WOW, i really cant stand this woman, its nothing personal, she is just FAKE. Today I watched part of her show and saw what she is really about.

Ok we all know the scandal thats going on, OPRAH talked about this book and now it turns out that some facts were made up, some were exaggerated but some true. OK fine who cares, about 90% of what is said to be real is FAKE anyway. But OPRAH feels now that she was duped, personally, so she now has an agenda, but of course she hides it behind her audience and tries to come off as a hero.

Thats my first problem, my second problem is that OPRAH is a flat out liar, even more than this guy who wrote the book. She called in to the Larry King show 2 weeks ago when the scandal broke and kissed this guys ass, but THEN to make great TV and get RATINGS Oprah gets the guy on her show and rips the bastard apart, really cheap Oprah. Honestly, i know U feel duped, blah, blah, blah, HOWEVER u lied to this guy and got him back on your show, you also have one of the worst Research staffs ever, didnt anyone check this book out, check facts, NO, so get your staff on your show and admit they suck.

Now i havent read this book, mainly because its about Drug addiction and i havent been addicted, however the Addiction part of this book is true, which is proven, the false stuff, is the dramatic stuff that sells movies, and TV shows like an Oprah.

My real question is does OPRAH feel duped about others when they come on her show and Lie. I mean PRINCE saying his child was alright, Hmmm LIE, not that he had to tell her, but come on OPRAH, dont be a hypocrit, oh wait U are.

lastdecember said:

I agree with you overall, but I disagree with this.

Of course we should care about what is true or not.

Plus this smokinggun guy needs a slap across the mouth...

2the9s said:

Well i just feel that OPRAH in this case has made it all about her. I havent read the book, but just about everyone has agreed that the guy was an addict and the rehab time was true, and thats where the message comes from. I have heard that probably 20% of this book is made up, exaggerated. Maybe that sounds bad, but i dont think so. OPRAH's statement today really annoyed me, and actually should be picked apart too. She stated clearly that she was "clouded in Judgement" because people that were helped by this book, stuck by it, but now that she felt it was a lie she was going away from those people. OPRAH if this book saved someones life thats more important than your show, or your DUMB audience or ratings.

Never liked her

I've noticed she's been really high and mighty lately

Dewrede said:

same here.

I dig Oprah

Months ago I was telling people I wondered if Oprah was the Antichrist. Everyone seems to love this woman and it seems like whatever she says, people go out and do it or buy it (which is why Prince needs to go on the show in the next month or so ). I like her but it's just been unsettling to me. I saw today's episode and while I think James Frey should have been more truthful, my God it seemed like she went out of her way to humiliate him just because she was criticized for defending him. I knew she would eventually do an episode on the controversy with the book but I didn't expect all of what I saw. I just came off all wrong to me how she dealt with it. I just watched Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN and they were all about ripping him up too and when a couple of the callers tried to defend Frey, Anderson tried to find ways to rip up the argument (part of why I don't watch CNN). I just hope Mr Frey doesn't go back to drugs and/or alcohol because of this.
[Edited 1/26/06 23:06pm]

I am going to speculate that there could be legal action coming down the pipe. Oprah only did this to CYA.

I can't stand her either, but that's just to do with her face.

Forget Steadman. Oprah married public opinion, decades ago. She has learned to cultivate it enough to incur the wrath of the cattle industry, as well as to court it enough to launch authors such as Frey to stardom by endorsing their books.

She never acknowledges the histrionic attacks on men that marked her show's earliest incarnation as being exploitative. She goes off on European shopkeepers while blaming racism until she gets her way. She hobnobs with really annoying celebs (Cruise, Travolta, Roberts and Hanks -- among others). And, she has that ridiculous giveaway episode every year, which seems to celebrate her grandiose opinion of her opinion...

That said, her love affair with public opinion requires fidelity to it. So, when she came under attack from more literary news outlets such as NPR, she and her people figured they would have to get Frey to return, to sacrifice him. From the news reports of this episode ('cuz i sure ain't going to watch her show...) I gather they pretty much tarred and feathered him (rightfully so -- he passed off fiction as nonfiction, a publishing sin).

From the New York Times: But yesterday Ms. Winfrey apologized to her audience for that call. "I regret that phone call," she said. "I made a mistake and I left the impression that the truth does not matter. And I am deeply sorry about that, because that is not what I believe." She added, "To everyone who has challenged me on this issue of truth, you are absolutely right."

And, given Frey's transgression, the publishing industry was demanding amends from him and Oprah. She had to deliver, if her Book Club was going to have any credibility.



.
[Edited 1/26/06 22:57pm]

ThreadBare said:

You da man!

Well thats my point, Im not sticking up for this guy, mainly i havent read the book. But honestly how could someone believe it anyway, who ever heard of this guy and all of a sudden people are following him like a father figure. HOWEVER, i do feel Oprah did reel this guy in an sacrifice him in front of america, which is LOW, mainly because he is a recovering addict, that part is true, and god forbid he goes off the deep end, Oprah is looking at alot of Legal trouble in that respect. I do also feel that there should be some kind of litigation against OPRAH because im sure he was tricked into to doing this show, not knowing she would Crucify him and then have a panal crucify him. Its funny she didnt do that too others who lied on her show, like Halle Berry or Eddie Murphy or Dr. Phil etc...

But once again i do feel OPRAH made this all about her today, U think she cares about people that were affected by this book or not affected, no she was worried because advertisers were going to pull out of her show, and things like that. At the end of the day its a Book, if U believe it, then I guess U also believed that Nick and Jessica were happy or that Prince and Mayte were soul mates and met in Egypt.

Funny how a lot of blame is going to Oprah yet she didn't write a fictional book & call it a memoir

The decision to lie in the book was his. The decision to reap the benefit of going on Oprah with this secret was his - did he not think he could be found out once the book became popular?

I'm sorry, I just don't see this as all Oprah's fault. He reaped the benefits of the lie, he'll have to deal with the consequences of the lie as well...

Crappallonia said:

I agree with U on this one Crappallonia. I just watched the show a few minutes ago and I don't think that Oprah is being hipocritical or grandois on this one...So many people do follow her and look up to her as a role model and she knows this...I don't blame her for being so angry...She fell 4 the lies, hook, line and sinker. When the author was originally on the show when his book was chosen by Oprah he was all smiles and gladly reaped the awards of being a distinguished guest at the Oprah table...He totally lied then and I'm glad that he went on the show to admit his lie. He still came off as not fully owning his lie...Either U had two root canals without Novocaine or U did...Oprah stood by the author because she trusted him to be honest. It's obvious that she is furious, and I don't blame her. Oprah does believe that she has a mission in life and I think that she takes it very seriously...The woman has done alot of good with her billions...For all the Oprah haters, has she really done anything wrong. She didn't crucify him completly but she had a duty to get the author to admit that he lied to her and her millions of fans...This wasn't Prince "misleading" about his family situation...It was something totally different...Now I would love to have Prince admit that he lied about the reasons 4 the name change...I'm still angry about that...I defended his change like so many others on this board must have...Spiritual reasons---no it was about money...Prince lost a little piece of my trust on that one...

I hate her especially her big fat mouth. Last year she come to Kebabistan and I put on all you can eat buffet, she eats all buffet, but also proceeds to eat all other customers at resturant.....old people, young people, man, woman, child and babies

Crappallonia said:

I agree.Oprah is not the bad guy.It was James Frey who wrote a book of lies.He's the one who deceived HER and the public.End of story (no pun intended).

KebabKing said:

'but she said it was only 2nd best kebab buffet she ate!'

I watched BOTH shows and I think Oprah did what she had to do. This is her JOB ya'll, its not a hobby and she HAD to save her ass. So what! If you were on your job and you missed up, you'll do what you need to change, fix, correct the problem.

I think she reduced the Liar to nothing including the publisher.


I've grown to admire certain things about Oprah and I have to say I think she said her ass well yesterday.

Crappallonia said:

If Oprah had called the LK show and said she felt betrayed then, she would of had a lot more credibility with people. Why did it take so long for her to feel betrayed? She's full of shit so is Mr. Frey.

I don't understand why people believe most of what they don't see with their own eyes in the first place.

Oprah's got hella spin doctors. It turned into a 'poor me' fest.

Stymie said:

I disagree. I think she explained well why she made the call into LK.


I think she made a mistake and is going what she needs to.....


Like Crapp said...Oprah didn't write the book, she just didn't do her background checks on the writer like she should have (or her staff should have). I don't get the big issue with Oprah.

Rhondab said:

I think she should have just presented it as it was: a book. From what I hear, a very good book. There is nothing wrong with just presenting a book as art. Do the people whose lives have been changed by it, lives still not changed?

It's no secret I don't like Oprah, but I do agree this isn't a big a deal as it's being made out to be.

Stymie said:

I agree!

She always has her nose where it doesn't belong!

Anyone care to explain to me what this is all about?

I don't particularly like Oprah, but that's beside the point.

Embellishing a story is fine, but to present it as non-fiction is a lie, plain & simple. His life as-is should have been interesting enough at least to him!

I hear the book is very good and if it was fiction inspired by his life, nobody would care what he made up and what he lived. But part of a memoir's purpose is to show people who you really are, for better or worse. This did that, but not in the way he wanted, I bet!

lastdecember said:

I absolutely love Oprah

I'm not sure Prince outright lied. I think he said nevermind the rumours, everything's fine.