Oprah Winfrey

[MC 1]

My thought was: how stupid do you have to be to take on Oprah?

Well, apparently Kitty Kelley is taking her on... WATCH OUT, OPRAH (NY Post Link)

[k80cat 0]

I know, I saw this today, MC!

 

But what else could she dig up? She's already admitted to sex abuse, teenage pregnancy, bad relationships / domestic violence, a compusive eating disorder. I think she's a pretty open book.

 

What's Kitty gonna dig up? That Oprah is not nice behind the scenes? I bet Oprah doesn't suffer fools -- no more, no less. Big deal.

[MC 1]

I know, I saw this today, MC!

 

But what else could she dig up? She's already admitted to sex abuse, teenage pregnancy, bad relationships / domestic violence, a compusive eating disorder. I think she's a pretty open book.

 

What's Kitty gonna dig up? That Oprah is not nice behind the scenes? I bet Oprah doesn't suffer fools -- no more, no less. Big deal.

Probably something about the realities of her relationships. Although, I'm sure anyone who is close to her who even whispers anything will be hunted down and banned from her existence. Should be interesting to see what happens.

[Freckles 79]

Don't forget about her open admission of past drug use, too!

[strawberryshortcake 0]

The article is now missing...

[k80cat 0]

Here it is -

 

Liz Smith, Page Six

12/12/06

 

Speaking of fear, the unstoppable Kitty Kelley - she of the legion of books showing us that our idols all have feet of clay - is off on a quest that might be her last. Could anyone attack, analyze, dissect and come up against the great all-American phenomenon that is Oprah and live to fight another day afterward?

Kitty has had plenty of turn-downs from editors and publishers who are afraid even to speak with her after they know about her latest project. But rumor has it that the Crown publishing house will allow Kitty to forge ahead giving Oprah the same treatment that she gave Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Reagan, the Bush dynasty and the British royals. (You really have to be "somebody" to catch Kitty's attention.)

 

I've had my own ups and downs with Kitty, including her inclusion of me in Nancy Reagan's biography at a time when I hardly even knew Mrs. Reagan, so finding myself therein was ludicrous. But the fact remains that Kitty is an excellent reporter and ruthless digger, and no famous person is safe once she gets them in her sights.

I spoke of Kitty's reportorial talents this week with someone I admire. The "someone" said, "Yes, but I think we make a mistake when we judge people on their talents. It is their character that makes the difference in the long run." Question: Will Oprah Winfrey stand still for Kitty Kelley?

Edited December 14, 2006 by k80cat

[sanlee 49]

Oprah Puts The Kibosh on Random House

 

 

Famed unauthorized biographer to the stars, Kitty Kelley has long been trying to get someone to back her plan to tell Oprah's life story. And it looks like someone finally saw fit to take the bait--Crown Publishing. According to Galleycat:

 

Signing on for editing duties is Peter Gethers - an editor-at-large with Random House as a whole who does not report to anyone in the Crown Publishing Group. When reached for comment, Gethers stated he would not be answering specific questions about the deal and referred me to Crown's Vice President of Publicity, Tina Constable (attempts to reach her by telephone and email are still pending.)

 

For another, sources tell GalleyCat that there's a good reason the deal language Marketplace quotes, where "Crown group president Jenny Frost takes responsibility for the buy," is deliberate. Why? Evidently the deal was news to most of the Crown editorial staff. "Between this book and James Frey, she's never going to touch another Random House author," said our tipster.

 

Yeah, I don't know. If it were me, I probably wouldn't F with Oprah. Personally, I may have to avoid Random House myself, because my fantasy of having my novel published has pretty much always included getting my ass into Oprah's Book Club--that's pretty much the only reason TO write a book, really.

 

 

Kitty Kelley Deal Raises Eyebrows [GalleyCat]

 

Kitty Kelley book due on Oprah [AP]

[Cutielb99 0]

By Gina Serpe, Dec. 15, 2006 6:05 p.m. PT

 

Who says Oprah Winfrey's not in touch with reality? The queen of talk is ready for prime time with a pair of do-good reality shows for ABC, Oprah Winfrey's The Big Give and Your Life or Your Money. The first project follows 10 people who've been given money with orders to give it away, while the second follows a family in need as they're given money and a life makeover. Winfrey appears on one of the two shows, most likely the one with her name in the title.

[Cutielb99 0]

Oprah and Stedman Movin' On In -- Finally

Posted Dec 23rd 2006 11:00AM by TMZ Staff

 

Oprah's finally ready to let Stedman sleep over – every night.

 

The talk queen and longtime beau Stedman Graham are finally taking their relationship to the next level and moving in together – after, oh, 20 years or so -- and tongues are wagging that this development could foretell the unthinkable ... an Oprah-Stedman wedding.

 

According to Life & Style magazine, the pair have decided to cohabitate, possibly in the $6 million Chicago pad that O just bought. The mag's source says Oprah is finally "happy to let Stedman have what he wants." An Oprah rep confirms the news. No word, however, on how O's BFF (and sometime sleepover guest) Gayle King will feel about this.

[k80cat 0]

I thought they always lived together? When she gave a tour of her last Chi apartment on the show, he was definitely in residence!

[Cutielb99 0]

I thought they always lived together? When she gave a tour of her last Chi apartment on the show, he was definitely in residence!

Sounds to me like Oprah's camp planted this after Jamie Foxx's recent comment about Oprah and Gayle.

[GimmeSumSugar 0]

 

I thought they always lived together? When she gave a tour of her last Chi apartment on the show, he was definitely in residence!

Sounds to me like Oprah's camp planted this after Jamie Foxx's recent comment about Oprah and Gayle.

 

Totally. Damage control in full swing.

Edited December 26, 2006 by GimmeSumSugar

[Cutielb99 0]

Oprah Winfrey's $40 Million School to Open

MONDAY JANUARY 01, 2007 09:35 AM EST

By Stephen M. Silverman

 

Oprah Winfrey is getting ready to open the $40 million school she paid to have built in South Africa – in grand Oprah style.

 

The 22-acre Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in the town of Henly-on-Klip is holding its big opening this week. Reportedly due to attend the ceremonies are John Travolta, Stevie Wonder, Nelson Mandela and Angelina Jolie, according to Newsweek magazine.

 

Winfrey, who handpicked the 152 12- and 13-year-old girls (out of the more than 3,5000 who applied), tells the magazine that the students "deserve to be surrounded by beauty, and beauty does inspire."

 

And that's what they will get. Winfrey personally chose the pleated uniforms the girls will wear, as well as the 200-thread count sheets. She also tested out the beds to make sure they are comfortable and had extra large closets built. The school also includes a yoga studio, a beauty salon and indoor and outdoor theaters.

 

"I wanted this to be a place of honor for them because these girls have never been treated with kindness. They've never been told they are pretty or have wonderful dimples. I wanted to hear those things as a child."

 

As for critics who've said she should focus her efforts on the U.S., Winfrey, who has contributed to many American charities, says she was moved by the South African children's desire for an education.

 

"I really became frustrated with the fact that all I did was write check after check," the media mogul, 52, tells Newsweek of her previous charitable giving. "At a certain point, you want to feel that connection."

 

Winfrey, who devoted five years to creating the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls outside Johannesburg, also said of the assistance she has given at home, "I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there."

 

In America, she says, "If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don't ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school."

 

Winfrey has called the Leadership Academy "the fulfillment of my work on earth."

[MC 1]

As for critics who've said she should focus her efforts on the U.S., Winfrey, who has contributed to many American charities, says she was moved by the South African children's desire for an education.

 

"I really became frustrated with the fact that all I did was write check after check," the media mogul, 52, tells Newsweek of her previous charitable giving. "At a certain point, you want to feel that connection."

 

Winfrey, who devoted five years to creating the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls outside Johannesburg, also said of the assistance she has given at home, "I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there."

 

In America, she says, "If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don't ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school."

 

Winfrey has called the Leadership Academy "the fulfillment of my work on earth."

This whole thing turns my stomach. It's about HER. I'm sorry, but 200 thread count sheets do not send the right message. What's the difference between knowing what you want (ipod) and getting what you don't ask for (beauty salon, crisp uniforms, etc.). Once again, it's all about the big O. You don't get publicity if you simply write the checks. Edited January 1, 2007 by MC

[CeCeLadybug 0]

From TMZ.com

 

A woman is suing Oprah Winfrey's studio, claiming she was injured as people rushed to get a seat before a taping of the show. Tanya Milner alleges she was pushed down some stairs, and is seeking more than $50,000 in damages

[sanlee 49]

panachereport.com

 

Chris Rock jokes about Oprah Winfrey's new school, "This is probably the biggest non-prison ever built for black people.

[CeCeLadybug 0]

Oprah the Victim of $1.5 Million Blackmail Scheme

Posted Jan 6th 2007 8:17PM by TMZ Staff

Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Oprah

 

Oprah Winfrey was the target of an extortion plot by an Atlanta man who claimed to have damaging audio tapes he would release if he wasn't paid off, federal court charges allege.

 

The man, Keifer Bonvillain, is accused of illegally recording phone conversations he had win a Winfrey employee about her and her business. According to the charges, he then asked for $1.5 million from a second person, described as a Winfrey "business associate," to destroy the tapes and his notes.

 

The charges go on to say that Bonvillain threatened to sell the information to the tabloids or write a book about them.

 

Winfrey is not identified in the complaint, but instead the documents refer to an "Individual A," who is "a public figure and the owner of a Chicago-based company." The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune on Saturday identified "Individual A" as Winfrey, whose Harpo Studios is based in Chicago.

 

Bonvillain's attorney, Kent Carlson, told the Tribune and Sun-Times he could neither confirm nor deny details in the complaint.

[Cruzin2Fold 1]

Oprah the Victim of $1.5 Million Blackmail Scheme

Posted Jan 6th 2007 8:17PM by TMZ Staff

Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Oprah

 

Oprah Winfrey was the target of an extortion plot by an Atlanta man who claimed to have damaging audio tapes he would release if he wasn't paid off, federal court charges allege.

 

The man, Keifer Bonvillain, is accused of illegally recording phone conversations he had win a Winfrey employee about her and her business. According to the charges, he then asked for $1.5 million from a second person, described as a Winfrey "business associate," to destroy the tapes and his notes.

 

The charges go on to say that Bonvillain threatened to sell the information to the tabloids or write a book about them.

 

Winfrey is not identified in the complaint, but instead the documents refer to an "Individual A," who is "a public figure and the owner of a Chicago-based company." The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune on Saturday identified "Individual A" as Winfrey, whose Harpo Studios is based in Chicago.

 

Bonvillain's attorney, Kent Carlson, told the Tribune and Sun-Times he could neither confirm nor deny details in the complaint.

How much you want to bet these conversations include Gail King?

[sanlee 49]

Oprah Gets HIV Test, Hopes Students Will

 

 

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) --

 

Oprah Winfrey took an HIV test Saturday and encouraged students at her new school and their loved ones to follow suit, in a bid to inspire more openness about the disease that is devastating South Africa's youth.

 

At an open day for families at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, the talk show host promised the 152 pupils free AIDS testing, counseling and - if necessary - treatment.

 

"To be a great leader you must be of sound mind, body and spirit," Winfrey said. "Part of leadership is having the courage to demonstrate true action. Today I have taken the test to demonstrate why it's so important."

 

Winfrey's test results be kept confidential, as will those of the girls, according to a statement issued on behalf of the Oprah Winfrey Foundation. Taking an AIDS test was not mandatory for students, and results will not affect their participation at the school.

 

An estimated 5.4 million of South Africa's 48 million people are infected with the AIDS virus. In 2006, an estimated 950 people died per day from AIDS-related diseases, while 1,400 were infected each day - a total of 530,000 new infections - according to an authoritative report by the Actuarial Society of South Africa and the Medical Research Council.

 

The report warned that fewer than half of South Africa's 15-year olds will live to see their 60th birthday because of the pandemic and that the youth faced a "bleak future."

 

Health authorities and AIDS activist groups say the stigmatization surrounding the virus and resulting reluctance to be tested is especially alarming. Young women are especially at risk, and many of the girls at Winfrey's school come from families affected by AIDS.

 

Winfrey selected the 11- to 12-year-old girls for the school from 3,500 applications across the country. To qualify, they had to show both academic and leadership potential and have a household income of no more than $787 a month.

 

Winfrey's luxurious academy opened last Tuesday at a ceremony attended by Spike Lee, Tina Turner and former South African President Nelson Mandela, who inspired Winfrey in 2000 to undertake the project.

 

Built on 52 acres, the 28-building campus resembles a luxury hotel, with state-of-the-art classrooms, computer and science labs and a library, theater and wellness center. Each girl lives in a two-bedroom suite. It will eventually have 450 students.

 

 

Winfrey, who herself had an impoverished childhood, plans to build a house on the campus so she can monitor the girls' progress.

[taco 0]

 

Oprah the Victim of $1.5 Million Blackmail Scheme

Posted Jan 6th 2007 8:17PM by TMZ Staff

Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Oprah

 

Oprah Winfrey was the target of an extortion plot by an Atlanta man who claimed to have damaging audio tapes he would release if he wasn't paid off, federal court charges allege.

 

The man, Keifer Bonvillain, is accused of illegally recording phone conversations he had win a Winfrey employee about her and her business. According to the charges, he then asked for $1.5 million from a second person, described as a Winfrey "business associate," to destroy the tapes and his notes.

 

The charges go on to say that Bonvillain threatened to sell the information to the tabloids or write a book about them.

 

Winfrey is not identified in the complaint, but instead the documents refer to an "Individual A," who is "a public figure and the owner of a Chicago-based company." The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune on Saturday identified "Individual A" as Winfrey, whose Harpo Studios is based in Chicago.

 

Bonvillain's attorney, Kent Carlson, told the Tribune and Sun-Times he could neither confirm nor deny details in the complaint.

How much you want to bet these conversations include Gail King?

 

That seems like it would be a safe bet, but I wonder why she balked at the payoff if she was afraid of it coming out.

[sanlee 49]

Oprah Lost A Baby At 14.

 

Oprah Lost A Baby At 14.... Oprah Winfrey has stunned fans by revealing she lost a child when she was a young teenager.

 

The media mogul and talk show host tells all in the new issue of her namesake magazine, Oprah, admitting she was almost a mum at 14, after years of sexual abuse and "resulting promiscuity."

 

Best pal and Oprah editor Gayle King says, "She didn't really know who the father was of this child... and hid the pregnancy for a very long time."

 

Oprah reveals the baby, which was born prematurely, died shortly after birth.

 

King adds, "It was a secret that she carried for many years because she was very ashamed."

 

The media mogul felt she had to reveal all about her secret when an unnamed family member sold the story of Oprah's lost child to US tabloid the National Enquirer.

 

She recalls, "It was a weekend where she just really had a breakdown."

 

But, in the article in the new Oprah, Winfrey insists the betrayal was a blessing in disguise.

 

She writes, "Having the secret out was liberating. Not until then could I begin the repair work on my spirit for the sexual abuse and damage done to me as a young girl."

 

It has been revealed

 

Oprah Is Richest Female Entertainer

 

Oprah Winfrey has topped the first Forbes magazine Richest Women Entertainers List.

The big business publication estimates the media mogul has made a staggering $1.5 billion in her career as a newscaster, talk show host, publisher and actress.

 

Winfrey tops Harry Potter author Jk Rowling, who comes in second with a $1 billion fortune, while US lifestyle queen Martha Stewart rounds out the top three with $638 million (£327 million).

 

Madonna ranks fourth on the new list, followed by Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston.

[Cutielb99 0]

Oprah Winfrey: I Was 'Devastated' by Relative's Betrayal

SATURDAY JANUARY 20, 2007 01:20 PM EST

People.com

 

Oprah Winfrey was shattered when a relative revealed in 1990 that she'd had a baby at 14, she says in the new issue of her magazine.

 

The February issue of O, The Oprah Magazine, has the theme, "My first" – and Winfrey writes about her first betrayal: A family member's revelation to the National Enquirer that Winfrey gave birth as a teen to a baby who died in the hospital weeks later.

 

Winfrey writes that the relative, whom she doesn't name but whom the Associated Press identifies as her half-sister, Patricia Lloyd, "sat in a room, told them the story of my hidden shame and left their offices $19,000 richer."

 

When she found out, Winfrey writes, according to the New York Post, "I took to my bed and cried for three days. I felt devastated. Wounded. Betrayed. How could this person do this to me?"

 

Before the article came out, she says, "Only my family and closest friends knew. I would tell no one until I felt safe enough to share my dark past: the years I was sexually abused, from age 10 to 14, my resulting promiscuity as a teenager, and finally, at 14, my becoming pregnant."

 

She worried that if anyone found out about the pregnancy, it would damage her career: "I imagined that every person on the street was going to point their finger at me and scream, 'Pregnant at 14, you wicked girl ... expelled!' "

 

But in fact, she says, "No one said a word ... not strangers, not even people I knew. I was shocked. Nobody treated me differently. For 20 years, I had been expecting a reaction that never came.

 

"And I soon realized that having the secret out was liberating. ... What I learned for sure was that holding the shame was the greatest burden of all."

[taco 0]

Racial Ray?

Posted Jan 24th 2007 6:00AM by TMZ Staff

Filed under: TV, Oprah

Perky talk show host Rachael Ray made disparaging racial remarks about the woman who gave Ray her big shot at daytime TV -- none other than Oprah Winfrey, according to TMZ sources. It's a shocking account of a dinner that occurred during the period that the show was being sold.

 

Rewind to December 3, 2005. Ray was at the Century City Shopping Mall in Los Angeles for a book signing. Reps from King World, the production company that was syndicating the show, were shooting the event for its sales presentation.

 

"Why is she wearing slave drag? She obviously has problems being black."

At around 7:00 PM, Ray, along with seven others, went to Houston's Restaurant in the mall. They sat in a booth in the far right rear of the restaurant. Ray ordered fish and complained to the table it was dry. She was also drinking red wine and lots of it -- one source says a minimum of four big glasses.

 

We're told Ray became "extremely loud and aggressive," and began dissing Oprah. Sources say she told the group about a portrait of Oprah that sits in the lobby of Harpo Productions in Chicago. It's from the movie "Beloved" and shows Winfrey's back, enhanced with scars. She's also wearing a skirt from the slavery era.

 

Back at the table, sources say Ray launched into attack mode: "Why is she wearing slave drag? She obviously has problems being black."

 

But Oprah wasn't Ray's only target. Sources say she told the group how much she liked Jennifer Aniston

Brad's a "pussy boy." Angelina is a "skanky, backdoor c**t."

and then called Brad Pitt a "pussy boy." But her harshest comments were reserved for Angelina Jolie, calling her "a skanky, backdoor c**t."

 

TMZ contacted the Director of Publicity for Rachael Ray, Charlie Dougiello, who said, "Rachael did attend the dinner referenced and enjoyed wine and good conversation with friends and colleagues. She denies making any of the comments referenced. In fact, there are several words that are attributed to Rachael that she has never uttered in her life."

 

Dougiello added, "Neither in public nor in private has Rachael made a disparaging or cruel remark about her friend and mentor, Oprah, nor a celebrity couple she has never even met."

 

Dougiello also said, "There were several associates of Rachael's at that table who, unprompted, agreed that Rachael never made any of the comments she is being accused of making... and it seems very convenient that these accusations are being levied at a time when Rachael's success has focused the public eye on her."

[sanlee 49]

New York Daily News

 

Poitier is OK

in Oprah's book

 

A year after the James Frey debacle, Oprah Winfrey resumed her book club yesterday, announcing a memoir by revered actor Sidney Poitier as her first selection.

Her choice is sure to make "The Measure of a Man," published in 2000, an instant best-seller. Within hours of the announcement, it had leaped to No. 4 on Amazon.com's list.

 

"It [the book] really is about what makes character, what makes you be who you are," Winfrey said on her talk show, adding that Poitier "is the measure of one of the greatest men I think who has ever been on our planet."

 

Poitier, who turns 80 Feb. 20, was the first black performer to win the Oscar for best actor, cited in 1964 for "Lilies of the Field." His other films include "In the Heat of the Night," "To Sir, With Love" and "The Blackboard Jungle." In 2002, he received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement.

 

In a statement issued yesterday by his publisher, HarperSanFrancisco, Poitier said he was "overwhelmed."

 

Poitier is certainly unlikely to bring the embarrassment caused by one of Winfrey's former protégés. She heavily promoted Frey's "A Million Little Pieces," only to have The Smoking Gun Web site reveal last January that the memoir was largely fabricated. Winfrey at first defended Frey, then changed her mind and chewed him out on her show.

[Cutielb99 0]

Oprah breaks long absence of book club

Poitier’s ‘Measure of a Man’ should be welcome break from Frey scandal

Associated Press

Updated: 4:17 p.m. CT Jan 26, 2007

 

NEW YORK - If her goal was to erase the memory of the disgraced James Frey, Oprah Winfrey couldn’t have made a better pick for her book club than a memoir by Sidney Poitier.

 

Winfrey ended a year-long hiatus in her club by announcing Friday that she had chosen “The Measure of a Man,” a “spiritual autobiography” by one of Hollywood’s most admired actors — for whom the word “dignified” could practically be copyrighted — and a hero of Winfrey’s.

 

Published in 2000, Poitier’s book combines memories of such plays and films as “A Raisin in the Sun” and “The Defiant Ones” with observations about the Academy Award-winning actor’s childhood, his religious faith, his thoughts on racism and the influence of such world leaders as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.

 

“He writes really candidly and passionately about his childhood, his family, relationships and his extraordinary career,” Winfrey said on her show, which airs from Chicago. “It (the book) really is about what makes character, what makes you be who you are. He is the measure of one of the greatest men I think who has ever been on our planet.”

 

Poitier didn't use ghostwriter

Poitier did not appear on the telecast. But Winfrey said she will host “a once-in-a-lifetime dinner party” with Poitier that will include members of her book club.

 

In a statement issued Friday by his publisher, HarperSanFrancisco, Poitier said he was “overwhelmed far beyond the point where words, alone, could fully express either my appreciation or my gratitude.”

 

“Meanwhile, I proudly accept this honor on behalf of the forces that brought it about: the love of my parents, the ever-present kindness of strangers, and the hidden mysteries of the universe and, of course, Oprah Winfrey,” he said.

 

“The Measure of a Man” spent several weeks on The New York Times’ list of best sellers, and the audio edition, narrated by Poitier, won a Grammy Award for best spoken word album. Poitier wrote a previous memoir, “This Life,” released in 1980.

 

Right before Winfrey announced her selection, the 56th for her book club, “The Measure of a Man” ranked 288,958 on Amazon.com — a number that quickly changed, soaring within hours to the top 5. Winfrey’s picks almost inevitably top best-seller lists.

 

Mark Tauber, vice president and deputy publisher of HarperSanFrancisco, an imprint of HarperCollins, declined Friday to say how many books would be printed, but did say he expects to sell hundreds of thousands of copies.

 

Tauber also said that, unlike many celebrity memoirists, Poitier did not use a ghostwriter, although the actor did have editorial “help.”

 

“I’m sure there’ll be speculation about Winfrey picking yet another memoir,” Tauber said. “But Poitier’s life is filled with so much integrity.”

 

Winfrey and Poitier have met before. During an interview in her own “O” magazine in 2000 — about the time “Measure of a Man” was released — Winfrey and Poitier discussed his life and career; the talk show host confided that she felt like a star-struck fan.

 

“Poitier and I are sitting across from each other at the Bel-Air hotel in Los Angeles — and I’m admiring that, at 73, this man still personifies grace, ease, strength and courage,” Winfrey wrote at the time. “He is a gentleman in every sense of the word. In my more than 25 years as an interviewer, I’ve talked to hundreds of people — yet today, I’m giddy.”

 

Poitier, who turns 80 on Feb. 20, became the first black performer to win the Oscar for best actor, cited in 1964 for “Lilies of the Field.” His other films include “In the Heat of the Night,” “To Sir, With Love” and “The Blackboard Jungle.” In 2002, he received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement.

 

He should be a welcome break from the travesty of Frey, whose “A Million Little Pieces” was picked by Winfrey in fall 2005, only to have The Smoking Gun Web site reveal in January 2006 that the memoir was largely fabricated. Winfrey initially defended Frey, then changed her mind, brought him back to the show and chewed him out.

 

Busy concentrating on new school

Winfrey’s next pick, Elie Wiesel’s “Night,” was announced on Jan. 16, 2006, soon after the Frey scandal broke, but had already been decided upon weeks earlier. More than 1.5 million copies of Wiesel’s Holocaust memoir were sold because of Winfrey’s selection, according to publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

 

Winfrey acknowledged on Friday’s show that it had been a year since she had chosen a selection for her book club. But she didn’t blame Frey. Instead, she said she was busy during that time researching curriculum for her school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa, which opened earlier this month.

 

“So I really did not have time to devote to reading other books,” she said. “But now I do.”

 

Winfrey indicated the idea to feature “The Measure of a Man” came to her over the holidays while she was dining with a group of people in Africa that included Poitier.

 

“We were all sitting around the table, and I was asking Sidney Poitier to tell some of the life stories from his book. And let me tell you, everybody at the table was weeping,” Winfrey said. “I was sitting there thinking, I wish everybody could hear this. And then I realized, everybody can! Everybody can. I love this book.”