Oprah at the Harpo gym

 
You never know who—or what—you'll find backstage at Harpo Studios! Oprah takes you behind the scenes to see what her job's really like!

A day in the life of Oprah Winfrey starts bright and early. Oprah arrives at her "dream job" around 6 a.m. to get in a 40-minute workout before the first taping of the day. Then, after breakfast, it's off to the makeup chair. While Andre does Oprah's hair and Reggie applies her makeup, producers have a “pre-show briefing” to walk her through the plan for that day's shows.

Prepped, primped and dressed to the nines, Oprah's ready to start the show! Oprah heads down to the studio to start taping—for this show, it's with Kirstie Alley. Then it's back upstairs for meetings, meetings...and more meetings.
Oprah in the XM studio

 
After a morning of show tapings, Oprah has much more to do. She talks with producers about upcoming shows before heading into Harpo's very own movie theater to watch a screening of Dreamgirls, starring Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy. Oprah's so impressed with Jennifer Hudson's acting debut, she calls her personally to invite her to appear on an upcoming show!

Then, after her daily O Magazine phone call with Gayle to finalize the current issue, Oprah heads to the Oprah Radio radio studio. There, she says she gets to do what she loves most—talk to viewers about anything and everything!

It doesn't stop there...after a long week, Oprah packs her bags for a very special trip.
Construction of Oprah's Leadership Academy for Girls

 
After wrapping up her television, radio and magazine duties, Oprah leaves on a quick weekend trip...to South Africa! Her destination may be halfway around the world, but this three-day trip is for a very worthy cause.

Oprah is putting the finishing touches on the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which is set to open in South Africa in January 2007. She's also working on a book about the experience, which will feature photos of the students and the story of the building.

During her trip, Oprah interviews a hundred potential students for her school. Then, she hops back on a plane and makes it back to Chicago in time to start taping shows all over again.
Annie Leibovitz

 
When Annie Leibovitz was just 23 years old, she landed a job as chief photographer for Rolling Stone magazine. For the past 30 years, Annie has stirred up controversy and captured history with the click of her lens.

Though Annie started out as a painting major at the San Francisco Art Institute, she's now known as one of the most celebrated photographers in America. Her photos have graced the covers of Vanity Fair, Vogue and Rolling Stone, and she's best known for her intimate celebrity portraits.

In the '80s, Annie photographed Demi Moore and Bruce Willis's wedding, and more recently, she captured intimate moments between Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise and their newborn daughter, Suri.

"Whether she's photographing the famous and powerful—or simply the woman next door—Annie always captures something unexpected and deeply personal," Oprah says.

A typical day at the office for Annie is anything but typical. Most days, Annie's dream job takes her to exotic locations. Annie recently photographed actress Kirsten Dunst in Paris's Palace of Versailles for Vogue—it was the first fashion shoot in this famous locale in more than 20 years!
Annie Leibovitz and Oprah

 
Annie can get Hollywood's biggest stars to do almost anything she asks during a photo shoot. She got comedian Chris Rock to do a shoot in minstrel white-face, and she even convinced Whoopi Goldberg to pose in a bathtub full of milk.

One of her most famous photographs captures a haunting moment in history. Annie photographed musician John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, just hours before he was murdered on December 8, 1980. In the photo, John poses nude next to Yoko and kisses her on the cheek.

Oprah believes that another photograph Annie took has changed the way women view their pregnancies. The photo captures a very pregnant Demi Moore posing nude for the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. "I don't think [Demi and I] really knew what we had done when we did it," Annie says. "I mean, the picture came out of nowhere."

In the book, A Photographer's Life Annie shares a collection of intimate photographs, featuring celebrities, herself and the people she loves most.
Annie and her daughter

 
Taking pictures wasn't Annie's only dream—she also wanted to have children. Annie waited until she was 51 years old to become a mom. "I was 50 and I woke up and I just said, 'It's now or never,'" she says. Annie is now the proud mom of 5-year-old Sarah and 18-month-old twins, Susan and Samuelle.

Some of their best family memories are made at her estate in New York's Hudson Valley. She searched for years to find the perfect gathering place for her large, tight-knit extended family, and a separate stone cottage on the property is her and her children's favorite place.

"I love raising my children. I thought the world was flat before I had my kids, and now it's round," she says. "It is wonderful. All the clichés are true, every single one."

Like any proud parent, Annie takes photos of her children growing up. She displays precious family photographs in her living room, and she does a series of photographs on each of the girls' birthdays.

Annie says she's happy to be an inspiration to older women who think it's too late to start a family. "I don't think anything prepares you for it, but it's the best the time of my life. It really is," Annie says. "You get to grow up all over again."
Bianca Ryan

 
At just 11 years old, vocal powerhouse Bianca Ryan landed a spot on the summer TV hit, America's Got Talent. Her jaw-dropping talent landed her a coveted position in the show's finale, where she walked away with a $1 million prize and the respect of the music industry's harshest critic—Simon Cowell.

"No way is this 11-year-old singing," Simon says. "I genuinely couldn't believe it—I have never heard anything like it before in my life. Potentially one of the best voices I have ever heard."
Bianca Ryan performs

 
Now, at just 12 years old, Bianca has a recording contract and the job of her dreams. So, what is she going to do with her million dollar prize? "I'm definitely going to give some to my church because my pastor's helped me out a lot," Bianca says. "And then I'm going to save some for me and my brothers and sisters to go to college. And then I'll probably go on a shopping spree."

Bianca takes the stage to perform her winning song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," from the musical Dreamgirls.
Cris with her Roasted Pumpkin Squash Soup

 
George W. Bush may be the Commander in Chief, but executive chef Cris Comerford rules the White House kitchen!

Growing up in the Philippines with 10 siblings, Cris says there were always mouths to feed. Years ago, her family came to America to make their dreams come true.

Cris worked her way up to the White House kitchen, where she became the assistant chef for the Clintons. She beat, whipped and pureed for 10 years before being promoted to chief chef!

Her main job is to prepare the family's breakfasts, lunches, dinners and the occasional late-night nibble. "They do a lot of sneaking around so, you know, whenever they have a taste for something like a little bite of a cookie or fudge, we have something. They're very healthy eaters as well," Cris says.

One of Mrs. Bush's favorite dishes is Cris's roasted pumpkin squash soup.

It's the big White House parties that this chef lives for. She says one of her favorite official dinners was for Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla.

Cris says she's definitely living a dream come true. "If it's a dream," she says, "I don't want to wake up from it!"