It’s time, you guys. I cannot tell you how excited I am. Oprah’s special, two-part orgy of largesse — her “Ultimate Favorite Things” episode — begins today. Can you hear the screaming yet? The weeping and gnashing of teeth? Oh I can. It’s going to be louder than ever before, because this year — the last year of Oprah’s syndicated daytime talker before she heads off to her OWN network in January 2011 — Oprah is stretching her “Favorite Things” gift-a-palooza out for two whole days, beginning today and concluding on Monday, November 22. Plus, it’s not just “Oprah’s Favorite Things” this year, it’s “Oprah’s Ultimate Favorite Things.” What could that mean? She’s already given away cars, refrigerators, iPods, and cupcakes. What’s next? A trip to the moon? Individual Hope Diamonds? A gift-wrapped selection of superpowers including invisibility and x-ray vision? I don’t know, and I don’t care. The only thing that matters is that Oprah is giving free sh– away to a bunch of “viewers who have given back to their communities, families, and around the world” (according to the Harpo press release), and that means I get a free Afternoon Cry in my office. Plus, it’s an excuse to watch possibly the funniest SNL parody ever for the 1,000th time. Uggggggg Booooooooooooooooooooooots!!!!!!!
Update: Part 1 has just finished airing, and it was quite possibly the most batsh– crazy hysterical hour of TV in broadcast history. I can’t pinpoint the most insane moment. Was it that blonde guy who was weeping openly even before ONE gift had been given away? Was it the way Oprah brandished a ceramic Kyocera knife at her frenzied minions? Was it the fact that Ralph Lauren custom-made cashmere sweaters the color of sandy beaches and Oprah’s dog? Help me decide, PopWatchers! Did you love this chaotic tribute to consumerism?? Will you be watching part 2 on Monday? Do you own anything that RETAILS FOR THIRTY-SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS????
She’s so cool to do this for people who deserve it. Just wish I was at home to watch it.
Yes I own things that are worth much more than Thirty Six hundred dollars ($3,600). A car, an education, antique furniture handed down generations… You know what she should give away. Jobs. Jobs to people who need to keep roofs over their head and clothes on their backs. Not enough TV is ever going to be in 3D that I will ever want a 3D TV.
I’m sorry, but Oprah can’t give away what she doesn’t have. Big Business has outsourced all jobs overseas to the tune of five billion dollars. If you want a job ask your senator to ship those jobs back over this away.
Thank you for bragging about your $3,600 car and telling us all you do not wish to get a 3D TV.
Check the tape and you’ll see me TURNING THE CHANNEL at the 2:00 mark! This was a hot, greedy MESS. It was unwatchable. I had just watched the hilarious SNL skit via your link and couldn’t get over how SIMILAR it was to the REAL thing!?! The people in the audience were crazed, salivating beasts! It as U-G-L-Y…
OMG!! Please stop being such a hater! Oprah does so much on a regular basis for humanity! She dosen’t even have to give away her favorite things, but she does anyway! Give credit where credit is due and get in the spirit! You can talk about her because she is in the news! Do some real work and talk about tha celebrities that are not in the news because they do NOTHING for humanity then your statements will hod some h2o!
Sooo if someone gave you a 3D tv you would just give it back and say No Thanks?????
And… Why does she charge $36 for a T-shirt that says Oprah on it when I can get the same T-shirt that doesn’t advertise for $6.50 at Old Navy. Like she need’s the extra $30. Really?
Wow- Ease off sister it’s daytime TV
Old Navy is cheap junk. You get what you pay for. Like Ed Hardy is worth $100.
The proceeds from the t shirt go directly to her schools and charities. She has a private foundation as well as a company charity foundation. And as a proud Favorite Things T Shirt owner it feels much better than my Old Navy T shirts
I wish I was there too! Man that would be so great to get a bunch a fabulous free things. I’m glad it’s going to deserving people as well. Can’t wait to watch.
Many people in this counry have much more money than they need, an do nothing for people less fortunate,Oprah has given much, an helped people all over the world. God Bless her!
What did the audience actually do to “deserve” free stuff?
Thank you Mary Anne!
I hate hearing her bellow.
Congrats to the lucky ones !
Wish I were there.
i love oprah show never get a chance to get there i would for her to give me some thing before she leave the show please answer
you’re an idiot. she’s not gonna answer you. you cheeto eating heifer.
Fave impression has be dane cooks…
HUMP. BACK. WHAAAAAAAAAALLLEEESSS!
YOU get a humpback whale! AND YOU get a humpback whale!
How does someone get to be an audience member for this show?
By being unemployed or a very bored housefrau.
What’s wrong with you today? So much bitterness.
you wish, karl.
Luck of the draw
By being unemployed, on welfare or an Obama supporter.
Or someone that works two jobs, has children, gives back to the community and worldwide organizations and was personally invited. Thank you!
No, this was an audience that was hand picked from letters written about who their hero is. So the heroes got invited with the writer in some cases, and also they threw in some hand picked long time fans of the show (uber-fans – so presumably they wrote in and participated on message boards regularly, watched everyday, were part of her Monday Eve ‘the secret’ followers, etc.). Most were heroes who give of themselves daily, apparently.
I thought they were going to literally go unconscious some of the time!
The show last year was filmed in the city where my mother lives. They tried to make it look like you could get in to the filming but nobody that waiting in line was admitted. Every single person the the audience was there by “special invitation” and most of them were big shots in the big businesses or the city or state. I don’t doubt that they pick “deserving” people to be there but the vast majority of the people last year could have afforded to buy everything themselves.
Sorry, it was 2008..not last year.
That’s the way she operates.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who got excited for this show. Every time she has the show my dad and I add up all the values of the items she gives out and multiply it by the approximate amount of people in the audience to figure out how much the whole things costs. We get really excited. We’re weird. I know.
you know she doesn’t actually pay for any of it right? in showbiz we call this CONTRA – FREE stuff DONATED by the companies for on-air promotion in return. Technically you could figure out what it WOULD cost I guess.
Yeah, of course I realize that. I just think it’s fun to know how much everything is WORTH that she is giving out.
you know that if you check on ebay within the next few days you’ll probably find half that stuff on ebay so people can pay their bills…that’s my guess!
It DOES cost the people who get her “gifts” since they have to pay taxes on them. Like when she gave her audience “free” cars & most of them had to sell the cars in order to pay the Federal tax.
YES Lisa, you and your dad are weird to seat at home and add up the cost of the stuff.
I’m sure that Oprah will have this big over-the-top ’80s styled production of this Ultimate Favorite Things today. Last year, she didn’t do it because of the recession at the time, but this time, she’s going all out for her final 25th season! I’m sure she’ll have the most expensive appliances, items, clothes and home products for the audience members! And I’m sure some cars as well!!! She’s going out BIG this time!!!!! And I’m sure so many deafening screams as a Bon Jovi or Nickelback or Jay-Z or Alicia Keys concert that the cameramen and staff’s ears in that Chicago studio will hear echoes and ringing of it the next morning.
Good lord. I honestly don’t think my heart could take attending one of these shows (not that I would turn it down, ha!) I think I’d drop dead of a heart attack.
Keith, I just watched (I DRD’d it) & as a matter of fact after the first segment she gave a shout out & a camera shot of paramedics they had in the studio. The crowd went ape $h!T! Tons of hysterical crying and even a man down on his knees appearing to be praising his higher power (or Oprah). It was insane.
But why didn’t she do it for just one show? It’s FRIDAY! Live it up and give everything away at one time! Monday’s too nervous for me, the weekend all over and the new week starting. Maybe she wants to give a jolt to the nervous Monday. She should have done it WITHOUT the commercials or any tired Geico commercials.
It’s turning into self-parody. I LOVE it!
It’s WAY BEYOND self-parody. Hundreds of years from now, sociologists will watch tapes of Oprah’s Favorite Things to see just what went wrong back in the early 21st century. The people in the audience were CRAZED. It was kind of embarrassing…
I agree! I watch it every year for the comedy! The reactions from the audience is just HILARIOUS!! I hate that I missed Friday’s episode, but I have set the DVR to tape Monday’s.
Just watched it, SPOILER ALERT:
the big prize was a cruise, plus there was the usual assortment of clothes, electronics, a giant 3D TV, jewelry an kitchen gadgets. The sheer stage/theatrical production value was amazing, the crowd was having fits of convulsion, and the Black Eyed Peas song mash-up was utterly bizarre.
the fits of convulsion were the best parts! one guy dropped to the ground and had to fan himself back to consciousness! i haven’t laughed this hard in a long time! i loved it!
Thank you for that link! I was laughing so hard when I saw that.
While I’m as jealous and envious as anybody that I’m not in the audience of her Favorite Things show I’m pretty sure Oprah gets lots of her gifts donated by the makers of the so I don’t think all of this stuff has been bought by her exclusively. . .it’s a wonderful thing she does but I’m not sure her bank account is taking as big a hit as some might think.
Geez, ya think?
No, she’s not paying for any of that stuff, it’s all good promotion for those companies and products.
i used to have fits watching that particular show, i would actually cry, and scream in pain and envyyyy at all the gifts those people got esp when she would pick an average audience without telling them what show it would be, seeing as its kept a secret so that people don’t flood the studio that day! oh the reandomness of it drives me crazy! off to youtube see if i find it so i can scream!
It’s odd how fun it is to watch The Favorite Things episode.
I know all I can thinks about is the SNL parody with Amy Poahler’s head blowing off. Too funny.