Oprah Watch: Miracle Children, Steroid "Supplements" and Biggest Losers
By Ali Trachta in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 31, 2008 5:15PM
Lately Oprah’s Monday shows have been pretty heavy, so we were relieved to have something easy and fun to indulge in during this week's chilly start. Oprah and her O Magazine glam squad helped frumpy schlumpdinkas “get their sexy back.” (Are people still using that phrase? Well, Oprah is.) O always brings out the big guns when it comes to makeovers, but these were almost at the level of The Swan. (Without all the gruesome plastic surgery, of course.) The big reveal song choices were the best. The ladies stepped out to such tunes as Tom Jones’ “You Sexy Thing” and the Isley Brothers’ “Who’s That Lady?” while the sometimes tactless Oprah quipped, “Is that even you? I don’t even recognize you!” Interestingly the O team flipped it on us by bringing the Real Housewives of Orange County to the show, who notoriously dress pretty whore-ifficly, and gave them a makeunder. The California girls looked much more sophisticated and classy, but made it clear they wouldn’t wear the heavy fabrics and turtlenecks back in the O.C. Infidels!
We were feeling a little crabby when we sat down to watch on Tuesday, but any traces of surliness immediately evaporated with the miracle children Oprah brought onto the show. Many of them were expected never to walk, speak, or possibly survive, but all of them overcame the odds to become happy, healthy, bubbly little kids. One of the absolute heart-melters was Cody, who at first was expected not to live past a day, but fought through a terminal disease only to have both legs amputated. Little Cody came bounding out on his “running legs” and lit up the Oprah stage with his 1000-watt personality. He runs, plays, loves bouncing around on his prosthetics, and even challenged Michael Phelps to a race. To quote Rachel Zoe, “I die.” Our good spirits quickly turned to tears, though, with this video, which while absolutely sob-inducing, painted a picture of how to relish good moments. The only thing we could have done without on this show was Celine Dion and her herky-jerky singing, but she was a small price to pay for this Oprahtastic experience.
Sydney Olympic sweetheart Marion Jones joined Oprah on Wednesday in her first TV interview since serving a 6-month jail sentence for lying to federal investigators. Her five gold medals in track and field were initially met with fanfare in 2000, but rumors and accusations that she used performance-enhancing drugs soon followed. According to Marion, she never knowingly ingested drugs, thinking the substances her coach had fed her were merely supplements. However, during an investigation opened years later in which prosecutors showed her the same substance she’d taken and identified it as a steroid, Marion denied ever having seen it. It was that lie that landed her in jail. Oprah, mother to us all, used this interview as one of her teachable moments. It reminded us of the value of truth, taking care of ourselves and staying in control of our lives. For unknown reasons, our culture loves to see the revered fall from grace, however hearing Marion’s story from her point of view stirred up our sympathetic and forgiving side. Isn’t that what Oprah’s all about?
Thursday’s show welcomed celebrity trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels and “The Biggest Losers” they whipped into shape on TV. We’ve never watched the reality show before so we didn’t know what to expect, but anyone who’s seen the jaw-dropping before and after shots of the contestants knows how drastic their transformations are. Not surprisingly, Oprah treated this weight-loss show like she treats all others - connecting obesity to our emotional turmoil and weight loss to spiritual enlightenment. Really, she has a point though. These losers bounded out to the stage, full of life and seemingly happy. So how did these former fatsos keep it off? By not eating almost 10,000 calories a day anymore and learning to let out a good cry.
Friday’s live show will welcome back music mogul David Foster and the great Andrea Bocelli. Hmm, two cronies of Oprah’s new favorite discovery Charice Pempengco...will she be making her third appearance this season? Grab the tissues, O.