The final season of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is at hand, after a long run that brought entertainment and serious topics to its audiences.
This season continues with themes including celebrities, daily life matters, as well as shows that feature important current events stories. According to Winfrey’s website, Oprah.com, J. K. Rowling appears on Friday, Oct. 1 during an interview in the author’s native Scotland.
In terms of everyday life segments, Winfrey said in a recent book club video announcement that this season will feature more good reads. Throughout the season, viewers can expect medical issues to be covered along with a wealth of healthy living tips and recipes.
Current events to be featured include the stories of Ingrid Betancourt’s kidnapping and hiker Sarah Shourd’s release from Iran.
Winfrey’s show has been airing since 1986, according to imdb.com, and has had many well-known moments along the way. Audiences found relatable topics on Winfrey’s show, whether topics were gossip-like or more serious in nature. According to About.com, Winfrey’s focus in the 1990s changed to provide tips for people to go through life in their own best ways.
Viewers in past years will probably always remember the episode with a couch-jumping Tom Cruise. However, Winfrey herself has provided many surprises as well. Previous members of one studio audience were given keys to new wheels, and more recently, Winfrey had Australia in store for another studio audience.
In recent years, Winfrey introduced fans to her debut of O magazine, giving a full year subscription to a studio audience. This was prior to the magazine hitting stands. The popular talk show host has also taken on the silver screen, including voiceover work credited to her name on imdb.com.
Winfrey’s future plans look to be just as ambitious as the career that led to her A-Lister celebrity status that she is known for. In her book club video announcement, Winfrey said that she will be the owner of her very own network. According to Oprah.com, the new network is called OWN TV, stands for The Oprah Winfrey Network, which focuses on living out your dreams. The book club will continue through the new network, Winfrey said via video podcast, to assure fans of her book recommendations.
Looking to the time when The Oprah Winfrey show is over, there is the matter of who will inherit the coveted time slot. According to tvsquad.com, a few possibilities include big names in home-making tips, Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray. Ellen DeGeneres was also named by tvsquad.com in the list of those who could nab Winfrey’s talk show hour.
Opinions throughout campus varied about Winfrey’s long-running talk show coming to an end after one more season. Some offered their favorite for taking on Winfrey’s time slot after the long-running talk show’s final episode concludes.
“Good riddance, I’m happy to see her go because she’s obnoxious,” Peter Morrison, junior Spanish education major, said.
The Emmy-winning Oprah Winfrey Show coming to an end soon brought up a memory for one Cabrini staff member.
“I watched it with my mother when I was in high school,” Stephen Eberle, the coordinator of community partnerships, said. “My mother was a high school teacher so we both had the same schedule.”
Eberle also discussed a link that Cabrini College has to The Oprah Winfrey Show and one of Winfrey’s celebrity guests.
According to The Examiner, will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame, gave scholarships to four students from Delaware, including Cabrini-bound Jaiquann Beckham.
“It was his dream to go to Cabrini,” Eberle said. Eberle also recalled watching the musician’s scholarship announcement on Winfrey’s show with others in Jazzman’s Cafe.
