Oprah

FOXTEL’s Bio will remember the life of entertainment superstar Whitney Houston this week, following her death in Los Angeles over the weekend.

On Thursday, February 16 at 8.30pm Bio will present OPRAH AND WHITNEY – the last, in-depth interview of the multi-Grammy Award winner in a two hour special event with talk show supremo and friend Oprah Winfrey.

This incredible interview is arguably Houston’s most revealing and compelling of her career and includes an intimate and poignant performance of her song “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”.

Houston opens up about the private struggles she tried to hide from public view, and discusses her fourteen year marriage to R&B star Bobby Brown, her struggles with drug abuse and why she retreated from the spotlight for many years.

The woman described as the greatest voice of all time also speaks candidly about the day she left her husband, her sorrow over the death of Michael Jackson and now sadly, her hopes for her future.

Following this special presentation, at 10.30pm on Thursday, February 16, Bio will broadcast the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Celebration which features Houston alongside Usher, Destiny’s Child, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan and Liza Minnelli.

Then on Saturday, February 18 at 7:30pm Bio presents an exclusive biography: Whitney Houston.  This is the story of the legendary Whitney Houston – a woman who found unimaginable success on the stage and screen with more than 170 million records sold, but failed to find happiness away from the spotlight.

 Sydney man Kristian Anderson, made famous by a YouTube tribute to his wife after he was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer, has died. His wife Rachel confirmed Mr Anderson died just after 8am (AEST) on Monday at Manly Hospital.

“My darling husband went to meet Jesus this morning. It was peaceful and beautiful. Funeral details to come soon,” she tweeted on his account.

The 36-year-old from Curl Curl on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, had been having chemotherapy since he was diagnosed with cancer in October 2009.

His touching YouTube clip was made as a birthday present for his wife and as a thank you for her support. It featured an introduction by New Zealand Prime Minster John Key, because Rachel is a Kiwi. Movie star Hugh Jackman also appeared in the video after Mr Anderson asked Triple M presenter Gus Worland for assistance.

The clip had Mr Anderson holding up placards with words of love and support for his wife against the song Marry Me, by Train.

The clip has been viewed almost 400,000 times and even US talkshow queen Oprah Winfrey became a fan. Winfrey gave the couple $250,000 for medical expenses when she hosted an episode of her show at the Sydney Opera House in January last year.

In his last interview, Mr Anderson told the Daily Telegraph of his love for his wife and their sons Cody, 5, and Jakob, 3. “I’m not afraid of dying but I am afraid of leaving them behind,” he said in early December.”

Bowel Cancer Australia spokesman associate professor Graham Newstead said Mr Anderson’s battle with bowel cancer touched tens of thousands of people.

“Like many people who in some way shared this young man’s journey, those involved with Bowel Cancer Australia are saddened by the death of Kristian Anderson,” professor Newstead said in a statement.

“We are however also very grateful to him for his brave and valuable work in raising awareness about bowel cancer.”

The disease kills about 4,000 Australians each year. Yet Anderson paved the way for a drug to be funded by the Australian Government, that was previously unavailable. He credits it with keeping him here this long. His final wish was to spend Christmas with his family – with great thanks we are glad that he achieved that.

He slept for the past few days at Manly hospital and passed away peacefully. May He Rest In Peace.

It’s the end of an era as Oprah, the undisputed queen of daytime TV, steps down from her throne.

After 25 hugely successful seasons, Oprah’s final episode will air on TEN on Friday 16th September – leaving space for a fresh shake up in TEN’s hugely popular daytime line up, starting from Monday 18th September. 

Friday 16th September, 1pm- It’s Oprah’s Last Show. Join Oprah and her most loyal fans in an intimate studio setting as she thanks her fans and staff and reveals her final words of wisdom as she farewells 25 years of television. 

Then, from Monday 18th September: 12pm it’s everyone’s favourite TV doctor- Dr Phil, addressing a wide range of topics such as relationships, sex, finances, family and health- all with his signature ‘tell it like it is’ style.  

1pm introduces The Doctors. First discovered by Oprah herself, and new to Australian TV, viewers will have a source of reliable medical and health advice, dispensed daily by a distinguished panel of ‘on-call’ professionals.  

2pm and its Ready Steady Cook as Colin Lane oversees the weekday battle between the Tomato and Capsicum team, which has never been so fierce.  

3pm is the return of Judge Judy. Smart, savvy and opinionated, the irrepressible Judge Judy Sheindlin continues to hold court as she dishes out justice to the masses.  

4pm and its Huey’s Kitchen. Now in his 20th year on TV, Ian ‘Huey’ Hewitson continues his cooking adventures with an exciting list of locations including, Vietnam, Cambodia, New Zealand, Vienna, Budapest, Darwin, Alice Springs and many more.

4:30pm is hit soap The Bold and the Beautiful. For 24 years loyal fans have followed the Forrester family through love and loss.

Super Rugby final draws big numbers

Saturday night’s Super Rugby final between the Reds and the Crusaders produced record pay TV ratings in Australia for Fox Sports. 518,000 viewers tuned in here while 461,210 watched over in NZ on Sky Sport.

Manu wins DWTS

Manu Feildel has claimed victory in Dancing with the Stars, beating fellow finalists Haley Bracken and Damien Leith.

Oprah not hosting Oscars

Oscars boss Tom Sherak has dismissed rumours that Oprah Winfrey will be hosting the 2012 Academy Awards. “It’s not true, and I don’t know where that story even came from,” he told the Hollywood Reporter.

Vinny returns to Jersey Shore

Jersey Shore’s Vinny Guadagnino has reportedly returned to the MTV reality series after splitting during filming for the fifth season.

Criminal Minds adds Moses

Desperate Housewives and Mad Men actor Mark Moses has signed on to feature in the seventh season premiere of Criminal Minds.

The world’s most popular talk show, THE OPRAH SHOW, will have a new home on FOXTEL from Monday, June 6 as the Bio. Channel celebrates Oprah’s much talked about farewell series, weekdays at 2:30pm AEST.

After 25 years of life-changing television, Oprah begins her final series the only way she knows how – with the biggest stars, the most enthusiastic audience, the most heart-warming stories and of course, the biggest surprises. 

Moving from the W Channel, Season 25 of THE OPRAH SHOW begins when close friend John Travolta joins Oprah as she announces that she is taking the whole studio audience to “Auuuuuuustralia!”. Oprah and best friend Gayle King then head “Down Under” for their amusing three part Ultimate Aussie Adventure.

Oprah then returns to her much loved HARPO studios in Chicago where she sits down with an array of some of the world’s biggest names as they share some of their most intimate and life changing moments.  From Lisa Marie Presley’s one and only television interview about the tragic death of her former husband, Michael Jackson, to Chaz Bono, Sony and Cher’s daughter, and her decision to become a man, to the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson’s very personal revelations about the undercover sting to her absence from the Royal Wedding.

Oprah also hosts a range of long awaited reunions including the moment when Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford reunite for the very first time, the gathering together of Donald Trump, his wife Melania and his five children to the reunion that was 45 years in the making – Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer and all the Von Trapp children in the reunion of the cast of The Sound of Music.

Oprah, as only she could, also creates television history in her final season with her landmark interview with President Barak Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they open up about their new life in the White House, their marriage and much more.

Join Bio. as it celebrates the final farewell season of THE OPRAH SHOW.

THE OPRAH SHOW – June Highlights

Monday, June 6 – Oprah’s Farewell Season Premiere

Tuesday, June 7 – Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure (Part 1)

Wednesday, June 8 – Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure (Part 2)

Thursday, June 9 – Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure (Ultimate Wildest Dreams)

Friday, June 10 – Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure (Hugh Jackman, Bono and more)

Monday, June 13 – How Wynonna Judd Survived the Ultimate Betrayal

Wednesday, June 14 – 23 Years Later Oprah Returns to Williamson West

Thursday, June 15 – The Discovery headquarters. Hostages come forward

Friday, June 16 – Ultimate Wildest Dreams and Oprah’s New Book

Monday, June 20 – Waiting for Superman – The Movement

Tuesday, June 21 – Jon Stewart and living legend Liza Minnelli

Wednesday, June 22 – Bravest mum in the world set free

Thursday, June 23 – Held Hostage in Iran: American hiker Sarah Shroud

Friday, June 24 – Viewers react to Waiting for Superman

Monday, June 27 – Celebrities take on their dream jobs

Tuesday, June 28 – The mum who fathered her own children

Wednesday, June 29 – Aging beauty – Cybill Shepherd and Linda Evans

Thursday, June 30 – On location in Scotland. Oprah and JK Rowling

Oprah – The Absolute Finale, Ten, 9.00pm

Tonight, after all the celebrity guests and fanfare of the last two nights, Oprah addresses her audience alone. Reflecting on her past 25 years as the host of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” she shows us her highs and lows before she ends the show to go and helm her “OWN” network. Not a farewell, more see you later.
 
10 Things I Hate About You, FOX8 7.35pm

The second season starts exactly where the first one left off… Kat and Patrick have just been suspended for skipping school and Bianca is in a critical situation with Chastity, the much feared head-cheerleader, because of her secret relationship with Joey, Chastity’s ex-boyfriend. Things take a sudden turn when Chastity finds out about Joey and Bianca’s relationship and Kat and Patrick are forced to return to Padua High in order to allow Kat to take a test…

Love Actually, Seven 8.30pm

Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England. Stars Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson and Laura Linney.

Sex Rehab with Dr, Drew, Bio 9.30pm

Starting last week, this is the sex addicts version of Celebrity Rehab – but there are no real celebrities here. We have a lot of unknowns and B-listers trying to deal with their overwhelming addiction to sex. Watch for a laugh!

Indie Sex – Censored, SBS ONE, 10.05pm

Couldn’t help putting this in after Sex Rehab! Since the earliest film images were created, sex and nudity have been part of cinema, and audiences have been both titillated and horrified by what they’ve seen. But who is to decide what is appropriate to show on screen? This episode examines how filmmakers, the film industry and special interest groups have attempted to both regulate and set free the images that filmmakers create and who gets to see them.

Million Dollar Baby, GEM, 8.30pm

Boxing trainer Frankie Dunn has been unwilling to let himself get close to anyone for a long time. Then Maggie Fitzgerald walks into the gym, needing someone to believe in her to become a boxer. Stars Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank. Is in HD too.

Oprah’s finale show has played out in surprisingly low key style after years of flashy giveaways and makeovers.

The talk show host used the show to farewell her millions of fans whom she has had a unique connection with over 25 years on the screen.

“Something in me connected with each of you in a way that allowed me to see myself in you and you in me,” Winfrey said. “I listened and grew, and I know you grew along with me.”

Oprah became emotional when speaking of her upbringing in rural Mississippi.

“It is no coincidence that a lonely little girl,” she said, “who felt not a lot of love, even though my parents and grandparents did the best they could, it is no coincidence that I grew up to feel a genuine kindness, affection, trust and validation from millions of you all over the world.”

Oprah closed out the show by walking the halls of Harpo Studios in Chicago where she hugged staff members.

Source: News.com.au 

As the pages of the calendar turn, the moment when Oprah will finally bid adieu to her fans across the world is nearing. After witnessing a stupendous success, the long-runing Oprah Winfrey Show will come to an end on May 25, 2011 (airing here on Ten, starting tonight at 9pm, with the finale on Friday). With the Oprah finale, a glorious chapter in the world television history will be over. The show of Oprah Winfrey has seen a great transformation with the addition of various segments. Oprah book club is a popular segment of the show which has got a great fan following too. Oprah book club is mainly a discussion club of books where the books chosen by Oprah Winfrey are highlighted. With the onset of the Oprah book club in September 1996, it has gained immense popularity.
Embarking on its journey on September 8, 1986, the Oprah Winfrey show has already passed through 24 seasons and as many as 3,724 episodes. It is the 25th season of the show when the D-day of Oprah finale will take place. In the long course of the show, viewers have witnessed the interviews of a number of great personalities by show host Winfrey. Some famous names among these personalities include Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Cruise, Simon Cowell, Sarah Palin and our own Nicole Kidman, Curtis Stone, Keith Urban and Jamie Durie, to name a few. It’s expected that the Oprah finale will be a heartbreaking moment for many people across the globe.
Since its inception in 1996, the Oprah book club has played a key role behind the popularity of many novels. Of late, the Oprah book club has published Jacquelyn Mitchard’s novel The Deep End of the Ocean. The stunning success of the book club lies in its influence spreading across the world, including Brazil. There are large selections of books of Oprah book club. Some amongst them include Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton, Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi, The Treasure Hunt by Bill Cosby, Paradise by Toni Morrison, Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell, House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, just to name a few. Run by a famous personality like Oprah Winfrey, the show and book club have authored a great success story for which Oprah finale has become a most-awaited moment for viewing audience.

Stars farewell Oprah

The likes of Tom Cruise, Madonna, Beyonce, and Tom Hanks were among those to bid Oprah farewell at the taping of ‘Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular’ this week. Other attendees at the bash to celebrate Oprah’s talkshow career included Michael Jordan, Jerry Seinfeld, Will Smith, Halle Berry and Katie Holmes.

Jackson picks boy/girl Idol finale

American Idol judge Randy Jackson is picking that the finale of the series will “come down to a boy and a girl”. In other words, Jackson is picking either Lauren Alaina or Haley Reinhart to go home this week, with the final then to be contested by the survivor and Scotty McCreery.

Griffiths heading back to Aussie

Australian Brothers & Sisters actress Rachel Griffiths is planning a move back to Australia following the axing of the drama series this week. Griffiths is interested in working on Australian productions.

Weaver joins comedy pilot

Sigourney Weaver has agreed to feature in a new HBO comedy pilot called Spring/Fall. Weaver will join Tea Leoni and Hope Davis in the pilot, which centres on two women in New York who work together in the fashion industry.

Oprah fans have continued to vent their frustration over their necklace gifts from the Sydney shows in December last year.

Audience members from the shows have begun to receive their gifts in the post, six months after the show, and they aren’t exactly what was expected.

Many fans were expecting a pink diamond-encrusted O pendant on a gold chain but have received a small silver O pendant with “tiny” diamonds.

“I finally got it yesterday after six months wait,” one fan told the Daily Telegraph.

“And I can’t see any diamonds on it but other than that it looks like a cheap piece of costume jewellery.

“They call it a ‘special edition’, but really there’s nothing special about it. I’m really disappointed.”

The necklaces were made by China’s Chow Tai Fook jeweller and are valued at $405, although an unofficial version can be purchased for $200.

Oprah’s Harpo Productions says the jewellery is the responsibility of Rio Tinto.

A Rio Tinto spokesperson says they have delivered what was promised.

“What has been delivered is what we promised and while there has been negative feedback based on false expectations we have also had a lot of extremely positive feedback.”

Source: Daily Telegraph