"Setting Oprah Free"

Chicago may love the idea of having the "Queen of all Media" as a permanent houseguest but I for one, am ready to rent a U-Haul and send her packing ANYWHERE ELSE but here! She's long overstayed her welcome in The Windy City and is probably one of the few reasons that AT&T invented "caller ID" -You can see if it's her before you pick up the phone to talk.

When Oprah arrived here in Chicago over two decades ago, she inherited a low rated, local, morning talk show on it's last legs and was taped daily at 190 N. Michigan Ave. Over the course of a few years, Ms. Winfrey managed to swing the format around to target busy housewives and before long, this show was rolling out in syndication across the U.S.A. good for her! Problem is, somewhere in between her rise to stardom, Chicago grew too fond of her. The talk show wasn't enough. It started with her own production studio and like a deadly virus, has spread out to what the "Oprah Empire" is today: Radio, TV, books, movies, Dr. Phil, and so on and so on. It's good to be a success as long as it doesn't get shoved in my face everyday. This year has pushed Oprah's name a bit too far over the edge and quite frankly, enough is enough! One can't make it through a whole day without hearing about this woman, what she's done, who she's met, and what she has to say. I'm almost certain it's much easier to break into The White House than it is to get through the front door of Harpo Studios. Having said that folks, Monday is the big day for Oprah as her show makes it's "season premiere"...

Don't expect any big changes to the show with the exception of Oprah herself. She returns do do it all over again and get herself drunk with even more power than years past. Oprah will get to schmooze all her guests and act as if she really gives a darn that they're making a name for themselves. Behind the scenes, her staff does all the research and "poking around" for her and writes all these tidbits on index cards in shorthand. In reality, all that Oprah is worried about is booking a guest to bust their balls and put the spotlight back on her. Afterall, for the past month in Chicago, Oprah is the news... she manages to finagle her way into almost every local newscast as if her opinion really matters. On Monday, Oprah welcomes some winners of the Olympic gold and finishes the hour chatting it up with swimmer Michael Phelps. She'll laugh with him and may even cry with him as he tells of his long journey to Beijing.. Oprah may even put on one of those new Speedo wetsuits and have Phelps push her into the shallow end of a swimming pool for a race of a lap or two. As it is in real life, Oprah is afraid of the water so don't believe what you may see. We'll also be seeing more of "Oprah the Politician" this year too as she plays more video clips of her and good friend Borack Obama taking a stroll through Grant Park and enjoying the moment. If Obama should win in November, keep in mind that he couldn't have gotten there without Oprah's help. She was as big a help to his campaign as the indicted Tony Rezko was! Again we'll see Oprah laugh with Obama and weep like a child. God help us all if this becomes a stepping stone for Oprah to venture into politics!

I think I speak for many who agree that Oprah should pack up all her crap including all her books, movies, Pontiac G6's, and the whole kit and kaboodle and plant herself in a new place where she can shock and awe a community of people who never get to see a big star like her...say, Idaho?!!