I have watched The Oprah Show about 5 times since the James Frey (A Million Tiny Pieces) episode -- I completely lost respect for her after watching that show. It was incredibly mishandled, in my opinion.

I used to be a huge fan of Oprah's. Over the years, I feel that she has completely lost touch with middle class America.

I know that she does a lot for inner city kids and the girls' school in Africa... but...

She helped me through the baby/toddler naptime years with my kiddoes. I believe that those were the best years of her show; mid to late 90's.

What are your thoughts on Oprah's transformation(s) throughout the years?

She's Oprah. I don't expect any more or less of her than that. She is who she is.

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I understand that... and I for one so disagree with the microscope that the media has celebrities live under (as I have posted in other threads). This is honestly a personal issue for me... I hadn't faithfully watched the show prior to that episode and maybe it was what finally made me realize that she is human! and my kids were growing up and I didn't need to watch Oprah every day anymore. Sigh.

LOL, sounds like you're yearning more for the good ol' days Cuthie, than for Oprah. Those chubby cheeks, the cuddling. You can borrow mine. Please send them back when they turn 21.

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I definitely think that she has good days and some very bad days. I would like to tune in on days when she is offering good human advice-I hate it on the days where she has celebrities-those are so boring. But, I did enjoy her visiting Tom Cruise's Telluride property; I did think that was a genuine interview. At 4pm, the kids are coming home from school and I am trying to figure out dinner-unless she has an amazing show, she is really just background music to my 4-5pm life.

I watched it more a long time ago too. I see what she's doing if I think about it, but it doesn't bother me to miss a show.

I don't like the celebrities either! I did catch the Tom Cruise one for a little bit and I did like the casual atmosphere and like it was just 2 people talking, she should do more like that. It is more interesting to see celebrities in their own homes and atmosphere than on a stage IMO.

I didn't like her as much in her overweight years, not because of the weight, but because I think she had a different style then, different topics, more competition? Now she does what she likes and I like that better, I just don't have the time anymore.

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I like her fluff shows....Oprah's Favorite Things...the home makeover shows..etc. I don't look to her for the serious shows.

I have Maury for that.....LOL

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I know what you mean about the author lynching. That seemed so strange - how she would pull a man back onto her show to do that in public. It seemed so abusive of a power that she had come to have over her audience. A little creepy.

Yeah - what he did was wrong. But I don't think ANYONE deserved to be in a surprise judge/jury situation like that (I'm assuming he was led to believe that he was being given the chance to explain himself - period). I agree that was the turning point for her with most people. She definitely had peaked before that, and it's been all downhill since. Incidentally, her show is on at 4:00 here - the same time "Ellen" comes on. I still feel like Ellen is so fresh. She's still in touch with her audience.

I think Oprah had gotten too important for a real person to be able to handle herself. Once a person realizes the power of their celebritydom (I think I've seen that used as a word...right?) and tries to channel it for their own personal reasons, it goes sour. I'm surprised she never made a comment (that I know of) of regrat for the way she treated J.F. at all. She must have known that it was received very poorly by many people!

I personally NEVER liked the segments with other celebrities. I think it's always too contrived. Particularly seeing her with Julia Roberts or Mariah Carey. I don't know why - but it feels like I'm watching a dialogue between two people who are trying so hard to "be real" and to convey their mutual love for each other -- a little too much honey for me!

I could not disagree more -- I can't STAND those kind of shows. I tape Oprah every day and probably actually only watch one a week.

Oprah lost me as a viewer and fan since the start of the gospel according to Oprah. I lost what respect I had for her.

I still watch her, but not faithfully. I love the shows where she has Dr. Oz on or something informative. I like the shows where I come away feeling like I learned something.

One show that really bugs me is the one where the person is claiming to be the first 'man' pregnant. It is so misleading. Biologically, that person was born a female and I find the claim misleading. jmho. I'm sure other's will disagree.

I used to watch her show faithfully until about 4 years ago. I don't know why I really stopped. I stopped liking her shows. The topics seemed repetitive and then it seemed that every "guru" that went on her show suddenly had THEIR own show or book or whatever (Dr Phil, Rachael Ray got a huge boost, Bob Green her trainer, dr oz, etc). I respect her but I just don't enjoy her show anymore.

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I think that Oprah has just become too santimonious for my liking. Her attitude has, in my never to be humble opinion, become too preachy and judgemental. I know that people are so against Scientology (as am I--I really feel that it is a bit of a cult), but in my opinion, she uses her show as a platform for espousing HER beliefs and wants to make those who do not believe to be "missing" the mark. Used to like Oprah a lot--not so anymore.

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Well said...

I was extremely bothered by the lynching and then not one word ever again. It seemed out of character for her ... or was it? It was quite a turning point for me as a viewer.

I want to watch the Tom Cruise interview today (the reason this all came up!). I hope that she will bring up Scientology and ask some hardball questions of him; but not crossing my fingers because MANY of Oprah's closest celebrity friends are Scientologists (ie Tom C, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley...). It is what many people feel needs to be asked of him but I think the interviews are being scripted (by Tom's people??? too bad James Frey didn't have *people*... sigh). I heard through the grapevine, because I did not watch, that Scientology did not come up in last Friday's interview.


...and I agree with you on Ellen. 3pm here and it is my winding down time and right wheen my kids come home from school... I don't want to have to 'think' or have them see anything that is inappropriate.

LOL... you are sweet to offer but thanks for the offer. Hah. My oldest used to wake up from his nap while I was watching Oprah and we'd cuddle.

Out of the mouths of babes; when he was 3, we had a small travelling opera come through our town. He went with me. It was so cute because he kept on telling people that we were going to 'Oprah's house'. Boy, was he disappointed.

She is really starting to give me the creeps. I expect her to start her own religion soon. "The Church Of Oprah" She really is sanctimonious. I'm actually glad that a lot of ppl here seem to feel the same way. I was starting to wonder if the whole world was on the Oprah bandwagon!!

Melissa

I agree with both of your points - Dr. Oz is the best!

I watch her show when it is about something that interests me -- Dr. Oz, Nate's home makeovers, Oprah's favorite things, Peter Walsh, etc., but that's about it. I did enjoy the 'Money Makeover' series she did last year. Otherwise, sometimes I have the TV on while I'm starting dinner or doing other household chores, but I'm not really watching it.

It really bugs me that people are on her show for awhile and then suddenly they have their own show -- I liked it better when they were just on Oprah occasionally (like when Dr. Phil was on once a week), rather than their own show 5 days a week.

I enjoy waching oprah....It better than looking at the same things over and over,like some day time show.

I no longer watch her either. I flipped to her show a couple of times recently and couldn't get past the fact that she seemed to interrupt her guests alot...asking questions and then not really giving them a chance to answer. Drove me nuts.

I didn't read all the replies, but, just wanted to say that I think Oprah, like all of us, has changed and "evolved" over the years. Different life experiences, people she's met, etc.

I like her shows that are fun or informative. I didn't like the Earth Day show where a woman was on there showing us how to compost, and Oprah was worse than a baby when the worms got loose. I was disappointed in her for that, and hope it didn't turn people off to trying to make a compost pile. She even seemed to come off as "too good" to compost or something. Just rubbed me the wrong way.

I can take her or leave her, I guess.

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I used to watch it about once a week..I stopped when Dr P was on all the time, just didn't care for him and thought he was on there way too much. Not sure if he's still on it, haven't seen her show in months.

I like Oprah, she does a lot of good. However, I don't watch her show everyday.

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