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It's Oprah Day here in Chicago, with The Mighty O filming the premiere episode for her 24th season down on Michigan Ave. A few Chicagoist writers are out and about in the area and we'll have periodic updates from the scene of the party.
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The stench of City Hall. No, it is not corrupt politicians or unwashed Aldermen.
Piss Poor Plumbin
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Wondering what she's gonna do for 25, if this is what she's doing to launch season 24...
Carve her name into the surface of the moon so it can be seen by everyone.
Can't say I'd be surprised if she did broadcast her 25th opener from the moon.
Oprah. Is she still on?
Ellen is funnier. And not trapped in the closet.
There's an R Kelly joke in there somewhere.
Lotta U2 rumors flying around...
A perfect nexus of mid 90's talent.
Great Pics! the calm before the storm...it's INSANE out there now.
Thank you, Daley and Oprah
I don't even get what's so great about this location. Millenium Park, Northerly Island, Grant Park or Navy Pier would have provided a much prettier backdrop, and been much more convenient. All you see here is the store-lined streets.
Because those places are not SPECIAL. And Oprah is SPECIAL. She gets SPECIAL venues. SPECIAL treatment.
She was less of a pain when she was a big ol' fat lady.
Eddie Bauer?! Weeee!!
I think it's a perfect location. Also, the exposure for Chicago will be a money-maker in the long run, considering that this sort of thing does promote tourism.
I am all for it.
Also, the exposure for Chicago will be a money-maker in the long run, considering that this sort of thing does promote tourism.
Read the story in the Sun Times this morning. There are people from other countries here spending their tourism dollars who don't even know who Oprah is. Like I keep asking, what corner of the world is it that doesn't already know that Chicago exists? What part of the world has to be convinced that Chicago is a location to visit? How does having Oprah standing on Michigan Ave. "promote tourism"? Seriously, do you honestly think that someone will see Oprah standing on Michigan Ave with the Black Eyed Peas and think, "that's it, I'm going to Chicago"?
Judging by the sheer amount of people I see posing in front of Harpo Studios whenever I drive past, I would say so. I don't think that it's the ONLY reason people visit here but she IS popular.
I don't deny that people come to Chicago just to see here, but her audience is her audience. Her presence on Michigan Ave as seen by someone from another country isn't going to make them come here just for that reason. Like I said, read today's Sun Times. It quotes people from other countries walking down Michigan Ave and wondering what all the fuss is and when told that it's the Oprah show, they're like, "Who?" They came here WITHOUT the knowledge of Oprah, mentioning things like the architecture, etc., permanent, longstanding things that make the folks who come here just because of some TV personality sound like rubes. So Daley's talk of how this will make Chicago "popular" around the world is not only confusing but rubbish.
I concur. We had a guests from Germany and Italy this summer: Oprah who?
From what I hear, the traffic tie-ups haven't been that bad and the buses have rerouted themselves fairly easily. It's only a couple of blocks of a street traveled primarily by tourists and taxi cabs that don't know any better and that doesn't intersect anything. I'm no Oprah fan, but I don't see the big deal.