lohan wasn’t in the States at the moment. “As far as I know we’re still filming. Do you know something?”

    It’ll be interesting to see if Lohan completes the necessary amount of filming to get a decent show in, and if Winfrey has the patience to even deal with the 27-year old actress for a long period of time. But either way, it doesn’t seem that Winfrey is hiding her frustration, because when she showed a clip of the show to TV critics, she can be heard chastising Lohan. “My truth is, I really do want you to win, but if that isn’t what you want, I’m okay with that. I will tell these guys to pack up and leave today,” she said.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Steven Spielberg Ousts Oprah as Influential Celeb

    Steven Spielberg has ousted Oprah Winfrey as the most influential celebrity in the U.S., according to an annual study conducted by Forbes magazine. It seems it was the film Lincoln that gave Spielberg the edge over Oprah. Earning him 12 Oscar nominations as well as $275 million at the box office in the U.S., it also brought in $93 million at the global box office. Forty seven percent of people surveyed rated Steven Spielberg as influential.

    “A celebrity’s ‘Influential’ score represents how that person is perceived as influencing the public, their peers, or both,” president of E-Poll Market Research, Gerry Philpott, said. E-Poll Market Research conducted the study for Forbes.

    Oprah Winfrey topped the Forbes list last year with a 49 percent influential rating. She slipped this year to just 45 percent–still impressive, of course, but not high enough to top Steven Spielberg. Reps at Forbes think that Oprah staying out of the limelight for much of the past year contributed to her decline in influence.

    Forbes magazine announced Steven Spielberg as their most influential celebrity on Wednesday using a variety of social media outlets–Twitter being among them.

    So who else made the list of influential celebrities behind both Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey? Star Wars creator George Lucas earned third place in the survey. Directors Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese came in fourth and fifth, respectively. Other celebrities who made the top ten list include Barbara Walters, Bono and Dr. Oz.

    And while Forbes hasn’t said exactly how many people took the survey, E-Poll Market Research ranked more than 6,600 celebrities on 46 personality attributes in their efforts to compile that top ten list.

    Are you surprised that Steven Spielberg beat out Oprah Winfrey as most influential celebrity? Was there anyone noticeably absent from the top 5 who you might have expected to see there?

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Oprah Reveals Why She Decided on “No Kids”

    Oprah Reveals Why She Decided on “No Kids”

    Oprah Winfrey has worn the hats of many titles. She’s most famous for her heartfelt, in your face talk show, generous donations and philanthropical lifestyle. But one hat the 59-year-old mogul hasn’t sported is the title of being a mother.

    In her latest film, The Butler, Winfrey plays a mother. She did such a good job that she was nominated for a Screen Actor’s Guild Award. But why hasn’t she decided to take on that special role in her very own life?

    In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter she said, “motherhood was never a dream of hers.”

    According to the interview, “she doesn’t regret not having kids.”

    “If I had kids, my kids would hate me,” said Winfrey.

    The humanitarian dedicates so much of her time and resources to her charities and those less fortunate that she feels like children of her own wouldn’t be doted on as much.

    But what was this Renaissance woman dreaming about all these years all while her closest pals have been talking about motherhood?

    “Gayle [now a mother of two] was the kind of kid who, in seventh grade Home Ec class, was writing down her name and the names of her children,” she said. “While she was having those kind of daydreams, I was having daydreams about how I could be Martin Luther King.”

    Winfrey may not be a mother, but I think it’s safe to say she’s beautifully touched the lives of many.

    Catch Winfrey in action in a clip from Lee Daniels, The Butler.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QZ4YLIYJoQ

    Photo Credit: YouTube

  • Oprah Winfrey Hosts Big Yard Sale For Charity

    Oprah Winfrey has certainly never held back her generosity, and always seems to use her money for good in some way. In an outrageously successful event that she held at her home on Saturday, the celebrity talk show host was able to raise $600,000 for charity.

    Oprah has been a variety of things throughout her career, including actress, producer, philanthropist, media mogul, and talk show host. Her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show ran from 1986-2011. She has also appeared in several films, most notably The Color Purple, and her recent role in The Butler, which will likely earn her another nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also has her own television network and magazine.

    The wealthy celebrity decided to have a huge rummage sale in order to downsize. The actress has certainly accumulated a lot of stuff, and we all know how much people want to get their hands on something that they know was owned by a celebrity.

    The prices for ordinarily mundane items skyrocketed, including a teapot that was expected to sell for $100, that actually went for $1000. There are plenty more examples of items going for outrageous prices, such as two extravagant sofas that brought in a collective $8,750.

    The sale was labeled as “The Oprah Winfrey Collection,” containing hundreds of her personal items. The sale was held at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club and included antiques, contemporary furnishings, and fine art. The collection was made up of the great amount of things that she has accumulated in her several homes in Indiana, Hawaii, Chicago, Santa Barbara, and her “La Quinta” estate.

    Oprah Winfrey’s grand yard sale was sponsored by Kaminski Auctions, and for those who could not make it to the sale in Santa Barbara, she sold her possessions in an online auction.

    The media mogul has always talked about simplifying and wants to be able live that way herself, at least to the best degree that she can. She discussed her decision to have the sale when saying “I’m trying not to be attached to things. I’m trying to live the life that I talk about, like not letting things define you. But it’s hard.”

    Image via Youtube

  • Robin Thicke Will Sit Down With Oprah

    Robin Thicke Will Sit Down With Oprah

    Robin Thicke is in the spotlight again. And no, it’s not for another hit song, comparing to, “Blurred Lines.” Nope, Thicke isn’t wearing a black and white striped suit resembling Beetle Juice, dancing with Miley Cyrus either. He’s sitting down, getting personal and sharing it all with the queen of daytime television talk shows, the one and only, Oprah Winfrey.

    That’s right, Thicke will be sitting down with Winfrey on, “Oprah’s Next Chapter.” The singer will open up with Winfrey in the Oct. 13 interview.

    In the interview, Thicke will discuss the impact his hit “Blurred Lines” has had on his fans as well as on the media along with his VMA performance. He’ll also discuss his family life and collaborations with other well-known musicians.

    “Blurred Lines” topped the Billboard 200 for 12 weeks this summer, selling over 5.4 million downloads.

    Thicke’s sit-down interview will air Oct. 13 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the OWN network.

    Catch Thicke’s video here.

    Photo Credit: Youtube.com

  • Oprah Winfrey Admits Nervous Breakdown

    Oprah Winfrey Admits Nervous Breakdown

    Oprah Winfrey revealed to Access Hollywood that she suffered from the symptoms of a nervous breakdown while filming her role in “The Butler”. Playing a really involved role such as that one and dealing with her own struggling network almost did her in. Oprah said she realized her emotions were on overload while she was interviewing Jason Russell of the Kony 2012 movement. Russell suffered a nervous breakdown in which he was arrested for running naked through the streets of San Diego. Watch the interview:

    “I was sitting and listening to Jason Russell describe his symptom … Saying, ‘Um, this sounds pretty familiar to me,’ ” Winfrey said. “In the beginning, it was just sort of speeding and a kind of numbness and going from one thing to the next thing to the next thing. I will tell you when I realized that I thought, ‘All right, if I don’t calm down I’m gonna be in serious trouble.’ I was in the middle of doing voiceovers, you know? And I remember closing my eyes in between each page because looking at the page and the words at the same time was too much stimulation for my brain,” she added.

    “I mean, I wasn’t ready to go run naked in the streets. Let’s make that very clear,” Winfrey said. “But I had reached a point where I just couldn’t take in anymore stimulation. Ok? That’s what I meant by that.”

    She was also getting ready (and getting nervous) to launch a new show on her network starring none other than Lindsay Lohan.

    “I went to her house just to say, ‘What are you doing? Let’s get real here.’ And… ‘This is what’s conflicting about it.’ Because it’s television and we stand to gain if it does well. But the real truth is – and anybody who knows me, certainly my producers on the way there – Sheri Salata was in the car – I said, ‘If I get here and Lindsay isn’t serious, I will shut this thing down today.’”

    That would do it. Just sayin’.

    Image via wikipedia