COMMENTARY | Did Oprah Winfrey go for too much "Hollywood" as she wrapped up her 25-year run of the most popular talk show on television this week?
Die-hard Oprah fans wouldn't think so. Oprah could've trotted out Charles Manson and the crowd would've gone wild. But some critics of Oprah feel as her show grew, Oprah went away from what made her show special in the early years and became more of a continuing episode of "Oprah's Favorite Things."
Her final guest list included A-list celebs like Madonna, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, and Oprah seemed shocked that they would all show up. "Let's do away with the notion that Oprah was shocked by every guest who trotted out, This-Is-Your-Life Style, to the delight of thousands of her most loyal fans," wrote Rebecca Traister of The Los Angeles Times. Over the years, Oprah used to sprinkle in celebrity appearances, but they always were a small part of a bigger issue she was discussing. In recent years, the show became more about Oprah as a celeb and her embracing celebs any chance she could.
The U.K. Guardian thought the star power at the final show also may have been a little too much. "The list read like the cream of the Vanity Fair Oscar party," it added.
Through all these years, Oprah kept her base and kept filming her show in Chicago. This was a sense of pride for all people in the Midwest. Oprah felt at home in Chicago and the people loved her back because she thought like a Midwesterner. When Oprah became a big star, did she lose touch with the fan base that made her so popular?
I think so, but it wasn't all Oprah's fault. Our society changed, and not all for the better. Celebrities became front page news, and it all kind of started when O.J. Simpson took that slow ride in a Ford Bronco, and his trial that followed. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" kind of evolved right with society and pop culture, that is why people kept tuning in, even though she stopped tackling hard-hitting issues on regular basis.
Singer Aretha Franklin summed it up so well at a concert that was thrown for Oprah following her final taping. "She has set a tremendous example for women, professional women and certainly, [she's] a leader, a humanitarian."
Rick Limpert covers sports, technology and politics in and around Atlanta. He'll be watching to see what Oprah comes up with next.
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