Gearing up for the final season?

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer. Here in Chicago, it's been gorgeous lately, but the smell of fall is definitely in the air. And you know what comes with autumn...the new television season. As a bit of a TV junkie, I have to admit that this is always an exciting time for me. I'm eager to see the new offerings on my television. And this year is a big one, isn't it?...Oprah is bidding a final farewell to her fans. I'm expecting a lot from her last season. I wonder how the show will differ from her previous 24 seasons. I didn't watch the show too much last year, to be absolutely honest. The Living Oprah project turned me off of day time TV for a little while. I was like a water-logged sponge that needed to be wrung out. But, I've gone through withdrawal and I'm recovered enough to stick my toe back in the waters of Talk. I'll be tuning into the first episode of Oprah's 25th and final season. Who's joining me on September 13?

Catching up

Happy March. I’ve missed everyone here as I’ve been a bit swamped - busily fulfilling the marketing obligations for my book, packing up and moving to a new place, and the ups and downs of everyday life. One exciting bit of news - I’m leaving for Australia in a couple days to do some media for Living Oprah in Sydney!

I’ve decided that, upon my return, I’ll completely invest myself in fresh, new work. A couple weeks ago, I launched a project called Ready, Set...Wife! (www.readysetwife.com) and I already love it. My writing partner, Cathleen Carr, and I are fascinated by how marriage has become such a hot button issue these days. People are writing books about it, producing shows about women who want to marry millionaires, defending the institution of marriage in Washington D.C., and gossiping about celebs who have broken up after years of publicized matrimonial bliss. While working on Living Oprah, I heard from many people who had surprisingly negative opinions about Winfrey’s single status. (Um...who cares? Why is Oprah’s personal life anyone’s business but her own?)

Cathleen and I are dissecting what it means to be a wife in 2010. Although we’ve only launched the project recently, It’s been so much fun because we’ve heard from women and men, singles and marrieds, straights and gays, divorced people, widowed folks. We’re looking at wives in pop culture, politics, history, and in our own lives. Even though the roles of women have changed so drastically, why is being a wife still a goal for otherwise strong, independent women? Is a legal contract really necessary to ‘seal’ a commitment to a relationship? We are even opening up about our own feelings about being a spouse. (Poor Jim. At least he has a shoulder to cry on this time around. He should have Cathleen’s husband, Peter, on speed dial.)

Please do join me over at Ready, Set...Wife! I love your feedback, as you know, and would appreciate your thoughts on the new project.

I’m taking a page from Oprah’s book - she’s moving on because her show has run its course and I think I should, too. I have been trying to think about how I might continue the Living Oprah blog because I’ve gotten so many emails asking me to do so, but I’m just not sure how to do it in anyway that would satisfy me...or you. I loved it and I miss you, but I think it's time to call it a day. This was only intended to be a one-year project but I’ve been living with it for over two years. I don’t want to be ‘the Oprah lady’ forever or build a future based on Winfrey’s name or hard work. Continuing the blog feels like beating a dead horse, and I like horses and mean them no harm. I’ll stop check in here occasionally and let you know what’s going on with me, the book, and if there’s any Oprah-related news I am inspired to write about. (I’m actually checking in much more often on Facebook under my Living Oprah account, so if you’d like, friend me there.) Other than that, it’s time for me to keep things fresh and new.

I’d like to think even Oprah would approve.

Happy birthday to you

I'm all about celebrating my birthday, so I can appreciate the way Oprah parties on her big day. My husband, Jim, always jokes that I don't celebrate my birthDAY, I celebrate my birthWEEK. It's true. I love it. I've never had a 400-pound birthday cake, like Oprah, but I go all out on my own budget.

I'm about to run out the door and will have to watch the rest of the show later, but I want you to know, I did go "Awwwwwww....." when Oprah had her new springer spaniel puppies brought out onstage in a basket and baby buggy. I'm such a sucker for baby animals. Especially pound puppies. But I also rolled my eyes (a little) when Oprah said she was urged by a friend to hire help to take care of the dogs. Oprah's so excited that she can get help with the pups! Then I realized I would like a nanny for my cats. Mainly when it comes to poop-scooping, claw-clipping, and cat hair-removal. Any takers?

Happy birthday, Oprah! Hope it's a great one...and happy birthday to the special folks who share January 29th as their birthday. Admit it, how many of you, when asked what your birthday is, quickly inform anyone who will listen, "It's Oprah's birthday, too!"

Conan, call Oprah

Jay Leno will be appearing on Oprah’s show this Thursday, but I’m going to opt out of watching the new episode. Sure, I might be a sit-in of one, but I need to stand firm on this. In fact, earlier this week, I wrote the following little op-ed piece for The Huffington Post, hoping Conan might show his big pale face on Oprah instead of Jay.

I did my best to ignore all the Jay Leno vs. Conan O’Brien coverage. It was hard for me to whip up enthusiasm over the passive-aggressive battle between these two men, as much heavier, tragic human drama was going on the news (like Heidi Montag’s plastic surgery and the whereabouts of Tiger Woods). Besides, I didn’t care all that much who helmed The Tonight Show. I stopped watching soon after Johnny Carson stepped down in 1992, and NBC gave David Letterman the shaft. I became almost instantly turned off by Leno. I’m not a fan of his humor because I find it irritatingly mean. I don’t like that he has so many bits that point out people on the street as stupid. Sure, there are some major ignoramuses (ignorami?) out there, but really, do these folks (who might be on their way home from a 48-hour shift at the soup kitchen, for all we know) need to be called out as dummies on national TV?

Wait! I digress. I really, really digress...

In my habit of rooting for an underdog, I leaned toward Conan to come out on top of the late night smackdown. And in my habit of choosing the wrong side to lean, I was disappointed that O’Brien’s last show was Friday. I even watched, in solidarity with all the other faux-fans, who decided to flip on NBC like so many rubberneckers clogging traffic to stare at an accident scene on the side of the road.

When I heard rumors that O'Brien will kick off a new show on Fox, it hit me: Forget starting a late-nighter on another network, Conan. Do you really want to face off with Letterman AND Leno for the same audience who didn’t watch you enough to secure your job in the first place? Don’t waste your energy in attempts to claw your way up that slippery slope. Why not take a step back, shake yourself off, and call Oprah. If anyone can help you develop a loyal fan base before launching a new show, it’s crafter-of-careers, Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah appreciates a person who can laugh at himself, who can dust himself off and stay in the game. You’ve handled yourself well in the past weeks of stress and kept your head held high. Winfrey admires strength even in depths of adversity (although, truth be told, adversity is usually defined on her show as having your face torn off by a chimpanzee, not being given $32.5M in severance and a free pass to another network, but still). And she’s all about second chances. Look at her two-day show with Whitney. Houston's album sold like hotcakes after her appearance on Oprah. Come on, Conan, think about it.

I know it might be a blow to the pride to go from captaining a ship to taking on the role of apprentice. But really, is the Titanic the boat you want to be steering? If she takes you under her wing, Oprah is the most effective Master to anyone’s Grasshopper. Call Winfrey and ask her, nay, beg for her tutelage. If you can make it through Oprah-bootcamp (like Rachael Ray, like Dr. Phil, like Dr. Oz), you’ll have any network wrapped around your pinky. But get moving, you only have a short amount of time before Oprah’s off the air and you lose your chance. She’ll teach you how to draw an audience and keep it. To build loyalty and love from a wider range of fans. Sure, you will probably be on daytime instead of sexier late night TV, but beggars can’t be choosers.

After making several appearances on Oprah’s show as an expert in...what are you an expert in, Conan...dignity? Sticking to your guns? Being loyal to your staff and your show? It’s a good start, but you’ll have to think of other talents you can pass on to Oprah’s viewers. How are you with decluttering? Just think about it, because once you’ve made an impact on Oprah’s fans, they’ll probably follow you to your own show.

And start thinking of the product tie-in possibilities! Dr. Phil sold weight loss shakes and energy bars, Rachael Ray has cookware, and you can’t throw a dart in a grocery store without hitting one of Bob Greene’s “Best Life” endorsed products. I’m thinking you can start with skinny ties and hair gel and move on from there.

It's probable you might go all “Al Gore” after losing this round - letting yourself go and becoming a bit of a recluse for several months. But don’t pout for too long. Just like Al, you too can rise like a phoenix and reinvent yourself after a brief period of mourning. My advice: Start drafting your resume and cover letter to Oprah now. When she bets on a horse, it usually wins. And you never know, when Oprah exits her show in 2011, it sure leaves an opening that daytime audiences will clamor to be filled. If you're game, you might want to start practicing walking in Christian Louboutin stilettos.

Oh, and one last thing: NBC, would it kill you to put a fabulous woman on your late-night throne instead of going back to mine the boys' club over and over and over again? I'm just saying...maybe it's time to think outside the box. Just like Oprah showed the world that Phil Donahue didn't have to be the only one who wore the pants on daytime TV, I can think of a long list of XX'ers who are primed to take over late night.

Tag. You're It.

I did receive many helpful messages during my year of Living Oprah that I will continue (I hope) for my lifetime. And while I learned lessons for which I'm grateful, there were less positive ramifications for me. The one that looms over me, even though the experiment is over, is that I continue to be really self-conscious about my physical appearance, my body, my clothes. Everytime I get dressed, I can't help but think, "Does this make me look old, or fat, or out of style?" and "What must other women think of me? Could I be ambushed on the street today for what I'm wearing, urged into a head-to-toe makeover?" The weird thing is, I love watching many of the makeovers on Oprah. They're fun. The people who are transformed seem to glow afterward. And yet, without realizing it, I've been feeling less and less confident.

So, the following video is my own response to my state of mind. Let me know what you think.

I am off to get dressed with my head held a little higher.