I am first of all a longtime fan of all of the Oprahs. Big hair Oprah, fat Oprah, thin Oprah, shoulder pads Oprah, loud Oprah, classy Oprah, ghetto Oprah, spiritual Oprah, goddess Oprah, political Oprah, lesbian Oprah, and favorite things Oprah. I love all of the Oprahs each on their own. Oprah is truly a chameleon that changes her look and demeanor with the seasons. I will never forget the episode when Oprah wheeled out all of that fat in bags on wagons!!! Sadly, she did not stay that skinny Oprah for long and continued to yo-yo through the years. I think chunky Oprah is a much more pleasant person. Speaking on behalf of the supermodels, we are very cranky people when we are hungry!!! Oprah learned that lesson and came down from that cloud real fast!! Good girl O!!! I also love classy vs. ghetto Oprah. She will start a statement super classy and then immediately turn it into "you know what I mean girlfriends??" It's fabulous!!!
Another reason I love Oprah are those Favorite Things episodes. First of all, it doesn't even matter what she is giving away, the crowd goes buck wild!!!! My favorite cookieeeeeeeeees!!!! (Wild crowd noise!!!!) Or my favorite muffin paaaaaaaaaaan!!!! (Insanity!!). Her best giveaways were probably the car and the diamond necklace (I think someone actually fainted this time!!! And some woman kept yelling "Thank you Jesus, I mean Oprah!!!) I truly wonder how many of those products have sold because they were Oprah's favorite things!! I admit buying a book because it was her BOOK CLUB SELECTIONNNNNNN!!!!!!! What power this woman has??!!
I love Oprah because she's not afraid of anything!! She has interviewed sex offenders when she was herself abused as a child. She has interviewed Ku Klux Clan members and racists as a black woman. She moved her whole show to Texas while being sued by beef producers (though that may have been a publicity stunt that worked!!). She has never been afraid to tackle any issue or bring on anyone controversial. Props for that Oprah!!
My favorite reason for loving Oprah, which has given me hours of enjoyment is........wait for it.......you know what it is..........the Oprah VOICE!!!!!!!! Can anyone shout out a word like Lady O!!?? Never!! JOHN TRAVOLTAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! There will be lots of caps and exclamation points in this paragraph FYI. I think I first heard the voice on a favorite things episode when Oprah gave out her favorite SWEATERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!! It was an instant love affair for me!! I was hooked. TOM CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUISE!!!!! WHITNEY HOUSTONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!! Only Oprah could lend that voice to a book title and bring it so much energy like last week's FREEDOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!! I have no idea what possessed her to use that overly loud, dramatic voice for the first time (maybe her acid reflux was acting up, or better yet, it was Gayle's idea!!), but I LOVE IT!!!!!
So, some final thoughts. I have enjoyed my many faces of Oprah through the years and will miss her when her show is done. My one regret is that I never become her friend, because they all get shows (Dr. Phil, Gayle King, Rachel Ray, Nate Berkus). Oh well, maybe I can just get a job at her school in Africa!! In the words of the incredible Oprah Winfrey, "words are energy!" Tootles everyone!
I know you only started with the public education topic (and I love Oprah too though I confess I haven't watched her show in 2 years). But I have to give 2 cents on what you said about schools.
ReplyDelete1. Show the good stuff: I feel we see a lot of commercials and local prizes,etc. for the good things. It is reality to look at the state of affairs as a whole. NOT to blame the schools, but to look at how the government has tied the hands of educators to do GOOD work.
2. Role of Parents,etc.: Yes and no. I'm a parent. I push education,etc. However, I also don't help my kids, intentionally, with any materials or support other than would be given to the average student out there. From 1890 to 1975 (I can't vouch later you could send a kid to school who had one drunk parent, one absent parent, who didn't speak English and couldn't do subtraction or read. And that kid would come home able to read and do math and teach the parents.
So, while supportive and helpful parents are great..the schools SHOULD be able to teach without them. BUT to do that,the government has to NOT tie their hands with "rights of students to not be disciplined", support the weak students and leave the average and talented behind programs,etc.
Okay...sorry. That's my soap box. I love the other stuff you wrote. :)