Oprah has another dream realized as her staff pulls together the cast of her favorite all-time TV program, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and recreates its two most memorable sets in Oprah's own studio. And then the entire cast is reassembled (minus Ted Knight) to hang with Oprah to hold a meeting of the mutual admiration society. This was a rerun from earlier this year. I remember we discussed the power Oprah has to make her own dreams come true, no matter how extravagant or specific. What do you think now? Do we ALL have the same power, or have some of us been born under a lucky star?
Clearly, Oprah's busted her butt career-wise to gain her ability to generate her own dream-machine. So, I don't fall into the camp that believes she's got it easier than the rest of us...or at least, I don't begrudge her the right to revel in all she's gained through years of hard work. But, I do happen to believe there's an element of luck in all celebrity careers. Hard work, drive and direction aren't the only ingredients in Success Pie. Timing, luck and a certain je ne sais quoi are necessary, too, aren't they? Or do you think Oprah did it all without a little help from outside forces? I'm just curious to hear what you all think about this.
The good news is, if Oprah truly holds some sort of secret to success, she's announced that "Your Best Life starts on January 5th." So, good for us! If we play our cards right, next year, we'll ALL have the sets of our favorite television shows recreated in our living rooms, the actors from the defunct programs gracing our sofas. I'd have a tough time choosing between my favorite show as a child, The Greatest American Hero and my obsession as a teen, Twin Peaks. Come to think of it, I think I'll just watch them on Netflix.
I was reminded of another Oprah connection when I saw today's rerun. When we were shown a behind-the-scenes look at how the MTM sets were recreated for Oprah...(by the way, did this remind anyone else of the Greek gods in the old movie, Clash of the Titans...how the powerful gods could change the weather, geography, architecture, and people and their whim? Or was that just me? Just me, huh? Ok, then.)...one of Oprah's designers once worked with me on a play I directed. Small world.
I started thinking about how many people I've known over the years who used to work for Oprah, who currently work for Oprah, who WANT to work for Oprah. Chicago really is Oprahville. If you want to work in production, she writes a lot of the checks for folks in this city. Even Jim worked for her EONS ago - maybe a decade before we met? - transcribing her shows after hours. We don't talk much about it. He never met her and the job bored him to tears, so there's not a lot of meat there to bite into. But, what I'm getting at is that Oprah seems to be a pretty big Chicago industry. Does anyone else live in a town where a figure head like Oprah employs so many people? I'd love to hear your experiences with that, if you can relate.
That's it for today - I have done marathon reading sessions lately, getting close to finishing Oprah's reading assignments for the year. I'm so excited at the prospect of crossing that finish line. Of course, I think I hit my saturation point about a thousand pages ago. I can't remember - which book is the one with the dogs? And do we need MORE clutter or less of it? It's all verrry fuzzy.
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Has anyone hypothesized about what will happen when Oprah stops doing her show? How will that affect all the Chicago folks who are employed by her? Will she pack up and move to her California home full time then?
Great question! I've never seen this addressed. xoLO
I live in Southern California (Los Angeles area) and though its not really one figure head anymore, you can imagine how hard it is to find anyone who hasn't at some point or someone they know who has worked for Disney in some way shape or form. Disneyland Resort, the animation studios the radio station, the list goes ever on. It definitely is interesting to live here. Not only with so many connections to Walt Disney, but so many other famous names in show business.
I cannot imagine the huge impact it would have on this area if Disney just shut down. Can you imagine a Chicago without Oprah? No, I can't either. lol...
Chicago Magazine did a cover story about Oprah in the recent issue, which Oprah declined to be interviewed for. She spends most of her time in Montecito, and is only in Chicago to tape her show. The author kept trying to find staffers who would tell bitter stories about O, but was unsuccessful. There was a companion piece about Kitty Kelley and the book she is writing about O. She has been trying for 3 years to find people who will dish dirt about O, also unsuccessfully.
Harpo studios is a once in a lifetime job for tv production people, and they know it.
I loved MTM, too, and I really enjoyed watching this episode. You know, I'm glad Oprah can be so emotionally moved the way she is, because I find I'm less and less able to be moved that way the older I get.
Making dreams come true? Well, when my first husband was about a year into his terminal illness, I made a list of all the things I wanted/needed to acomplish and within two years, I had.
I believed I would met someone, fall in love and marry again. I did.
At the beginning of this year, I set out to get published. I have. Find an audience in the blogosphere. Small but done. Get accepted on a grog. Did and it got me more publishing credits.
Now I want to publish my memoir and I think I can do that to.
It's not all hard work. I had help from people I knew, but I don't think we can say it is all luck or timing. Some of it is just digging in and making things happen.
As far as the Oprah connection goes, I know someone who used to write columns for her magazine. She's the one who encouraged me to write my own story.
....oh, was that a smile on Mary, or was her botox too tight?! geeez I had to keep asking myself if she was Mary Tyler Moore or Carol Burnett. They look like the same botoxed women to me. strange.
I did want to wear Cloris Leachman's dress, however! That looked like fun!
Betty
lani, too true about LA. years ago, i had to travel out there for business and i felt like the only person who wasn't there for tv/movies! ooh...you made me think about a friend for orlando who made a similar comment about disney's impact on her hometown.
paula, do you think you're less able to be moved, or have you just mellowed? i've wondered about that trajectory in my own life, too.
anniegirl1138, i want to read your memoirs already! what a story! i agree - personally, i think for most of us, it's a combo of talent, hard work, and luck/timing/connections. i know there's some lucky people out there still "discovered" in sodashops, but for most of us, we need to shoot for a goal and make our own luck. that's what my parents taught me and that's become my own philosophy.
betty, yeah, that was some majorly botched plastic surgery. usually when women on oprah's stage talk about their age, oprah brags about how great they look. this time, mtm said she was 70 and it wasn't followed up by oprah gushing about how amazing she looks for her age. it's sad! i LOVED cl's dress too! is it wrong for me, at age 35, to want to wear the same outfit as an octagenarian??
xoLO
Hi LO! Re: becoming successful -- I think you're entirely right. It is hard work, but a combination of luck, right place/right time, etc. One of Oprah's first broadcasting jobs, she was awarded due to EEOC quotas. But yes, she's worked hard.
I'm a little jaded today because my book has been systematically rejected --three "nos" today alone. I arrived in Canada to open up my email and see 'em. (at least I'm hearing back, right?) I'm bummed because I've been working at artistic pursuits my whole life, and still haven't "made it," yet bloggers who whine about sitting home and watching reality TV get 3-book deals. sigh.
And Oprahville: yep, she's rejected me too, twice. I applied to Harpo after college (1993) and was rejected. Then a friend worked for her in 1999, and told me I had to go in via a certain temp agency. Registered w/ the agency, and no Oprahland for me.
Thanks for listening. Love reading LO every day.
LO--I hope you know I didn't mean you -- I was referencing another blogger.
and, forgot to mention, I did get to attend one of Oprah's parties w/ my friend who worked for her. So there's my brush with O.
Regarding Paula's comment about people who won't dish on O -- it's because legally they can't. Articles have been written about the behind-the-scenes hush-hush. Apparently, when you go to work for Oprah, you have to sign something saying you can't, won't, and won't ever talk about your experience *or else.*
yo eb, that blows big time about the rejection letters. BUT it only takes ONE to say yes. you can do it. you really can. what kind of stuff do you write??
i totally feel your pain, friend. i've been bustin' butt for many years in this fickle artistic world, too. that's why i fall over myself with gratitude over this project. i still can't comprehend it, even after a whole year - i've gotten so used to doing chicago theatre with more actors on stage than people sitting in the audience AND having to hold a zillion jobs at one time just to afford to produce a show. i've even done a solo show for a two-person audience. boy, was THAT a lot of fun! sometimes it feels like we're spinning our wheels, i know. but, look - you're writing because you love it, so why throw in the towel now?
anyhow, hang in there. sending you all my good thoughts for a welcoming acceptance letter in your mailbox any day now.
xoLO
hee hee - eb, i didn't take it personally...i WONDERED if you meant me, though! LOL! seriously - i might resent me, if i weren't me. it makes very little sense why this was the project that got the bite, when so many others got lost in the sea of barely viewed work. i keep telling myself that everything i've been through in the past 15 years, since i graduated college, have brought me to this moment. but, it doesn't make sense, does it? i got really lucky.
i've heard from some folks who weren't happy working for oprah, but they shared this with me in privacy and i would never break their anonymity. plus, if i was an ass and broke their confidences, it could hurt future job prospects, i suspect.
xoLO
Hey y'all, Chicago is Oprah, I mean, the first thing you think about when someone mentions Chicago is Oprah!
Yeah she's a phenomenon, thing is though, I dont think she'll shut down Harpo, isnt she doing OWN? That is surely going to be produced from there, right?
I'm planning this huge trip to America and my first stop is Chicago, why? because I HAVE to see the Harpo studios and the O store!!!(not even bothering trying to score tickets to the show)
Success?? isnt that relative? Oprah doesnt believe in luck. She says it's opportunity meeting at the exact moment as an exact need. Or some such thing!!! I think that the times she started were ripe for her success, I mean it was when America was still reeling from civil rights action etc.
Now, if i could have all my whims and dreams realised.......... Oy!!
I remember earlier episodes of Oprah and boy has it evolved, the set has become lavish and it is now even more so with all these reproductions of sets ie Australia the movie, Mary Tyler Moore...speaking of which why in heavens name did O gush at receieving the O, I mean isnt her whole entire building filled with Os, not to mention her 'Welcome'
mat in her house in Montecito!!!!
T
P.S. Does anyone know anything about the studios that Tyler Perry opened and dedicated to Sidney Poitier and O, Steadman, Gayle attended? Please let me know, links, articles etc will be highly appreciated!
The good news is that eventually Chicago will have a Presidential Museum and Library and it is possible that we won't be dependent on Oprah for an international profile. Chicago is a tremendous, fantastic city. When you come here, Tabby, I know you will be impressed! For one thing, we have the best city architecture in the world.
Funny. I've lived in Chicagoland most of my life and I don't know anyone who ever worked for Oprah. My outsider impression is that anyone who works for Oprah gets free trips to Hawaii and stuff like that. ;-)
Tabby,
Here's an article on Perry's new studios: http://www.bittenandbound.com/2008/10/06/tyler-perry-studios-opens-in-atlanta/
Hope that's what you were looking for. :>)
I don’t think the secret to Oprah’s success is hard work or luck. I’m not saying she’s lazy but hosting a talk show for an hour a day, a few hundred days a year is hardly the most labour intensive work I can imagine. Indeed tens of millions of Americans have worked harder than she has and will never be millionaires, let alone billionaires. There’s a limit to how hard anyone can work (there are only so many hours in a day) and tens of millions of Americans are already at that limit.
And I don’t think she was especially lucky either. Landing her first job in broadcasting was lucky, but hundreds of thousands of Americans have had the same opportunity.
I think the secret to Oprah’s success is a combination of charisma, timing, integrity, wit, humour, intelligence, emotional sensitivity & marketing savvy. She’s also made so many brilliant decisions along the way because she’s extremely intuitive and follows her gut.
But it’s much more than that. She touches something very deep in the American psyche. In a media full of negativity, she’s the master of positive energy. I really noticed it on today’s show the way she was so enthusiastic about Marry Tyler Moore. There’s just something so innocent & loving about her. An almost childlike awe that’s really magical to watch. It’s like she was born to be on television. I’ve never seen anyone so perfectly suited to his or her job and the idea of her not being a star is impossible to imagine.
Her life is like a Disney movie: A poor black girl who grew up idolizing Marry Tyler Moore becomes the most successful woman on the planet. She’s no longer even human to me but a magical larger than life iconic character from the world of mystical wonderment, like Santa Clause or Mickey Mouse.
I just wanted to throw in that I live in Nashville, and every other person here is "in the business." By that, I mean music, a lot of country, of course, but other types as well. It's all musicians and songwriters and producers and promoters and roadies and Nicole Kidman around here. The other big employer is Lifeway Headquarters - the hub of Christian publishing (Southern Baptist, specifically). Those two businesses really make up a lot of what Nashville is. And I absolutely love it!
PS- Just a guess, but I thought EB was referring to Perez ... just a guess, though.
Hard work meets opportunity. What totally sucks is to see people who don't work hard and who have no talent get all the opportunities just because they know the right people.
I'm extra depressed now, in this economy. When I work on group projects with my classmates or individually, I often have more expertise, and more dedication and receive more praise, yet I'm the one who doesn't work. Sometimes I think that employers don't always recognize successful employees, especially in large companies, and politics or friendships play bigger role.
But honestly, I believe that if someone wants something (within reason) and works hard to get it, it will happen. It may take a long time, but one day it will happen.
Morepower, I agree. I also find it interesting that Oprah had a dream and modeled herself after a tv show, not a real newswoman. And, an insecure one at that! I wonder if her success would have been different if she had emulated Barbara Walters, for instance? Is it easier to keep the hope and dream alive if you're not competing with a real person?
LO, I wish it was mellowing, but I actually think it's 30 years in social service jobs. I've become very familiar with the less admirable qualities of human beings.
I wonder if working for Oprah is like working for Martha - a famously abrasive perfectionist. You know this is the best job training you'll ever have, and possibly the best gig ever, but you really wish you were working for someone you could like personally. Or does that even matter? I know I like it better when I'm working for someone I like personally. Keeps the blood pressure a few points lower.
Paula, I've read a bit about Oprah’s management style and it’s quite fascinating. Apparently when her staff puts together a good TV movie that really moves Oprah emotionally and that she feels will help people Oprah showers them with praise. But if the movie gets great ratings or wins awards, Oprah says nothing. Apparently it is Oprah’s way of reminding her staff that they should never to anything for extrinsic rewards, only for the intrinsic satisfaction of doing good quality work.
And Oprah did model herself after Barbara Walters too. When she did her earliest interviews (back when Oprah was in news) she would constantly look down and up because that’s what Barbara would do during interviews. Barbara was of course looking down at notes and questions but Oprah would do it even though she had no notes because she wanted to seem like Barbara.
But yeah, Oprah had a really deep connection to the Marry Tyler Moore show. One of my favourite Oprah moments was when she recreated the opening of the Marry Tyler Moore but with Oprah instead of Marry. You had Oprah walking through the city carrying groceries just like Marry. Oprah throwing off her hat just like Marry. After she aired the clip Marry herself walked on to stage and Oprah was so surprised she shrieked like a wild animal her eyes nearly popped out of her head and Oprah grabbed her own head so tightly she nearly pulled it off. It was one of the greatest moments ever on television.
I think Oprah related to Marry’s character not just professionally but personally, since Marry’s life was so much like Oprah’s in the early days of her career. Marry was a single women trying to make it in the news business who hung out with her best friend Rhoda when she couldn't get a date just like Oprah was a single woman trying to make it in the news business who hung out with her best friend Gayle when she couldn't get a date.
Oprah has credited her success to positive thinking, hard work, and belief in her dream- she also just let life take her where it would. She didn't seem to get wrapped up in the gains- she enjoyed every day.
She mentioned this on the "Law of Attraction/The Secret" show last year, that she has been living her life more or less like the Secret.
I DO believe that a person can create their own success; they just have to want it, but not be desperate; try their best to be moral and kind; and of course believe in their dreams and follow them!
Wasn't that so warm and fuzzy- almost like a disney movie ;)
Christie
It's great that Oprah can afford to recreate the set of her favorite TV show and talk to its stars. But all I need to do to relive it (it was one of my favorites, too) is to watch the old episodes. Maybe having a lot of money makes your dreams more expensive. (Actually, I'd rather remember Mary as she was than see what she looks like now! I guess that's a drawback of being married to a plastic surgeon.)
As for hard work, luck, positive thinking, etc.--I don't think you can discount any one of them. Thinking that you cause everything that happens to you is awfully egocentric; there are many outside forces at work. Maybe its not "luck" but timing, blessings, fate, divine intervention, whatever you want to call it. Just as there ARE accidents (despite what Jung or Freud or whoever it was said), there is bad luck, or whatever you want to call it. My brother's boss was killed by an out-of-control street racer while driving home during rush hour one day. If that's not bad luck, I don't know what is. He was just sitting at a red light when, wham. He had airbags and the works, but the car hit right where he was sitting and he was killed instantly. And what kind of street racer decides to race in the middle of rush hour on a busy street?
If there is bad luck, or whatever you want to call it, it makes sense to me that there is good luck. I think it comes down to the right combination of elements, such as talent, personality, field (career), education, influences, time,positive thinking,location--plus many, many more. For them all to come together in the right person, at the right time (when racial and sexual politics were changing)IS a sort of luck, it seems to me.
I live two hours north of Orlando...EVERYONE in Orlando works for the Mouse, Mickey that is and his companion Walt Disney. Well, okay, not everyone. But it seems that if you are some creative type you work for Disney in some fashion or form.
I was thinking about making dreams a reality...wouldn't you do it if you could? I mean, if you had all the means and ways to create your ultimate dream, wouldn't you do it? I'd do it in a heartbeat! Oh man...just thinking about it just makes me smile to think about what I could do if I had the resources Oprah has.
But I think about what it is that I really, really want (which is different for everyone). For me...I want a healthy family - okay, working on that with doctors and therapists. I want to have a spiritual journey - okay, working on that as well with friends, my pastor, meditation, prayer, books (many of which I found through Oprah *lol*). I want a community - done. I have a great group of friends in my town that are my community.
The material stuff? Yeah, working on that too. I feel like everything happens when it supposed to happen. Whether you call it God or the universe, if we try to force our will, our desires, sometimes it just falls around us in pieces. Things happen when they are supposed to happen. I look at my jewelry blog-store and I'm so grateful that it happened when it happened. For Christmas, I've had several new orders from new clients! I'm so excited! But it's no more than I can handle right now. I could get inundated with orders and not be able to finish them in time for Christmas and that would be awful!
I don't know...I just feel like God (which is my choice) guides me, gives to me everything I need when I need it. Then it's up to me to work hard, to keep up my end of the gift.
Hi, I just watched your interview with Sam and Andrew on Weekend Sunrise, I live in Australia, You did very well I thought, I watch Oprah's show here most days just for entertainment I don't take it too seriously. Regards Bev Ryan
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