Oprah Winfrey & James Earl Jones to Win Honary Oscars

Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones to Receive Academy's Governors Awards

Tue, Aug 2 2011
By Steve Pond at TheWrap

And the honorary Oscars go to James Earl Jones, Oprah Winfrey and Dick Smith.

The Academy's Board of Governors has named the first Oscar recipients of 2011 -- and the honorees at the third annual Governors Awards dinner and ceremony on Saturday, November 12 will include an actor whose career stretches from "Dr. Strangelove" to Darth Vader, a makeup artist who began plying his trade more than half a century ago, and a one-woman showbiz colossus who will be taking home the first Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award bestowed by the Academy in three years.

Winfrey will receive the Hersholt to salute her extensive charitable, philanthropic and educational efforts. Actor Jones and makeup artist Smith, meanwhile, will receive honorary Academy Awards in recognition of lengthy and distinguished careers.

The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which is also one of the Governors Awards, will not be handed out this year.

Smith is the only honoree to have won a competitive Oscar, for "Amadeus" in 1984. He was also nominated for "Dad" in 1989.

Winfrey and Jones were both nominated for acting awards -- Winfrey as Best Supporting Actress for "The Color Purple" in 1985, Jones as Best Actor for "The Great White Hope" in 1970 -- but neither won.

The choices were made at Tuesday night's board meeting, and announced by the Academy after the recipients had been notified.

Since the Governors Awards were moved to a separate show in 2009, this is the first year that the governors have selected three recipients, rather than the maximum of four.

The Academy press release:

Beverly Hills, CA – The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted tonight to present Honorary Awards to actor James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to philanthropist Oprah Winfrey. All three awards will be presented at the Academy’s 3rd Annual Governors Awards dinner on Saturday, November 12, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, Jones made his film debut in 1964 in Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.” In 1970, he earned an Academy Award® nomination for his role as boxer Jack Jefferson in “The Great White Hope.” Jones has appeared in more than 50 feature films including “Claudine,” “Conan the Barbarian,” “Field of Dreams,” “Coming to America” and, as Vice Admiral James Greer, “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger.” Additionally, Jones has also voiced some of the most iconic characters in motion pictures including Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy and Mustafa in “The Lion King.”

Known as the “godfather of makeup,” Smith began his career in 1945 as NBC’s first makeup man. He is known for his makeup artistry on such films as “The Godfather,” “The Exorcist” and “Taxi Driver.” In 1984 he won an Oscar® for his work on “Amadeus,” and received a nomination for “Dad” (1989). As an educator, Smith [below] helped train many of today’s Academy Award-winning and nominated makeup artists including Rick Baker, Greg Cannom, Kevin Haney, Kazuhiro Tsuji, Mike Elizalde and Carl Fullerton.

Since receiving her Oscar nomination for her debut film performance in “The Color Purple,” actress, television host and producer Winfrey has gone on to establish herself as one of the most influential figures in entertainment and philanthropy. She has been especially dedicated to supporting educational initiatives and raising awareness of issues that affect women and children, both in the United States and around the globe. Her philanthropic efforts have included Oprah’s Angel Network, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which opened in South Africa in 2007.

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual for “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.

The Governors Awards presentation will be produced for the Academy by writer-director Phil Robinson with Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare of Don Mischer Productions.

Oprah Says She's 'All In' on OWN

The Cable Show 2011: Oprah Reassures Cable Audience She's 'All In' on OWN

Says she'll be back at work on channel right away
By Andrea Morabito -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/16/2011 11:05:54 AM

Chicago -- Appearing on stage at The Cable Show's general session on Thursday, Oprah Winfrey reassured the cable industry attendees that she's fully committed to her fledging network OWN, which has had a rocky start since its launch in January.

Winfrey said that Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav told her early on in their discussions that "we need you to be all in" or Discovery was going to walk. Now that her syndicated show has finished its 25-year run, Winfrey said she would be back at work in two weeks.

"The vacation that I thought I was going to have is kind of over," she said.

When the panel's interviewer, Investigation Discovery's Paula Zahn asked Winfrey where she would like her network to be in five years, Winfrey clarified that it would need to get there in three. "Patience is not a virtue of mine," she said. (As evidenced by the dismissal of network CEO Christina Norman in May - Discovery COO Peter Liguori is now running the channel on an interim basis).

Winfrey acknowledged the soft ratings of OWN's early programming, saying it's not as easy to know what will work on a show that's not her own. "Yes it is more difficult," she told Zahn. "It's harder to make that judgment for what other shows can do."

As she has admitted before, Winfrey said again that if she had to do the launch over, she would do it differently, by building programming around one night at first before expanding to other nights.

But it's clear that with her name and brand attached to OWN, Winfrey is not going to be walking away from her new network (as she did when she sold Oxygen, a network she co-founded, to NBC Universal in 2007).

"I have committed everything I have to this cable network," Winfrey said. "And I wouldn't bet against me."







Cool Black's Mad Commentary: That last quote is GANGSTA!

CLICK the OWN logo to see all of our blog posts about the Oprah Winfrey Network

Oprah vs. Natalie Portman Beef?

Don't invite Oprah Winfrey and Natalie Portman to the same party. The rumor is that talk show queen and very pregnant Oscar winner are on the outs.

Reports say Portman was supposed to be a part of Oprah's After Oscar show but cancelled just two hours before her appearance. The actress said she was "pregnant and exhausted."

However, in a behind-the-scenes episode of her talk show, Oprah appeared to be very understanding about the whole thing.

But a source say there has already been bad blood between Natalie and Oprah, for a while now.

When Natalie was scheduled to promote her movie "Closer" back in 2004, she thought she would be appearing solo.....but that was not the case! Oprah's show scheduled both of Natalie's co-stars to share the spotlight.

Word has it, when Natalie had a fit about not appearing solo, Oprah vowed never to have her back.

"TALK OF THE WEEK" 5/21-28: Oprah's Show Ends, Casey Anthony's Begins!

A whole lot went down this week so let's find out what was the Talk Of The Week...


25 seasons later, and millions of viewers a day....the Oprah Winfrey Show has come to an end this week and Casey Anthony's Trial just kicked off.

Also, this week we finally got our two teams that will go at each other in the NBA Finals!

Find out what the town is talking about...


Listen to the "TALK OF THE WEEK" w/ Lady T below:








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Oprah's Farewell Show f/ Will Smith, Beyonce, Madonna, Usher, Tom Hanks, Maria Striver & More!

Beyonce Performs At Oprah's Farewell Show (FULL VIDEO)

WATCH IT FROM YOUR PHONE - CLICK HERE







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Beyonce Performs "Run The World" On Oprah's Farewell Show (VIDEO)

It doesn't air until May 23rd and 24th, but check out this sneak peek video from inside Oprah's Farewell Show!




CHECK OUT MORE FROM OPRAH'S FAREWELL SHOW HERE:

Oprah's Farewell Show f/ Will Smith, Beyonce, Madonna, Usher, Tom Hanks, Maria Striver & More! (PHOTOS)

Star Studded Oprah Goodbye

Celebs Come Out to Say Goodbye to Oprah

May 18, 2011
Associated Press

CHICAGO -- Oprah Winfrey wiped away tears as celebrity after celebrity surprised her during a farewell double-episode taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that will precede her finale.

"Thank you is not enough, but thank you," Winfrey told the crowd of 13,000 gathered at Chicago's United Center on Tuesday night for "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular." "For your love and your support, thank you."

The crowd gave Winfrey a standing ovation when she first walked on the stage. Then the stars came out, with Winfrey's producers making good on their promise of the biggest celebrities of movies, music and television.

Aretha Franklin sang "Amazing Grace." Tom Hanks acted as host for the evening. Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during the 1990s, told Winfrey she inspires him. Tom Cruise, famous for his couch jumping on Winfrey's show, was there. Jerry Seinfeld wore a tuxedo to give a comedy routine. And Madonna said she is among the millions of people who are inspired by Winfrey.

"She fights for things she believes in, even if it makes her unpopular," Madonna said.

Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end her popular talk show after 25 years. Tuesday's taping will air May 23 and 24, before Winfrey's final show on May 25.

"You always had the power, and that is the message you brought into our lives," Cruise told Winfrey.

The show highlighted Winfrey's charity efforts over the years. About 300 Morehouse College scholarship students walked along the United Center aisles as Kristen Chenoweth sang "For Good" from the musical "Wicked." Grammy winner John Legend was beamed in from a New Orleans school and Winfrey's book club was lauded for getting millions to read.

Josh Groban and Patti LaBelle sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as Winfrey sat in a white chair onstage. Jamie Foxx and Stevie Wonder sang "Isn't She Lovely" to Winfrey. Wonder followed with his own song, singing to her, "Oprah thank you for using your gifts to uplift so many hearts." Simon Cowell made an appearance; Rosie O'Donnell sang a Broadway-style song.

Winfrey's longtime partner, Stedman Graham, introduced Franklin after telling Winfrey he loved her and was proud of her.

"It really does amaze me that I get to be around a woman who changes people's lives every day and who also takes her own lunch to work," Graham told the crowd. "You know what really is amazing? You have done this, sweetheart, through all of the sacrifices you've made, humility you have and through God's amazing grace."

That's when Franklin took the stage in a one-shouldered white gown to sing "Amazing Grace." She later joined Usher for the show's finale song, "Oh Happy Day," as sparkly confetti filled the arena.

Maria Shriver, the TV journalist and Kennedy heiress, appeared on the same day it was revealed her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, fathered a child with a woman on his household staff more than a decade ago. Shriver did not mention her husband during the taping.

"You have given me love, support, wisdom and most of all the truth," Shriver told Winfrey. "And I know I'm not alone in receiving those gifts from you."

The taping of the second show began with Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who thanked Winfrey and told her she mothered millions and "that puts you in the status of a goddess."

Actresses Halle Berry, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes and Dakota Fanning all appeared, along with newswoman Diane Sawyer.

Beyonce sang her song "Run the World (Girls)" backed by dozens of dancers. Rascal Flatts performed too.

"Oprah Winfrey, because of you women everywhere have graduated to a new level of understanding of who we are, of what we are and most of all who we can be," Beyonce said.

The stadium was decorated with pictures of Winfrey at seminal moments over the course of her talk show. Boxes of tissues were on scattered seats throughout the audience.

Harpo Productions received more than 154,000 ticket requests for seats to Tuesday's event. Tickets were free and distributed to fans through a lottery.

Winfrey also received messages from some less-famous admirers. Female American soldiers gave a taped message from Iraq and three female fans from countries around the world came on stage. The show was interspersed with clips of Winfrey's fans and flashbacks of previous episodes.

Fans started lining up outside hours before the taping started.

Bessie Carroll, 70, of Chicago came to the show with her daughter.

"I think we've gotten everything we could have and more than we should have from her," Carroll said. "If she feels it's time to go, we have to release her and let her enjoy her life."

Mashonda White, 41, an engineer from Aurora, called Winfrey an inspiration.

"She's a blueprint of what I would like to become," White said. "She never takes anything negatively. She always makes it positive."

Celebrities such as Lisa Ling, Carson Kressley, Jessica Seinfeld, Ally Wentworth, Bob Greene and former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley sat in the audience.

The content of the final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is still under wraps.

(June 1, 2011-Details about the final episode and the ratings are BELOW )

Some fun facts courtesy of ABC News: The first national episode, "How to Marry the Man/Woman of Your Choice," aired September 8, 1986. The average number of Americans who watch "The Oprah Winfrey Show" each week is estimated at 40 million, and the show is distributed to 150 countries outside the United States. Total number of shows, including the finale: 4,561. Total number of guests over 25 seasons: about 30,000. The celebrity guests who appeared most often were Celine Dion (27) and Chris Rock (26). Five U.S. presidents have appeared on the show: Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The total number of items selected as "Oprah's Favorite Things": 283. Winfrey and her show have won a total of 48 daytime Emmys. In 25 years, about 1.3 million people have been in the studio audience for her show. For the final season, about 1.4 million people have requested tickets. The audience for Tuesday's event at the United Center may not have been the largest for a taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." That distinction goes to the Season 24 "Kickoff Party" in 2009, when about 21,000 people closed down Chicago's Michigan Avenue to watch the Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Hudson, Rascal Flatts and James Taylor. A total of 65 books became Oprah's Book Club selections and nearly 2 million people joined Winfrey's book club. More than $80 million has been donated to Oprah's Angel Network.

Oprah Winfrey's final episode drew her the highest ratings since a 1994 episode about 'shedding'

BY DAVID HINCKLEY - DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Oprah Winfrey's final syndicated show Wednesday (May 25, 2011) drew her highest ratings in 17 years.

Neilsen said the last episode of "Oprah," during which Winfrey delivered a combination benediction and pep talk to the faithful, earned a 13.3 household rating in metered markets.

That figure isn't translatable to a number of viewers, since only half the nation's markets are metered - and St. Louis didn't see the show at all Wednesday, since the "Oprah" affiliate there preempted her for storm coverage and will air her show today.

The 13.3 is, however, her highest number since she scored a 13.4 in February 1994 for an episode on "shedding." That meant guests gave up some style item to which they had been addicted, like makeup.

Neilsen said a total viewer count for the finale will take about two weeks.

The final surge is encouraging because Oprah's viewership has steadily dropped over the last decade or two. At her peak, in 1991-92, she was averaging about 12.6 million viewers per show. This season and last, before the finales began, she was averaging a little under 6 million.

______________________________________________________

Nightline has a story about Oprah's final episode (May 25, 2011) at their website here



Related post
Oprah's Farewell Spectacular

Oprah's Farewell Show f/ Will Smith, Beyonce, Madonna, Usher, Tom Hanks, Maria Striver & More! (PHOTOS)

Oprah's show has been on since 1986 and 25 years later she is saying farewell and brought out just about ever A-list star to do it!

Of the more than 154,000 ticket requests that flooded the office of Harpo Studios, just a few thousand of Oprah's most loyal and lucky fans were selected for Tuesday's back-to-back shows at the United Center.

The shows will air May 23 and May 24. Winfrey's last show airs May 25 after 25 years.

In the audience: former Mayor Richard Daley and his wife, Maggie Daley, Jessica Seinfeld, Charles Barley, Dave Chappelle, Emmitt Smith, Wanda Sykes, and Robin McGraw, the wife of Dr. Phil.


The first show will feature Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Josh Groban, Patti LaBelle, Beyonce, Halle Berry, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes and Rascal Flatts.


The second show will feature, among others: Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith, Jamie Foxx, Stevie Wonder, Jerry Seinfeld, Simon Cowell, Rosie O'Donnell, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr Phil McGraw, Nate Berkus, Gayle King, Maya Angelou, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Usher and she even managed to get newly separated from her husband Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver to join her on stage.

Check out some pics below...











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OWN CEO Fired

Discovery and Oprah ax OWN channel chief
By Yinka Adegoke

Fri, May 6 2011

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Discovery Communications and Oprah Winfrey have pushed out Christina Norman (pictured left) as chief executive of OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, after a tough start for the five-month old cable network.

Discovery Chief Operating Officer Peter Ligouri will take over from Norman on an interim basis, in addition to his current role.

OWN, which launched in the United States on January 1, has struggled to win ratings in its first five months.

In a memo to staff on Friday, Winfrey thanked Norman for her hard work in getting OWN on air but said the new network had much to do.

"Given all that we have to do, the OWN board felt it was necessary that we have a different kind of leadership in place for the next phase of OWN's growth," Winfrey said in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

OWN, a joint venture between Discovery and Winfrey's production company, offers largely female-oriented programming with a combination of lifestyle, advice and uplifting shows.

Winfrey, regarded as the most influential woman on U.S. television, is expected to devote more energy to OWN in the coming months after the last original episode of her popular syndicated TV show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," airs on May 25 on ABC.

Discovery CEO David Zaslav said on a conference call last month that OWN's ratings had been "below our expectations."

"We have been digging in. We are focused on what does the audience want from OWN. We are fully committed to the brand."

Discovery has said it will probably invest more in OWN in addition to the $215 million that it used to fund the joint venture through the first quarter.

Executives have said additional investment will depend on the progress of ratings through the next several quarters.

Ligouri, speaking late last month, said Discovery intended to produce about 400 hours of prime time original programming from then until the end of the year.

The exit of Norman, a former MTV executive, has already sparked speculation Discovery might turn to another former MTV executive, Judy McGrath, some 24 hours after she stepped down as CEO of MTV Networks.

(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke, editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Dave Zimmerman and Ted Kerr)


Related posts-

OWN Network Needs More Money

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network - The Next Season

From April 2010: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network reveals its upcoming slate of shows

Oprah's Farewell Spectacular

'Surpise Oprah!' Special To Air Before Winfrey's Final Show

Special guests will join to celebrate past 25 years

By Lindsay Rubino -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/28/2011 12:04:34 PM

The Oprah Winfrey Show has announced that it will tape a farewell special from Chicago's United Center on May 17, that will air on May 23 and 24, with the final episode of the show airing on May 25.

The special, called Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular will invite celebrities from television, film and music to celebrate the 25 years of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Harpo Studios will not release the guest list to the public, nor Oprah Winfrey herself.

"As most of our viewers know, being surprised is not one of Oprah's favorite things. In the spirit of our farewell season, she is making a rare exception and we intend to make the most of that opportunity. It will be something to see!" said Sheri Salata, executive producer, The Oprah Winfrey Show.

OWN Network Needs More Money

Discovery To Pump More Money into OWN

Ratings below expectations, but new shows on the way

By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/28/2011 12:21:09 PM

Discovery expects to pump more money into its joint venture OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.

"While we have made progress with OWN, we believe based on current business expectation we will fun in excess of our prior $50 million incremental estimate," said Singer, CFO of Discovery during the company's first quarter earnings call Thursday morning. "The funding level will be reflective of our ratings progress in the next several quarters."

Discovery has already invested $215 million in the channel, including $57 million in the first quarter.

David Zaslav, Discovery CEO said Discovery remains committed to OWN despite a slow start.

"The ratings have . . . been below our expectations and so we've been digging in. We're focused on what does the audience want from OWN," Zaslav said.

"As with any new cable channel some content is working, while other programming has not connected with an audience. OWN continues to invest in new programming, working hard to create compelling content," Zaslav added. "We're optimistic that the ratings at OWN will build through 2011, with 21 new series set to debut."

He noted that new shows featuring Shania Twain and Rosie O'Donnell are on the way, along with Oprah Winfrey's 25 year library of shows.
"With Oprah's broadcast show coming to a close, we couldn't be more excited that Oprah and her team will be turning their full attention to OWN," he said.


Related post-

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network - The Next Season

From April 2010: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network reveals its upcoming slate of shows

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network - The Next Season

Series Picked Up For Second Seasons Include "Ask Oprah's All Stars," "Enough Already! with Peter Walsh," "In The Bedroom With Dr. Laura Berman" and "Oprah Presents Master Class"

New Series Include "Confronting…," "I Owe You My Life," "Louie Spence Dance Project," "My Mom and Me," "Sweetie Pies" and "Unfaithful: Stories of Betrayal"

NEW YORK, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today new original programming coming to OWN including four series pick ups and six new series totaling over 60 hours of television.

"After four months on the air it's great to be able to renew series that connected with our audience," said Christina Norman, chief executive officer, OWN. "Our new shows will continue to bring viewers more compelling characters sharing their real life journeys that entertain, engage and inspire."

"We're excited to give our audience more of what they love along with new series that are fun and relatable," said Lisa Erspamer, chief creative officer, OWN. "We guarantee each new show will get viewers talking."

Joining the previously announced pick up of OUR AMERICA WITH LISA LING are six more episodes of ASK OPRAH'S ALL STARS, six episodes of ENOUGH ALREADY! WITH PETER WALSH, six episodes of IN THE BEDROOM WITH DR. LAURA BERMAN and eight episodes of OPRAH PRESENTS MASTER CLASS.

The six new series include CONFRONTING…, I OWE YOU MY LIFE, LOUIE SPENCE DANCE PROJECT, MY MOM AND ME, SWEETIE PIES and UNFAITHFUL: STORIES OF BETRAYAL.

Brief synopses of the series being announced today follow.

CONFRONTING…

This provocative series documents the powerful and sometimes painful mediation process in which victim and offender come together in the hopes of achieving closure. Currently available in 48 states, mediation programs offer the possibility of catharsis, relief and, at their best, forgiveness. In each episode, viewers follow the real life process of both victim and offender as they prepare to confront each other, face to face, for the most important conversation of their lives. Produced by Relativity Real.

I OWE YOU MY LIFE

TV makes it look easy. Writers know how to make their characters brave in the face of unspeakable dangers, determined when the odds are against them, and focused and virtuous when temptations abound. What about real people? What makes us heroic? These and many more questions will be posed in "I Owe You My Life." The nature of being a hero involves a multi-layered, complex set of circumstances, and this series will delve into the dramatic stories of everyday people from every corner of the world who take risky, even death-defying actions to protect others and right wrongs. Produced by Skip Film.


LOUIE SPENCE DANCE PROJECT

Manhattan, meet Louie Spence: He's a world-renowned choreographer who has worked with some of the biggest names in the business. Everyone from Mariah to Kylie to the Spice Girls have tapped Louie's creative talent -- and now it's Broadway Dance Center's turn. The much-vaunted New York studio has commissioned Louie to breathe new life into its curriculum, so the flamboyant Brit is jumping the pond, prepped to revamp the program. He's bringing his passion, his impeccable technique and his own unique style to the studio. Broadway Dance won't know what hit it. Produced by Kinetic Content.

MY MOM AND ME

The mother-daughter dynamic can be more than a little tricky -- so how much trickier does it become when kid has to play parent? "My Mom and Me" examines unusual mom-daughter relationships in which "normal boundaries" are challenged. Intimate, heart-warming and at times shocking, the series features mothers and daughters opening up about their atypical relationships and, with the help of a therapist, tackling their deep-rooted issues. Produced by Firecracker Films.

SWEETIE PIES

When Robbie Montgomery, a 1960s backup singer and former Ikette, suffered a collapsed lung and had to stop singing, she decided to pour her talents into another creative venture -- a soul food restaurant. At her family-oriented eatery, Sweetie Pies, both hilarity and drama are offered in equal measure -- and now Robbie's upping the ante with a second location. This docu-series follows the loud, loving and often singing Montgomery family as they work to expand their empire, one soulful dish at a time. Produced by Pilgrim Films & Television.

UNFAITHFUL: STORIES OF BETRAYAL

This compelling series features couples that have suffered and survived infidelity in their marriages. In each episode, couples share their deeply personal stories of heartbreak, while a therapist provides perspective and advice on how to heal. Revealing and surprisingly uplifting, the series illustrates how love can endure even the darkest times. Produced by True Entertainment.

About OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK

A joint venture between Harpo, Inc. and Discovery Communications, OWN: OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK is a multi-platform media company designed to entertain, inform and inspire people to live their best lives. OWN debuted on January 1, 2011, in approximately 80 million homes on what was the Discovery Health Channel. The venture also includes the award-winning digital platform, Oprah.com. For more information, please visit www.oprah.com/own and www.press.discovery.com/us/own.


SOURCE OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

On the Net:
http://www.oprah.com/own
___________________________________________________

Q&A: OWN CEO Christina Norman on How Oprah's Tweets Help Drive Ratings

4/13/2011 by Georg Szalai - Hollywood Reporter

While there are things to learn from the early days, she says, the Oprah Winfrey Network had a "good" debut quarter in its key target demo and will launch more programming featuring Oprah in September.

NEW YORK -- OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture of Discovery Communications and Winfrey, just finished its first quarter on the air.

Christina Norman, CEO of the network, (pictured left) which replaced the Discovery Health Channel, on Wednesday spoke here on a panel at the MediaPost Outfront Conference.

After the panel, she took a few minutes to talk to The Hollywood Reporter about OWN's performance over the first few months and what is up next for the new channel.

THR: How do you feel about your performance to-date?

Norman: The first quarter was good. It is 13 or 14 weeks that we have been on the air. Our upfront is tomorrow. We have grown primetime ratings by 32% since launch. We have launched 14 original series. We got another 25 to come before the end of the year. We're learning more and more every day about the audience, what works and what they like and don't like.

THR: Some people have said your ratings haven't been that good. What are they missing?

Norman: We are obviously talking about our core audience -- women 25-54. That is who we are primarily focused on. I think the brand is bigger than that. We are talking about the time slots that we are programming. Primetime is where we are putting most of our effort and energy. It's 13 weeks in. If anybody wants to write the story now about what it means and where it is, that's a little premature, and we are trying to stick to our knitting and keep our goals in mind and keep looking forward.

THR: What do they like?

Norman: They like The Judds. 1.7 million people watched that when it premiered on Sunday. That was a nice moment for us. And Oprah is not really on the network yet if you think about it. We've got Rosie [O'Donnell] coming, we've got Oprah coming. We've got more series: a show with Shania Twain, the O'Neals, which will be interesting, and we got non-celebrity stuff. We are announcing a bunch of stuff tomorrow and really trying to take it in, figure out what it means and then be smart and reactive about it.

THR: Any particular lessons or interesting things you have found?

Norman: One thing that's really interesting for us is to see how Oprah's social media profile has grown. She has been twittering for the past couple of Sundays, and the world likes to tweet with Oprah. Of course, they don't think it's her, but they love that.

THR: So is Oprah tweeting herself?

Norman: It's really her. It's actually really her.

THR: People said at least on the first Sunday that the tweeting helped drive viewership. Does it?

Norman: It seems to. It really did. The Judds were the No. 1 social media trend for television this past weekend, and that did really translate into ratings, so it does feel like you can't just rely on one thing. You have to use everything in very different ways. We had the Judds on talk radio in addition to television and then all the social media we did with them. I think that's what's pretty fascinating about right now.

THR: You started with big advertising partners. Where do you stand on ad partnerships? Any new marketers?

Norman: We have massive launch partners who have signed up for multiple years. Managing those relationships is a lot -- everybody from GM to P&G to Kohl's. With some of our partners, we have already gone through a big integration. So, now is an opportunity to say how did that work, what do you guys want to do differently going forward. And for some of them we have barely gotten started. We got Target and Walmart. We're still working on programs with them that will come later in the year. And we can use them as marketing partners for us. It's scratching the surface of where we are. But we have started to sign on some new advertisers for sure. But what's really exciting is that people believe in this brand, they believe in what we are doing and they believe now is the time to do it.

THR: So when will Oprah have a bigger presence on the network after her syndicated talk show ends?

Norman: In September, she will be on the network. And she has been on the network with Behind the Scenes. But new stuff is coming with her in September.

THR: Any details you can share?

Norman: [doesn't immediately answer]

THR: Tomorrow?

Norman: Yeah.

(*Note: Details are ABOVE)

Related post

From April 2010: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network reveals its upcoming slate of shows

TALK OF THE WEEK 1-23: Oprah, Khoe Kardashian, Obama, Nicki Minaj & More! (AUDIO)

Between Oprah telling us she attempted suicide, Obama having a 3-day get together with the Chinese President & Nicki Minaj causing madness in the UK...it's been a pretty busy week. Check out what you may have missed...



LISTEN TO THE "TALK OF THE WEEK" BELOW:

Oprah Tells About Losing A Baby & Having Suicides Thoughts (VIDEO)

President Obama Meets Up With China's President For 3-Day Get-To-Gether w/ Celebs!

Brett Favre Has Officially Retired Again...

Why Was This New Red Head Forced To Change Her Hair Color?

Beyonce's Former Assistant Spills The Beans On Her Relationship w/ Jay-Z In Tell All Book (READ THE SNIPPET)

Nicki Minaj Goes To London - UK Barbz Go Nuts! Check Out Nicki's Many Looks... (PHOTOS + VIDEOS)

Oprah Tells About Losing A Baby & Having Suicides Thoughts (VIDEO)

Oprah Winfrey has revealed she considered killing herself when she got pregnant as a teenager.

The talk show host confessed she even drank detergent in a bid to harm herself or the baby as she tried to hide the pregnancy from her family. Winfrey was 14 when she discovered she was expecting but later lost the baby. She feels the death was a "second chance" for her as she believes her father would have disowned her if he had found out.

"Getting pregnant was a result of bad choices, not having boundaries, sexual abuse from the time I was nine, ten, 11, 12 and 13,"

Winfrey said in an interview with Piers Morgan for CNN.

"I had no connection to that baby. I felt nothing but relief because I felt before that baby was born I was going to have to kill myself.

"I did silly things like drinking detergent, but really I was crying for help."

Check out part of that interview below:

WATCH IT FROM YOUR PHONE CLICK HERE

Oprah Presents: Master Class w/ Jay-Z (VIDEO)

Oprah Winfrey’s brand new TV network, aptly titled the “Oprah Winfrey Network,” or simply “OWN,” launched on New Year’s Day (Sat. Jan 1) in the United States, and among the many shows included in the cable channel’s initial line-up is a documentary series called “Oprah Presents: Master Class.”

The first episode of “Master Class” chronicled Jay-Z’s rise to success, and featured the rapper as he showed Oprah around his old stomping grounds in the Marcy Projects of Brooklyn, New York City. Future episodes of the show are said to feature poet Maya Angelou, iconic actor Sidney Poitier and media-maven Diane Sawyer.

WATCH PART 1 FROM YOUR PHONE- CLICK HERE



WATCH PART 2 FROM YOUR PHONE - CLICK HERE



WATCH PART 3 FROM YOUR PHONE - CLICK HERE



WATCH PART 4 FROM YOUR PHONE - CLICK HERE

Cool Black's 2010 Entertainment Review

by Dankwa Brooks AKA Cool Black

As you can tell by this blog, I love media. Not just films, but television and music too. You might call me a MEDIAPHILE. I also love to read and watch the many “Best of the Year” lists that get published and shown this time of the year.


This year I decided to form my own list. The people who know me know that even though I’m not a critic, I’m a critical thinker and I have a critical eye. You might say “That makes you a critic”. Perhaps…I just don’t like the term. I also think a “critic” is someone who criticizes, but is not an artist beyond that. I'm an artist! 


Having said that, here is what I thought was the best media had to offer and at the end the almighty return of the Cool Black Awards. (For the record I used to have “awards” for the column I wrote in college.)


Disclaimer: While I tried to consume as much media as I could in 2010, honestly I did, I couldn’t consume everything so when you say “what about BLANK?”, I probably haven’t seen it, haven’t heard it or just didn’t like it…but feel free to ask :D

NOW! Let's review shall we?

Toy Story 3 is the rare second sequel that is just as good as the previous installments. Excellent triad of films.

Freedom Riders An excellent documentary about a movement in the civil rights era. (Read more of what I had to say about the film here )

Shutter Island I didn’t want to see this movie. Even though the director, Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite filmmakers and Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the best actors around, the trailer looked too weird for me. A friend of mine got me to go see it and I really liked it. In fact I thought it was very good and the only thing that didn’t make me think it was excellent was that it was toooo loooong. If they cut about 40 minutes of material out of this it would be excellent.

The Town I’ve seen a ton of heist flicks, but this one seemed interesting. The resulting film was great. It managed to take a different…take on the heist genre.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths is not only one of the most action packed animated films I’ve seen, but the story was great and it had all of the all-stars, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash etc. as well as some kick ass villains.

Honorable Mention, An official recognition of merit (i.e. really enjoyed them)

From left to right.

The Karate Kid Another remake? I went to see it to see how they would screw it up. I was wrong, the movie was terrific! (Read more of what I had to say about the film here )

Takers Another cool different take on the heist film.

Night Catches Us A very nice movie with understated performances. Nothing flashy, just solid.
(Read more of what I had to say about the film here )


For Colored Girls Some excellent performances in Tyler Perry’s best film to date. (Read my full review here here )

Predators Really good sequel to the franchise. Gives great homage to the original.

There is only one new show I liked in 2010 and I’m saving it for the awards at the end.

Best Singles of 2010
(in no particular order)

1. B.M.F. (Blowing Money Fast) Rick Ross

2. Lil Freak Usher feat. Nicki Minaj

3. Whip My Hair Willow Smith

4. Un-thinkable (I'm Ready) Alicia Keys

5. Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home) Usher

6. Over Drake

7. Power Kanye West feat Dwele

8. Love the Way You Lie Eminem feat. Rihanna

9. F**k You Cee Lo Green

10. All I Do Is Win (feat. T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg & Rick Ross) DJ Khaled

Best Albums of 2010

Drake
'Thank Me Later '
Really good album that grew on me. (Read my review here )

Usher

'Raymond v. Raymond'

Usher’s last album ‘Here I Stand’ was cool, but it couldn’t compare to the smash ‘Confessions’. This album doesn’t compare to that album either...but it comes close.


Raheem DeVaughn
'The Love & War MasterPeace'

Really good album. Raheem DeVaughn would be a bigger star if he wasn’t a “soul singer” and made more “radio mainstream” songs, but his fans appreciate him for what he is...the truth.



Nicki Minaj
'Pink Friday'

The album is more pop than hip-hop, but I still liked it. (Read my full review here )



And now! The moment you've all been waiting for...

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Kanye West

'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'

The best album of 2010 is a masterpiece.  Read my “sort of” review and further explanation of why it is a “masterpiece” here

Of all the singles I listened to and loved over the year, Un-thinkable (I'm Ready) by Alicia Keys still holds the most resonance. The song off of her 2009 album The Element of Freedom (one her BEST albums by the way) was already one of my favorites before it started getting radio play in the spring 2010. (Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready) was number one on the US Billboard R&B chart for twelve consecutive weeks.) The song had great lyrics, great melody and most of all great emotion and vulnerability.



Didn’t want to see this show because it reminded me too much of a show I really liked last year ‘FlashForward’ that got cancelled. It looked like the same ol’ serialized conspiracy crap. I tuned in because of the fantastic Blair Underwood and it looked interesting. The pilot to me was all over the place and Blair Underwood didn’t seem to have as big a role as I thought. I tuned in the next week…and the week after that…and the week after that and BOY did it suck me in. Blair Underwood’s involvement did get bigger and more integral and the conspiracy stuff was well executed. You really can’t sustain a show like this without an effective lead and Jason Ritter was it. He was the perfect reluctant hero. He wasn’t "Jack Bauer" here to save the day. He was a hero because he had to be. Fantastic job by Jason Ritter.

 The best movie of the year is a tie. These two movies I thought were excellent.

The Social Network I’m going to join the bandwagon and cite as one of the best movies of the year. A cerebral and excellent film all the way around, story, acting, and direction.

Inception was a trip, a mind trip. I thought the movie was kind of out there for the first act, but by the end I was completely into the movie and I thought it was excellent. Just as cerebral and excellent as ‘The Social Network’, but with more suspense and action.

ANTOINE DODSON

Before you give me the

face, let me say he IS NOT the "Person of the Year", he is "Pop Culture Person of the Year", there IS a difference. Now, allow me to give you some background and then my explanation.

Kevin Antoine Dodson (born June 27, 1986) is a former resident of the Lincoln Park housing project in Huntsville, Alabama, whose interview on local television became an Internet sensation.

Dodson was interviewed on July 28, 2010, by NBC affiliate WAFF-48 News after the attempted rape of his sister by an intruder in her bedroom, in the projects of Lincoln Park.

The video of the interview caught attention because of the passionate and flamboyant style of his delivery, speaking directly to the camera, in which he directly addressed the people of his neighborhood as well as the would-be rapist, and his use of street vernacular. The reactions were mixed. Some local viewers phoned the TV station to complain that interviews with people such as Dodson reflected poorly on the community, whereupon the station defended broadcasting the interview by stating that censoring such people is "far worse".

The video of Dodson's television interview went viral and then inspired several musical remixes, including a video by musical group The Gregory Brothers, known as the "Bed Intruder Song".

The song was a huge success and eventually reached number 89 on Billboard's Hot 100 list. The popularity of the song inspired many covers and remixes, including a punk rock version by a team formed by Hayley Williams of Paramore, Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory, and Ethan Luck of Relient K.

Dodson was interviewed for the Today Show on NBC on 26 August 2010 about his new found "Web superstardom". On the program, Dodson's YouTube video was called "one of the most watched online videos ever," with the hosts noting it had already been viewed more than 16 million times as of that date. Dodson has done radio shows in Australia, has fans in London and is now widely recognized in his hometown of Huntsville.

Dodson launched a website in which he asks for donations to assist his family in moving "out of the hood". The money, as well as money from sales of "Bed Intruder" on iTunes and merchandise such as T-shirts, will go to helping his family buy a new home and setting up a foundation for juvenile diabetes, a disease that has afflicted both his sister and his mother. In August 2010, Dodson noted the irony of having "a hit on iTunes, but we're still in the projects"; one month later, Us Weekly reported that Dodson had made enough money from the song to move his family out of the projects to a better house. In September 2010, the Gregory Brothers reported that they had sold more than 100,000 copies of The Bed Intruder Song on iTunes.

In October 2010, Dodson even gave a live performance of "Bed Intruder Song" with Michael Gregory of The Gregory Brothers at the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards.

-info from Wikipedia

Now MY reason for picking him the Pop Culture Person of the Year.

Technically, popular culture (commonly known as pop culture) is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream. Heavily influenced by mass media, this collection of ideas permeates the everyday lives of the society. In my opinion Mr. Dodson fits this description.

As of today December 31, 2010 the "Bed Intruder Song" you saw above has 58,886,933 hits. That's 58 MILLION hits.

I saw the initial news video on Facebook and just shook my head. I TOTALLY agreed with the people that thought “interviews with people such as Dodson reflected poorly on the community”. I thought this guy became an Internet sensation for ALL the wrong reasons.

When I saw the video remix with the Gregory Brothers I just had to laugh out loud. It made a ridiculous video even more ridiculous. As you read above that video and subsequent song made Mr. Dodson even more famous. This video even spawned merchandise and parody.

It even spawned an unofficial…then official Halloween costume.

UNOFFICIAL COSTUME

OFFICIAL COSTUME

YES Mr. Dodson became famous for all the wrong reasons, but he has entered pop culture and while this time next year he will be a distant memory, 2010 has been a year he will never forget.

Oprah Winfrey

Yes Oprah is always tops on the lists, but not this one. She IS as she ALWAYS has been, making "gangsta moves" with her own network launching 1.1.11 (or January 1, 2011) OWN-The Oprah Winfrey Network.

She is also ending the talk show that made her rich and famous after 25 years. Hopefully this time next year we can all applaud the success of her new venture.

Jay-Z

How can Jay-Z top Oprah? I guess he holds the most resonance to me and I wrote the list.

Since the release of his album 2009 album The Blueprint III (You can read my review here ) Jay-Z has been on a media blitz, including a memorable performance of his hit “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys during the World Series (featuring the New York Yankees), being interviewed by Oprah for her magazine O Magazine, as well as a “hometown tour” with Eminem in New York and Detroit in September 2010.

The man has just making public moves in these last 18 months capping off the year with a best selling book. (Read more about that here )

He is mostly “Person of the Year” because of these two articles

2010 Hip Hop Cash Kings

Jay-Z's Empire 2010

I mean who really ever thought Jay-Z would be a success outside of music? Music is still his bread and butter, but he has become an astute business man as well. He hasn’t started his own network yet, but the way he is rolling, that may never be out of the question.

That’s it for the year 2010. I will probably publish an addendum for movies and albums when I watch more movies released in 2010 and more albums released in 2010, but for right now, this is it. Thank you for taking this review with me.

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