Once upon a time, Oprah decided people aren't grateful enough, so she created a "National Thank You Day." Based on this episode, this established holiday falls either in September or November, on any random day in those months. Not like, say, the fourth Thursday in November. That would be too weird.
Oprah stayed in the control room for this episode, again, just so she could introduce the old packages and the updates on where people are now. So you're just getting a recap, because I still have to watch the Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban episode, before we get back to the new episodes tomorrow.
Oh! Wait a second. I just went to the Oprah website to check my spelling on a name, and it turns out that three of next week's episodes (the ones airing Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, randomly) are repeats. Thank goodness for the holiday season.
Shortly after 9/11, a 12-year old girl named Alex wrote a letter to firefighters working on the rescue operation at the Pentagon. Miller, a firefighter from Tennessee, happened to read Alex's letter, and she became his hero. They met on November 19, 2001. The update was that they met again this year, at the Pentagon Memorial. Alex is now a senior in college. She and Miller are linked forever.
In 1994, Oprah showed the nation her audition tape, and surprised Dennis Swanson, the man who took a chance on her, to thank him. He was the president of ABC Sports at the time, and now he's the president of station operations for Fox. And if it weren't for him, there would be no Oprah. Send your fan letters or hate mail, as you see fit, to Fox Television.
Also in 1994, Don Potter, a musician, thought he was coming on the show to talk about the industry. But really, Naomi Judd just wanted to surprise him and thank him for helping The Judds get their career going. And guess what? Potter is still a part of their lives, and was even their playing guitar for them when they performed on Oprah earlier this year.
September 2004. Two firefighters who had rescued their buddy, Dino, from a burning building earlier that year received some sort of medal for their bravery. This was in conjunction with John Travolta being on the show to promote the classic film Ladder 49, and while the firefighters got their medals, Travolta sobbed like a baby. He did what Oprah calls the "ugly cry." Dino is now retired, and his two friends are still fighting the good fight.
In 2002, Oprah had Warrick Dunn, a pro football player, on because he started a foundation that made down payments on homes for single mothers. One mother came on the show to thank him. He hugged her. These days, that foundation is about to make its 100th down payment, and now they even help single dads, too.
Liz Murray was once homeless, then she ended up at Harvard. In 2004, a neighbor lady and her son surprised Murray on Oprah, and she thanked them for providing her with a sense of family. The update is that Murray was able to reconnect with her delinquent, drug addict father before he died. Also, she is in the process of opening a charter school for troubled kids.
Last year, Oprah introduced us to the Spartan Sparkles. The cheerleaders at Iowa's Pleasant Valley High School started the Sparkles as a cheerleading group for girls ages 8-15 with developmental disabilities. Miley Cyrus surprised them with concert tickets, and then had them come up on stage to sing some song with her. It should be noted that Cyrus was pretty much wearing just underwear during this concert. I don't get it. Also, her fake teeth make it so she can't even close her mouth. This should not be a role model for young girls. For the update, we learned that the girls who started the Spartan Sparkles started a group called "The Sparkle Effect," which has helped groups just like theirs start in seventeen different cities. Their goal is to get to 100 different groups across the nation.
In 2006, Oprah gave 300 people in the audience $1000 each, and challenged them to spend it on a total stranger. One woman spent it on a family that has nine kids, and a father who has a brain tumor. She was able to raise $70,000 to help this family. A surgeon who saw the show removed the tumor at no cost, but then the father had a stroke. He's still alive, but he can't work. He hopes to go back to school to get his business degree. And all I could think during the entire segment was, "What is with people having nine kids, especially on a plumber's salary?" It's hard to feel bad when you can't support a friggin' baseball team's worth of offspring. Try a condom next time.
In honor of National Thank You Day, you may thank me for that PSA.
Next: Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.
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