I like Discovery Health. Oh well...As long as TLC and HGTV don't change, I'll be okay.

Replacing Discovery Health with Oprah!? That's like substituing your Metamucil with Frosted Mini Wheats.

Face it, Liz Kelly those millions of middle-aged white women love them some Oprah. I, as an almost middle-aged black woman, don't get it.

A baby born with no skin??! That's a joke, right?

Well, that's one more station I can mark off my list! I am one middle-aged white woman who does not love me some Oprah or Gayle King or Dr. Phil or any other Oprah spawn. Like the almost middle-aged black woman, I just don't get the Oprah mystique. I guess it's fine for people who want to live their lives based on cliches and the AHA moment.

Dang it, I love Discovery Health! Stupid Oprah.

This is fast becoming one of the most pressing questions in my life: Who are these people?? Who has time to stay at home and watch television? Why do the people in my life-- not a one of them stay-at-homes-- discuss Oprah and The View?
Seriously. It's like crop circles and Stonehenge. A mystery I fear we'll never solve.

I'm looking forward to the reality show programming on OWN, especially the new series, "F***ing With Steadman".

Every week, Steadman will suffer another indignity in silence, until - at some point - he explodes in an orgy of violence and rage. Or will he?

It's almost impossible to convey how much I dislike Oprah Winfrey. I think she's a phony, self-aggrandizing blowhard. I don't understand why anyone would listen to a thing she says; her only goal is to further her own celebrity. I have never watched her show, I won't buy anything with her name on it, and I certainly won't watch the new station.

Well, this is why we have remotes. Isn't she already involved with the Oxygen Network?

It's a shame we can't buy cable or satellite al'a carte for the Basic and "Extended Basic" channels. If people actually had to pay $2.50-$10/mo, how many would still open their wallets?

I'm with Liz and Mibsphil on this one. As a 35yo male, I don't know why/how Oprah got to where she is or why she's so popular. Maybe it is just a roll of the dice? In some parallel universe somewhere, Ricki Lake has her own media empire risen from the embers of the Ricki Lake show?

EricS, NBC Universal bought the Oh network from Oprah. I don't see why a perfectly good channel has to be replaced by the Orwellian named OWN network. Can't they just add another channel?

'tis a puzzlement.
i think all the people who watch oprah are the same people who clog the aisles of target in the middle of the day during the week when i want to do my target shopping.
and they are, as you describe, middle aged to aged white women.

I'd rather watch the Paris Hilton Uncensored Network Kaffee-Klatsch (PHUNK).

This is going to be a real problem for me. I cannot STAND that Dr. Phil idiot. Which means if I maintain my normal channel-surfing MO of just hitting the up-arrow button over and over, I will eventually hit this network and that Dr. Phil idiot will suddenly appear in front of me. I will probably start to break out in hives every time it happens.

This woman must be stopped.

It's almost impossible to convey how much I dislike Oprah Winfrey. I think she's a phony, self-aggrandizing blowhard. I don't understand why anyone would listen to a thing she says; her only goal is to further her own celebrity. I have never watched her show, I won't buy anything with her name on it, and I certainly won't watch the new station.

Posted by: mibsphil | January 16, 2008 10:59 AM

I couldn't have said it better myself.

arlington, you should be able to go into your tv's menu and set it up so that whatever channel turns out to be OWN doesn't show up when you surf.

Or, just start repeating this phrase to yourself now, until it becomes a reflex:

"Oh, look, Jeffrey Tambor!"

it's brain-washing people! her show used to be pretty average talk show fair (remember her from the late 80s through mid 90s?) - then it started taking on the air of self-help (hence the weight loss, "Bob Greene" and "Dr. Phil") that has culminated in the odd mix of in-your-face opulence (i.e., favorite things) and benefactor of AIDs stricken children (not making light of the cause, of course, but her way of marketing herself via the cause that bothers me).

I was a one time fan, but agree that I've grown averse particularly because of this latter stage of "oprahfication." If I had that money, maybe I could get my candidate elected too.

Liz, good call. I totally humor you and Kathy Griffin on the Oprah-bashing. Love her (minus her choice of democratic candidates), Love her magazine.

It is so sad too...When Oprah WASN'T trying to take over the world or push her obsession of John Travolta on us, I actually liked her talk show...

She is seriously becoming an Oprahopoly and getting away with it...she is like the new Walmart...Ugh...

I think the name of the station - OWN - says it all. She knows she totally owns the masses who love her and isn't sorry about it at all (and is, in fact, willing to shove it in our faces).

Not even a semblance of humility.....wow.

I must also give props to mibsphil for saying so eloquently what I was to sputtering mad to type. I was going to get all snarky w/the middle aged white women out there until I realized that unless 100 is the new 80 I too am one of them.

She's even flaunting her 'all-powerfulness' with the name of the network. OWN, yes Oprah we get it.

Hear, Hear. Someone else who is on my oprahhating band wagon. I agree she does some good, and exposes a wide margin of people to read books etc, but seriously--if she recommends one more book that I like (and read like ten years ago) I'm going to explode.

I hate it when it needs her seal of approval to become a 'great' book. So having her on a cable channel makes me want to well..gag.

By 'one of them' I mean middle aged white woman NOT Oprah lover!

Now I'm depressed, no more Discovery Health and it's all Oprah's fault I've had to face my middle-agedness.

Gayle King's name should always be written as Gayle "Luckiest Best Friend in the World" King.

I don;t get the hate, really. Frankly, I wonder if it were a white person, especially a white man, we would feel this way (see, e.g. Dave Letterman). She too uppity for you folk?
I mean be objective. The woman triumphed over fairly heinous circumstances, and over being a black woman (major strikes against her) to be incredibly and impressively successful and to do a lot of good. I think we should be celebrating a black woman who has created fans out of middle American white women. It says a lot about how far this country has come. 30 years ago, she'd be the cleaning lady.

I'm confused I thought Oprah already had a network, Oxygen or somthing like that

I don;t get the hate, really. Frankly, I wonder if it were a white person, especially a white man, we would feel this way (see, e.g. Dave Letterman). She too uppity for you folk?
I mean be objective. The woman triumphed over fairly heinous circumstances, and over being a black woman (major strikes against her) to be incredibly and impressively successful and to do a lot of good. I think we should be celebrating a black woman who has created fans out of middle American white women. It says a lot about how far this country has come. 30 years ago, she'd be the cleaning lady.

sorry about double posting--odd computer thing going on.

To anon at 12:09 (and 12:12)

I believe it's been said here before that no one really begrudges O her success. She worked hard for it and surely deserves her rewards.

The hate is not for her success but for her 'I'm Oprah and everything I say and do is a pearl of wisdom to be shared w/the little people I deign to talk to everyday' attitude.

I think it is great that she overcame adversity and became successful, but that doesn't mean that she has to have a hand in every pot out there...
I think I would feel the same if it was a white man or woman as well...look at Donald Trump...he is just as bad...I don't enjoy him either...

I just don't think it is necessary to name everything after you...We know that you are successful and rich and worked your butt off...but now it just seems like there is a little bit of flaunting going on...

Anon @ 12:09 pm - There's a difference between triumphing over heinous circumstances and becoming a self-obsorbed media conglomerate. I feel the same way toward white men of simiar circumstances (e.g. Donald Trump, Tom Cruise, Dr. Phil - all of whom have overcome humble backgrounds only to become obnoxious a$$hats).

With regards to her charity work, her 'look at how great I am because I've done this' attitude overshadows the whole reason behind doing the good deed in the first place and turns the attention back to her, not the people who need the most help.

I think we can all agree that she is successful, but there are plenty of successful people out there - even in entertainment - who don't make it all about them, and yet still find effective ways to help those in need.

by the way if you think we'd like her more if she was a white man you haven't been paying attention when the subject of Dr. Phil has come up - now there's some hate!

I don't hate Oprah she's done very well for herself its not a show I would want to watch, But I do hate it when people refer to her like she is all knowing. Why do people take weightloss advice from someone who has such struggles with it. her weight fluctuates so much and yoyo dieting is not heathy.
Its really the sheep that make me so angry.

Agh! Don't take away Discover Health! That's my favorite watch-while-folding-laundry station!

The problem is that you are drawing only users of the internet. Specifically, only users of the WashingtonPost website. That is bound to not be a perfect cross-section of Americans. For instance, because this site involves reading, you likely have more people who would rather read than watch Oprah. I'd also wager that a great many of us are working stiffs logging on during work hours (as this is a "safe" website), and thus aren't necessarily home to watch Oprah.

Aagh! Speaking as a stay-at-home...it's not my fault! I have a serious dislike of all things Oprah, and I'm also not sure where my "peers" are getting the time to watch her incessantly. I sure as heck don't have time to watch TV all day!

I think the distinction between Oxygen and OWN will be that Oxygen will be a vehicle for her Harpo produced dramas. OWN will be a network for "reality series" so that she can give all her buddies, Nate Berkus, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Bob Greene, Dr. Robin Smith and Marianne Williamson, their own talk shows.

Stop the presses! Gayle King has a degree in psychology too! Add her to the list.

Oprah sets a high standard for young women of all ethnic backgrounds to follow. Yes, I agree she has evolved through the years and her popularity has catapulted her beyond what some deem necessary. I admire her because she allows her voice to be used to uplift and inspire.

Out of all the advice she has given I have yet to hear of anyone failing? She gives away BILLIONS of dollars unselfishly. She started from humble beginnings and is now helping other achieve their goals. AND inspite of all of the comments that you all waste your time making she still advances in the face of adversity.

I think if we all walk away with that lesson from her we would be better off.

Liz, you're a hater. How many predators have YOU helped capture?! Stick to the mindless drivel and leave a Oprah alone. Her eulogy will be a lot more interesting than yours will I'm sure. Why don't you work on contributing something to the universe other than snark.

I liked and admired Oprah when she was starting out, but power and fame and money have obviously changed her. Now she creeps me out.

The last couple of times I was home and able to tune in her show, I couldn't believe how she could barely stay focused on her guests, and kept glancing sideways at the camera, like the characters on The Office. She seemed like she was on auto pilot, barely engaged.

And I can never forgive her for foisting Dr. Phil on the world! Yuk!

Gayle King is just a true friend to Oprah and when you reach the level of success that Oprah has you cannot acquire REAL friends on a regular basis.

They have been friends for years so I commend both of them for beliving in each other and helping each other unselfishly achieve great success.

That is why it is important to watch the company you keep.

Again! True friendship. Another example/lesson we can learn from Oprah.

I used to like Oprah but in the last few years it feels like she wants all to delve into her super wonderful circumstances and feel her awesome opinions sink into our souls. Please worship at the Church of Oprah!
Not buying it....
She is an entertainer and interviewer but the jury is out if she can run a network....

We can also learn from Oprah that what we do for charity is all about us and not them and that personal tragedies can also be used for personal gain. Oh, and having other people on your magazine cover won't sell copies.

From 'whatever' we learn that some people need to practice what they preach (calling out Liz for snarkiness? Pot, meet Kettle...)

Also, I love how people say we're haters like it's a bad thing. Everyone's a hater in some respect.

Q: "How many predators have YOU helped capture?!"
- whatever

A: Here at Celebritology we usually see more trolls than predators. But we all keep our eyes peeled, right, gang?

Look, basically it comes down to...

If you like and admire Oprah, that is super. That is why she is as famous as she is.

If you don't like her, that is fine too. No one is making me or you and we have a right to voice it rationally.

Everyone has people who do and don't like them...but doesn't that just make for interesting conversation when you put lovers and haters all in a room?

I used to watch Oprah. But, as other posters have stated, its become all about Oprah. Even her guests can barely get a word in edgewise because she is so busy talking about her opinion about the guest.

She does a lot for charity. I don't even mind the publicity because it gets attention for the chritable cause.

But, at this point, she's going the megalomania route and that is downright scary.

I didn't really ever take a stance on Oprah...until the shoe incident with Jessica Seinfeld. That did it for me, Oprah's fame has gone straight to her head. As for Dr. Phil? Hated him since Day One. And what is this about getting rid of Discovery Health? It's seriously my ultimate guilty pleasure channel, whatever shall I do?

As a man who enjoys the finer things in life, nothing makes me happier to see my name plastered on the sides of planes, hotels, and even bottled water. It's for the reason that nothing irks me more than seeing Oprah compete with me in my quest for grandiose self-promotion.

Harpo Productions ("Oprah" spelled backwards) and OWN are an anathema for everything I stand for (Trump Enterprises). Fear not, good Celebritologists! Oprah must be stopped!

I am not an Oprah fan, but I do admire her positive spirit. I used to love her, but now...not so much. I think the list of her favorite things or her must haves that I will never be able to afford did it for me.

And let's be honest, we do charity work because it makes us feel better. If we ever get to The Fountainhead in the Lost book club, then you will know what I'm talking about.

When I think of Oprah, I think of those Si-Fi movies/shows that have some hugh mega corporation running the world like in The Fifth Element - ZORG or Max Headroom - Zik Zak Corporation.

Oprah happily purveys Phil, Rachael Ray, creepy Dr. Oz and The Secret to the braindead, red state, Wal-Mart masses with the ego trippy assumption that they'll give her Obama and an Emmy or Nobel prize for Gayle in return. They won't.

whoa- I hope Discovery will not get rid of the shows currently shown on Discovery Health- maybe they can go on TLC or regular Discovery. I love the Medical Incredible, Plastic surgery, Dr. G, etc.

Oprah has done many things for many people and her generosity should be commended.

I don't watch her anymore though. The last time I did she was doing a segment on how women renew their inner selves. There was a parade of beautiful women with beautiful homes talking about lighting candles and using aromatherapy. I just could not relate....

Does this mean that Rachael Ray will move off of the Food Network? Because then I can watch it again.

Does anyone remember an SNL sketch from the late 90s where Monica Lewinsky was trying to decide who to sell her story to. She talked with Babara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Larry Flynt, and then finally Oprah (played by Tim Meadows) comes in, being carried in by middle-aged women chanting Oprah, Oprah, Oprah.... And every time Oprah spoke, she referred to herself in the third person. That sketch always comes to mind when I hear Oprah's name.

Watching baby delivery shows on Discovery Health is my birth control. Replace it with the Oprah Network and I'll suddenly become a stay-at-home mom with five kids.

Do you think Oprah is getting powerful enough to stop the takeover of the world by Scientology? Oh no, wait, she loves Travolta and cruise. She'd never take them on.

I like Oprah the rest of yall need to just STFU and if you don't like her change the channel.

I like Oprah the rest of yall need to just STFU and if you don't like her change the channel.

Posted by: humondeez | January 16, 2008 02:17 PM

I see this as a problem, in an Oprah controlled world dissenting opinions are not allowed apparently.

For the love of God and all that is holy, why can't those who disagree with the posters use some punctuation?

By 'those who disagree with the posters', I mean those who think all of us haters on Oprah need to STFU. Humondeez, I'm looking at you.

Aw, man! No more Discovery Health? That sucks.

I'm all for Oprah getting her OWN network, but couldn't they have just added a channel?

"I am one middle-aged white woman who does not love me some Oprah or Gayle King or Dr. Phil or any other Oprah spawn. Like the almost middle-aged black woman, I just don't get the Oprah mystique. I guess it's fine for people who want to live their lives based on cliches and the AHA moment."

Yeah, count me in here, and BTW that's a rather gross generalization about middle-aged white women. In fact, a LOT of young women watch Oprah--and consequently I fear for our future. These are people who seldom read or analyze news: they want it spoon-fed to them. Thanks, Liz, for your usual succinct (yet restrained) reporting. :)

I, too, once watched the show after school and what-not. It's also on at 7 on some Long Island station so I would watch it when I still lived at home. I would konw in the first 5 minutes whether I was changing the channel or not. Every now and then when I catch it at 4:00 down here in MD, it's hard to watch. She interupts A LOT. Her guests never seem to answer the questions/complete their thoughts. I also liked Dr. Phil in the beginning, but celebrity-ness got to him really fast.

For the person looking for Dr. G., she's on TLC now (ironic, isn't it?) as of a few weeks ago. I don't know if they're new shows or repeats.

If there is any God at all it'll be Oprah as Obamas vicepresident in 2008. All ya hatas can bite it.

If Oprah gets any more involved in the Democratic race, she should just run.
And then I'll move out of the country.

i have nursed a severe dislike for oprah ever since she ran her date rape special when i was a senior in high school. my mom made me watch it with her and dating just wasn't the same sense. sure it was good becasue it highlighted a serious topic, but talk about scared for life! all men were the enemy and a tazer just wasn't enough to keep them away.

There must be a prominent link on the Post site today to this particular page, because we're suddenly getting a lot more vulgar, disrespectful and inarticulate contributors.

DCF in CA, I was not generalizing, I wrote, if you had bothered to read "millions" of middle aged white women, also if you and bothered to do any research, Oprah's core audience, her demographic are...drumroll please...MIDDLE AGED WHITE WOMEN. This was all they talked about when she came out in support of Obama. So I did not pull this out of my a$$, I actually know of what I write.

Well I, for one, welcome our new Oprah-lords.

I admire Oprah, think she's beautiful and talented and very astute, and that she's done some serious good. But I am sick to death of the weight we give her endorsements of glib self-promoters with little there there. When Obama became her latest protege, that was it for me. To say I hope he doesn't turn out to be another Dr. Phil or Rachel Ray is an understatement.

I admire Oprah. I'm not feeling particularly literate or snarky today, so I can't elaborate much, but I respect her a great deal. I also love that she refused to move her show out of Chicago when she was starting, because she said Chicago had always been good to her, and she wanted to stay. I don't watch her a lot because of the whole having a job and a kid thing, and I prefer to take up my valuable TV time by playing Rock Band. I can't jump on the Oprah hater bandwagon. Or the pleated pant hater bandwagon. I also am frightened of ponies.

I really don't fit in, do I?

River CityRoller, those are reasonable sentiments, expressed in a reasonable way.

You *do* stick out like a sore thumb.

:-)

Byoolin, Methinks and friends, will you please inform "whatever" that I am not a predator...unless you light bags of dog crap in front of my cave and ring the doorbell.

Humandeez, have you had your "O" today? Given the mood you're in, I suspect not.

The 'Squatch is right: he is not a predator.

Sasquatch is a respected member - a pillar, if you will - of the community. No fiery dog-crap bags for him, please: this is a carry-out campground.

I want my Discovery Health Channel!

If Oprah endorsed pleated pants, would there be a surge in sales of them?

If Oprah denounced pleated pants, would they all disappear?

I think we now know what the minions at Harpo Productions do with their afternoons.

If Oprah WORE pleated pants.....oh, excuse me, she already does. She wears pleated pants during her phat phases.

Liz, I've always had a saying about pop culture:

Just because something is popular, doesn't mean it has any quality.

Of course, there's the general corollary that at one point something that was quality and became popular seems to lose its quality.

Once upon a time, when she was a little less polished, I liked Oprah Winfrey. But then she became "Oprah" and far too serious about herself. I mean, it's great she uses her platform to deal with serious issues, but not everything she does is actually serious. But whether it's child abuse or a Julia Roberts interview, it all seems to hover around the same level of gravitas.

The woman needs to loosen up and pump her own gas again on a regular basis.

Losing that sense of perspective has made her show far less watchable. It was more fun when she was a touch more tabloid, because she did it with empathy and a great sense of humor. All that seems to be gone - if you're not in the famous and/or billionaire circuit, she can't empathize.

(Which is why I think people like Ellen DeGeneres. Dog brouhaha aside, there's a certain self-mockery and cynicism in her show that comes through - she KNOWS what she's doing is more about entertainment than anything else.)

If Oprah were to endorse designer diapers for the modern woman on the go, in a stunning array of fashion colors and festive prints, with metallic brocade trim and coordinated shoes for every occasion, you can bet that within two weeks the stores would be sold out and every third middle-aged woman in America would be prancing around in a paisley diaper and matching bunny slippers, and every one would be thinking she was all that and a bag of chips.

Omg. The regular commenters here are geniuses.

jes, this is my sentence of the day:
"I was going to get all snarky w/the middle aged white women out there until I realized that unless 100 is the new 80 I too am one of them."

Also, where can I get my designer diaper?

ding dang, y'all! yer on a roll today! i'm having a blast reading your comments.

"Gajillionaire urban businesswomen, their inexplicable power over us, and the sad, emasculated men who live in their shadows, next on Oprah."

FYI, MisterBear: I, for one, would not be seen "prancing around in a paisley diaper and matching bunny slippers." That would be uncouth.

I would be much more likely to strut, or glide, or sashay in my designer diaper.

Maybe Oprah can work on her fu(%!~g personality.

Good discussion today! Oprah's kind of awesome, for the reasons stated, and she kind of sucks, for reasons stated. Either way, she has substance and a social conscience, which elevates her over many current (and past) stars. Is her head big, yeah. But would mine be were I in her position? Heck yeah! It's hard for me to actively hate on her...because I see it like this: If I were ever on that "Favorite Things" show, I know I'd be jumping up and down and screaming and enjoying my swag, so it's hard to take the high horse..

I once thought I was "above" jumbotrons until I was on one at a Nats game, arms in the air, jumping like an idiot :)

PS Love the Gayle as luckiest best friend comment.

haha, sigh! i've done the same thing the two times i've made 'diamondvision' at turner field and yankee stadium.

This woman makes $40,000,000+ a year to ask "How did you feel when you found out your daughter was missing?"

Oprah's a form of cultural kudzu, growing out of control over a vapid, self-centered mass audience fuming about their waistlines while society slides into chaos. Are we doomed?

what is it about America that we have to obsess about everything? Do we really want to be a country that has everything scripted out, played to the "ideal" audience? Do we want a handful of recording artists, tv figures and authors raking in all of our money? Is there no place any more for originality? Yes, John S., I think we ARE doomed.

I too think Oprah is self-aggrandizing. That being said, her magazine features many thoughtful, articulate and informative writers. And Gayle King....I'd love to be HER friend. She seems very down-to-earth...in spite of her Oprah affiliation.

I addressed this same issue on the NYTimes web site:
I am a physician and I have been watching the Sunday morning continuing medical education discussions. I know some of the regular shows became redundant, but I had hoped Discovery Health could produce some newer programs for professionals and the every day public. Like most of these writers, I admire Oprah, but I am sooo tired of seeing her every where, pontificating on everything.

Whether or not you like Oprah, could you all take a moment to give her an "Atta girl!" for her nothing-short-of-amazing success? In our country, we currently have a woman who is a marketing force of nature all by herself, a woman Speaker of the House, and a woman who is a realistic candidate for President of the United States. I think they all deserve a round of applause. (And I am not even a Democrat!)

Now you can all go back to your hatin'.

"In our country, we currently have a woman who is a marketing force of nature all by herself, a woman Speaker of the House, and a woman who is a realistic candidate for President of the United States."

Remember Martha Stewart? She, too, was a one-woman-brand and empire-builder.

"Remember Martha Stewart? She, too, was a one-woman-brand and empire-builder."

Still is.

I don't see anything with Oprah getting her own channel. The only reason she will get one is because she can bring in the viewers = $$. It's all about the almighty dollar. Just as Martha Stewart and Trump went out of their fields and got smacked around a little we'll see what happens with Oprah. I'm not a fan but there are obviously more people who like her than don't.

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