Oprah-geddon: Winfrey To Quit Show In 2011
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Today's Transgender Day of Remembrance Honors the Dead
Laura Stolpman/Chicagoist
Oprah's throwing a party on the Mag Mile for her 24th season opener, filming next week. If you want to get in, "doors" for the celebration open at high noon next Tuesday. The portion of Michigan Ave between Ohio and Wacker will close down next Monday morning to set up for the taping, which gets underway at 5 p.m Tuesday. The show will also feature a performance by the We'll Work With Anyone Happy Funtime Band a.k.a. The Black Eyed Peas. Officials say Oprah and her folks are footing the bill for this party (a la the DNC for Obamapalooza) and that the mess will all be out of the way by 5 a.m. next Wednesday morning. [Crain's, NBC 5]
Update: Mayor Daley has gone on the defensive over the decision, saying, "This is a great thing we're doing. Wish we could do this every day in Chicago." When asked about the inconvenience to the common non-Oprah fan who has to get to work downtown, Daley said, "They'll understand how important this is, dealing with jobs, dealing with international exposure. This is really important. This is a great opportunity. I'm very proud. I wish your media outlets would do something like this. Hello?"
We guess he then probably screamed, "CHICAGO 2016 YEAH!" and ran off.
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This story is totally wrong.
The taping of the show is NEXT week. Tuesday, September 8th at 5pm between Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue. Which means - Wacker, Illinois, Grand and Ohio Streets remain open to vehicular traffic at all times.
There will be nothing even remotely related to a street closure on Michigan Avenue until next Monday, September 7th.
Wow, Chicagoist has some serious reading comprehension issues.
you're right. fixed.
This is absurd. The day after Labor Day is always a major hellish commute - I guess not only is it the first day of school but apparently half the city comes back from vacation or something that day. I have always noticed that Lake Shore Drive returns to gridlock that morning after being pretty open all summer, and bus routes in my neighborhood that I've been getting a seat on all summer become standing room only sardine cans. And now you're gonna close down a huge chunk of Michigan Avenue on top of that?
I think I'll have to just call in sick that day.
is mmmcd76 an lacky at Harpo studios?
I wish we could export Oprah to Iowa
No...I'm a lackey (correct spelling) at the Mayor's Office of Special Events who just thinks it's important to report factual information.
I like the fact that some bootspittle (correct spelling) at the Mayor's Office is anal retentive about the spelling of "lackey".
I'm not just a jag-off. I'm HEAD jag-off.
Jess...I think anal-retentive has a hyphen, actually :)
I see we're getting our money's worth out of City Hall. Shouldn't you have some poor black people to be relocating out of sight/mind?
And for your pleasure.
LOL
it would have been better if she did this on a day that wasn't the first day back to school. there are enough parents + kids that don't take the first day seriously enough, and this will only add to list of reasons not to go to school on the first day.
Two entire days?! Are you kidding me. Why not just shut down the Kennedy for two days while she's at it. If there was any doubt over whose more important in this city: the power brokers or the everyday citizens, this should article should close that case.
Christ. Why couldn't she do it at Union Park or something?
"Wish we could do this every day in Chicago."
You already do; thanks.
I am so happy I am on vacation next week.
Oprah is so fucking clueless. She thinks we all make hundreds of millions of dollars a year and that there are no obstacles to face on a daily basis. Something as pedestrian as traffic? Why would anyone let traffic annoyances get in their way? Just take a limousine!!!! Easy, wasn't it?
I also like Spook's exportation idea...only how about something a little further away than just Iowa.
That picture of Oprah makes it look like she's dropping a deuce.
Look everyone, Oprah is another person who loves big fun happy-time parties (like the Olympics!) for Chicago. Provided she does not have to deal with the mess it creates, or even LIVE in the CITY. She can spend her time at her Indiana estate or California or wherever she hangs her insanely expensive, one-of-a-kind, hand-made, YOU ARE ALL GETTING A PAIR!, shoes these days.
Everyone loves Chicago, they just don't have to live here.
jesus, how many of you complainers actually have to traverse that area of the city during your daily commute?
If it was a cooler band and a cooler tv personality you guys wouldn't whine one bit.
Well, you can bet your bottom dollar that Oprah doesn't have to be annoyed by daily commutes...unless it's in a chauffeured driven limo where she utilizes her commute time wisely by having her nails done while dictating to her personal assistant.
I know at least 3 people who have to deal with this bullshit, first day back from a holiday weekend too. I passed this story on and already received on IM reply of "Fuck Oprah"
The real joke of it, she could film the thing on a Sunday, when hundreds of thousands of commuters aren't coming downtown.
As for the band, I don't care if the Arcade Fire and David Bowie were doing a double bill, it's stupid and inconsiderate nonsense in praise of a woman who peddles bullshit to the masses.
Fuck Oprah.
If only more people knew how dangerous Oprah's bullshit is, they'd desert her ass by the millions:
This article is one reason I don't like her that much.
You hit the nail on the head.
I love how they wait until less than a week before the closure to announce it, as if Oprah just floated the idea by them yesterday. It's probably been in planning for 6 months to a year - how about a little notice?
How much notice would you want for something like this?
I'm not an Oprah fan - but what's the big deal? Streets are shut down all the time for parades, street festivals, filming, concerts, construction, etc. It's just part of living in a city - quit whining and plan a different route to work (and who is crazy enough to DRIVE if you have to go through that stretch of Michigan to get to work?)
If I may nitpick, street closures and traffic affect buses as well as cars. And events in one are can spill over onto side streets and highways.
True - but the re-routes have been posted and people can fairly easily plan around it. It shouldn't do anything more than add 10 minutes to most people's commutes for one business day. This is pretty minor considering all the street closures that happen on a daily basis.
Seriously, it never ceases to amaze my how much Chicagoans like to kvetch. Soooo, the most touristy street in Chicago, which is always gridlocked anyway because of tourists trying to traverse the street, is being closed for what amounts to a publicity event. Does this really even effect locals? If you're commuting across town, take State/Wabash or Fairbanks; it's faster anyway.
I haven't read the paper in a couple of days...Did we blow up Navy Pier or something? Cause it seems like she could have utilized that since, you know, we paid all that money to have it put together. And I guess Daley must have gouged big X's into Millennium Park and that Ghery music venue since they didn't use that either.
As for the street closing examples give, sure we close streets for filming and construction. But the filming usually done on weekends and at night when THEY DON'T INCONVENINECE ANYONE. And what concerts have we had that blocked out whole stretches of major throughfares?
As for the commute down Michigan Ave., I use it (the 147) along with thousands of other people every day. So bitching about people stupid enough to drive a car to work down Michigan Ave every day is missing the point.
Exactly.
Some people think that anyone who "works downtown" is some rich fatcat. Not the tens of thousands of retail and service people who work up and down Michigan avenue, most of whome take public transit every day.
You're right on, The Oprah could have done this at any number of big public. But The Oprah must be made to feel special and any old commoner can get a venue.
Skyline stage at Navy Pier is one of the most gorgeous spots in the city. Not good enough for that fat ol' broad and her retinue of caterwauling hip-hop dopes.
Yes, I am enjoying a cocktail. An Old-Fashioned, in honor of Don Draper.
Filming is usually done during off hours - but I know that "Dark Night" shut down Wacker for a couple business days, as well as shutting down Addison at Western for awhile. LaSalle was closed for at least one business day as well, possibly more.
I have to be down there for a meeting that day, and I'd usually take the 144 bus but I'm going to walk a little bit and take the Red Line instead - pretty simple. People are bitching over an extra 10 minutes added to a commute for one day as though it will kill them. Give me a break.
C'mon, folks. Oprah is just being Oprah by trying to pull a stunt like this. I expect this kind of crap from her.
The thing is, the "adult" here should have told her no and didn't--this is another Daley issue as far as I'm concerned.
Another writer mentioned that this event would have been much better served at Daley's overbudgeted Millennium Park and would have inconvenienced fewer people.