Oprah Watch: Hot Sex! Tina Fey, and Obamarama
By Ali Trachta on Nov 7, 2008 7:40PM
Oh Lord here we go. The highly-anticipated “sex show” finally premiered on Monday, and we were all ready to cover our ears from Oprah’s awkward interjections of anatomical misnomers. But we admit, we sold Oprah a little short on this one. What we assumed would be a “vajayjay” festival was actually an intelligent and frank discussion about the state of sexuality in America and what we can do to improve it. Apparently there’s no time like the present, since according to Oprah’s guest, sex therapist Dr. Laura Berman (pictured right), a whopping 1 in 5 couples are in sexless marriages. If avoiding that fate isn’t enough to get you bouncing around the bedroom, consider what else we learned: sex can make you look 7-12 years younger, make your immune system 33% stronger, cause a 50% decrease in heart disease, lessen stress, insomnia, and even relieve menstrual cramps and headaches. Sign us up! Guests Tom and Debra, who win the most courageous couple on the planet award, joined Oprah to discuss their sex life dropping to absolute zero. The pair braved cameras for a few sessions with Dr. Berman, who gave them some handy tips. First, Dr. Berman encourages couples to share fantasies, but in an environment of safety and trust. That means you can’t judge your partner when he asks you to dress up as a Ninja Turtle and spank him. For women specifically, look at your vulva and identify the parts. “Love your vulva,” she told us. Ok, so there was one cringe-worthy moment.
Tuesday kicked off Obamarama! Well, it couldn’t “officially” be called that on Election Day, but we all know Oprah drank the Obama Kool-Aid a long time ago. (In fact, we think she spiked it.) But Tuesday was really just about rocking the vote, Daughtry style. Yes Daughtry. Oprah invited the former American Idol to sing “Feels Like the First Time” in celebration of first-time voters. Eh. We would have much preferred to see Kanye roll out singing “The Good Life,” but no such luck. Luckily, there were a handful of segments that followed, all of which were more inspirational than Daughtry. First was the story of Nettie Whittington, a 109-year old black woman who instilled a passion for voting in her entire family, despite not having the right to vote for more than half her life. She hasn’t missed a single presidential election since she was given the right to vote. Second was Oprah’s roundup of new American citizens who were jazzed up about their first election. These new voters expressed gratitude for the value of their vote in this country, considering elections in some of their homelands (specifically the Soviet Union and Rwanda) are often manipulated. The uplifting show unfortunately closed on the flat tire of Daughtry, and Oprah was off to Grant Park to cry with strangers. So the election's over. Now what?
OBAMARAMA!!! It was Oprah on the loose! She came out on Wednesday doing the Oprah scream like you’ve never heard before. “This is a neeeeeew daaay for Americaaaaaaaaaa!!!” Once she got that out (and you know she had to) Oprah assembled via satellite an esteemed panel of politicos whose opinions she’s come to value: David Gergen, Congressman John Lewis of Atlanta, Gloria Steinem, Peggy Noonan, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.. Her conversation with John Lewis called out the election of Obama as something bigger than politics. Something spiritual. Per Lewis, it’s as if the spiritual revolution has pinpointed Obama and aligned with him. Conservative Wall Street Journal Columnist Peggy Noonan compared Obama to an ocean wave - one that will hopefully wash away the garbage, but not destroy the good. Gloria Steinem reiterated her poignant essay on Sarah Palin and reassured us that women too will have their time in history. Through the airwaves, the fivesome made us believe we’re on the cusp of true, positive change, and that every American can rally around it. But Oprah couldn’t end her two-day special event without topping it with some cheese, cheese in the form of a "we need each other" ballad sung by Vince Gill, Wynonna Judd, Bebe Winans and Cece Winans. Sigh - still no Kanye?
Why do we get so giddy whenever Tina Fey and Oprah get together? Tina joined Oprah on Thursday, and our lives were once again complete. Well, actually she had been on once before and jokingly invited Oprah to guest star on 30 Rock, but Tina must have had Oprah’s face on a Vision Board somewhere because Oprah actually did it. T n’ O yukked it up about the episode which premiered Thursday night and took a moment to collectively needle Sarah Palin. Will Smith joined Oprah later partly to promote his new movie Seven Pounds, but mostly to keep the Obamarama rolling. Will Smith was all about Obama’s election as having greater meaning, calling it an "evolutionary flashpoint." Beyond that he talked at length about his home life with Jada and the three kids, the responsibilities they share and the ideals they instill. So left-wingers DO have family values. Who knew?
Friday’s live show caps off Oprah’s week long presidential party with George Stephanopoulos and New York Times Columnist Frank Rich. We figure the Obamarama will end there...until inauguration, of course.