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It's August 17th and I am way behind in my blog writing. Here's the thing - we had a major comedy show with Mo'Nique, George Lopez and Dane Cook back in May (or was it June??) and I kept postponing my post because I wanted it to be really juicy and REALLY good. That show had so may elements to it, and I wanted to do a give you the chocolate-bar-inside- the-Good-Humor-ice-cream-bar inside scoop. (If you haven't had one of those ice cream bars with the chocolate bar centers, you're missing something.) Well, next thing I know it's August 17th. There's postponing - and then there's plain "you ain't getting to it -- ever -- sister." The biggest takeaway for me from producing that show was this: what makes one person bust a gut laughing can leave another person staring stone-faced at the person busting a gut thinking "just WHAT is she laughing at? That's not funny. It's stupid. Geesh." A few other things I learned: Mo'Nique is a sweetheart and actually sent me and another producer flowers to say thank you (for what - I don't know. She did all the work.) George Lopez for all his fame is still unpretentious enough to leave his real cellphone number on my answering machine. "Hi, Caroline. It's George." Just George. Like we're buddies! Love that! Kept the message. And Dane Cook is a total professional who works very hard at making comedy look easy. And it is not. But man, he and George and Mo'Nique were FUNNY.
So after that show, we worked for a few weeks and then went on summer hiatus (which I assure you I do NOT take for granted. Please refer back to my first post if you need a refresher on how lucky I feel to work here). After the cruise (Oprah treated the staff and their families to a cruise for two weeks) I came back and while riding a bike, got my tire stuck in a train track, fell and broke my wrist. I had surgery and my wrist now sports a metal plate and two huge pins that stick out the side and remind me of Frankenstein. I'm typing this with one finger on my right hand. Don't cry for me, Argentina, I'm hopefully getting pins out this week and then can type like the wind and write a longer, juicier post.
Here's what the team is working on if you want to throw your ideas in the mix: people who are famous for the wrong reasons. You know, an athlete who should be famous for some athletic achievment but ends up in the paper because of some other kind of scandal. Or a private citizen who is thrust into the spotlight all-of-a-sudden, and becomes a household name. Ideas, anyone?
Back in the Saddle
Posted on Aug 17, 2009 5:40 PM
in response to: hawkxs3
Hello Caroline -
I'd really enjoy to see a show on forgiveness, owning our own crimes & misdemeanors and, ultimately, healing. I just posted a community comment about Oprah's confrontation of James Frey:
"Firstly I'd like to say that I have tremendous respect, admiration and special love for Oprah Winfrey. She is continually pulling and pushing us all toward progress and our highest selves by inches and miles.
However, Oprah is human - like the rest of us she is beautifully imperfect and has her own life's lessons to digest. I watched as she circled and attacked James Frey on this episode and it made me feel ill at the time - still does when I think of it. It returns me to all those times I witnessed as my sister took her turn being beaten and humiliated by our mother. It was brutal and self-serving.
It has been reported that Oprah personally apologized to James Frey last year and he was given an invitation to make another appearance on the show - which he declined. James Frey, however, has not ruled out a future appearance on Oprah. I look forward to seeing Oprah publicly apologizing to Mr. Frey on her show and thereby giving us all an opportunity to heal and progress.
Sincerely,
Liz - OldSoulNew"
I understand that she personally reached out, apologized to him and that he was invited back to the show - that is simply beautiful. Knowing that she admitted her mistake and apologized to Mr. Frey makes my heart sing. I wonder what kind of show can be put together to expand on this?
Hi Caroline,
My name is Stacy, I am 22 years old and I am trying to follow a dream and I hope you can help. My boyfriend, Jamy, is 31 years old currently working with homeless vets in the city of Worcester, MA. He is an Iraq War Veteran who spent 8 years in the US Army, but this is not why we are writing to you. A few years ago his mother Evalyn was diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer's and now at the age of 62 each day is a struggle. Jamy has also had his own struggles in life and was never the son that he thought he should be. So the wheels started turning as to how he could help his mother and millions of other families like his throughout the country. He has decided to walk across country from Oregon to Boston Ma following route 20 to raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer's Association. He plans to begin his journey in the spring of 2010. He has done much research and he found that most of the people that have accomplished this before him had somebody to follow them in an RV of some sort, to provide shelter as needed, a place to rest and regain strength and of course for support in completing this amazing goal. That is where I come in : ) My dream is to follow him as he is on his journey, helping to journal the events that take place and to provide him with support. The only problem is we are running into some hurdles in getting this dream on the road. He is embarking on the journey either way as it is something he feels he has been called to do. It is our dream to have me be able to follow him on this journey to love, laugh and learn. Please help us follow this dream. Thank you for your time and I hope that you can help us embark on this wonderful journey of life and love.
Caroline,
I am trying to find out what the correct procedure is to submit an item for Oprah's Favorite Things Episode. Can you help me out? My email is yumis@iowatelecom.net
Thanks
Hi Caroline - it's funny because the first person I think of is the guy Oprah was leaning on at the Grant Park Rally. I mean, you can actually google "guy Oprah was leaning on" and get over 70,000 responses! I find that so funny that Oprah can cry on a perfect strangers shoulder and the next thing you know he's all over the news. O's got some serious power! And that's why we love her:)
Caroline-
I, too, like yumistuff, am trying to find the correct procedure to submit an item for Oprah's Favorite Things Episode. Is this something you can help me with? My email is leslieacrichton@gmail.com
Thank you for your time.
Hi Caroline,
One person I feel is famous for the wrong reasons is Kim Kardashian. She made a sex tape and now she's famous.
I have to think more about the types of shows that I would like to see BUT besides a follow up show with guests like 'The Three Doctors' who made a pact to become doctors. They went on to do very big things, I would really like to see them back on Oprah.
Caroline, HELP. I have a creative arts program, Act Right, for people with developmental disabilities, including Autism, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and Mild Mental Retardation. We have been open for two years and lost funding. Caroline, I put everything I had into this program, we will have to close our doors by September 15th, 2009 if we don't get help. The adult students are devastated. They don't understand, budget cuts and the effect it has taken on their program. Please ask Ms. Oprah to consider assisting us in staying open. I am so drained physically and emotionally that I can't see straight. Our Eyes are watching God, and we need a breakthrough. Please come to our rescue. Caroline we need Oprah's Loving Touch!!!!! SOS!!!! I can be reached at actrightdj@yahoo.com
Hi Caroline,
I am writing to tell you about my dear friend Emily and to ask for your help. Emily and I have known each other since our days on the high school gymnastics team and marching band, over 13 years! Emily has always been a vivacious young woman, with an infectious energy and unfaltering faith in everything and everyone around her. She also happens to be a notoriously fantastic hugger. You know, one of those people who hug you like there is nothing they¿d rather be doing. For years, I¿ve had a suspicion that Emily truly believes she can fix almost anything with one of her fierce hugs. I¿ve begun to believe it.
Emily and her husband Patrick had just finally started to feel like things were working out for their family. They¿ve had a rough couple of years, having three kids under the age of ten while Patrick was in school full time and working full time and Emily was learning to be a mom at an age when all of her friends were practically still kids ourselves. Somehow though, they beat the odds. Patrick graduated from college and got a new job, they bought a house, and finally were able to take a deep breath together and admire their three beautiful children.
In 2007 Emily was having vague symptoms like bloating, and abdominal pain. She realized she hadn¿t had an annual exam since her youngest was born two years ago, so she decided she was due for a physical. She was shocked when her doctor told her he ¿felt something,¿ but he quickly reassured her that it was most likely nothing, maybe a cyst at worst. There was no reason to think differently. Emily was a healthy, active 27 year old mother of three healthy beautiful kids. Imaging and biopsies followed confirming a cyst that had to be removed. As stressful as any surgery would be, Emily was calm, confident, and her only concern was that the doctor had mentioned it may be a few weeks before she could lift her kids while her sutures healed.
A few hours later, Emily woke up in her hospital room. She tells me that although the drugs hadn¿t completely worn off, she could still tell immediately that something just wasn¿t right. Her husband was right beside her and could barely choke out the dreaded news. Her cyst had in fact turned out to be stage three ovarian cancer. The surgeons had performed a complete hysterectomy, removed both ovaries, and due to the extent of the cancer had also removed a large section of her colon and abdominal connective tissues, requiring a colostomy surgery. Emily looked down at disbelief at the staples running from her sternum to her pelvic bone, and the little bag that was hanging from her abdomen, a new appendage that she thought was only ever the accessory of the very old, or very sick. When I came to visit her that day she looked at me and said, they say I have cancer, Jen? I thought it was just a cyst¿.
The next six months brought six rounds of crippling chemo, during which Emily lost all of her thick blond hair. Already a petite woman, her weight plummeted, leaving her with barely enough muscle to maintain a normal body temperature. A common cold was life threatening, and eating enough calories to survive turned out to be a violent struggle between Emily¿s sheer will to survive and the retching nausea caused by her treatment. I was furious as I watched my spunky friend reduced to tears as she choked down half a yogurt, which to her annihilated taste buds tasted about as good as the contents of the bag on her belly.
Somehow, Emily completed those six treatments. I think maybe all of those hugs she so freely and sincerely distributed rubbed off on her children, family, and friends, many of whom rose to the occasion. Her five year old reassured me one day while I was visiting; ¿Jen, Mommy is special sick, not the kind that can make you sick, but she is special sick and so she needs lots of hearts to get better.¿ With that she handed me a crayon drawing filled with hearts of every color. Even her two year old seemed to know that mommy needed special treatment now, and did everything she could to make her laugh.
Now, with her chemo behind her, and piles of medical bills looming around her, Emily faced another painful and invasive surgery to help repair her colostomy. As she entered the operating room Emily told her colorectal surgeon, ¿Look, Dr. O¿Brien, I know you are probably used to treating elderly patients with this sort of thing, but I wanted you to know that I just bought two new bikinis, so this colostomy repair better go well, ¿cause I¿ve got plans for June, and they don¿t involve this little bag.¿ Emily is recovered from that surgery and her surgeons were able to repair the colostomy. The bad news was that there were still cancerous cells on her diaphragm and liver. This meant a more intense regimen of chemo over the next 6 months. Additionally, as part of her recovery, Emily also has a temporary ileostomy, a planned part of the procedure, but due to the presence of cancer, she¿ll have it a lot longer than expected. This meant no bikinis in June.
Despite all of this adversity, the Emily I¿ve always known is somehow still there. Just before her most recent surgery when I came to visit, I found her beaming, with beads of sweat sneaking from beneath her pink bandana. She¿d just finished painting her kitchen. This 85 lb. cancer patient just a week out from her last chemo stood in front of me with a dripping paint brush and three small children screaming with delight at the new red color on the walls. ¿I needed a change, it was too damn boring in here,¿ she said. Last week I came to see her just after her surgery and she said, ¿Well, this one was way easier than last time, but you know, Jen, I still have cancer, which sucks, but I can do this again.¿ With that, she propped herself up on her hospital bed and said, ¿Now come give me a hug.¿ Those hugs make everything seem like it is going to be ok.
The reason I am writing to you, is because there is a very specific way in which you can help my beautiful friend. As a student, I can help make dinners and babysit, but I can¿t help Emily and Patrick with one of the few material objects they really do need, a new mini-van. Currently, Emily drives a very old station wagon, which isn¿t exactly reliable, and doesn¿t have heat or AC. This makes for very cold winter rides and sweltering summer rides in Ohio where we live. After her surgeries and chemo it take a long time for Emily¿s body to recover and it would be much easier for her to get in and out of a van as opposed to her car. She¿d also have enough room to have her whole family comfortably in one car. I understand if you can¿t help my friend in this way. It is a lot to ask. But I think it would help her immensely even if you could just write to her and let her know there are lots of people out there thinking about her and loving her.
Thank you so much for your time. Your show brings a lot of happiness to Emily and many other people every day. I hope you are proud and fulfilled by your work.
Thanks so much for your time!
Jen jennifer.a.omalley@gmail.com
Hi Caroline: I'm suggesting a story about someone who is placed in the spotlight who didn't plan on it. I have a rare disease that LESS THAN 400 people have WORLDWIDE! I had started a campaign to raise awareness, funds for research, compassion and hopefully a CURE. The disease is LEMS-Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome. I was given a Proclamation for my work so far from the Mayor and a reporter ran a story (with a horrible picture of me crying). Along the way I met many people that have the disease and one is from Australia. We feel like sisters and have a destiny to appear on Oprah's show all our life, practically, but we didn't know why we would be on there. We'd love to meet each other on Oprah! I live in North Carolina. It would be amazing to put 2 out of the 400 together. Thank you. Catherine crusso320@gmail.com
Dear Caroline,
I am trying to find the procedure to submit a "green" item for Oprah's favorite things, but so far no luck. Can you please advise? My contact is: chelemot7@hotmail.com. Many thanks in advance for your answer!
How about a 26 year ol mother of two running for Mayor of NYC fost woman of color to make it on the ballot for Mayor in NYC.........
"In the middle of the worst economic crisis our country has seen in decades, New York City deserves a candidate that speaks in the name of poor and working people, not for the billionaires,¿ Villar announced.
¿My campaign will put the issues of unemployment, evictions, education and police brutality as the first order of business for the city to tackle¿not the interests of the banks and billionaires,¿ she continued. ¿We live in the richest city in the country, but you would never know it by walking through the communities where most of us live.¿
Villar is a student leader who has worked tirelessly against the city's and state¿s efforts to make CUNY students pay for the budget crisis. She is the president of her building¿s tenants association. She has organized against the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and against the occupation of Palestine.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation was formed in 2004. The PSL fielded presidential candidates Gloria La Riva and Eugene Puryear in the 2008 elections, and were on the ballot in 12 states, including New York.
Villar formally announced her campaign at a Saturday, May 23 PSL Public Conference under the banner, ¿Billionaires, your time is up¿and we don¿t just mean Bloomberg.¿
OMG, I loved Dane Cook's impression of Oprah: "EVERYBODY GETS A HUMPBACK WHALE!!" And I LOVED that Oprah can laugh at herself and have a sense of humor about everything... probably why she is so endearing to so many of us...
I believe in fairy tales. Cinderella was my all time favorite. I have a beautiful "Chocolate Shoe" made especially for Oprah! I know how much she love shoes and I am trying to find a way to get this "Chocolate Shoe" to her. It's like the Cinderella story with the shoe. I have a Chocolate shop in Orland Park Il Jackie Jackson Orland Park IL Kilwin's. On October 7th I had the chance to talk to Oprah about my store. Oprah will fall in love with my product! I am starting a search to get this "Chocolate Shoe" to Oprah. Can you help me get this "Chocolate Shoe" to the World's Favorite Princess!!! I will not stop until someone get Oprah this Chocolate Shoe.
Why don't you guys do a show about how Oprah and KFC SCAMMED america. Last May Oprah announced a meal giveaway with KFC and to this very date I still wait. I have sent SEVERAL emails to Oprah through this site and have gotten no where. I have sent emails and called KFC and NOTHING. If you look at ALL the 7000+ messages on Oprah.com/KFC you see they are mostly NEGATIVE. The emails I have sent to Oprah are SOMETIMES replied by Harpoboard1 with no substance in them, they just IGNORE our complaints. "CENSORSHIP" at it's VERY FINEST!!! I live by a simple rule and I would like to share this with Oprah, it goes like this:
DO AS YOU SAY, SAY AS YOU DO!
PS: I had spent over 10 hrs of my time back in May trying to print the meal giveaway coupons. Then I was turned away by KFC when trying to redeem these coupons. I was later told I had to get a form from a KFC fill it out and send it along with the coupons to KFC where they inturn would send me rainchecks. This included travel time to a KFC, Kmart for envolopes, and the Post Office to get stamps and mail these forms/coupons. All told I spent 15 hrs plus the time I have spent with the COUNTLESS phone calls to KFC and the COUNTLESS emails to KFC and OPRAH. My time is PRECIOUS to me and CERTAINLY as meaningful as any time Oprah and Roger Eaton of KFC have. Therefore I would like to be compensated for my LOST time or at the very least I WANT the ENVOLOPE/STAMP and COUPONS that I sent to KFC BACK, they were my PAYMENT for the RAINCHECKS and because I have recieved NO rainchecks I expect MY PROPERTY BACK. Does this expectation of mine sound REDICULOUS? Well guess what so is this SCAM that Oprah and KFC have conjoured up.
Hey, Little Lady, just an idea or though however you big city people see it. I got hurt in an offshore accident during a hurricane, guy died,I lived, any way I had bad dreams. Started blogging to see if i could help my self out of these dreams, I'll be danged if it didn't work, no more dreams. Now i had never heard much bout this bloggin thing, now I really don't know what to think, must be a zillion people doin this, and all for differnt reasons. Me, I just started tellin stories bout how it is i git myself in truble, fore long i got more people readin and i'm writin more stories, they seem to laff at em too. Any way never heard ya'll do no story on it, an all these people doin it to suplement their income and all so was just wonderin if that would be an idea for one of your shows, they even got awards for this stuff. whatcha think?
People famous for the wrong reasons--a surprising topic for an Oprah show. I usually depend on the Oprah show to shine its powerful spotlight on positive people or important ideas, and to refrain from contributing to the junk information out there.
There's a kind of celebrity that I call "Famous for Being Famous"--people with no particular achievement, position or talent, but who are nevertheless well-known, and whose celebrity perpetuates itself for that reason alone. Paris Hilton is an example of that. She got herself known through a sex video posted online, and stayed famous her name is Hilton. She is a frequent talk show guest but because she has no artistic projects, political causes or charitable passions to talk about, she is actually quite boring.
My point is, I hope your show does more than superficially review the same personalities we hear too much of already. I don't know how you could turn that topic into something worthwhile. Maybe you could challenge the audience to consider the time they spend listening to, reading about, or talking about famous people. Who deserves to be celebrated (a celebrity) and who doesn't?
Hi Carla,
It was interesting to read your blog notes about the show I have not read them before.. Thanks for taking the time to blog. Keep up the good work.
ptaffy
That sounds like an interesting idea for a show! With the advent of sites such as YouTube and Facebook, really anybody can ¿put themselves out there¿ for instant fame and criticism. Some people that popped into my head were Joe the Plumber, Jon and Kate Gosselin, Perez Hilton and recently, Levi Johnston. Excited to see the show and what kind of direction it takes. Would be nice to see Oprah cover some new celebs- seems like she always ends up having the same ones on.
That sounds like an interesting idea for a show! With the advent of sites such as YouTube and Facebook, really anybody can ¿put themselves out there¿ for instant fame and criticism. Some people that popped into my head were Joe the Plumber, Jon and Kate Gosselin, Perez Hilton and recently, Levi Johnston. Excited to see the show and what kind of direction it takes. Would be nice to see Oprah cover some new celebs- seems like she always ends up having the same ones on.
Regarding the interview with Erin Andrews:
I am so sorry for Erin and what she has gone through. I am also a victim of stalking, vandalism, and voyeurism, and it continues today. My profession is as a technology consultant and I volunteer (or did) in my local communities teaching life skills and computer literacy to inner city teens so I am not sure why I became a target. What I have found threw my private investigator and attorney, (and later on audio and video tape) is that I am a target of a multi-stalker community or what is known in the United States as 'gang-stalking'. I have had damage to my property and professional career. I am followed throughout my city and harassed 24/7. What Erin and Oprah need to understand is that this criminal community of multiple stalkers exists in the United States and have for some time, and without any consequences? After doing my research on these terms I have found that, many individuals are engaged in this act of stalking or as 'citizen snitches¿, which exist at all levels which includes the police and this is what Erin needs to understand. Where I may have been a victim for some time and considered most 'bad' incidents as 'asks of God' that occurred around my home, such as the flooding of my basement (twice) to the death of huge evergreen trees around my home, I thought these were acts of God. It took finding that my roof was cut and the trees were poisoned to now having my home new spray-painted and my local police caught on video tape with these people to clearly know that I am a target. It is sad that such foolishness existed, uninterrupted in our world today. And last, as a technology consultant my responsibility was to build corporate systems be it banking, insurance, healthcare or otherwise and my work in the inner-city communities was my passion to help others, why I became a target I would never know but it is damaging, and everyone needs to know about this genocide that exist in America with woman generally being the targets. And yes, I have notified ever level of law enforcement in America, all the way to the Whitehouse but the harassment continues. What Erin and Oprah needs to understand is that it is not just one stalker, it is many.
I writing to get a cd by Kizzy Walker heard by Oprah. Her brother Arthur Walker has contacted someone there and is waiting on a confirmation. He wants to send her the cd. The name of the cd is RELEASE IT, Let It Go and is of the gospel genre. She will be the next big thing. Please ask Oprah to take a listen and if she's not impressed something is wrong. We'd also like to get one to Gayle King. You can reach me at woodbew@hotmail.com
in response to: woodbew2
Hi Caroline:
I am writing with a show idea for a guest. I'm not sure if you've heard of him, but HEALTHCARE is an important subject today in America and I know Oprah doesn't normally do shows on politics, but this is important! So, I am suggesting as a not-so-famous guest is a man that was on Bill Maher's show over this weekend. His name is Wendell Potter and used to work as Head of Corporate Communications at Cigna and he talks about his aha moment seeing hundreds and hundreds of people who were insured were getting treated in animal stalls. He has now testified in congress and has a lot to say about the current bill in the senate that came out of congress this week that is full of what the insurance companies want. Honestly, this is important for primetime and for Oprah to lend a hand to the President and the American people to make sense of what is happening to this very important bill.
Micheal Jackson Show
Well better late than never. I just think you guys waited to long to do a show on Michael and it really did'nt acknowledge the impact of Michael¿s death on the entire country. Oprah did'nt have any guest on the show to speak on Micheal. I am very disappointed because I think Oprah could have paid a bit more homage to legacy of Michael Jackson.
Not sure where to post this but wanted to pass the info along since both Doctor shows are spinoffs from Oprah.
I was on the Dr. Phil message boards and ran across some postings from his Houston TX viewers. Apparently KPRC tv has taken Dr. Phil off the air and replaced his time slot with Dr. Oz. The viewers were very disappointed to see that Dr. Phil is no longer listed on any local channels for Houston area viewers. They are in an uproar about this mess. Below is a cut and pasted note that they received from the station.
"I emailed the program director for channel 2 and got this reply:
Thanks for your inquiry. As of Sept. 14, Dr. Phil is no longer on our
schedule. I don't currently have additional information on when the Dr.
Phil program might air.
I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, but I am certain
that you'll enjoy watching Dr. Oz. He really is a breath of fresh air --
very fun, smart and informative.
Thanks for your viewership,
P'nina
Program Director"
Best Wishes,
CJ
It is believed 1.2 million children are sold into sex trafficking every year...amass of silent victims. I know you have done this show before but millions of people still don't get it. I along with my daughter have written a children's book with 50% of the proceeds going to a non-profit organization___For The Silent, to help children silenced by sexual exploitation and trafficking. The other 50% goes to raise awareness. The book is A Collection of Squirrel Tales, publisher Xulon Press. Thank you for what you have already done in this area. Blessings, Norma
in response to: prdamrcn
Hi Caroline, I agree with prdamrcn Wendall Potter is a great interviewee. It was very informative.
Mary
in response to: hawkxs3
Hello,
I hope this finds you well anyways i really didnt know where to put this but here i go, I am part owner of a small clothing design co. i have 2 partners, its 3 of us now because my 12 yr old niece is so talanted in the fashion design i think she is the best of all three of us..lol.. anyhow we would love to be on your show, my biggest reason is because i feel like the world has forgotten just how talented our kids are.. if we were to be chosen to appear on the show we would all be wearing something we have designed and made, we would my neice would design something just for you as well..lol.. we live in a small town and are working out of a livingroom but its alot of fun i wish everyone had a job they loved as much as we do. anyhow you can e-mail me at srcasebolt@yahoo.com and at that point i can and will answer anything u may need to ask.we can send pictures or sketches of designs and u will then know that she is awsome...
Thank Your time,
Sew Stinkin Cute,
Oklahoma
in response to: tfsaustin
I hate to say it but if your time is so precious why did you spend 15 hours plus "countless" hours doing something that would have only saved you a few bucks. You need to figure out what your time is worth and then do NOTHING that costs more than that time. IE: if you think your time is worth $15 an hour- don't do anything that wouldn't be worth that $15 in one hour of your time- this is called time management. So if you valued your time at $15 and you spent 15 hours trying to save a few bucks on a meal than you just wasted $225.00 of your time. Personally I value my time at $100 an hour. That being said it was worth it to spend the $1.67 to reply to your rant.
Why don't you spend your time doing something more productive like removing fleas from a camel. At least the camel would appreciate it.
Toodaloo!
I have just completed my 1,000 mile walk around Lake Michigan. I undertook this adventure to challenge myself, and to also draw attention to the environmental problems facing the Great Lakes.
There is legislation making its way through Congress to fund restoration efforts for the Great Lakes (called the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative). This is a multi-year effort and it effects everyone in the U.S. since the Great Lakes contain 90% of the surface fresh water in the U.S.
I'd love to see a show with Lisa Jackson (head of the EPA), Joel Brammier (president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes), and me. I think my adventure would be inspirational to the women who watch Oprah (I am 46, a wife and mother of two teenage sons).
My blog is: LakeTrek.Blogspot.com
My e-mail is: LNiewenhuis@comcast.net
in response to: oldsoulnew
I'd Like to see a show on Animal rights And rescue.It would reach alot of people and would be a breath of fresh air.THANKS!
My Email is janineboguslawski@earthlink.net, I would like to see a show on animal rescue and rights.Thank you!
So this has nothing to do with your blog, but I hope you can help me. My daughter attended Northwestern from 1989 - 1993 and was in the audience of the show that featured Kimberly Bergalis, the girl who got AIDS from her dentist. My daughter made a comment on the air. I tapped the show, but my son tapped over the tape. My daughter and her daughter watch Oprah and I mentioned the show. My grand daughter would love to see her Mom on Oprah! Is there any way I can purchase a copy of the show? Thanks!
Birdie
your mailbox is full can you please read this an help? I need you to help my mother. its important please read
As a 21 year old girl I have no idea where to turn.
I figure that Oprah can help. She is a strong woman, with many resources and admittedly I have no where else to turn and no idea how to help.
Please listen to my story and keep an open heart. It is by the grace of God you will read this and maybe be able to help.
My mother does anything and everything she can to help me and my sister. But now I'm left unable to help her.
My mother was adopted from New Orleans back in 1961. A woman's shelter where young unwed pregnant teens were sent to secretly give birth before returning back to their hometown.
Until now it's not been a huge ordeal about who and where her biological parents where but now... thing's have changed.
My mothers adopted father, a singer and musician that worked closely with the church recording gospel albums and even making other records with her adopted mother (a pianist) whom she loved and loved her back died in her home before her eyes after her 17th birthday.
Not 18. She was an only child. her real family abandoned her and her father died of a heart attack before her. leaving her only with her mother.
She was getting ready to graduate, go on and make something of herself and had gotten accepted to OU but then refused to go and leave her newly widowed mother (the only family she had) alone. Together she cared for her and vice versa.
My mother married young, right out of high school
never getting an education and having children immediately
it left her busy with no time to care for herself.
and now the hard part.
My grandmother is dying a slow and painful death. Alzheimer's disease.
Now the only family my mother has left can not remember her.
her face is void and blurred. confused and empty and my mother struggles back the tears everyday.
Every memory, every piece of her, is slowly fading
my grandmother doesn't remember my mothers father is gone, and often looks at my mother and asks "where is he?"
and time and time again my mother answers, sometimes shes quiet, and says nothing and sometimes she passes it off saying "I don't know" or "off somewhere"
sometimes my grandmother gets violent. and as my mother changes her sheets, and cleans her, and places old photos on the mantle I hear her sobbing while she puts together her weekly regimen of pills.
There are so many.
some for the depression, some for the memory loss, etc etc. . .
It tears my heart that my mother, who has been the key in my family. the heart that keeps us beating is in so much pain.
She is alone in this world a single adopted child who is loosing her only family in the worst way imaginable.
After katrina my mother was heartbroken.
Not only for the people but any files of her real mother were more than likely washed away. And wonders if her mother was living there still.
if she was hurt. if she thinks of her. everything...
It's a pain to have one mother leave you and another forget who you are.
My mother was with her through her fathers death. cared for then as she does now, only more like a child.
my mothers given up every dream and nickle she owns to raise my sister and I and to care for her mother.
I want to do something for the woman in my life who has never followed her own dreams because she is busy caring for everyone else.
Please help my mother.
bring her joy.
Can you try and find her biological family so she isn't so alone?
or maybe send her off somewhere to follow her dreams and heart?
I love my mother and now that my sister and I are out of the house she is so alone and every day is torture for her and even for me that she cares for my grandmother. changing her clothes and trying not to cry as she forgets her names ad falls to the pains of a horrible disease.
I dont know what to ask for. if her finding her real mother would help her have a sence of not being so alone, and give her someone to make a connection with finally, knowing shes ok.
but can you or Oprah do anything? please.
I would give my whole heart for this woman.
she deserves something, a card, a vacation, or just knowing her mother wasnt hurt in katrina.
thank you,
Sarah
I'm sorry, this was too long for where I originally put it.
Dear Oprah,
Thank you for your show. Maybe you and your resources can help because my gut instinct has not let me stop thinking about an incident that happened 3 years ago in Lake Tahoe CA. My husband and I were in a restaurant and at the small table next to us was an older Caucasian man and a young Hispanic boy. The man had a news paper with the help wanted ads. I overheard their conversation that said "well, if you're going to be 12, that would mean you had to have been born in 1994." The boy was very quiet and just sort of kept his head down. When the man went to the restroom I asked the boy who he was with. He hemmed and hawed and said "my grandfather". I asked if he was Ok...He just looked at me and said yeah. The man came back. We went to pay and told the manager that we were worried and the situation. He said he would call the sheriff. We went to our car and waited so we could get their license. Well, the man sent the boy out to our car and he said " I'm not allowed to talk to strangers, that's my Grandfather." Again we asked if he was really OK. He said the same thing. Then the man came over and was shaking like a leaf. He said he was going to call the police for harassing him and to leave him alone and mind our own business. At that point they got into their car and left. We took down their license and went to the police station. Gave them the info. They just said it was his wife's car and told us his name. Jack Berry. Said that was all they could do.
We came home and gave all the info to our next door neighbor who is also a policeman, hoping he could look into it...we know he never even tried...But we know that something was not right that day and we tried so hard to stop it.
I still have the info on a post it...Kate
Now retired I love catching Oprahs show every day. You guys do a great job of putting together meaningful topics. I recently saw Glen Close & her sister on the topic of mental illness. This is a topic very near to my heart. My Mother back during WWII was pregnant with my older brother and due to mental illness in the family along with Post Partium she went off the deep end never to return to herself in a normal way. Years ago they just put you away and locked the key. Growing up I remember the visits to the sanitarium and how the doctors told us there was no explaination for it. Well that older brother also had mental illness along with the learning that my Grandmother & Aunts also suffered. Needless to say doctors saying this was not heridary were mistaken. I would love for you to do a show about this topic and invite Glen Close so the organization she has started will get the press it deserves. It's to late for my family but I always have it in the back of my mind because of Grandchildren. Thank god my kids are grown up and normal.
You Your Best Thing......
Hi Ms. Caroline!
Sorry to hear about your boo boo, we'll be sure to add your name to our circle-time today. We are the children at A Beloved Start Learning Center, our school was inspired by "young Sethe" Brittany Hawkins in BELOVED. Just think, we are all gather together because of what Brittany's mom saw in the eyes of a slave girl, how powerful.
Speaking of funny people, 3 years ago while in Hollywood Ca. Brittany stood in line next to Mr.Lopez while he purchased something to drink, Brittany said he didn't talk much, guess he was just thirsty.
Ideas: Why not allow Brittany to tell her story? Her mommy enrolled her in drama classes to help develop her speech and it lead her to the movie set of Beloved which inspired a learning center for us.
Although Brittany and Ms.Oprah's eyes become one in the movie they have never met. Perhaps the eye thing is all about making the connection to reach all of us. Allow us to be your left hand in waiting.
-The Gang @ABSLC