Harp On Oprah: Day One

Let’s face facts, Oprah Winfrey is watched by millions. Many find her inspirational, as well as entertaining. People turn to her for advice on books worth reading, causes worth supporting, and politicians worth electing. So, why do I find her so irritating? If I’m honest with myself, I don’t trust people who amass legions of rabid fans, be they actor, politician, or talk show host. I’m also not thrilled with someone who earns a substantial fortune for doing relatively little. I see in Oprah Winfrey a highly paid false idol.

Then again, I could be wrong. History is filled with examples of great men and women whose messages were distorted and perverted by zealous, fanatical supporters. When all is said and done, it could be the flock I despise, not the shepherd.

This week, I will watch and review “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Years ago, Oprah pledged to elevate the talk show format, promising not to pander but enlighten. Since I don’t know if it was her show that went astray or her viewers, now seems as good a time as any to find out.

“Oprah and Nate”

Nate wears a v-neck sweater. The ladies in the audience knew him well, and in the tease/cold open for the show, Oprah essentially promised to give Nate away to an audience member to be named later. Nate’s specialty is “home makeovers,” what used to be called interior decorating. If there is a difference between a home makeover and interior decorating, it is that home makeovers induce tears. Seriously, a woman shed tears of happiness when she discovered Nate planned to decorate her bedroom. Better still, audience members cried, too. And the promise is for the whole renovation to be done before the show wraps in an hour.

If the show is live, it is poorly produced. If it is pre-taped, then it is poorly produced and poorly edited. I don’t understand why the telecast included a stage manager walking onto the set during the show and showing Oprah where to stand. I don’t understand why home viewers had to wait for the recipient of the first home makeover to be awakened from bed. I don’t understand why the show is now recorded in HD, but remote cameras are very low resolution webcams.

After the first commercial break, it was time for Fannie, a former guest of Oprah’s talk show (who was given a new van, among other things). Fannie’s home was virtually destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. After more crying, it was revealed that Nate would be doing a home makeover for Fannie.

Maybe I am too jaded, but I didn’t need Oprah to clue me in to the devastation of a hurricane. I didn’t need Oprah to put a face and a name to the victims of the Hurricane. To me, and I realize I’ll probably be in the minority here, this sort of feel-good show belittles the other victims who don’t get fabulous home makeovers. Oprah regularly tops Forbes Magazine’s list of rich celebrities; she could donate several million dollars to the relief effort without breaking a sweat (maybe she has, in which case, good for her). This sort of tug-at-the-heartstrings programing leaves me resenting Oprah, because, in the end, the show isn’t about Fannie’s newly renovated house. It is about how Oprah gave Fannie her new newly renovated house.

While interviewing Fannie, Nate and Oprah held hands. At one point, Oprah extended a “high five” to Fannie, apparently not realizing Fannie wasn’t even in the same state. I wish someone could explain to me why this show is entertaining. Most of the show consisted of images of furniture and appliances. And Oprah kept crying.

The progress on the “live” master bedroom makeover brought to mind “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” When you rush home improvement, you get lousy home improvement.

A dying woman wrote to Oprah and asked for Nate to redecorate her basement for her family, so they’d have something nice after she died. I won’t tell a dying woman the best way to channel her energy; obviously, she is free to do as she wishes. But I will chastise the producers of the talk show for making the tacky decision to broadcast the exercise.

Episode Summary:

• Woman wakes up and gets new furniture for her bedroom
• Woman survives a hurricane and gets new furniture for her house
• Woman dying of cancer gets new furniture for her basement

Tomorrow’s Guest:

Suze Orman, who is to economics what Phil McGraw is to professional therapy… and that is NOT a compliment.