Look, I don't know how Oprah does this. She has what are supposed to be heavy-hitting, or at least emotional, shows, followed right after by a bunch of fluff. It's a quick adjustment for me to make, to go from the rant against Bush's appearance yesterday to a giggle over Sally Jessy Raphael telling the audience that she got her trademark red glasses simply because she once got a pap smear, and that entitled her to a pair of glasses for $19.95.
I guess I don't have to wonder how Oprah herself manages this shift, since she thought the Bush episode was all fun and games anyway. So to her, pretending that she actually thinks of herself in the same category as any of the people who were on the stage today (other than probably Phil Donahue) is the same as pretending that George W. Bush isn't a hateful man who essentially destroyed this nation.
I kind of don't know what to do with this one. The show featured Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Raphael, Geraldo Rivera, Montel Williams, and Ricki Lake. At one point, Oprah asked the guests if they had ever regretted a show they had done. Donahue said that some episodes lasted longer than others, and Oprah commiserated, saying that sometimes she can't believe it when "Dean" (I'm guessing that's either her stage manager or director) tells her what segment they're on in a particular show, because she's already so bored.
Yes. Exactly.
So, Donahue started this for everyone. His show was syndicated for 26 years. He had controversial topics. He introduced the idea of going into the audience so they could ask questions of the guests. I liked the dude.
Sally Jessy was also pretty funny. She lives on a farm in New York, in a house that was built in 1749. She's a little kooky, but entertaining enough. And she acknowledged that she would have never left her show if she hadn't been asked to leave, since the money was so nice. I appreciate that sort of honesty.
Geraldo is disgusting. His mustache is disgusting, his history with women is disgusting, and the fact that he's now married to a woman 32 years his junior is even more disgusting. The dude is and always has been a shady "journalist," and the only evidence you actually need to prove it is that he now has a show on Fox News. The end.
Ricki Lake. Never liked her show, but I've always liked her as a person. She's a huge supporter of gay rights, and I remember seeing her at a big rally the week after Prop 8 passed in California in 2008. She seemed to understand that her show was what it was, and it didn't exactly change people's worlds. And apparently, she was on Oprah in 1988, due to starring in Hairspray on Broadway.
Montel Williams. The guy has always rubbed me the wrong way, and I can't explain it. There's something sort of smarmy about him, I guess. Or maybe it was the fact that he was wearing two diamond earrings in his left ear and a gold (or possibly topaz or something?) earring in his right ear today. Come on. I'm sorry that he has MS, though. That really sucks.
For the last moment of the show, Oprah asked everyone what they thought about during their own final shows. Montel said something about his legacy, which, really? Does Montel have a legacy? Ricki Lake was happy to leave. I don't even remember the rest of them, but I know that they mostly said they all experienced a bit of relief at not having to go back to the grind anymore.
With that, episode #43 of Oprah's Farewell Season was in the books. And Ope-book #1 officially reached its capacity. At this rate, I'll need roughly three notebooks to get through the season. I've already enjoyed flipping through and seeing some of the things I wrote down that didn't make it into my posts. I guess those will have to wait until the bestselling book.
Tomorrow: Marie Osmond's first interview since her son's suicide
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