Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Is Oprah's Crown Slipping? I Think Not!


There was a piece in the New York Times the other day that said things are not all well in "Oprahland."
They noted a dip in her ratings, fewer subscribers to her magazine and that her night-time reality show, "The Big Give" lost viewers as the weeks went on.
There has been speculation that her endorsement of Barack Obama, and her 10-week online class with Eckhart Tolle focusing on his book, "A New Earth." Apparently Christians are possibly upset with her about touting the book, which in reality does nothing to undermine Christianity.
It's an interesting culture we live in - a place where if you lose a couple of ratings (even though you're probably the wealthiest, most powerful woman in the country, maybe the world) that you could be looked at as "slipping."
Oprah still has the power to make books best sellers, movies hits and does more to encourage giving than anyone I've seen on TV.
It's a well known reality that people love you when you're on the way up and you're the underdog, but once you've reached the top and maintained that for a while, this unpleasant side of human nature seems to erupt and folks find delight in taking you down.
It seems inevitable that at some point there would be some Oprah backlash. Several years ago when Oprah did a regular segment called, "Remembering Your Spirit," critics fell over themselves saying she was proselytizing to the masses. In reality she was trying to get people in touch with their spiritual side by doing subversive things like taking a walk outside or keeping a journal of the things you're grateful for every day.
I have no doubt Oprah will rise above all this speculation. She has a thriving production company, has bought her own TV network and produces both Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray's talk shows.
Nothing anyone says can keep me from planning my trip to "Oprahland," it will be the day I get to sit on her set and talk about my book. That's my dream and I'm sticking to it. Ratings and articles in the NYT be damned.

1 comment:

Sarah said...

not sure if you have seen this but you should check out www.livingoprah.com

:o)