Defamer
While we here at Defamer are perfectly happy recognizing Oprah Winfrey as the supreme deity that she is, her rare missteps (if you want to call Beloved a misstep—but personally, we loved it, O exalted one!) obviously part of some Bigger Oprah Picture that has yet to reveal itself to us, not all are as worshipful. In reviewing her 8-episode Oprah's Big Give reality show for ABC, THR's Ray Richmond gives Winfrey a knee-capping sure to cause a torrent of hellfire and substandard panini presses to rain down upon their offices. Some of the most sacrilegious highlights:
[T]here is nary a single genuine giving moment to be found during the opening hour.
It is instead a profoundly hyperkinetic and unwieldy adventure in product placement, in Oprah-as-Messiah hype and, ultimately, in what's so utterly fake and insidious about "reality" television itself. [...]Shallow as a birdbath, the program would appear to exist less as a true philanthropic exercise than yet another self-aggrandizing vehicle in Oprah's divine quest to become synonymous with all that is virtuous and good on Earth.
We bid the reviewer a fond farewell, who's likely moments away from being snatched from his desk by her army of Ugg-booted flying Harpo monkeys and dropped into the nearest active volcano. THR, meanwhile, will shortly thereafter find itself absorbed into the talk show host's ever-expanding empire, reconfigured into RÖM, the official in-flight magazine of Oprah Airways.
- Oprah's Big Give [THR]
Comments
Oprah, disingenuous? My world has been turned upside-down.
oprah's last genuine moment was scarfing down that ben and jerry's coffeecoffee buzzbuzzbuzz in the tub the other night.
Someone should make sure their will is in order...
must. not. look. at. oprah. photo.
I remember an Oscar afternoon not too long ago where I was walking behind Oprah into the theater. She was wearing this gown with tons of sequins all over it. True story-- the sunlight reflecting off the sequins covering her ass was so intense, I had to put on my sunglasses lest I be blinded!
As it was, I had so many "dead spots" floating across my eyes for the first 20 minutes of the show that I had to go home and watch the first part on the DVR just to confirm I saw what I thought I saw.
I would think that THR would only hold its standards as high as the medium allows. It's reality TV not a fucking Buddist retreat. Which means that in the world of My Super Sweet 16, that Pussy Cat Dolls show, and anything on VH1, that yes, Oprah IS the Messiah.
I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours but I think that Oprah's got a sick sense of humour...
Does everyone get a car or not?
She's already handing Obama the Democratic nomination, isn't that enough giving?
God. I really hate her.
Living was nice; I'll miss it.
@SteamyMcFirecrotch: Nice one.
@MAGNUM: Huh. Looking directly at Oprah causes dead spots in your vision. I'll have to remember that if I ever find myself in the third circle of hell.
@SteamyMcFirecrotch:
I <3 U.
Oprah is like the P. T. Barnum of commercial spirituality, except for the fact she's got all of the circus with none of the savvy. On one hand she promotes The Secret, a regurgitation of the same prosperity consciousness claptrap being sold by every other New Age™ nut hag; who are all pretty much saying you deserve whatever you want, but if you can't get it by wishing for it you are nothing but a piece of shit.
Then you've got O. fave Eckhart Tolle, a nondualist who is essentially saying that anyone getting anything via whatever-you're-doing doesn't even exist, and that as long as you desire something, you continue to be deluded and suffer because of it.
It all goes to show that the O is pretty fucking clueless about what she's promoting as her O-fficially approved™, O-brand spirituality.
Oprah is Keyser Soze.
@NotReadyForPrimeTime: Oprah is Rosebud
We Hate Diablo Cody's Success week is over, so now it's back to Oprah
I don't think this THR writer has THAT much to worry about. Let's remember- The Oprah is a benevolent God.
Does anyone else immediately think of the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleburg every time they see one of those giant Oprah billboards that seem to magically change every day?
Oprah is an emotional prostitute.
Does anyone remember that weird little guy Gary that wrote "The Seat of the Soul"? He could talk all hour long and not say one damn thing that made sense. Oprah hung on his every word. It became clear in the late 90's that she wasn't satisfied being the richest woman in the universe or the highest rated talk show host. She wants to be our guru. I think I hear the pitter patter of Ugg boots now, must be the angel of death. I can't wait to meet Oprah.
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