Academy defends Winfrey as honorary Oscar winner (AP)

LOS ANGELES – Film academy president Tom Sherak is coming to Oprah Winfrey's defense.

Sherak says Winfrey is "one of the most philanthropic performers in the world" and thus deserving of the academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday to present Winfrey with an Oscar statuette at the annual Governors Awards in November. James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith will also receive honorary Oscars at the private ceremony.

Blogs have been abuzz with criticism over the academy's selection of Winfrey for the award. One newspaper entertainment critic called it "a boneheaded move."

Sherak said the academy's board of governors "felt very strongly" about honoring Winfrey and are "very happy" about the decision.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith have been picked to receive honorary Oscars.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says the three will be honored with Oscar statuettes at the Governors Awards in November. The academy's Board of Governors voted Tuesday to recognize the entertainment industry veterans.

Winfrey will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which honors philanthropic and humanitarian contributions. The 57-year-old media mogul, who was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for 1985's "The Color Purple," supports various charitable and educational causes, including her own namesake foundations and Academy for Girls in South Africa.

Jones and Smith will receive honorary Oscars for their outstanding careers.

Jones has appeared in more than 50 films. The 80-year-old actor — voice of Darth Vader — was nominated for an Academy Award in 1971 for "The Great White Hope." His other credits include "Field of Dreams," `'Patriot Games" and "The Hunt for Red October."

Smith was NBC's first makeup man when he started his career in 1945. He won an Oscar in 1984 for his work on "Amadeus" and was nominated again in 1989 for "Dad." Known as the "godfather of makeup," he also worked on "The Godfather," `'The Exorcist" and "Taxi Driver." Smith also helped train many of today's top movie makeup artists.

Smith, Jones and Winfrey will receive their statuettes on Nov. 12 at the 3rd annual Governors Awards dinner at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center, just above the Kodak Theatre, where the Academy Awards are presented.

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Winfrey to host series recycling her old show (AP)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Oprah Winfrey is repackaging her now-ended daytime talk show to make it a key part of the lineup for OWN, her struggling cable channel.

Winfrey said Friday she will host the new series that will recycle episodes of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" as a "classroom" intended to help viewers improve their lives. The show, titled "Own Your Life," will air weekdays at 8 p.m. ET starting Oct. 10.

Appearing at a session of the Television Critics Association to announce the revamped series and introduce Rosie O'Donnell and her new OWN show, Winfrey took the opportunity to reinforce her commitment to the channel.

Friends ask, "Are you enjoying your time in the Mediterranean?" Winfrey said. But she's not on holiday, she said, "I'm here," and working in the Los Angeles offices of OWN.

It was announced earlier this month that Winfrey was expanding her role at OWN beyond the position of chairman, taking on the additional roles of chief executive officer and chief creative officer.

Winfrey is claiming the title once held by Christina Norman, the former CEO who was dismissed in May in the wake of disappointing ratings for the channel. Norman's position has been filled in the interim by Peter Liguori, the chief operating officer for Discovery Communications.

OWN, which premiered Jan. 1, is a joint venture of Discovery and Winfrey's Harpo Inc. Since Winfrey's syndicated talk show ended in May, she has pledged to devote her full energies to OWN.

Acknowledging OWN's rocky start, Winfrey said Friday that one of her biggest concerns was "aligning" the channel's executive teams, "and now we have done that." She cited the help of two executives who are with her Chicago-based production company, Harpo: Sheri Salata and Erik Logan, who share the title of OWN president.

Putting Winfrey on camera, as well as more prominently at the company's helm, is an attempt to turn around OWN's fortunes.

Plans had been in place to pull from the "library" of more than 4,500 "Oprah Winfrey Show" episodes in a show titled "Oprah's Encore." But Winfrey said Friday she realized they could be better used if organized as an on-air educational tool about life.

"At Oprah's core, she is a teacher," Salata said in a release that announced a companion online course to the talk show reruns. Viewers can sign up "to reserve their spot" in class starting Friday at Oprah.com.

School starts with the show's premiere, OWN said. "Own Your Life" will be paired with "The Rosie Show," the new Rosie O'Donnell talk show that will air daily at 7 p.m. ET, right before "Own Your Life," and will also debut Oct. 10.

Appearing before the critics' group, O'Donnell said she was proud to join Winfrey, although she labeled the media queen "aspirational" and tagged herself "relatable."

She joked about viewers saying to themselves, "Oh, if I could only be Rosie O'Donnell: an overweight lesbian who yells too much," then added, "My job is mostly to entertain and be funny."

O'Donnell made that happen Friday, drawing laughs when she said her publicist had fretted that the TV group's members might resurrect O'Donnell's dust-ups with other celebrities.

"I want to thank you for not asking anything about Donald Trump or Barbara Walters," O'Donnell said, smiling.

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Oprah Winfrey to become CEO of her network (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oprah Winfrey will take over as chief executive officer of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network this fall, the cable channel said on Wednesday.

Winfrey, regarded as the most influential woman on U.S. television, will be the third CEO of the company since its debut in January. She will also become chief creative officer as the network prepares for her new talk show, "Oprah's Next Chapter," to debut in January 2012.

"I am ready to dedicate my full creative energy and focus as the full-time CEO of OWN," Winfrey said in a statement.

OWN is co-owned by Winfrey and Discovery Communications Inc.

Discovery Chief Operating Officer Peter Ligouri has been interim CEO of OWN since he replaced Christina Norman in May.

Norman was pushed out after Discovery CEO David Zaslav said OWN's ratings had been "below our expectations." Executives have said that more investments in the joint venture will depend on ratings through the next several quarters.

Discovery spent $215 million to fund the venture through the first quarter.

OWN also said two current presidents of Winfrey's Harpo Studios, Erik Logan and Sheri Salata, would move to the same role at the cable channel.

The two will work with Ligouri as the network rolls out new shows. Comedian Rosie O'Donnell's daily talk show will start in October, OWN said.

(Reporting by Roy Strom; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

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Oprah Winfrey expanding her role at OWN channel (AP)

NEW YORK – Oprah Winfrey is expanding her role at her struggling network beyond the position of chairman.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced Wednesday that she will also become the chief executive officer and chief creative officer beginning this fall.

Winfrey is claiming the title once held by Christina Norman, the former CEO who was dismissed in May in the wake of disappointing ratings for the channel. Norman's position has been filled in the interim by Peter Liguori, the chief operating officer for Discovery Communications.

OWN premiered Jan. 1. It's a joint venture of Discovery and Winfrey's Harpo, Inc.

Winfrey's syndicated talk show ended in May. She has since pledged to devote her full energies to OWN.

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Winfrey says she's 'all in' at her cable network (AP)

CHICAGO – Having brought her wildly successful talk show to a close after 25 years, Oprah Winfrey said Thursday says she's ready to devote her full attention to nurturing the six-month-old cable TV network that bears her name.

The Oprah Winfrey Network launched on Jan. 1, taking over what had been Discovery Health. As OWN was under development, Winfrey said she was also trying to finish the last 130 episodes of her syndicated TV talk show, the last episode of which aired on May 25.

With "The Oprah Winfrey Show" out of the way, Winfrey said she can be "all in" at OWN.

"I now have the time to be committed to the nurturing of this network," Winfrey said Thursday in an interview with Paula Zahn at a cable industry trade show in Chicago. "The vacation I thought I was going to have is kind of over ... at least for the time being."

Rosie O'Donnell, Shania Twain, Sarah Ferguson and Winfrey friend Gayle King have first-season shows on the commercially-supported OWN, which offers a mix of talk and reality shows, films and original documentaries.

Winfrey will appear in "Oprah's Next Chapter," in which she travels the world in search of interesting stories, and "Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes," a chronicle of her final talk show year. She will also be seen in the series "Oprah Presents Master Class" and "Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star."

Winfrey said there are two people she was never able to get on her talk show she'd still like to interview — O.J. Simpson and Susan Smith, the South Carolina woman convicted of drowning her two young sons.

She said she's been surprised by the "bumps along the way" in launching her network, which has seen low initial ratings and the abrupt exit of its top executive. But she said her focus has always been on her audience, not numbers.

"I let other people worry about ratings," she said. "For me, it is always about service to the viewers. I have committed everything I have to this cable venture. I wouldn't bet against me."

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Karen Hawkins can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/(underscore)khawkins

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Oprah Winfrey admits to "bumps" at upstart network (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Oprah Winfrey admitted on Thursday that if she had to do the launch of OWN all over again: "I'd probably do it differently."

Speaking at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association's annual Cable Show in Chicago, Winfrey conceded that there have been "bumps" in the run-up and launch of OWN, her joint venture with Discovery Communications. But she says now that her talk show has wrapped after a 25-year run, she is 100 percent "committed" to growing OWN.

"This is the moment I've been waiting for the past two years," she said. "I need to be there. I need to be engaged and involved."

The network launched January 1 to healthy ratings as the curious tuned in after a full-court media blitz by Winfrey. But the network's ratings quickly came down to Earth and have failed to meet expectations amid ballooning programing costs.

"I told people I was having a network and so my audience came thinking it's all there," said Winfrey during a Q&A with Investigation Discovery's Paula Zahn.

The launch of the channel was twice delayed amid a revolving door of executives. Then last month, Christina Norman, who came from MTV to launch OWN, was ousted as CEO with Discovery COO Peter Liguori stepping in as interim CEO.

Winfrey said her intention is to "serve the viewer" and she "lets other people worry about ratings." She admitted that she does not even open emails her staff sends her about coverage of the network's troubles. She admitted it is difficult for her to delegate and relinquish some control after 25 years of micromanaging her talk show. And she said she had to be convinced to focus all of her energies on OWN.

"One of the things (Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav) said to me was. 'We need you to be all in. It's all in or nothing. And if you choose not to be all in we will both go our separate ways and wish you well,'" recalled Winfrey. "And I had to think about that."

"The truth of the matter is," she added, "I was all in with one foot out the door while finishing the final season (of The Oprah Winfrey Show)."

One of the criticisms of the channel, was that there was not enough of Winfrey on it. In January she'll launch her new OWN interview show, "Oprah's Next Chapter." Asked who her "dream" guests are, Winfrey said O.J. Simpson and Susan Smith, who is serving a life sentence in South Carolina for murdering her two sons. Winfrey had tried to get both Smith and Simpson on her talk show. She said she wants to ask Smith why she fabricated a story that a black man stole her car with her children inside. As for Simpson, said Winfrey: "I have a dream of O.J. Simpson confessing to me. And I am going to make that happen, people!"

Winfrey is in the process of relocating from Chicago, where her talk show taped, to Los Angeles where OWN is headquartered. She said much of her staff at Chicago-based Harpo will remain to work on Rosie O'Donnell's OWN talker -- which launches this fall -- as well as repackaging the 25-year library of her syndicated show, which will also begin airing on OWN this fall.

(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/)

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'Oprah Winfrey' finale seen by 16 million viewers (AP)

NEW YORK – When Oprah Winfrey told her daytime viewers farewell last month, more than 16 million were watching.

The Nielsen Co. reported Wednesday that the May 25 finale of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" drew 16.4 million viewers. This made the finale the show's most-watched episode in more than 18 years, since the February 1993 airing of its "Why I Love Older Women" episode, which was seen by 17.3 million viewers.

Nielsen says the audience for the surprise farewell episode that aired May 23 drew 12.3 million viewers. The second part of that gala event attracted 13 million viewers when it aired May 24.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" averaged 8.2 million viewers during May.

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Winfrey finale devoted to fans, her 'safe harbor' (AP)

CHICAGO – There were no free cars or vacations. No favorite things or makeovers. No celebrity guests on stage — though there were plenty in the audience.

The finale of Oprah Winfrey's talk show, taped Tuesday and aired Wednesday, was all about the one thing that made her a billion-dollar success: the unique connection she made with millions of viewers for 25 years. In what she called her "love letter" to fans, she made clear that to her, all those TV friendships went both ways.

"Something in me connected with each of you in a way that allowed me to see myself in you and you in me," Winfrey said. "I listened and grew, and I know you grew along with me."

Winfrey was the only person on stage with little background music and short flashback clips. The show went to commercials with "Twenty-Five Years," a soft song that musician Paul Simon wrote and recorded for her.

She called fans her "safe harbor" and became teary eyed when reflecting on her upbringing in rural Mississippi.

"It is no coincidence that a lonely little girl," Winfrey said, choking up, "who felt not a lot of love, even though my parents and grandparents did the best they could, it is no coincidence that I grew up to feel a genuine kindness, affection, trust and validation from millions of you all over the world."

Winfrey told viewers that sometimes she was a teacher, but more often her viewers instructed her. She called Wednesday's episode her "last class from this stage."

At one point she thanked viewers for sharing her "yellow brick road of blessings" — something she said back in November 2009, when she announced that she would end her show. The program gave rise to a media empire, including a magazine and Winfrey's own cable network, which she launched in January.

Wednesday's show was the last piece of a months-long sendoff, but as the hour wrapped up, Winfrey stopped short of saying farewell.

"I won't say goodbye. I'll just say, until we meet again," she said.

She hugged and kissed her longtime partner Stedman Graham and shook hands with audience members before walking through the halls of Harpo Studios in Chicago, hugging and crying with her staff. She shouted, "We did it!"

The last shot of the finale showed Winfrey walking away with her cocker spaniel, Sadie.

Some fans across the country had parties for the finale. Sharon Evans, 53, of Chicago had pancakes with her mother and girlfriends.

"She was very subdued today and I appreciated that she was taking that last hour not to showcase any celebrities or favorite things," Evans said. "It was truly what she said, a love letter to us."

Amy Korin, 32, of Chicago, was in the studio audience when the show taped on Tuesday. She described Winfrey's monologue as having the feeling of a graduation commencement speech. "It was just amazing to witness," she said.

Celebrities in the audience included Tyler Perry, Maria Shriver, Suze Orman and Cicely Tyson. None of them joined Winfrey on stage. A week earlier, Hollywood A-listers and 13,000 fans bid Winfrey farewell in a double-episode extravaganza at Chicago's United Center.

In the bare-bones final taping there were just 404 audience members, according to Harpo Productions. The show received 1.4 million ticket requests throughout its final season, the company said.

Winfrey became famous over the decades for landing hard-to-get celebrity interviews and her annual giveaway shows, where she bestowed audience members with such stunning gifts as cars and Australian vacations.

Already a television journalist, Winfrey came to Chicago in 1984 to WLS-TV's morning talk show, "A.M. Chicago." A month later the show was No. 1 in the market. A year later it was renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Winfrey opened Harpo Studios on Chicago's West Loop neighborhood in 1990. On Jan. 1 of this year she launched the Oprah Winfrey Network, which is based in Los Angeles.

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Online: http://www.oprah.com

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Factbox: Highlights of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (Reuters)

CHICAGO (Reuters) – "The Oprah Winfrey Show" airs its last original episode on Wednesday, bringing to a close 25 years of the top-rated talk program on U.S. television.

Winfrey, 57, was a pioneer in the art of confessional television and in promoting discussion of formerly taboo subjects including incest, rape, sexual abuse and depression.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" also became the go-to place for celebrities and politicians to promote new ventures and to apologize publicly for their indiscretions.

Following are some highlights from the past 25 years of "The Oprah Winfrey Show":

* Approximately 30,000 guests have appeared on the show, including presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

* Singer Celine Dion (27 times) and comedian Chris Rock (26 times) are the celebrities with the most appearances.

* November 1986; Winfrey revealed she was sexually abused and raped by a relative at age 9.

* November 1988; Winfrey shows off her new, slimmer figure and brings on a wagon holding 67 pounds of fat representing her weight loss.

* February 1993; Michael Jackson, in first TV interview for 14 years, said he had skin condition vitiligo, talked of physical abuse from his father and said he often cried out of loneliness.

* April 1996; Comments by a guest about mad cow disease prompt Winfrey to say she won't eat hamburger, triggering a drop in beef prices and a lawsuit against her by Texas cattlemen. A jury later sides with Winfrey.

* November 1997; Comedian Ellen DeGeneres talks about coming out as a lesbian.

* May 2005; Tom Cruise jumps on Oprah's couch, proclaiming his love for new girlfriend Katie Holmes.

* January 2006; Winfrey scolds author James Frey, a recent Book Club pick, for faking parts of his memoir "A Million Little Pieces".

* September 2009; Former child star Mackenzie Philips reveals incestuous relationship with her father, "The Mamas and the Papas" singer John Phillips.

* June 2010; Britain's Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, publicly apologizes for trying to sell access to Prince Andrew.

* September 2010; Winfrey announces free trip to Australia for studio audience of about 300 people.

* January 2011; Winfrey holds reunion with her newly-discovered half sister.

* May 23, 24, 2011; Tom Cruise, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Michael Jordan, Madonna, Usher, Will Smith, Tom Hanks, Jerry Seinfeld, Stevie Wonder, Jamie Fox, Halle Berry and many other celebrities bid farewell to Winfrey in surprise show.

(Sources; Harpo Inc, Reuters)

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Chris Michaud)

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The long journey for talk show queen Oprah Winfrey (AFP)

CHICAGO (AFP) – Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is a US cultural phenomenon and kingmaker who inspired her millions of loyal fans to read more, buy her favorite things and seek her trademark "aha moments."

She is credited with changing the way people talk to each other, having popularized a confessional interview style that has coaxed secrets, revelations and often tears from guests of all kinds.

Winfrey, 57, who has publicly struggled with her own weight issues, has also become a spiritual icon and self-help guru urging viewers to find their true selves, follow their intuition and find inner peace and happiness.

"She blazed a trail," Ellen Degeneres, a comedian who hosts her own daytime talk show, once said. "She will always be the queen of daytime."

Born into a life of poverty and abuse in Mississippi in 1954, Winfrey began her broadcasting career while she was still in high school and landed a job as a news anchor in Nashville at age 19.

Her emotional ad-libs won her a Chicago morning talk show in 1984, which beat rival Phil Donahue for the top spot locally within a month and was syndicated nationally in 1986. She also acted in the 1985 hit film "The Color Purple."

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" remained the top-rated talk show of all time and was estimated to reach 40 million US viewers a week.

The show served as the foundation for an empire that spans books, radio, magazines and the Internet and has launched the careers of a host of regular guests including counselor Dr Phil and chef Rachael Ray.

Winfrey began her own production company in 1988 and named it Harpo -- her name backwards -- and Forbes magazine declared her the first female African-American billionaire in 2003.

Winfrey is now estimated to be worth 2.7 billion dollars and is regularly ranked among the world's most powerful women, celebrities and media personalities.

"I am truly amazed that I who started out in rural Mississippi in 1954 when the vision for a black girl was limited to being either a maid or a teacher in a segregated school could end up here," she said Wednesday as she drew the curtain on her final show.

But fans won't have to look far for their Oprah fix: the Oprah Winfrey Network was launched on January 1 this year and features a mix of reality shows, chat shows and films.

Known as an almost uniquely influential tastemaker, Winfrey's recommendation of a book or product has an instantaneous and enormous effect.

Through her now-defunct televised book club she popularized works including Cormac McCarthy's "The Road."

Her stamp of approval was considered so important that she managed to convince the famously-reclusive author to appear on her show for his first ever television interview.

In 2008, she broke with a precedent of staying out of politics and endorsed fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama's presidential bid.

Her support was estimated by University of Maryland researchers to have brought in a million additional votes and helped Obama win both the Democratic nomination and the presidency.

Her strength remained the emotional connection she makes with her guests and her viewers, and many celebrities chose Winfrey's comfortable couch as a confessional.

Tom Cruise famously jumped up on that sofa to proclaim his love for Katie Holmes. Winfrey also took her show to Neverland Ranch for a 1993 interview with Michael Jackson which drew an audience of 100 million people.

Winfrey's use of public confession as therapy was not reserved for guests: she regularly spoke of her battles with her fluctuating weight and of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child.

She fought to help prevent child abuse by establishing a national database of convicted child abusers, which became known as the "Oprah Bill" when former president Bill Clinton signed it into law in 1993.

Winfrey is also a noted philanthropist, launching a public charity in 1998 to encourage her viewers to make a difference in the lives of others and a private foundation devoted to expanding access to education worldwide.

Winfrey has never married and has kept her more than 20-year relationship with businessman Stedman Graham largely out of public view.

But for her final show Wednesday he was in the audience, as she bade a tearful farewell to her legions of fans.

"From you whose names I will never know I learned what love is. You and this show have been the great love of my life," she said.

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Oprah Winfrey bows out with simplicity, gratitude (Reuters)

CHICAGO (Reuters) – No guests, no makeovers, no giveaways.

Oprah Winfrey kicked off her last-ever original episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" by telling a studio audience that the broadcast would be a simple, celebrity-free affair focused on what her audience has meant to her.

"You and this show have been the great love of my life," a tearful Winfrey told viewers in "The Oprah Winfrey Finale," taped before a studio audience of 400 on Tuesday afternoon and broadcast on Wednesday morning.

"This last show is really about me saying thank you," she said. "It is my love letter to you."

Wearing a simple pink dress, Winfrey took the stage to a standing ovation and showed clips from some of her earliest broadcasts while sharing her gratitude and life lessons with viewers.

"Thank you, America. There are no words to match this moment."

Winfrey, 57, was a pioneer in the art of confessional television and in promoting discussion of formerly taboo subjects including incest, rape, sexual abuse and depression.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" also became the go-to place for celebrities and politicians to promote new ventures and to apologize publicly for their indiscretions.

The Oprah Book Club, started 15 years ago, championed 65 titles and has almost 2 million members. In one memorable 2004 show, Winfrey gave all 276 audience members a new car.

Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end her popular talk show after 25 years. She is expected to focus in the next few years on her cable channel OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), which launched in January 2011.

In contrast to the glitzy "surprise spectacular" featuring Beyonce, Madonna and Tom Hanks, taped in a basketball arena and which aired on Monday and Tuesday, the final broadcast was a humble recap of the values Winfrey believed in.

At one point the host introduced from the audience her fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Duncan, whom she praised as an early "liberator" who made her feel valued.

Winfrey urged viewers to find their calling, make the world a better place and take control of their lives. One of her most cherished tributes, she said, was a letter from a viewer who said, "Oprah, watching you be yourself makes me want to be more myself."

Near the end of the hour-long broadcast, Winfrey spoke of her roots in rural Mississippi. "It is no coincidence a lonely little girl who felt not a lot of love, even though my parents and grandparents did the best they could ... It is no coincidence that I grew up to feel the genuine kindness, affection, trust, and validation from millions of you, all over the world.

"From you, whose names I will never know, I learned what love is. You and this show have been the great love of my life."

Winfrey gave no hint of her future plans but urged viewers to keep in touch at her email address, oprah@oprah.com

(Reporting by Matthew Lewis, Chicago newsroom, editing by xxx)

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Stars talk about Oprah Winfrey (AP)

NEW YORK – As the final original "Oprah Winfrey Show" airs Wednesday, celebrities talk about the talk show host.

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"I've got to say, I bow before cultural icons like Oprah, who take things that can be as minor and goofy as an hour worth of TV and turn it into something that is actually something everybody can be talking about. You know what's going to be missing now from the vernacular? 'Did you see Oprah yesterday? Did you see that girl on "Oprah?" Did you see that thing on "Oprah?"' So, we're going to miss her. God bless her service. But we'll get by." — Tom Hanks.

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"I have been an avid Oprah watcher for as long as I can remember, sharing laughs and tears with millions upon millions of viewers, all with whom she has touched in various ways. She has such a genuine compassion and intellect that is universally embraced. While I'm sad to watch this chapter in Oprah's career come to a close, I look forward to watching her legacy continue through OWN." — Nicole Kidman.

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"During the time of the Oscars she called and said, 'I want you to understand the significance of what you're about to do. I don't want you to joke it away.' She knew I was being a little bit reckless. She took me to Quincy Jones' house and inside the house were all of these actors that came before me — mostly African American actors. They were like, 'We're really counting on you to walk the right way, do the right thing' and this was leading up to the awards and then she took me to see Sidney Poitier. At that moment I was like, 'Now here's my Oprah moment.' It's not about herself. It's about how can I take Jamie Foxx and give him a boost, give him a mental boost and change his life literally forever. Meeting Sidney Poitier and Quincy Jones and being able to hang with them, I got the keys to unlock doors that probably would have never been open to me. She's an amazing person." — Jamie Foxx.

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"Oprah was part of our lives. She was in our living rooms. She cried with us, she laughed with us. One part of me is sad to see that go but another part of me is happy for her growth and for her expanding and having her OWN network and all of that and just evolving as a person. I'm sure she wants a break as well." — Stacy Ann "Fergie" Ferguson of the Black Eyed Peas. The group appeared on "Oprah" numerous times including in September 2009 when the show shut down parts of Chicago's Michigan Avenue.

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"I think that Oprah's legacy is that she has made a difference and that's what we as women want to do. We want to make a difference in this world and she's made a difference in a lot of ways. She's made a difference in really fun things and she's made a difference in really serious things and she's told us stories that ... I'd never heard — the word abuse. ... I wouldn't even know what that was. She's made a difference so for me that's why I respect her. ... She will be remembered long after she's gone." — Stevie Nicks,

who made her first appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in April 2011.

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"When I think about the Oprah legacy it's humbling. She's changed the lives of millions of people. She brought important issues to the dinner table that never would have been there otherwise. She leaves behind a body of work that will never be paralleled. Of course, she also leaves behind a time slot at 4pm." — Ellen DeGeneres.

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"It's been an honor to have been a guest on Oprah's show throughout the years. She has meant a lot to me personally and professional, and she truly is in a class of her own. I'm sure she's going to continue to pioneer the way television is presented on her OWN network." — Celine Dion who has been a guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" more than any other celebrity.

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"Oprah has set the bar so high that no one touches her. She redefined the genre. ... The thing I respect most about her is her absolute authenticity — she is genuinely curious about everyone she meets, expresses a genuine gratitude to all who cross her path and has a zest for life that is second to none. She is a seeker of the truth and then once she finds it she is generous enough to share all her wisdom with the rest of us." — Hugh Jackman who famously injured his eye in a zip line accident appearing on an "Oprah" show taping in his native Australia in December 2010.

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Associated Press video producers Mike Cidoni Lennox and Natalie Rotman in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS Fergie's name to Stacy Ann.)

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Oprah Winfrey focuses on fans during finale (AP)

CHICAGO – In the end, it was just Oprah.

For the final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" taped Tuesday, the talk show queen appeared alone on her Chicago stage, talking to viewers about what they've meant to her during the show's 25-year run. The finale will air on Wednesday.

Fans leaving Tuesday's taping said Winfrey had tears in her eyes as the television icon said a final thank you.

"She said, `This isn't goodbye. This is until we meet again," said Amy Korin, 32, of Chicago, who was in the audience.

Winfrey then kissed and hugged her longtime partner, Stedman Graham, and made her way through the halls of Harpo Studios, saying goodbye to her staff, audience members said. She kept saying, "We did it! We did it!," Korin said, and giving employees high-fives.

There was a single chair on the stage, but Winfrey stood most of the time, audience members said.

"A lot of crying and hugs, crying and hugs," Korin said.

Audience members described a simply produced series finale filled with a sense of gratitude.

"It was just her the whole time, a recap of what she believed in, what we've given her as viewers and what she hopes she has given us," said Nancy Evankoe, 60, Hoffman Estates, who went to the taping with her daughter.

Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end her popular talk show after 25 years. Tuesday's taping comes a week after Hollywood's A-list and 13,000 fans bid Winfrey farewell during a double-episode extravaganza at Chicago's United Center. The shows that aired Monday and Tuesday included Aretha Franklin, Tom Cruise, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jordan and Madonna, among other stars of television, music and movies.

The bare-bones final taping had its share of celebrities in the audience including Tyler Perry, Maria Shriver, Suze Orman and Cicely Tyson, but none of them joined Winfrey on stage.

Hundreds of giddy fans struck by their luck at getting tickets for the final show had gathered outside Winfrey's television studio in Chicago Tuesday morning.

Sarah Cranley, 32, of Chicago waited in line with her mother, who traveled in from Pittsburgh for the taping. Cranley said she felt very lucky to snag tickets to the last show and the prospect of seeing Winfrey live didn't yet feel real.

"You think about how many billions of people around the world watch her and want to be here," Cranley said. "What are the odds?"

Cranley's mother, Sally Mowrey, 59, said Winfrey was a constant in her life when her husband's job transfers had her family move 17 times.

"That was something I could count one, watching Oprah," Mowrey said. "That was one thing that didn't change."

Fans said they went through the normal ticketing process for the final taping by submitting their names online. Some said they wrote letters explaining why they were Winfrey fans.

Winfrey's best friend Gayle King mixed with the waiting fans and interviewed several with a camera phone. For her, the show's end is bittersweet.

"I have such mixed feelings about it," King told fans.

The finale of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has remained a secret, even as Harpo Studios hyped it as a television event.

In a promotional video posted online May 16, clips of famous television finales plays over a sad song with the lyrics "It's hard to say goodbye." It includes Mary Tyler Moore, Walter Cronkite, Johnny Carson, "M.A.S.H," `'The Cosby Show," and "Cheers."

The video asks viewers "Where were you?" and "Where will you be?" Another promotional video for the final three episodes prompts viewers to "Say farewell."

When Winfrey announced her show would end she promised her viewers she would use the final season to "knock your socks off." On her 25th and final season premiere she danced onstage with John Travolta and told everyone in the audience they were going to Australia.

Other season highlights included interviews with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush and Michael Jackson's family. Winfrey also revealed she found a sister who her mother gave up for adoption.

Already a television journalist, Winfrey came to Chicago in 1984 to WLS-TV's morning talk show, "A.M. Chicago." A month later the show was No. 1 in the market. A year later it was renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Winfrey opened Harpo Studios on Chicago's West Loop neighborhood in 1990. On Jan. 1 of this year she launched the Oprah Winfrey Network, which is based in Los Angeles.

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Eckhart Tolle tops Winfrey sales list (AP)

NEW YORK – Congratulations, Eckhart Tolle. You topped the list of the Oprah Winfrey book club's biggest sellers of the past decade.

Nielsen BookScan, which tracks around 75 percent of non-e-book sales, announced Friday that Winfrey's choice of self-help favorite "A New Earth" in 2008 led to around 3.4 million copies sold. In second was James Frey's notorious "A Million Little Pieces," with just under 2.7 million copies. Elie Wiesel's classic Holocaust memoir "Night" was third, at about 2 million.

The list is not comprehensive, including just 27 of Winfrey's 65 picks, accounting for more than 22 million books sold. Nielsen only included works that publishers released in special Winfrey book club editions. And Nielsen, which started in 2001, does not have numbers for Winfrey's club from 1996 to 2000. She ends her long-running talk show May 25.

"We will certainly miss her from a business point of view, but also because of how she got people talking about books. I think a lot more reading groups started because of her," said Susan Petersen Kennedy, president of Penguin Group (USA), which published "A New Earth" and other leading Winfrey sellers, including Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" and John Steinbeck's "East of Eden."

Cormac McCarthy's "The Road," Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "Love in the Time of Cholera" and Joyce Carol Oates also were in the top 10.

Winfrey was a guaranteed hit maker, but the Nielsen numbers show a surprisingly erratic pattern of sales, even from book to book. In 2002, Ann-Marie MacDonald's "Fall on Your Knees" sold more than 700,000 copies, while the next selection, "Toni Morrison's "Sula," dropped to under 150,000. Winfrey's "classics" phase, from 2003 to 2005, peaked at the beginning with the million-selling "East of Eden" and dropped to under 200,000 with the final choice, a trio of William Faulkner novels.

After "A New Earth," numbers dropped steadily. The next book, David Wroblewski's debut novel "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" sold around 770,000 copies, followed by a story collection, Uwem Akpan's "Say You're One of Them," that sold 405,000. The rising e-book tide likely hurt sales for Winfrey's final choice, in December 2010, a special Penguin edition of the Charles Dickens novels "A Tale of Two Cities" and "Great Expectations." They registered just 95,000 copies through Nielsen, the fewest on the list. Both novels are out of copyright and widely available in free editions online.

"I would have preferred that people bought the books," said Kennedy, who cited the free e-books as a prime reason for the drop in sales. "On the other hand, at least people were reading and that's wonderful."

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Shriver doesn't discuss scandal at Winfrey taping (AP)

CHICAGO – Maria Shriver didn't address revelations that her husband fathered a child with another woman when she appeared at Oprah Winfrey's farewell show on Tuesday.

Shriver, the TV journalist and Kennedy heiress, walked onstage wearing a sparkly blue dress with Winfrey's best friend Gayle King. Earlier in the day it was revealed her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, fathered a child with a woman on his household staff more than a decade ago.

In a statement Shriver called it a "painful and heartbreaking time." Last week, Schwarzenegger and Shriver announced they had separated.

But on Tuesday evening Shriver focused on Winfrey.

"You have given me love, support, wisdom and most of all the truth," Shriver said to applause as Winfrey responded, "the truth."

Shriver highlighted Winfrey's efforts at spreading education.

"You've believed in others so they could believe in themselves and most importantly you've taught young women and men to focus on learning everything they can," Shriver said.

Shriver appeared on the second of two star-studded episodes taped at the United Center. It is scheduled to air May 24.

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Michael Jordan appears at Oprah Winfrey farewell (AP)

CHICAGO – Michael Jordan surprised Oprah Winfrey at her farewell show at Chicago's United Center, where his statue sits outside.

Jordan was one of many celebrities who attended Tuesday night's "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular."

Actor Will Smith introduced Jordan, describing the United Center as the "house that Michael Jordan built."

Jordan came on stage and hugged Winfrey to loud cheers. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during the 1990s.

Winfrey yelled to the crowd, "M.J. is in the house!"

The basketball legend told Winfrey she has meant a lot to him and inspired him. He wished her the best and told her he loves her.

Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end "The Oprah Winfrey Show" this season after 25 years.

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Stars come out to say goodbye to Oprah Winfrey (AP)

CHICAGO – Oprah Winfrey wiped away tears as celebrity after celebrity surprised her during a farewell double-episode taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that will precede her finale.

"Thank you is not enough, but thank you," Winfrey told the crowd of 13,000 gathered at Chicago's United Center on Tuesday night for "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular." "For your love and your support, thank you."

The crowd gave Winfrey a standing ovation when she first walked on the stage. Then the stars came out, with Winfrey's producers making good on their promise of the biggest celebrities of movies, music and television.

Aretha Franklin sang "Amazing Grace." Tom Hanks acted as host for the evening. Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during the 1990s, told Winfrey she inspires him. Tom Cruise, famous for his couch jumping on Winfrey's show, was there. Jerry Seinfeld wore a tuxedo to give a comedy routine. And Madonna said she is among the millions of people who are inspired by Winfrey.

"She fights for things she believes in, even if it makes her unpopular," Madonna said.

Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end her popular talk show after 25 years. Tuesday's taping will air May 23 and 24, before Winfrey's final show on May 25.

"You always had the power, and that is the message you brought into our lives," Cruise told Winfrey.

The show highlighted Winfrey's charity efforts over the years. About 300 Morehouse College scholarship students walked along the United Center aisles as Kristen Chenoweth sang "For Good" from the musical "Wicked." Grammy winner John Legend was beamed in from a New Orleans school and Winfrey's book club was lauded for getting millions to read.

Josh Groban and Patti LaBelle sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as Winfrey sat in a white chair onstage. Jamie Foxx and Stevie Wonder sang "Isn't She Lovely" to Winfrey. Wonder followed with his own song, singing to her, "Oprah thank you for using your gifts to uplift so many hearts." Simon Cowell made an appearance; Rosie O'Donnell sang a Broadway-style song.

Winfrey's longtime partner, Stedman Graham, introduced Franklin after telling Winfrey he loved her and was proud of her.

"It really does amaze me that I get to be around a woman who changes people's lives every day and who also takes her own lunch to work," Graham told the crowd. "You know what really is amazing? You have done this, sweetheart, through all of the sacrifices you've made, humility you have and through God's amazing grace."

That's when Franklin took the stage in a one-shouldered white gown to sing "Amazing Grace." She later joined Usher for the show's finale song, "Oh Happy Day," as sparkly confetti filled the arena.

Maria Shriver, the TV journalist and Kennedy heiress, appeared on the same day it was revealed her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, fathered a child with a woman on his household staff more than a decade ago. Shriver did not mention her husband during the taping.

"You have given me love, support, wisdom and most of all the truth," Shriver told Winfrey. "And I know I'm not alone in receiving those gifts from you."

The taping of the second show began with Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who thanked Winfrey and told her she mothered millions and "that puts you in the status of a goddess."

Actresses Halle Berry, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes and Dakota Fanning all appeared, along with newswoman Diane Sawyer.

Beyonce sang her song "Run the World (Girls)" backed by dozens of dancers. Rascal Flatts performed too.

"Oprah Winfrey, because of you women everywhere have graduated to a new level of understanding of who we are, of what we are and most of all who we can be," Beyonce said.

The stadium was decorated with pictures of Winfrey at seminal moments over the course of her talk show. Boxes of tissues were on scattered seats throughout the audience.

Harpo Productions received more than 154,000 ticket requests for seats to Tuesday's event. Tickets were free and distributed to fans through a lottery.

Winfrey also received messages from some less-famous admirers. Female American soldiers gave a taped message from Iraq and three female fans from countries around the world came on stage. The show was interspersed with clips of Winfrey's fans and flashbacks of previous episodes.

Fans started lining up outside hours before the taping started.

Bessie Carroll, 70, of Chicago came to the show with her daughter.

"I think we've gotten everything we could have and more than we should have from her," Carroll said. "If she feels it's time to go, we have to release her and let her enjoy her life."

Mashonda White, 41, an engineer from Aurora, called Winfrey an inspiration.

"She's a blueprint of what I would like to become," White said. "She never takes anything negatively. She always makes it positive."

Celebrities such as Lisa Ling, Carson Kressley, Jessica Seinfeld, Ally Wentworth, Bob Greene and former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley sat in the audience.

The content of the final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is still under wraps.

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AP reporter Alicia Rancilio contributed to this report.

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Star-studded Oprah Winfrey taping set in Chicago (AP)

CHICAGO – Thousands of Oprah Winfrey fans are expected to pack Chicago's United Center on Tuesday for a star-studded double-taping of her talk show as it approaches its finale.

The guest lineup for "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular" is a secret, but Winfrey's producers have promised the biggest names in Hollywood.

The celebrity response "has been a resounding `yes,'" executive producer Sheri Salata said.

"Celebrities from film, television and music feel a deep appreciation for the support they have received from Oprah and the show over the years," Salata said. "Oprah will be very touched by that gratitude."

Tuesday's taping will air May 23 and 24, before Winfrey's final show on May 25.

The content of the final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is still under wraps. Winfrey announced in November 2009 that she would end her popular talk show after 25 years.

"Oprah is in great spirits, energized and taking in every last bit of these final days," said Salata, who figures prominently on "Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes." The show follows the final season Winfrey's talk show and airs on her new cable network.

"The producers are a little teary-eyed — it's hard to say goodbye," Salata said.

Harpo Productions received more than 154,000 ticket requests for seats to Tuesday's event. Tickets were free and distributed to fans through a lottery.

The United Center is home to the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks with a seating capacity of more than 20,000. It is just blocks from Winfrey's long-time studios.

It isn't the first time Winfrey has staged a blockbuster event in Chicago.

The crowd was estimated at 21,000 when Winfrey closed down Chicago's Michigan Avenue in September 2009 to film her 24th season premiere.

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Frey calls Winfrey interview 'personal car crash' (AP)

CHICAGO – Author James Frey tells Oprah Winfrey that if he could do it again he would have "been honest" in promoting his book "A Million Little Pieces."

Frey appeared on Monday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," more than five years after Winfrey accused him on live television of lying in the book. Winfrey called it "the biggest controversy" in her show's history.

Winfrey chose Frey's substance abuse story "A Million Little Pieces," for her book club in September 2005, making it a million-seller.

Frey acknowledged on Winfrey's show in January 2006 that he lied in the book. Winfrey told him she felt duped and that he had betrayed millions of readers.

Frey told Winfrey on Tuesday that he's never seen that interview and called it a "personal car crash."

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Winfrey plans 2-episode interview with James Frey (AP)

CHICAGO – Oprah Winfrey's interview with author James Frey will stretch over two episodes during the final full week of her talk show.

The shows will air May 16 and 17, more than five years after Winfrey accused Frey on live television of lying in one of his books. During a short promotional clip on Tuesday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" an announcer deemed it "the biggest controversy in Oprah show history."

Winfrey chose Frey's substance abuse story "A Million Little Pieces," for her book club in September 2005, making it a million-seller.

Frey subsequently acknowledged on Winfrey's show in January 2006 that he had lied in the book. Winfrey told him she felt duped and that he had betrayed millions of readers.

Winfrey's show ends May 25 after 25 years.

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