As one of her season intros borrowed Chaka Khan‘s “I’m Every Woman,” Oprah has indeed found a unique way to reach the hearts of women all over the world, and men, too. She broke the stereotype too often required of women on television or in film that they need to be a size 0, fair-skinned and with features unlike Oprah. Now, once she has 25 golden seasons under her belt, Oprah is retiring her weekday talk show to make room for new pursuits. She didn’t offer much detail, but her next venture will be under her own cable network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).
I, personally, am not stunned. Oprah’s had a good run with the show, and as her declining ratings over the past few seasons indicate, television viewers are not choosing her show to the degree that they had been in prior years. Plus, if you simply look at the fact that she’s ending at a 25 year mark, it seems like that’s a goal she’s probably had in mind for years.
Here’s a CNN report talking about Oprah’s departure.
Here’s the press release from Oprah.com…
November 20, 2009, CHICAGO — On today’s live episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey announced that she plans to end her show in September 2011 after 25 years on the air. The Oprah Show will end its run as its 25th season draws to a close on September 9, 2011.
Launched nationally in 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show is viewed by an estimated 42 million viewers each week in the United States.* Oprah and The Oprah Winfrey Show have received 48 Daytime Emmy Awards®, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. The Oprah Winfrey Show has remained the number one talk show for 23 consecutive seasons, winning every sweep since its debut in 1986.** It is produced in Chicago by Harpo Productions, Inc. and syndicated to 215 domestic stations by CBS Television Distribution and to 145 countries by CBS Studios International.
Said Winfrey: “I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it’s time to say goodbye. Twenty-five years feels right in my bones, and it feels right in my spirit. It’s the perfect number—the exact right time. So I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show.”
Winfrey continued, “So, the countdown to the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show starts now, and until that day in 2011 when it ends, I intend to soak up every meaningful, joy-filled moment with you.”
After production wraps on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey plans to appear and participate in new programming for OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a 24-hour cable network that reflects her vision, values and interests. The launch date for OWN, a joint venture with Discovery Communications, is now set for January 2011.
Harpo Productions, Inc. produces the number one–rated, award-winning The Oprah Winfrey Show; creates and develops original TV programming for primetime, syndication and cable television; and operates Oprah.com (www.oprah.com), a premier lifestyle website. ZoCo Productions, LLC, an affiliate of Harpo Productions, Inc., and Sony Pictures Television co-produce The Dr. Oz Show. Harpo Print, LLC and Hearst Magazines publish the monthly O, The Oprah Magazine publication. Harpo Films produces feature films and, through an exclusive deal with HBO, scripted television programming. Harpo Radio, Inc. produces Oprah Radio (XM channel 156, Sirius channel 195 as part of its “Best of XM” package) on Sirius XM Radio. A joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a multiplatform company, will debut in January 2011 in more than 70 million homes on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel.
The following was sent to me by aw in an email… Read it and let me know what you think about Sophia’s perspective. I believe this editorial was originally from the Washington Post, but it is not clear from the message.
Black. Female. Accomplished. Attacked
By Sophia A. Nelson
Sunday, July 20, 2008; B01
There she is — no, not Miss America, but the Angela-Davis-Afro-wearing, machine-gun-toting, angry, unpatriotic Michelle Obama, greeting her husband with a fist bump instead of a kiss on the cheek.
It was supposed to be satire, but the caricature of Barack Obama and his wife that appeared on the cover of the New Yorker last week rightly caused a major flap. And among black professional women like me and many of my sisters in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, who happened to be gathered last week in Washington for our 100th anniversary celebration, the mischaracterization of Michelle hit the rawest of nerves.
Welcome to our world.
We’ve watched with a mixture of pride and trepidation as the wife of the first serious African American presidential contender has weathered recent campaign travails — being called unpatriotic for a single offhand remark, dubbed a black radical because of something she wrote more than 20 years ago and plastered with the crowning stereotype: “angry black woman.” And then being forced to undergo a politically mandated “makeover” to soften her image and make her more palatable to mainstream America.
Sad to say, but what Obama has undergone, though it’s on a national stage and on a much more prominent scale, is nothing new to professional African American women. We endure this type of labeling all the time. We’re endlessly familiar with the problem Michelle Obama is confronting — being looked at, as black women, through a different lens from our white counterparts, who are portrayed as kinder, gentler souls who somehow deserve to be loved and valued more than we do. So many of us are hoping that Michelle — as an elegant and elusive combination of successful career woman, supportive wife and loving mother — can change that.
“Ain’t I a woman?” Sojourner Truth famously asked 157 years ago. Her ringing question, demanding why black women weren’t accorded the same privileges as their white counterparts, still sums up the African American woman’s dilemma today: How are we viewed as women, and where do we fit into American life?
“Thanks to the hip-hop industry,” one prominent black female journalist recently said to me, all black women are “deemed ‘sexually promiscuous video vixens’ not worthy of consideration. If other black women speak up, we’re considered angry black women who complain. This society can’t even see a woman like Michelle Obama. All it sees is a black woman and attaches stereotypes.”
Black women have been mischaracterized and stereotyped since the days of slavery and minstrel shows. In more recent times, they’ve been portrayed onscreen and in popular culture as either sexually available bed wenches in such shows as the 2000 docudrama “Sally Hemings: An American Scandal,” ignorant and foolish servants such as Prissy from “Gone With the Wind” or ever-smiling housekeepers, workhorses who never complain and never tire, like the popular figure of Aunt Jemima.
Even in the 21st century, black women are still bombarded with media and Internet images that portray us as loud, aggressive, violent and often grossly obese and unattractive. Think of the movies “Norbit” or “Big Momma’s House,” or of the only two black female characters in “Enchanted,” an overweight, aggressive traffic cop and an angry divorcée amid all the white princesses.
On the other hand, when was the last time you saw a smart, accomplished black professional woman portrayed on mainstream television or in the movies? If Claire Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” comes to mind, remember that she left the scene 16 years ago.
What had happened was… I was walking High St with one of my sisters last week, pointing out various spots along the way including my old salon. Lo and behold, just a few doors down, me eyes spy a lady through the window with hair in a similar color range as mine, of ethnic origin (thought it would be rude to ask if she was biracial or not but that’s my guess), and doing hair!!!! We take an immediate detour into the salon and I ask to speak with her. First impression was that she was very energetic and seemed excited about the chance to do my hair. I said I had stylist drama and was looking for one that would be comfortable working with my hair texture. So, we made an appointment for the following week.
Sunday night, she called to confirm our appointment and to talk through a few things regarding what services I was interested in doing. Kudos to her for taking that extra step as opposed to hearing from the receptionist.
Wednesday, I go to the appointment…
(NOTE: they’re having a competition at the salon, so if you decide to give this place a try, say that Affrodite sent you and that you want to be seen by the Artistic Director or someone on her staff. The offer is buy one service and get your next service for free.)
BEFORE PHOTO 1st hair appointment with Mizz Ethnicita
Mizz Ethnicita is very friendly. Salon is clean, girly-artsy-shortnorthy-lezzbutchie-trendy vibe. I wait no more than 5 minutes for her to call me to her chair. Mizz Ethnicita is definitely along the creative ilk, and further chatter between us confirms my suspicion. She asks lots of questions and we work out all of the details (including price) prior to getting started. Her suggestion was to go a little darker in parts to make the highlights pop more. Makes sense. I shared that Mr. Greek said that highlights didn’t show on my hair because it was curly (I like how they say curly instead of nappy). She said that wasn’t true but that the highlights should be more chunky and I needed that contrast. Makes sense. Still feeling good about the appointment. I gave her creative control on on the cut explaining there were areas that I felt I had no shape like in the back (goes straight down), lacking a bit of height/fullness up top and not framing my face like I’d like. She proposed her solution which included cutting my hair curly since I never wear it straight (I absolutely hate it straight now because it reminds me of the hair conforming me that was such a huge chunk of my life).
She worked her upsell angle too by asking if I want my eyebrows waxed. I initially said no, it’s not my thing, not into makeup and girly stuff. She explains/shows she doesn’t wear makeup either and how it would help complete the look. I’m down for a little adventure and decide to go for it. After all, I like the occasional nudge out of my comfort zone.
She gets right down to work. I don’t think she had any existing clients at the time, but by the end, 2 others had come through but she seemed to have her timing down so that no one felt like they were being robbed of their service.
So here I am after all was said and done.I was there about 3 to 4 hrs which seems like a long day, but it didn’t feel that way. I presume down road, it’ll go a little more quickly as we feel each other out and spend less time getting my style and color in the right place. I was happy with the outcome. The darker parts were darker than I’d like/anticipated, but it quickly grew on me. The cut definitely helped with giving me more of a shape to my style.
AFTER PHOTO 1st hair appointment with Mizz Ethnicita
Thoughts??So far, she’s a two thumbs up. Easy conversation, comfy with my hair, made product suggestions, worked her upsell. More posts to come down the road… including reviews of Aveda products that I bought today.
cut $55, color $120ish (for 3 colors), eyebrow wax $15, total was $181ish (my bad math is from not remembering the exact pricing for the color). Cost was the only thing that was a definite dissatisfier, but I’m willing to pay to get this dern hair thing right and to maintain my city gal stance of being able to walk to my hairdresser. I’m feeling so-so about the eyebrow waxing. Just not my thing but decided to give it a try in the name of trying something new. I still fear my hair growing back like an eyebrow beard, but they all say the same thing about how the hair should grow back finer. I just know that I did not have pubic hair as far down as I do now until I started getting bikini waxes which throws that “scientific” theory completely out… Sorry… gross story… but it was important to share… maybe you can relate…
After watching one of the VH1 countdowns of the greatest hits from the 90s, I felt compelled to sit down and start typing this book review…
Ladies…and gents (if the shoe fits), if you traded in your Sweet Valley High books for shows like Living Single, Sex in the City and Ugly Betty, then debut novelist Mahlena-Rae Johnson’s Steve the Penguin is right up your alley.
With one week remaining before her much anticipated 10 year high school reunion, Johnson invites us into the life of Bianca Reagan Erin-Dempsey- a smart, accomplished 27 year old gal from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands who now lives in Los Angeles, the grand poobah of superficiality. Bianca has landed a great job assisting senior exec Stacey Macguire for a women’s tv network called Shake in the “business we call show”. As so many of us African-American women on the go know…all that glitters ain’t gold y’all. When Bianca’s personal inventory takes us through her career, friendships…including her BGF (best gay friend) Rick, family, and men, her insecurities abound as Bianca worries that she will not measure up to the expectations of her friends and family back at home and perhaps her own. Topping the list, is Bianca’s longing for a set of friends that really get her (quirks and all) and the genuine affections of her knight in shining armor.
As the story progresses, Bianca also takes us back 10 years to her friends and more importantly crushes from high school. Do her friends and family back at home meet her with open arms even though she arrives sans a husband and 2.4 children? Does the dork she was in high school interfere with her chances for romance? What’s up with DannyOcean112 and The Lawyer? Who the hell is Steve the Penguin? Why do we all seem to have that friend who latches on to the worst men in the name of having a man? For those answers, my friends, you need to read this book.
All in all, Steve the Penguin is a great read, very current in its adaptation (love the use of online chatting in some of the chapters) and composed with wit at the helm but without sacrificing gravity of the longings of main character, Bianca. As an added treat, those of Caribbean descent will identify with missing great food from home and the contrast of life in the islands to life in the states.
Oprah honey, when you read this post make sure you check out Mahlena-Rae Johnson’s first novel Steve the Penguin, add it to your book of the month list, and invite her on the show. She promises not to jump on your sofa. Oh, and tell Gayle that she’ll like it, too!
50% of your donation (less Pay Pal fees) will go to Emerge Global charity (http://emergeglobal.org/). The other 50% funds the sweat equity I put into my work for your enjoyment. My hope is that one day I will be able to donate 100% to charity.
Oh, and tell Gayle that she’ll like it, too!
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