Wendy

After a week in our nation's capital to cover President Barack Obama's historic inauguration, Oprah is back in Chicago where more hot topics are coming to the forefront.

During The Great Debate: Should You Replace Your Hormones? Oprah started a conversation she feels very strongly about. Women around the world who felt tired, flat, lifeless and imbalanced wrote in saying they felt the same way.

Wendy says she has been taking bioidentical hormones for 13 months, and it has changed her life. "My doctor and I tease about having a new birth date because the day that I started the hormone treatment was one of the best decisions I've made—I think probably the best decision I've made in my life," she says. Wendy says her migraine headaches, depression and low energy disappeared once her doctor helped her find hormonal balance.

Do you have questions about hormonal replacement therapy? Join us on Thursday, January 29, at 9/8c for an exclusive Oprah.com webcast. Register now to save your seat!
James Smith from the Chicago Sun-Times

During the historic 2009 presidential election coverage, Oprah says the headlines from her hometown newspaper The Chicago Sun-Times have been spot-on. The day after the election, the front cover simply but powerfully stated "Mr. President." After the Obama family's first visit to the White House post-election, the cover had another simple, yet graceful message: "Welcome."

After our new president was sworn into office, "So help me God" was the headline that captured Oprah's attention. The man behind these memorable front pages is the Chicago Sun-Times page 1 editor, James Smith. "We felt at The Sun-Times that the most powerful message are the ending words of the oath of office," James says. "'So help me God.' It can mean so many different things. It can be our reflection onto him, his reflection onto us."
Sasha and Malia Obama

As President Obama begins his first days in office and we settle in to our new government, there are two young girls who are starting their own journeys in the White House. To help Sasha and Malia, the president's daughters, make the transition from Chicago to Washington, Jenna and Barbara Bush wrote the girls a heartfelt letter.

Along with advice about friendship, love and enjoying every moment, the Bush twins reminded Sasha and Malia to remember the integrity of their father. "Many people will think they know him. But they have no idea how he felt the day you were born, the pride he felt on your first day of school or how much you both love being his daughters. So here is our most important piece of advice: Remember who your dad really is."
Zenith and Suzette

President Obama's inauguration meant so many things to so many people. Zenith and Suzette, two women from Chicago, say they are still in awe. "I am just blown away," Zenith says. "Since Election Day I have not been able to find the words to truly express how and what I feel."

Suzette says that while she traveled to D.C. to attend a series of inaugural events with friends, she flew back to watch President Obama be sworn in with the person she wanted to experience it with most. "My grandmother this year will be 90, and I talked to her in a cab ride over from the airport going to her house, completely surprising her," Suzette says. "My grandfather's deceased, and I couldn't have her watch this address alone, so I surprised her. She opened the door in tears."

See more memorable moments from inauguration 2009
Viola Davis

Another event this week was the announcement of the Oscar® nominations. Oprah says if there's any year to tune in to the ceremony, this is it! One nominee she's especially excited about is Viola Davis, who's up for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Doubt as Mrs. Miller, the mother of a child suspected of being abused.

Oprah says she originally wanted to play Mrs. Miller just to have the experience of working with the film's star, Meryl Streep. Director John Patrick Shanley turned her down, but Oprah says he made the right decision. "When I was watching the movie I couldn't wait to see who was going to play the role I really wanted to play. ... I got chills when you first entered the screen," she tells Viola, who's Skyping in to the Oprah Show studio. "You were so brilliant," Oprah says. "I started to cry because I thought, 'Really, the person who deserved it most got this role.'"

Working with as accomplished an actress as Meryl Streep was definitely intimidating, Viola says. "It's like going 15 rounds with Mike Tyson and you have only fought one fight. You're just trying to not let them get the knockout punch," she says. "But I have to tell you that [Meryl] could not have been more generous. She is shocking in her generosity and normalcy and kindness, so she was just the perfect acting partner."

Now that she has an Oscar® nomination under her belt, Viola has a big decision to make—what to wear to the awards ceremony! "I want to be cute, Oprah!" she says. "For some reason, they always break me down in roles. I never get to wear any makeup."
The star of Slumdog Millionaire

Sleeper hit Slumdog Millionaire is up for 10 Oscars® this year, including Best Picture. "Don't let the title throw you off," Oprah says. "If you are ready to be swept away by one of the most original love stories of the year—one of the most original love stories we've ever seen—you must give yourself the gift of Slumdog Millionaire."

Set in the slums of Mumbai, India, Slumdog Millionaire is the unlikely tale of Jamal, an uneducated orphan who lands himself in the hot seat of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. As he makes his way toward the game show's million-dollar prize, the story of how Jamal knew the answers begins to unravel. "How he knew the answers is the magic of this tale and what makes this film just brilliant," Oprah says.
Dev Patel, Danny Boyle and Frieda Pinto

Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle is Skyping in to The Oprah Show along with stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto. Danny says he's surprised at the word-of-mouth success of the film, but he says it's most likely to because people want to root for Jamal. "It's kind of the the universality of the story," he says. "It's a kid from nowhere, the poorest kind of background, and he goes through all this adversity to find his dream."

Filming in the crowded streets of Mumbai was difficult, Danny says, but it also afforded the movie some unexpected advantages. "It was a challenge, but a wonderful one really. It made us come up with all sorts of ideas like using small [handheld] cameras. ... We could almost film in secret, which is a big help in such a crowded place."
Ann Leary

When actor Denis Leary joined Oprah, Gayle, Mark and Ali on Oprah Fridays Live, he mentioned that his wife, Ann, was a huge fan of Oprah's current book club selection, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Ann is Skyping from her home with her dog Jackie, who Ann says is a true Sawtelle dog. "I think she's Almondine in real life," she says.

Ann is one of the Oprah's Book Club members already signed up for Oprah's live webcast with David Wroblewski on Monday, January 26. "I'm really looking forward to the live webcast. I have so many questions to ask this author," she says. "I'm a dog nut, and I really loved the observations about animal behavior [and] about the miracle of language."

Join the world's biggest book club discussion! Watch, download or listen to Oprah and David's conversation.