| Oprah Winfrey attends luncheon with graduates of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. |
Essence magazine honored Oprah with the Power Award at the 6th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon Thursday. On the red carpet, Oprah told Essence what she believes is true power: "[T]he thing about power for me is that it's connected to a source that's obviously greater than myself. Any time you can connect to the source and understand that that's where all of your energy, your creativity, your joy and your triumph come from, I consider that to be authentic power."
Get more of Oprah's thoughts on power.
| Oprah on the red carpet at the 6th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood event |
| Tyler Perry and Oprah |
Plus, Tyler's bringing all-new episodes of basic cable's #1 sitcom of 2011, For Better or Worse, to OWN. Look out for the debut in the fall of 2013.
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| Rihanna and Oprah Winfrey in Barbados |
With six nominations, Jay-Z is among those leading the pack this year. He's a formidable force in the music world, but we can't help but gush over the adorable moments he had with Oprah. Whether it was teaching Oprah to rap or touring his old neighborhood, Jay-Z revealed a softer side that we love!
Grammy nominees and multiplatinum recording artists Carrie Underwood, Rihanna and Usher all sat down with Oprah to discuss family, their careers and more last year on Oprah's Next Chapter. Carrie and her husband, Mike Fisher, had their first TV interview together with Oprah. Rihanna poured out her honest feelings toward another 2013 Grammy nominee Chris Brown. And, Usher gave his first—and what he says is his last—interview about
his divorce and custody battle.
We can't wait to see Alicia Keys and Taylor Swift perform at this year's awards. Oprah noticed Alicia's standout star power early on in her career, but by the time she sat down with the young diva for a 2004 O magazine interview she'd already collected five Grammys. And, we remember when young starlet Taylor Swift first released her Grammy Album of the Year, Fearless. Now, she seems like a veteran in the music industry.
| Dr. Maya Angelou in 2001, Photo by Dwight Carter |
The special airs in February on more than 175 public radio stations nationwide. Maya Angelou also speaks with Grammy Award-winning singers Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson, former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, and Golden Globe-winning actress and playwright Regina Taylor.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Maya Angelou said she wanted to do the series on black history "a way that you get it and don't even know you got it."
Find out when the program is airing in your area and more details at mayaangelouonpublicradio.com.
You heard right! Oprah lent her voice to the Jeep/USO "Whole Again" spot. "It is an honor to lend my voice in support of those who serve us all," she says. And, from now through May 27 you can support out troops too, with just a tweet. For each unique time #joinOSR is used, Jeep® will donate $1 to the SAFE Return Fund to benefit the USO in providing aid to our troops. Get more details on Operation SAFE Return at www.Jeep.com/OSR. Watch the Jeep/USO spot, featuring Oprah's voice, below.
The stars came out for the 44th NAACP Image Awards, hosted Friday night at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Among the night's winners was the cast and producers of OWN's Welcome to Sweetie Pie's for the best reality series.
Congratulations to the Montgomery family and all of the show producers!
Jamie earned the Entertainer of the Year award.Check out Oprah's interview with Jamie and his daughter Corinne. And, one of Oprah's favorite films this year, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and its director Benh Zeitlin won awards. See Oprah rave about the film to the first-time director.
| Welcome to Sweetie Pie's cast and friends |
| Miss Robbie and Tim |
| 44th NAACP Image Awards Stage |
Recent Oprah's Next Chapter guests actress Kerry Washington and actor Jamie Foxx were both big winners of the night. Kerry took home three awards for public service and her roles in Scandal and Django Unchained. Watch highlights from Oprah's recent interview with Kerry on both winning roles.
Jamie earned the Entertainer of the Year award.Check out Oprah's interview with Jamie and his daughter Corinne. And, one of Oprah's favorite films this year, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and its director Benh Zeitlin won awards. See Oprah rave about the film to the first-time director.
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| Photo: Getty Images |
As her new album, The Art of Renée Fleming, hits stores, the celebrated soprano talks about the City of Light, the secret to weight loss, and what comes after her final bow.
1. You Have to Make Time For Joy
You can't just focus on shoulds. You have to also do whatever makes your heart feel full. Maybe it's cooking for your friends, being with your children. For me, it's a sunset walk around Paris—where I keep an apartment—listening to jazz and Joni Mitchell on my iPod. It's like having my own soundtrack.
2. And You Have To Make Other Things, Too
It enriches you to enjoy music and art and writing, but creating something yourself is even more important. Ask yourself what it can add to your existence to write, to paint, to sing. It's so easy to leave creativity out of your life because you don't have time. But I know I wouldn't feel fully alive if I couldn't put forth some expression of myself.
3. Success Is Nine-Tenths Elbow Grease
I once said to the photographer Annie Leibovitz, "You've met so many incredible people. What have you learned from them?" She answered, "Everybody works really hard." That's the key.
4. Changing Your Body Means Changing Your Thinking
My whole life, I've struggled with my weight. Many people in my profession do—"It's not over till the fat lady sings," as they say. But I've learned that weight loss, like a lot of things, starts with your mind. If you don't look inside and examine how food is protecting you from dealing with something difficult, and why some inner voice is undermining your resolve, no diet in the world will help.
5. Nothing Lasts Forever
A singer's career is like an athlete's—short. It would be easy to view this negatively, but instead I try to think about what my legacy will be, how I'll give back, and all the new things I'll get to try. Like spending less time in airports, for example.
Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.
* Meyers Leonard had an emotional reaction when his brother, U.S. Marine Bailey Leonard, surprised him before a basketball game. After you watch this video, he won't be the only one. (YouTube via Andrew Sullivan)
* Here's a review of the fall collection by The Hill-Side, a men's accessories line, written in GIFs. (Well Spent)
* "Luca Pacioli was a monk, a mathemetician, a magician and possibly, the boyfriend of Leonardo da Vinci." Learn more about him from Planet Money. (NPR)
* Meyers Leonard had an emotional reaction when his brother, U.S. Marine Bailey Leonard, surprised him before a basketball game. After you watch this video, he won't be the only one. (YouTube via Andrew Sullivan)
* Here's a review of the fall collection by The Hill-Side, a men's accessories line, written in GIFs. (Well Spent)
* "Luca Pacioli was a monk, a mathemetician, a magician and possibly, the boyfriend of Leonardo da Vinci." Learn more about him from Planet Money. (NPR)
* Baseball fans are sure to be pleased by Peter Chen's Jumbotron Art—charming prints of the players he grew up admiring, done in a style reminiscent of the era in which they played. (Iconic Ballplayers)
Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.
* Dave Engledow just wanted to entertain his friends with his World's Best Father portraits (left)—little did he know they'd go viral. You can see some of the best on BuzzFeed and order a 2013 calendar of the images on Kickstarter. (BuzzFeed/Kickstarter)
* 50 years ago, James Bond strode onto the big screen. Shouldn't we all age so well? (Vanity Fair)
* Who knew Mitt Romney was such a romantic? Check out the photos declaring his love he sent to his future wife Ann in 1968. (Time)
* "The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety."—Deepak Chopra shares some great wisdom in under 140 characters. (Twitter)
| Photo: Dave Engledow/Fotoblur |
* 50 years ago, James Bond strode onto the big screen. Shouldn't we all age so well? (Vanity Fair)
* Who knew Mitt Romney was such a romantic? Check out the photos declaring his love he sent to his future wife Ann in 1968. (Time)
* "The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety."—Deepak Chopra shares some great wisdom in under 140 characters. (Twitter)
Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.
* In GQ's October issue, Denzel Washington shows readers how to rock a double-breasted suit—and teaches the rest of us a valuable lesson: "I don't take myself that seriously. I take what I do seriously, and I try to do a good job." (GQ)
* What do you do with 109,000 hats? Scott Legried has been trying to answer that question ever since his father died last year, leaving behind the world's largest cap collection. (WSJ)
* Watch the trailer for Knuckleball!, a documentary about baseball's most unpredictable pitch, which came out this week. (iTunes)
* Get out the tissues: This note from comedian Chris Gethard to an anonymous depressed fan is the most moving thing you will read all day. (The Chris Gethard Show)
| Photo: Nathaniel Goldberg/GQ |
* What do you do with 109,000 hats? Scott Legried has been trying to answer that question ever since his father died last year, leaving behind the world's largest cap collection. (WSJ)
* Watch the trailer for Knuckleball!, a documentary about baseball's most unpredictable pitch, which came out this week. (iTunes)
* Get out the tissues: This note from comedian Chris Gethard to an anonymous depressed fan is the most moving thing you will read all day. (The Chris Gethard Show)
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