Archive for January, 2010

Date: January 29th, 2010
File Under: Celebrity, Entertainment, Public Service Announcement

Episode 16: Happy Birthday Oprah! Fridays LIVE

Happy Birthday Oprah! Live in Chicago and it’s Oprah’s birthday and it is the birthday of 101 people in the audience. Happy Birthday to all you Aquarians, they are wonderful people. Kayla is the youngest at 16, she is about to get her driver’s license and has taken the no-driving-phone pledge. Betty is the oldest birthday girl, she is 101. She attributes her success in life to a little scotch every now and then. Her son Freddy is here and it’s his birthday- he is 79 today. That’s incredible. Michelle is 31, she came all the way from Sydney Australia. Everyone says g’day to Michelle. Oprah says that everyone is asking her what she’s doing for her birthday; she’s doing the show for her birthday. She decided to get herself two birthday babies- in come 2 springer spaniels. They are 14 week old puppies, Sunny and Lauren. Oprah always thought her next dog would be called Lauren, so this was fate. They come from Paws, a no-kill shelter in Chicago. Oprah was nervous about getting puppies then a friend suggested that she gets help. Neutering your animal extends the length of their life, and makes them more social. The puppies have a brother, but Stedman said that three would be too much. Nancy, a good friend, who also has a birthday today, is about to get the other puppy- out comes her baby boy. She loves him already. Oprah makes her solemnly swaer to love and cherish and feed the little peanut for the rest of his life. The puppies will go back to the shelter for three more days to get their vaccinations, then they’ll go home. There are many no-kill shelters across the US, there is a list on Oprah.com. Happy Birthday everybody.

Oprah is sharing her birthday with 100 other people born on January 29th. Up in The Air is such a fantastic movie, George Clooney was so George Clooney. The movie reflects what is going on In America right now, it’s about job loss, disconnection and tough economic times, wrapped into a clever entertaining package. George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham, a man who makes his living traveling across the country firing people. Director Jason Reitman, who was nominated for an Oscar for Juno, does a great job of capturing how people react when they lose their jobs. To capture the anguish of the 15 million people who are unemployed, Jason cast some real live people who had just lost their jobs in the movie. Wow.

This is Jason Reitman’s thrd movie, he is being called brilliant, sophisticated, original… he likes those adjectives, thank you. Oprah asks if he’s enjoying the ride- of course. He’s made personal films, each a story that he wants to tell, all from his heart. It is very fulfilling to do these films so early in his career. He’s wanted to do movies his whole life. At the Toronto Film Festival, Jason says that no one was looking at George Clooney becasue Oprah was in the room. Oprah denies this. Oprah marvels that Jason wrote and directed this film- he started writing it 7 years ago. She asks how he knew, if he had a premonition. He was adapting a novel by Walter Curran and he thought he was making a movie about a single man, but over the course of writing it the world changed. He changed too, he became a husband and father, which had an enormous impact on the character. The economy went from an ecomonic boom to the worst recession on record, and the film began to reflect that. Two weeks ago Jason won a Golden Globe for the best screenplay and he gave the sweetest acceptance speech saying that George was one of the greatest men he’s ever met, his wife is the fuel to his creative fire to write women, and to his mother and father for making him the man and the storyteller he is. He worked with his Dad in the film and hopes to do that again. Oprah happens to be friends with Jason’s parents, and says she can only imagine what this means to his parents. His father is the legendary producer and director Ivan Reitman, the man behind Ghostbusters and Animal House and many other defining comedies of our time. Working together was wonderful and unusual- you have to fgure out the new dynamic and seperate the father-son conversations from producer-director conversations; sometimes the two crossed. Previously, as a pre-med student- he was scared of being a director- the presumption is if you are the son of a famous director that you usually have a drug problem and no talent. He figured he’d fail on a big, public level and if he found success he’d be in his father’s shadow for his whole life. He chose medicine because no-one questions why you want to become a doctor. His father visited him and told him that being scared isn’t a reason to do anything. He persuaded Jason to go back to LA and pursue storytelling. In doing so he became the first Jewish father ever to say don’t be a doctor, be a film director.

Jason does like the title Director- it felt great the first time he was introduced as that. Oprah thought it was a brilliant touch to cast real life unemployed people in he movie. Three of the people in the movie are in the audience. The Chuck-e-Cheese line was said by Lamorris, he made up his own lines because he’d just been laid off. Jason recognised early on that he didn’t have the life experience to get this authenticity. They reached out to people who’d just lost their jobs in the Detroit / St Louis area where they were filming. They’d interview them for a few minutes then fire them on air so the person could say what they had said when they got fired, or what they’d wished they’d said on camera. Oprah asks if it was validating? They all say yes. Marlene was fired by letter after 27 years – she was lost, numb, going through the motions. After you process the news, you realise that your life changes in a day. It happened a week after the movie was being filmed at the airport. Arthur says he was a model employee, he had perfect attendance, and got along with everybody- he went through a double shocker. He believes Jason is a genius and he felt less like he was alone, this was a solid validation of the experience. He feels vindicated and appreciated. The world needs more Jason Reitmans and Oprah, people who care. When seeing the film, Arthur thought it was an opportunity for the world to see what he went through. This is more than a movie, it’s like a slice of reality at its best. Jason is embarrassed. He says it is a movie that is dramatic and comedic and is a mirror to George Clooney and a mirror to America. You’ll recognise what it is like to be a middle age person having a crisis, and you get to see George Clooney fall in love, which is nice. Oprah asks if it was shocking when Clooney came to the door? Jason says he wasn’t shocked because he wrote it, he saw it coming.

Jason thanks the three unemployed people for making his film real, for saying things he couldn’t write, for helping to make a film he couldn’t have made without them. The Chuck e Cheese line was heartbreaking and real, he would never have written it. They gave the actors a run for their money and changed his film. He thanks them. Oprah says everyone should go see the film, to appreciate it and be entertained.

Oprah is going to do everything she can to stop people texting and talking on the phone when driving because it is stupid. She has everything she needs for her birthday, what she wants is for the country to shift like we did with buckling up and designated drivers. Just yesterday, Oprah had an in-your-face intervention with an audience member. Two audience members got into bad accidents texting, two totalled cars. Driving at 50 mph and texting; neither driver has done it since. One of the girl’s friends, Sarah, is addicted to her phone. Oprah tells her the way the universe works is this- first you get a a whisper, then a tap on your head, then a brick, then a brick wall. This is Sarah’s brick wall. She says the fact that Sarah is here and the people next to her got into accidents, means that Oprah would be very very frightened if she was her. She can’t get it any stronger, Oprah is in Sarah’s face. The producers follow Sarah home. Interviewed after the show, she says Oprah is a nice person but the confrontation was tough. They followed her home and had her watch the texting while driving show. She was shocked and heartbroken. The tragic real-life stories gave her alot to think about. The program made the thought a reality. Sarah is in the audience again 24 hours later. It has sunk in, she is lucky and grateful that she has not had an accident yet. She goes on stage and signs the pledge. 266 people in the audience signed the pledge today. Sarah will keep her phone in her purse in the back seat of the car.

The headline in USA Today on Monday, was that the states go after texting drivers- bus and truck drivers are now prohibited from texting while driving, bravo. Apparently the Oprah Show spoke to the Secretary of transport personally who said he signed the pledge at Oprah.com. Ali Wentworth, from the Oprah Winfrey Show admits she sometimes texts and always talks while driving. She pledges to make her car a no-phone zone. In footage, we see her put her phone in a tiny bed in the back of her Lexus and drive away. She’d usually check emails at stop lights- she says she is sweating a little and feels uncomfortable and wants cheese fries. But she works through it and shouts at texting drivers through a megaphone. She films people texting, people say they will stop and sign the pledge. Some say they are not texting but using GPS or saving a phone number. Ali is standing by, Oprah says it is difficult at first, it’s like breaking an addiction.

Ali is in DC and joins the show via Skype. Ali has not slipped in the last three days- a tip she recommends is to tell your children that they can scream if they see you pick up the phone. It works; she slipped up once and lost the hearing in her right ear. She wishes everyone a happy birthday and says she is excited that she and Oprah are now the same age. She holds up a piece of paper with the number 28 written on it. Everyone laughs. She has presents for the puppies, they are excellent collars from the store Bling for your Bitch. Oprah and Sarah talk about giving up using your phone in the car is like an addiction, Ali likens giving up her phone in the car to quitting smoking- she says listening to satellite radio or a book on tape can make the car time work for you.

Hugh Jackman sings Happy Birthday for Oprah on video. Oprah holds a puppy and stands with the audience. All the audience is getting a free 2-night stay in a Hilton hotel anywhere in the world. The audience go wild and a cake is wheeled in with all the birthday names on it. Have a great day everybody and remember Oprah’s birthday wish; make your car a no-phone zone and take the pledge on Oprah.com

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

When you have everything you ever could wish for, two puppies and a mission to make the world a safer place will suffice for birthday presents.

Up In The Air is a dramatic, comedic, brilliant film mirroring both our times and George Clooney.

Texting while driving is still stupid, and Oprah is not afraid to get in the face of any offender.

Giving up using your phone is not unlike withdrawal from an addiction.

Hugh Jackman will have a glass of red wine in Oprah’s honor tonight.

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

Oprah’s birthday wish: sign the no-phone car-zone pledge, and get a puppy from a no-kill shelter.

Date: January 28th, 2010
File Under: Celebrity, Entertainment

Episode 15: Jay Leno: The Tonight Show Fiasco

Oprah goes to talk to Jay Leno. The late night controversy- Jay versus Conan has polarised America. It all started 5 years ago when Jay says NBC asked him to give up his#1 rated show, to make room for Conan O’Brien to become host in 2009. Last May, Jay passed the show as planned, and NBC decided to keep Jay on the air and gave him the 10pm slot as the Jay Leno Show. When ratings slid for both shows, rumour had it that NBC was going to let the Jay Leno Show go, but then they came up wth a new plan. Move Jay to 11.35pm for a half hour show and move Conan’s hour to 12.05am. Jay accepted the offer and the war of the words began. In the end, Conan turned down the deal and took a $45 million buyout. Conan left last Friday and Jay is back to the Tonight Show as of March 1st.

Oprah asks Jay to go back 5 years, to when Jay was asked to leave the Tonight Show. He was in his office, when a network executive came and asked him to leave in 5 years to make way for Conan, the upcoming star. There had been no discussion of passing over the show. As the #1 rated show, Jay did not think that he would be moved on. It broke Jay’s heart- this was the job that he’d always wanted and it was the only job that mattered to him. NBC wanted to announce it immediately- Jay Leno wanted the announcement to wait until they dropped to #2 at least. Conan’s contract was up and NBC didn’t want to loose him, so they wanted to move Jay on. Jay was devastated, the show was a tremendous success. Oprah asks what he planned to do in 2009? He says he told a white lie and said he’d retire, but he assumed that something else would turn up. The fly in the ointment was that they were #1 right until the day he went off the air. NBC made him leave 7 months before the contract was up so that he could not go elsewhere. He also had 175 people who worked for him. The best way to keep things smooth was the 10pm prime time idea, which NBC came up with in fall 2008- they had all the graphs and charts. Jay asked to keep his own staff, and NBC agreed. His option was to move to prime-time rather than move to another network. He knows his way around NBC and moving wasn’t appealing.

He feels messed around by NBC executives but he did it because it was an interesting challenge. Paradise is the ability to know you’re in it before you’re cast out of it- Jay feels that in both in his work and his marriage. They had a lot of great staff, it was a wonderful experience. Saying goodbye on the last night was tough. It was fun to watch his staff who all started out young and single, get married and have kids and that’s why they brought out the 65 kids on the stage. This was a family, a real one.

Last Friday night Conan left the Tonight Show after 7 short months and Jay Leno is going back to his old job. Americans are taking this seriously. Some are calling Jay selfish, and some are saying Conan can’t cut it. Jay thought Conan could do the show well, they were friends, this is a network decision. Only 6 or so people know how this feels, so you can only talk to them about it. Jay wished him well. Going to the prime time show did sort of make up for losing the Tonight Show, although it was unchartered territory. Late night he’d go up against Dave every night- if Oprah was on he knew that Dave would get the ratings, but otherwise Jay would get the viewers. But to book against the CSI evil twin episode, was very hard. Other networks wanted them to fail so kept their stars away . It made it more difficult certainly. After his first night he was heralded as the future of television, yet 4 months later he was called TV’s biggest bomb. Jay thinks the show failed beause it was a late night talk show on at 10 o’clock. His ego wasn’t bruised but he felt bad for everyone on the show and for the affiliates. The odd thing was it made money for the network, but not the affiliates. Many people say that Jay being on prime time 5 nights a week took away jobs from millions. He hadn’t realised that until he was on the air. Jay says he was given enough time to build an audience. It is a TV show that got cancelled, and Jay is surprised that there is so much attention. He found it ludicrous that he’s been in the newspapers almost daily for the last 6 months about this, not an actual scandal. Oprah finds it fascinating that America has taken sides in this and alot of people are not on Leno’s side. They think he has been selfish and taken the job from Conan. Jay says it all comes down to numbers. This is the perfect storm of bad things happening. Taking two hit shows and moving them both, what were the chances of them both doing badly? People think Leno pulled strings to make this happen. Jay’s show ratings were down 14% and Conan’s were down 49%. Leno wasn’t allowed out of his contract, despite being fired twice he was considered an asset. This time he was fired for poor ratings which Leno finds acceptable. They fired him and offered him half an hour and Conan on later for an hour. He said ok to 11.30-12.00. NBC were 75% sure Conan would agree. Oprah asks if he wanted to call Conan- Jay says that it wasn’t his place to call Conan. Next thing you know Conan’s article was in the paper, and that was that. Conan said he did not want to take the hour at 12.05. But then it got ugly.

Leno has made a living making jokes of other people during their hard times. However, he feels he was sucker-punched by Jimmy Kimmel- he didn’t know Jimmy was going to make jokes about Leno only having cars and $800 million, while Conan and Jimmy have kids. He hasn’t yet called Conan, he may when things calm down. He hasn’t been hurt by the jokes, it’s what they do. Like a fighter saying punches hurt- you can’t complain because it’s what you do. It all comes down to your conscience, a guilty conscience makes you feel bad and he never felt that. Oprah asks if he ever at any time considered that he was taking away Conan’s dream by going back? No, because this was an affiliate decision, this was the first time in 60 years that the Tonight Show would lose money. It was a matter of dollars and sense. If the numbers had been there it wouldn’t have been an issue. And they only asked him to come back when Conan turned back moving the show back an hour. Oprah asked if no part of him thought enough already, I’ve already done it? Leno says he and Oprah will go down together, they will both work forever. She is making her decision that the Oprah Winfrey Show is done after 25 years. Leno says he believes that she believes it. She asks who he is without a television show that he’s done for 17 years. He says he lives on the money he makes as a stand-up comedian. He considers himself a stand up comedian because TV is so volatile that you never know if you have a job. His TV money he banks and he has a small foundation.

Do you feel any personal responsibility for Conan’s disappointment? No it had nothing to do with Leno. There’s always someone waiting in the wings. He thinks very much about rebuilding his audience at the Tonight Show, he’ll do it by doing the work and servicing the audience. If a joke works all over the US, then it will work on TV. There is a fine balance. Oprah asks if they lost that balance. Even his audience was a little shocked when he made a crack at Letterman’s infidelity. Oprah thought it was beneath him. He thought one cheap shot deserves another. He does feel portrayed as the bad guy, which he feels is unfair. He says he is being likened to Roman Polanski, which is unfair. He hopes Conan gets a job elsewhere and the best man wins. Does his gut ever say that he should say no to the offers of going back? No. Although when he wanted to be out of his contract he would have taken his show elsewhere. He is looking forward to starting again on March 1st and rebuilding his audience. He does not feel responsible for Conan’s happiness. Anything that NBC did would have been better than this, from 2004 onwards this was a huge mess. Oprah asked what he expected? To cut the prime time show down to 2 or 3 nights a week would have been a solution. The Jay Leno Show took the focus of the stories about ratings; when they got cancelled the Tonight Show’s Ratings were under the radar.

They play Conan’s leaving speech saying that amazing things happen if you work hard and you’re kind and not cynical. Jay watched it and thinks he’s a good guy and a good comedian. Going back may be humbling, there is alot of work to be done,some damage control, and he should not be bitter or angry. Oprah asks if Leno was embarrassed – yes, it’s hugely embarrassing. How does his broken heart show itself to him? Does he go for a ride in one of his cars? He always thought he was doing the right thing, and yet so many people are upset,. Who wouldn’t have done what he did? Maybe he’s not a good guy, he thinks he’s a good guy. He asked himself daily if he was being selfish, and his answer is he doesn’t think so. He thinks celebrities will come on his show, why would they refuse? Oprah says they are taking sides. He will work hard and try to be #1 again, it is like a marathon when you do the best you can. The experience has changed him becasue he can understand celebrities having rugh times.

Oprah wanted to do the interview because she thinks people don’t understand the way TV works. She could understand people calling Leno selfish if Leno owned the show, but he couldn’t steal the show because it wasn’t his to steal. He doesn’t want to own the show like he doesn’t want to be a landlord. He likes to be well-paid employee.

80,000 viewers replied to the Oprah.com Jay vs Conan show poll, and 96% are on Conan’s side and 94% thought Jay shouldn’t go back to the Tonight Show. Oprah is surprised that so many people feel this way, that Jay stole Conan’s dream. Being retired seemed selfish to Jay- 175 people at work would all have to fend for themselves. As a team effort, as long as he’s working, they are working. Selfish, maybe, but the minute you can’t do the job, you get the tap on the shoulder to leave. He felt bad for Conan but he didn’t feel he was the reason, the reasons were the ratings. He has regrets but doesn’t know what he would do differently. Oprah says he could have walked away. Jay says that’s the ego decision, to leave everyone hanging. Oprah asks that he could have taken two years of money for him and his staff like Conan did. Jay says he could have done that, but he made a different decision. He would love to have Conan on his show, Conan will hopefully get a job on Fox or something and they’ll all compete again.

Back in the studio, Oprah has a cold and is sucking on a cough drop. Oprah thanks Jay. The Oprah show reached out but Conan’s people said it wasn’t the time for him to be on the Oprah Show. They will redo the poll on Oprah.com, and please take the no-phone pledge when you are online.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Paradise is the ability to know you’re in it before you’re cast out of it

It is a TV show that got cancelled, and even Jay Leno is surprised that there has been so much attention paid to the matter.

Ultimately television is all about the ratings.

Jay Leno does not feel responsible for taking away Conan O’Brien’s dream

Maybe Leno is not a good guy, but he thinks he’s a good guy.

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

Jay Leno does not feel responsible for Conan’s disappointment; TV is ultimately all about the ratings

Date: January 27th, 2010
File Under: Live your best life, Public Service Announcement, Transformation, Uncategorized

Episode 14: Before You Grocery Shop Again… Food 101, With Michael Pollan

Oprah will turn 56 in a couple of days and she still loves it when she learns something new, and she recently saw an eye-opening, fascinating documentary, Food, Inc. It makes you think, like any good documentary- we all have to start paying more attention to what we put into our bodies and look at the bigger picture beyond carbs, fat, calories etc. Do you know where your food comes from? In the studio they do a quiz. The most consumed meat in the world is not beef as the audience guessed, but rather goat. Goat is lower in fat and cholestorol than chicken and has more protein than beef. In Chicago in midwinter, grapes travel further than tomatoes or mushrooms to arrive in the grocery store. Children today drink twice as much soda as milk. Americans take 3 million pounds of antibiotics and livestock take 28 million pounds, which is why they are doing today’s show.

An extract from Food, Inc: The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than the last ten thousand. But the image we are sold is still the old rural America, a view of farmers, 30’s farmhouses, fields and picket fences. Food in our supermarkets (average 47,000 products) has become seasonless, tomatoes are available all year rounds. There are no longer bones in the meat aisle. If you follow the food chain back from the shrink-wrapped meat you have a very different reality. In the 70’s the top 5 beef packers controlled 25% of the market, now the top 45 control over 80% of the market. A handful of companies have changed what we eat and how we make our food. Modern agriculture is about making things faster and bigger and fatter and cheaper, nobody is thinking about the ecological health of the whole system.

Oprah says that some food industry organizations are saying that the film Food, Inc is biased and misleading but that we can make up our own minds, because we live in America. Isn’t that wonderful? For Oprah it boils down to making more conscious food decisions. Oprah recommends we watch it for ourselves and make our own decisions.

An extract from Food, Inc: Birds are raised and slaughtered in half the time they were 50 years ago and they’re now twice as big. People like white meat so chicken’s have been re-engineered to have bigger breasts. A farmer asks why you would raise a chicken in 3 months when you could do it in 49 days? More money in your pocket, The chickens never see sunlight. In the chicken house there is dust and feces everywhere, it is an assembly line with mass production. With the rapid growth of a chicken from a chick to fully grown in 7 weeks, alot of the internal organs and bones can’t keep up with the rate of growth, so many of the chickens can only take a few steps and then they fall down. Th intensive production systems produce alot of food on a small amount of land at an affordable price.

Oprah says after seeing the film she had to spread the message. Michael Pollan award-winning journalist and 4-times bestseller author is one of the foremost authorities on food in the world. Pollan says we re-engineered the bird- it is a great achievement in one way, it is now the cheap meat- the reason is breeding, diet, antibiotics and our willingness to tolerate this feedlot system. There is a price to be paid for the shortened lifespan of a chicken, and the price is antibiotics. If we give so many to the animals, they will no longer work for the people and we see alot of antibiotic resistant germs coming out of feed lots. Cheap food is great, and we have to acknowledge the achievement, but also the cost. Oprah asks how we feed America without mass-producing food- it’s the American way. Americans have done a good job of driving down food prices; we spend 9.5% of our income on food, the smallest percentage in the world. It’s hard to imagine we can make food production fair, humane and sustainable without increasing prices. Can we figure out how to mass-produce sustainable food? We don’t know exactly how yet but we can figure out how to do it if we can re-engineer a chicken.

Oprah asks how the Western diet relates to the rest of the world. It’s a confused treacherous landscape where cereal promises better focus in the classroom and a healthy heart. Most of what is in the supermarket is not “food”, it is an edible food-like substance. The western diet was invented about 100 years ago- lots of everything- processed meat, sugar, additives, added fat- except fruits, vegetables and whole grains. In other parts of the world people are healthy eating seal blubber or cow’s blood. Before the Western diet, people did not suffer from Type 2 diabetes, heart disease obesity etc. It’s not about fat or carbs but whole foods. The Inuit diet is very high in fat-75%- seal blubber- but they do not suffer from Type 2 diabetes, heart disease . How is that asks Oprah, we don’t know says Pollan, maybe it is all the Omega 3’s. What we know is that traditional diet eaters are not suffering high rates of chronic diseases. It is about eating minimally processed plants, meats and fungi.

The rules

#2: Dont eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.

#7 avoid food containing ingredients that a third grader couldn’t pronounce

#13 Eat only foods that will eventually rot

One of theories is do you pay for real food or pay for the doctor? In 1960 they paid 18% of national income on food and 5% on healthcare. Today we pay 9% on food and 17% on healthcare. The less we spend on food the more we spend on healthcare. This is not about nutrients- as soon as you demonize one nutrient, another gets a free pass. Look at the low-fat kick we were all on for the last 40 years; everyone got fatter. Fat was taken out of the product and replaced with sugar, so now you can get a fat-free yogurt with more calories than a full-fat yogurt.

# 39 Eat all the junk food you like as long as you cook it yourself.

We shouldn’t deprive ourselves of pleasure, but we should earn it by cooking. Cooking is key to take back control from the corporations, who cannot cook well and use too much salt and so on. Oprah calls for a food revolution because it all boils down to convenience- cheap fast easy. It’s not that hard to eat well if you are willing to put a little more thought, a little more effort and a little more money into it.

Food Inc: With a dollar to spend and two hungry kids, it is easier to get a small burger at the drive-through which will fill the kids up more than a single vegetable. Candy and soda are really cheap. Diabetes is a national crisis.

One comment Pollan hears all the time is that people can’t afford to eat well. He says it is amazing that fast food is cheaper than fresh produce. This is because the fast food has been subsidized through federal agricultural policy, to the tune of $56 billion in ten years and we do nothing to subsidise the fresh produce industry. Corn, soy wheat have been subsidized. With a dollar to buy as many calories as you can, the snack aisle will get you 1250 calories, versus 250 calories in the produce aisle. The bottom line as seen in the documentary is that we see that the consumer has the biggest voice. We get three votes a day to vote with our forks. If you vote with consciousness, we can change. It is empowering.

Pollan eats everything but is very picky about what he eats. He’ll eat grass-fed beef, which is more expensive but becoming more common- they don’t need antibiotics because cows are meant to eat grass, rather than corn which is what most are bred to eat now. Corn-fed animals grow faster but they get sick. We should choose to eat meat which has been fed well. Oprah says she has nothing to say about the beef industry, she has gone radio-silent. The audience chuckles. Milk, he buys from pastured animals- it has more beta-carotene and omega 3s. He buys alot from farmer’s market. Getting out of the supermarket is a great way to get nearer to the source of our food. If we eat real food, we don’t need to worry about nutrients. It all boils down to one rule. Eat food, mostly plants, not too much. Oprah reminds us that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that we should watch the film and make up our own minds.

Alicia Silverstone is best known as the actress in the comedy classic Clueless. What you may not know is that she suffered from asthma,insomnia eczema, and acne, and she was constantly constipated. 12 years ago she revamped her diet and no longer suffers, she sleeps like a baby and has tons of energy. At 33 she feels great and she joins us from satellite by New York. Oprah says she loves Alicia’s book, The Simple Diet, and has got a lot of recipes from it. What did Alicia do? She stopped eating meat and dairy and processed foods and now eats a lot of deliciosus incredible easy food which makes her feel amazing. Her skin changed drastically, her body changed and her energy level changed. She used to have those white marks on her brittle nails and now they are so strong she can’t bend them. She used to feel puffy, then her eyes got really white and she feels amazing. She was on a steak and donut diet and then went cold turkey. She leaned in to it from age 8-21, because she was an animal lover. She would flirt with ideas of vegetarianism. At 21, after seeing some documentaries similar to Food, Inc showing how the animals were raised, she decied that if she couldn’t eat her dog then she couldn’t eat any other animal species. The kind diet refers to being truly kind to yourself, letting yourself have your best health, look your best, feel your best and feel your most vital. Being vegan is Alicia’s choice, Oprah tried it for 21 days on a cleanse and missed cheese so much she was dreaming of the cheese in an omelette. She asked if the chickens are treated well and there is music playing, and the cows are happy, is that ok? Alicia said she’d like to see the happy chicken and cows.

The book is about taking baby steps to become your best self, to flirt with the ideas wherever you are at. Alicia understands wanting and loving cheese- even she sometimes slips up on cheese, usually after wine, and she gets gassy and her skin breaks out. It’s about weighing up the benefits- and the costs. Yes cheese is delicious. but so are all the recipes in the book. Oprah just had something from the book today and last night. But being practical, Oprah doesn’t want to frighten people into trying to give everything up. Alicia says add things in, don’t give things up -things like kale, collard greens and bok choi.

Alicia takes the cameras around the grocery store. Grocery shopping is her most favorite thing in the world, she says that you can flirt with a healthy lifestyle. She picks up vegan fake chicken breasts from the freezer counter. She is eating better food than ever before. Wholegrain rice will change your life. Rice milk and help milk are great. Have greens twice a day. Have maple syrup instead of sugar. Ice cream alternatives- Rice Dream Mud Cakes will change your life.

Alicia heads to her Broadway costar’s house, to cook up some favorites; leek and mushroom and pesto crostinis and the cheesy oozy beany guacamole dip. Oprah has some cooked up meals from the book that she says are delicious. Treat yourself more kindly because you deserve to feel your best and find your truth. They talk about vegan poop and how fabulous it is- Alicia says she wants to show it to her friend, Oprah just wants to talk about it. It’s effortless, and quick and she’s in and out 2 or 3 times a day.

The average American eats fast food four times a week. Steve Ells, the man behind Chipotle, wants to change the way fast food is served in the US. Fast food with a conscience. Just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it has to be a fast food experience. Fast food to most means cheap and processed. At Chipotle everything is fast and never frozen, organic and local if possible. 100% of chicken and pork is naturally raised, and 60% of beef is naturally raised. This year they will serve 70 million pounds of meat. It’s really important both taste wise and enviromentally that the animals are allowed to roam outside. Sustainable food should not be a luxury, it should be an everyday experience.

Oprah welcomes Steve and he tells her to come to Chipotle. In 1993 when he just got out of cooking school, he set up Chipotle to provide seed money for his fancy restaurant but it got really busy. They had a great attention to detaill not usually found in fast food. They keep their standards high by doing a few thing s and teaching people how to cook, and fast. In the beginning it was just about freshness. But he was sourcing a new pork supplier and came across an Iowan pork that was humane and antibiotic free and it tasted great. Looking at pork in confinement, he decided not to base Chipotle on that model. We eat 200lb per person per year of meat- if all our animals were raised outside there would be a trade off- we’d have to eat less meat but it would be better quality.

Amazon.com friends are offering Food Inc for $9.99 with a free digital download. Michael Pollan’s final thoughts are that pioneers like Steve wil help us figure it out. You have to pay a little more and decide if it’s worth it to you. Think about how your decisions affect you and your children and their children. Thank you everybody.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Modern agriculture is about making things faster and bigger and fatter and cheaper, nobody is thinking about the ecological health of the whole system.

We can make up our own minds about these issues, because we live in America. Isn’t that wonderful?

Most of what is in the supermarket is not “food”, it is an edible food-like substance.

Consider being truly kind to yourself, letting yourself have your best health, look your best, feel your best and feel your most vital.

Vegan poop is effortless, quick and fabulous enough to consider sharing it with your friends.

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

Eat food, mostly plants, not too much

Date: January 26th, 2010
File Under: Betrayal, Celebrity, Family, Marriage, Relationships, Uncategorized

Episode 13: Denise Richards and Mrs Ted Haggard: Surviving a Public Scandal

Actress Denise Richard says she knows what you might think of her, she has been called all the names in the book. For the last five years she has just taken it – the stares, the comments, the speculation- and now she’s ready to speak her mind. At the time of her divorce she took the high road, she was advised to keep quiet, she hoped it would blow over and it didn’t- it escalated and got really, really bad.. She survived it and now she’s here to speak her piece, and to offer hope to any woman in her situation. Oprah clarifies that she means that literally, after all the anger and emotional struggle, Denise now has peace. Denise says she had so much emotional difficulties at the time that she would not have been able to talk about this while she was living it, but now she has distanced herself, and that she and Charlie are now in a great place.

Denise Richards was the beautiful Midwestern girl who set her sights on Hollywood. She became a Bond Girl, and 2 years later got together with Charlie Sheen. They were red capet regulars, but she filed for divorce when pregnant with her second child. The battle raged on for more than four years, with accusations of drugs, pornography and prostitutes, and allegations that she stole her best friend’s husband. Denies and Charlie have called a truce. But on Christmas morning in Aspen Colorado, Charlie’s wife of 20 months, Brooke, called police saying that he had threatened her with a knife. They have twin baby boys. Denise got a collect call on Christmas Day from jail, her first reaction was is he ok? He told her that he and Brooke had got into a fight and Brooke called the cops, but he wanted to say Merry Christmas to the girls, Sammy and Lola. He called again when he got out of jail. Oprah recalls that he threatened Denise, as written in the divorce documents. Denise takes a deep breath and says that he was abusive at times. She can’t lie- he was abusive and threatening – there were times with much verbal abuse, which got very scary. He never hit her but he would push or shove her. It’s public knowlege that she had a restraining order against him because of this. She told Charlie she was coming on the show, she told him she would be honest, but there are some things she won’t reveal. Does Denise think he has a problem with managing his temper and with the way he treats her and his current wife? Yes, says Denise. He has a very sharp tongue- he played on Denise’s insecurities, which she acknowledges that we all do in relationships . Oprah interrupts to say that it is interesting that Denise said he never hit her, and so many women use the “he never hit me” calling card yet they cower in intimidation and manipulation. Denise says it’s easy to judge when you are on the outside. Denise loved him, she wanted it to work- she doesn’t love him now, he’s not the person she married. She cares for him and would help him out if necessary because he is her daughters father. There were some very dark times, with humiliation, particularly when she filed the restraining order. She was scared, embarrassed, terrified. She didn’t have any inkling when they married that the relationship would be volatile. He was 3 years sober when they met, which she admired, she thought that his past was in the past. Did she feel put upon because alot of the press was labelling her as a golddigger and man-stealer, when he was being threatening and abusive? Denise says it was very, very difficult, and she hit rock-bottom. This is a sad situation, he now has two baby boys and they have a Dad in jail for Christmas, but perhaps people can understand what she went through. She’s not sure that she feels vindicated. As the show goes to commercial break, there is a written and spoken disclaimer that Charlie Sheen has repeatedly denied Denise Richards’ allegations of abuse.

This is Denise Richard’s first time speaking out since the Christmas arrest, but they have got to a good place together. Oprah asks how good that place will be after this show and Denise laughs and says it depends how much they talk about- she says they’ve gotten through worse with a lot of work. Their daughters did not ask to be born into a hostile situation- she and Charlie started to see a mediator,- so to be able to have an early dinner together on New Year, is important for the kids who don’t deserve this stuff. Denise’s dad in the audience says it’s so frustrating- he respects his daughter for trying to makie it work but was angry at her for repeatedly going back. She kept going back because their oldest was 9 months and she was 6 months pregnant when she filed for divorce. She did it for the kids, she did not want this life for them. She was terrified for her own life. When she filed for divorce, they had had a very big argument, the next day he went to work and she packed a suitcase and took her 9 month old and went straight to an attorneys office. She was terrified and relieved that she had the strength to do it. When she heard he was remarrying, she had very much moved on- it was impossible to make her marriage work- she hopes he is different. Brooke is her daughters step-mom so she wants it to be a healthy relationship for everyone.

Oprah asks her how she felt when the tabloids called her a husband-stealer, what happened there? Richie was single when they were both going through their divorces. It started as a friendship, they leaned on each other and both had parents that were ill. Oprah asks if she knows the rule that the best friends husband is off limits rule, whatever the circumstances may be? Denise says that she was friends with Heather, but they weren’t best friends, and if they been friends then she would have never crosssed that line; Richie would have been off limits. The friendship was done, they weren’t friends anymore. She had mixed feelings, she was embarrassed and could feel the other mothers staring at her. Doing Mommy and Me and preschool runs was humiliating. She is now in a good place herself. Her 4 and 5 year old daughters are her pillars. Their favorite presents were their American Girl dolls- they were spoiled at Christmas. She did tell them about their Dad- a kid in kindergarten asked her 5 year old if her Daddy was still in jail. Oprah says theat kindergarten ain’t what it used to be. She asks if she is comfortable for Charlie to be with the girls, does she trust him? Denise says yes after a long pause. She says it’s up and down, a work in progress. Oprah asks if that means she didn’t trust him at some point; Denise says it was challenging. Many people said she was being manipulative and controlling, but she did what any parent in their right mind would have done. It is about the girls. Oprah asks if it’s his temper, what is it? Denise says it’s a combination of a lot of things, and Denise has always been about keeping the girls safe and healthy. Oprah says that Denise is not going to tell her what it is, as “a lot of things” is not an answer. Denise says she is starting to sweat. Oprah says Denise should only say what she feels comfortable with, but she wants Denise to know that it’s a lot isn’t an answer. Denise looks to her Dad and says everyone has read certain things, and that everyone must agree that some of those things are not appropriate for children. She can’t control Charlie or Brooke or what goes on in their home, but what she can control is the situation in her own home and keep her girls safe. Oprah leaves it at that because Denise is uncomfortable, but she says that all the things we read about prostitution, pornography and drugs are not appropriate for children. Oprah wishes Denise the best and thanks Denise for coming on the show. As the show goes to commercial break, a disclaimer says that Charlie Sheen denies that he threatened his wife Brooke with a knife, and that Brooke and Charlie want to work on their issues. He goes to trial in February.

It’s all too common; a well known, widely respected man is caught in a very public scandal, then steps forward and admits doing something wrong while his wife stands stoically by his side. Ted Haggard and his wife Gail were on the show last January after his shocking secret life was exposed – he was a powerhouse evangelist with 30 million followers, charismatic and influential, a rising star, until the sex scandal. On the show he said he wasn’t gay, but a heterosexual with homosexual attachments, as diagnosed by his first therapist. In 2006 a former male escort claimed a 3 year sexual relationship that included payment for sex and crystal meth. The details were sordid and humiliating. It was not an emotional relationship, it was strictly for sex. Ted initially denied everything, he said he never did drugs nor did he have a gay relationship, ever. Gail initially believed him but the story began to fall apart. He admitted that he called the other man for meth, for himself, but never used it. He eventually admitted to using drugs and sexual immorality. He said to Gail that he was toxic, so poisonous, that she should divorce him. Why did she stay? Gail is here and has written a new book called Why I Stayed.

Oprah read it last night and then this morning had an epiphany; she decided to approach this interview with no judgement; judge not lest ye be judged. Her conclusion is that Gail loves this man in a way that Oprah has never loved, Oprah is independent and has always made her own decisions and can’t therefore imagine ever being in the situation where someone could betray her and she would stay. It is unimaginable to her, yet Oprah can see that coming where Gail came from, Oprah can see how Gail could do it.

Gail is glad that Oprah doesn’t want to judge her- she would say that she is strong and independent and that these were her choices. She felt that the betrayal could lead to greater strength. On page 108 of her book, Gail asks if the fault lays with her- was she not enough, not attractive , not fun, not sexually satisfying enough? Gail says that most women would ask herself those questions when faced with infidelity , would ask if they failed somehow, would ask what’s wrong with me? Gail asked herself those questions then asked Ted those questions. He answered that this was his problem, not hers, and that she was enough. Oprah asks if this would be the same if the infidelities were with women? That for some women it’s easier if the man was gay. Gail says the dynamics were different, another woman would make her feel that she definitely wasn’t enough; it raises a whole different set of challenges. Oprah says another man means there’s nothing you can do about it, which can make it easier. Gail thinks that the whole woman thing would have been different challenges, but the same principles.

Oprah asks for clarification; knowing that her husband had had relationships with men in the past, why did Gail believe him when he denied a relationship? Gail says she really did believe it becasue she was too naive, there were hints. After Jonathan, their special needs son was born, Ted came to her and said that there had been an incident the previous year that he needed to share. It involved another man, it wasn’t a sexual relationship, but it was a somewhat sexual encounter that had happened when he was a graduate student in a bookstore in another city. He determined to get out of grad school and never go back, and went to see a counselor that day. He carried so much guilt that he didn’t reveal the incident for a year, a year and a half. Oprah asks if the admission of an encounter of any kind plants the seed that he is interested in men. Yes, it did. This happened over 25 years ago. Gail understands that we all have struggles and weaknesses in our life- but if she heard that now it would have been a huge sign for her. Then she was naive to the gravity of the situation. She wanted to deal with it and believed that he had dealt with it, and that was why she was so staggered when the situation came out.

Its been just over 3 years since Ted Haggard was brought down by a gay sex scandal. Ted joins us. Gail writes on page 67 of the day she decided to stay in the marriage. Ted reached out for her in bed, and her heart broke, and she began her journey of choosing to love. Ted, literally, cried when he read that. He realised that so many others would have withdrawn, justifiably so, and maybe just put him out. Oprah asks her what made her choose- it was the first night that he had confessed that parts of the allegations were true. Ted was already in bed, when she slowly went to bed. Oprah is outraged that he was in the bed, that he was allowed to be there, and that Gail went to join him. Ted says that’s why the book is so incredible, to see Gail making so many choices to keep there family together. Gail clarifies that she had a sense of betrayal and had a sense of revulsion, but she fell back on what mattered in her marriage, the things she believed about her husband. It was a secret, she hates secrets, it was very painful for her; she wanted to know the truth and know her husband. But she knows what kind of man he is, the good that he’s done and the wonderful parts of their marriage. and she’s not willing to let go of that. Sharing her epiphany, Oprah says to Ted that Gail really loves her. Ted says yes she really loves him, this woman is deeply infatuated with him, she loves him, which is an incredible thing. Gail says its more than infatuation, she really loves him. Ted says its incredible for a woman to love a man the way Gail loves him, he doesn’t deserve it, it’s a gift she has given him, and that he is so grateful.

Oprah asks Gail if she trusts him as much as she loves him? Gail says this is her answer: Rebuilding trust, she had the confidence that he was faithful to her, and that she could believe what he said. Ted felt that when the scandal happened it became his responsibility to do things so she could trust him. He took lie detector tests, he’s super accountable, he calls her constantly. He makes sure she has no doubt about where he is, so that Gail can deal with her fears reasonably. He makes it his resonsibility, he doesn’t expect blind trust. The rules he lives by are

1 He answers everything. He Tweets and Facebook’s his schedule for Gail and the public.

2. If he goes anywhere alone, he calls Gail when he gets there and when he leaves, and informs her of any adjustments of schedule

He says he stepped up and decided to do this, rather than have rules imposed by Gail, which would feel very different. He’ll mask it by asking if she wants anything from the grocery store as he’s leaving, so it doesn’t feel like checking in with his parole officer. He realises he also violated his children’s trust. If he travels and Gail can’t go, for whatever reason, something like the children or whatever, then he stays in the pastor’s home, not in a hotel. No one imposed that on him, he does it himself, it’s not a contract or anything like that. Oprah asks if he does it so that he can be trusted by them or if he doesn’t trust himself? Ted says that always when people have been in any behaviour like that, there is a chance of a problem. Ted trusts himself but step number 1 in the 12 step program encourages us to never think that we are immune. Oprah asks if the 12-step program got him through this process? He says it helped, and he’s still in counselling for other (non-sexual) issues, other things. The biggest thing that helped him was therapy, since that time he’s not had one compulsive thought or behaviour. Oprah asks if he feels he’s heterosexual and he says oh yeah, we have a lot of evidence. He laughs, Gail doesn’t. Oprah asks, and he clarifies that he no longer has any homosexual issues.

Oprah asks Gail what if he comes to her and says he’s slipped up? Gail says it’s a day she hopes never happens, but realistically she has to be prepared for that. She thinks her heart is not ready for that at this point, but she believes that the principles that got her through before could get her through again. Oprah asks if the marriage is stronger and better; Gail says absolutely. Gail loves him more now after they’ve walked through these difficulties together and she knows his weaknesses. Before she felt she couldn’t get close enough to him, there was a wall she couldn’t get past, and once they started this process, once the huge lights were shining on her husband they were able to get behind the wall and walk through that and that gave her more love for Ted. Gail’s book is out today, thank you Gail, thank you Ted.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Despite denials, Charlie Sheen is most likely threatening and abusive

Most people would agree that drugs, pornography and prostitutes are not appropriate for children

If Gail Haggard’s husband had been unfaithful with women, there would have been different challenges, but the same principles of recovery.

To avoid all trust issues with oneself and others, stay in the pastor’s house rather than a hotel.

Therapy can work to reverse all homosexual impulses and feelings.

A VERY CONCISE SUMMARY:

Drugs and sexual immorality can lead to a stronger, better marriage with more love.

Date: January 25th, 2010
File Under: Celebrity, Entertainment, Family, Marriage, Relationships
1 comment

Episode 12: Rosie O’Donnell: Life After The Breakup and Her New Love

It’s been a long time since the Oprah Winfrey Show has heard from Rosie, come on out. They hug. Oprah admires her hair, and Rosie says she had to do the menopause cut at the back… she cut the underneath of her hair to avoid the thick-hair-sweat issue. They are both angry that no-one told them about menopause, about how it would be- Rosie hit menopause at 41, Oprah at 50. Suzanne Sommers called Rosie after seeing her on the show and advised her to take bio-identical hormones, and it changed her whole life. She doesn’t do everything Suzanne does, not 7 million pills and a shot in the vajayjay- Rosie takes a prescription cream. For a while she had a brillo moustache from the progesterone- she became The Lunch Lady, who didn’t remove it because she couldn’t see it. She feels alot better and younger now- Oprah interrupts to say that’s a topic for a whole new show.

It’s been 13 years since she was last on the show, but she did call Oprah once at 2 in the morning, crying after Columbine saying that they have to form a union to save the children of the world. Oprah was so good, telling her to breathe. Oprah realised that that tragedy affected different people in different ways. Rosie says when she first started her show she had a delusion of fame that the power of fame could stop bad things from happening- she felt she could get the other superhero media women together to change things, to make the world a better place. Rosie says that Oprah plays a central role in the movie of Rosie’s life, but Oprah doesn’t realise that she’s cast in it.

Oprah asks where Rosie has been the last couple of years, and Rosie says she’s been at home trying to figure out what to do with the second part of her life. Her mother died at age 40, so Rosie spent her whole life thinking she would only live to be 40. Her goal was to do everything she could by 40 then retire and wait to be told she was going to die. And yet every year her mammogram is clear. Rosie got divorced, although she and Kelly were in the first group to be married and it was annulled so they didn’t need a divorce as such. Rosie says that a lesbian divorce is a different paprdigm- the emotional connection remains. Every woman but one of Rosie’s past relationships is still in her life. They prioritise looking after the kids, they are the focus, that is what it is about. Oprah asks why they broke up. Rosie says that what they wanted and and needed at 30/ 35 and 40/ 45 changed. They did not grow apart, they both came back to being their authentic selves. When they met they were very wrapped up in their careers, and fame. For the last two years, she was at home painting and spending alot of time alone. She took her show as a job, with the aim of being at home with her children. She finds it impossible that fame doesn’t corrupt people, it is a toxic drug. Oprah agrees that it is a drug, but says that she hasn’t been drugged by it. Rosie didn’t realise until she was done with her show. She did alot of charity work, and her son asked why she didn’t stay home and take care of them instead of running out to compulsively raise money for charity. Oprah says that in the last 5 years, fame has become an obsession. Rosie agrees that as a nation we have become obsessed with fame, so that trivial news such as who she’s dating can be a headline on CNN.

Video footage shows Rosie’s guesthouse in New York state, where she has made a radio studio, The best part of her gig is that she can wear pajamas. She does a radio show with her kids. Back in the studio, Oprah says Rosie has a new radio show and an HBO documentary about families. Oprah asks what she has learned from her kids now, the oldest of whom is 14. Rosie said she has had to learn alot lately, especially with the idea of co-parenting, Her whole life she has wanted to be a mother, a full-time mother. They co-parent and spend equal time together with the kids. The kids are free-flowing, some are always here and there. Kelly lives close by, but not quite in the same town. One night when she was crying, her son said calm down mom, I’ll always be your son, no matter where I am. Rosie always wanted to be a family with a mom who stayed. She could do the things she could only dream of as a child- provide matching socks, clean underwear. She was raised with love, compassion and grace by a community of women with no blood relation- the neighbor women. Sadly her mother’s death was never talked about- Rosie never said out loud that her mother died until she was at college. Oprah is sure that affected her – Rosie says she’s almost annoying to her kids by asking what are you feeling? Should we talk? She wants her kids to remember that family is forever, change is inevitable and you can always survive it, that you can survive unexpected huge challenges. She hopes to teach them by doing it herself; that there is always something new in the future and you don’t now what that might be, but it has the potential for tremendous joy and to remember what was without the pain of what it is not now.

Despite the divorce, they do all the monumental events together- first day at school, the red carpet… The documentary is about family, and truth is what works for her and her family. She has been working for the last 2 years on “A Family is a Family, is a Family: A Rosie O’Donnell Celebration of Love”, an HBO documentary. They play an extract from the documentary, Rosie is talking with her daughter, about how a family is forever and family is love. Oprah asks why Rosie wanted to make that documentary? She says that she had been a rolemodel for the gay/ lesbian community, and she wanted to be honest in this documentary- gay families are just like other families, and divorce happens. It’s been the most painful experience of her adult life.

Rosie started in stand-up, then became most famous in her 6 year stint hosting the Rosie O’Donnell Show starting in 1996 , where she got 11 Emmy’s. She quit to spend more time with her family, then in 2006 returned to daytime television as a co-host on The View. Ratings soared and so did the controversy. It all came to a head with a heated political debate with co-host Elizabeth Hasselback. They’d had a friendship and it didn’t ring true. Rosie decided she’d had enough. Rosie asked Elizabeth how she felt about her comrades on Fox, where Hasselback is a commentator, calling Rosie un-American and saying she didn’t care about the troops. Elizabeth said she wasn’t going to defend her. Rosie said they were friends, and that Elizabeth had been to her house, and that what viewers saw were her hurt feelings and betrayal. Oprah asks if that’s why she didn’t come back- Rosie says that the producers had pre-prepared a split-screen. Rosie knew that and felt that she had been manipulated. She doesn’t feel that the best use of her talent is arguing and fighting. Living legend Barbara Walters was the person who’s show it was, it was not Rosie’s show. They play a clip of Barbara Walter’s on the Oprah Show, saying Rosie is loving and wonderful but had a moment of pure rage in the dressing room once that she didn’t want to talk about.

Oprah had read in Rosie’s Book, Celebrity Detox, about the incident. Rosie had made fun of Donald Trump’s hair. Oprah reads from the book saying that if Rosie stands up after a confrontation, it is because her rage is too big for her body. Rosie says she stood up, said a lot of terrible things and regretfully she says she scared Barbara Walters. Rosie regrets that moment because no one speaks to Barbara that way. They liken Walters to the queen; Oprah says she is the queen. Rosie was demanding an emotional connection.They think that maybe Rosie was projecting stuff onto her; Rosie says she didn’t think Barbara was her mother, but anyone in that age range, she has reverence for. Rosie was hurt because she felt Barbara should have come to her defense and she didn’t. Rosie tries to teach her children, her 12 year old, what are you feeling? She tries to show her children what their feelings are. If she had been braver, at that moment she would have just cried. Oprah says that is so interesting- when crying is so often perceived as the weak thing to do, why does Rosie say it would be braver? Because it would have been authentic, the true feeling . Rosie’s armour is to stand up and shout. She did go home and cried, alot. Kelly would say to her that she has to get her feelings under control. She is lucky that in her business she can express those emotions but sometimes she gets overwhelmed. Oprah asks how it healed her, the process. Rosie says you get to face yourself over and over, that you evolve and at some point the stories have to change. There are so many stories; by telling the same one over and over you define yourself in the past. What has healed Rosie is a willingness to step out of her history and into her present. Now she can live more authentically, she can speak without putting her guard up.

Rosie’s video blog has quite a following. That’s how she met Tracy- she wrote on the blog asking if she wanted to trade art. Rosie looked her up, she’s an artist and a single lesbian mom of 6 – 5 adopted from foster care and 1 she birthed with down syndrome. She’s a doula, surfer, gardener, recycler, works for gay foster care rights… Rosie wrote to her and asked if she was for real or a joke. She was the perfect match for Rosie’s wants. Her big heart appealed to Rosie. Rosie invited her to Miami, she didn’t even know if it was a date. They had never spoken, nor had she seen her. Tracy got out of the car and Rosie said zoinks, because she is absolutely gorgeous. They are moving to live together, they are going to blend the families. Rosie says her kids know her. When she told her oldest about Tracy, he said it sounds pretty perfect. Rosie is very happy, and it’s not that Kelly made her unhappy, it’s just that they wanted different things at different times.

Oprah asks her to reveal something that she’s never revealed. Rosie says that’s hard, that she tends to tell everything, almost too much- in her book she says she told how she used to self-injure as a child. That’s a tough thing to say, but a important one. She understands how you feel the need to make a physical pain to override the emotional pain. Right now, her secret, she is not wearing underpants.

Oprah asks if Rosie has healed some of the rage? Yes, but it took a long time and self acceptance and understanding that you can choose to see the glass as half empty or half full. Whenever she teaches that lesson to her kids, she relearns it for herself. Oprah advises every family to watch the family documentary on HBO on January 31st. Oprah and Rosie both have a radio series on Sirius FM; Rosie bought a Sirius radio or everyone in the audience. The audience go wild. Goodbye everybody.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Menopausal hot-sweat discomfort for those with thick hair can be eased with the right haircut.

Fame corrupts. Fame is a toxic drug.

Family is forever, change is inevitable and you can always survive it, you can survive unexpected huge challenges

There is always something new in the future and you don’t know now what that might be, but it has the potential for tremendous joy, without the pain of the present.

Crying is not weak; it is brave, authentic and true.

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

What has healed Rosie is a willingness to step out of her history and into her present

Date: January 22nd, 2010
File Under: Celebrity, Public Service Announcement, Tragedy

Episode 11: Sarah Palin and her Daughter Bristol

Live here in Chicago, there is a major telethon on tonight- everyone should unite in front of the TV tonight. Oprah’s first guest today is always making news, and she’s just signed a deal with the Fox News Network. Oprah says look at your hair- what did you do with your hair? Sarah Palin is live via satellite from her living room in Alaska, she says she is trying to look like Oprah. Oprah says the hair is kinda cute but she’s surprised to see so many curls. The weather in Wasilla is kind of cold, colder than Chicago. Last time Sarah was on Oprah, she dodged the question of whether she would have a talk show. Now she’s signed a multi-year deal with Fox. She will be a contributor, doing some news analysis and will also do some documentaries and specials on finding some real American idols to profile, to put on the spotlight, to have some good role models for our nation. Oprah asks if she’ll leave Alaska to film- she’ll be based out of Alaska and she’ll be traveling around. It’ll be a mixture of coverage highlighting those who face adversity and overcome it. It’s like a full circle, she started in broadcasting and now she’s back there. Her parents are happy that she’s finally putting her college degree to good use.

Oprah says that Time Magazine ran a story asking if Palin is abandoning her aspirations to become President. Palin says she’s not closing any door that she may find open in the future. Maybe politics is in her future, but she’s looking forward to putting her journalism degree to good work. During the campaign, she criticised the media, and now she is part of that. She says she will rachet her coverage down to the basics of journalism, giving the bare facts; the who, what, where and why. Oprah agrees that was what she learned at journalism school. Palin says everyone is engaged in a challenge, a battle, and there are so many good stories out there to give hope and inspiration to others. She wants her kids and everyone else to be inspired by these Americana stories, to make our culture a better place.

Bristol Palin is 19 years old and her name is all over the headlines, she joins us with her mom in their kitchen. Bristol’s son Trip just turned one and Oprah wants to know what’s been the most eye-opening experience of motherhood? Bristol is surprised by the lack of sleep and how hard the daily grind is. A typical day starts at 4am, bathing Trip, going to work, working, coming back, giving him another bath and putting him to bed. Oprah asks why he gets bathed so much- he’s messy apparently. She lives at home so the babies get to grow up together. In In Touch magazine she shared a moment when she sat bawling her eyes out rocking Trip to sleep after he screamed for hours; she felt so alone, when the reality set in that she has a kid, that this is her full-time job. And then her grandmother walked in and said everything will be ok- it’s hard now, but it will be ok. Oprah asks if she has greater respect for her own mom. She does, and while she sometimes wishes she could be with her friends at college, she has a beautiful baby boy.

Oprah says we all have a dream for our kids, and that dream doesn’t usually involve teenage pregnancy. She asks Sarah if she regrets not talking about sex education more with her daughter, does she feel disappointed that her daughter isn’t living the life she could be? Sarah says yes, such lessons they have learned- she wished they’d talked more about unprotected sex, about sex before marriage. She’d assumed that everyone else was doing it, but not her kid. It was a shock to find out Bristol was pregnant- she was an athlete and a great student, the picture of someone who wasn’t supposed to get pregnant in high school. But she’s doing a great job and she is educating others very honestly. Sarah is so proud that Bristol has chosen life, and she has a beautiful baby. Candidly she says Bristol wishes that this would have happened 10 years from now. Oprah tells that she has 336 daughters in her school in South Africa and she constantly tells them to make the decision before the moment arrives, because when the guy is licking on your ear, it’s tough to make the decision. Oprah says she bristled when she read that Bristol won’t have sex until she’s married. Why not make the decision only your own business? It’s Bristol’s goal, and she thinks others should have that goal. Oprah asks if she thinks she’s setting herself up for failure, and Bristol says no.

Sarah says she is pragmatic and practical, and is so proud of Bristol and others who are saying that the only sure-fire way to not get pregnant or get an STD is to be abstinent. Bristol is strong and Sarah says she believes in her, she’s proud of her goal. Rather than conceding that she’ll be haphazard about it all. Oprah interrupts to say 1 in 3 teenagers have sex by age 18, and obviously Bristol’s had sex. Teaching responsibility , teaching judgement is one thing, but Oprah asks, is this a realistic position? The Palin’s think it is a realistic role for Bristol. Oprah says she was going to give Bristol a chance to backtrack, but if Bristol holds to her point of view, more power to her. Sarah asks her daughter if that means that she will get married pretty young, and Bristol shrugs and says she doesn’t know. Sarah says she is constantly telling Bristol that she doesn’t have to go find a man, she’s making good decisions now and she can pursue her education and career and other opportunities. She says the issue is on a backburner for now, and Oprah reminds her that it is not on a backburner when you have a child with you every day.

Oprah asks what they’re having for dinner tonight, Sarah says they had popcorn chicken last night, but don’t tell anyone, she asks Bristol what they should eat tonight, and she says she doesn’t know. Sarah says she thinks she’ll make stew, moose stew sounds good. Oprah thanks them, it’s 9am in Chicago, so 6am in Alaska, so someone had to get up at 3am to start Sarah’s hair. Sarah says no, they always get up at 3am and look just like this. Everyone laughs.

Jeff Bridges got the Golden Globe last week, he dedicated it to his wife of 33 years. His performance in Crazy Heart is being called crazy great; he won the best actor award for his portrayal of addiction and destruction through the life of a washed-up country star. Jeff is live by satellite from rainy California. He turned the role down first time as there was no music attached to it. He ran into T-bone Burnett a year later and they decided to do it together. Has he always been a singer asks Oprah? Jeff says the birth of this movie goes back 30 years ago to Heaven’s Gate. Oprah and Jeff are neighbors and she heard about the film from one of their neighbors who said, hey have you seen Jeff. She said it’s like they’re all rooting for him because they’re in the neighborhood, and it was amazing. When he got a standing ovation from all his colleagues at the Golden Globes it wiped his mind clear, like an Etch-a-Sketch. He could feel the love, it was so strong and powerfull and seeing his wife there brought him back, brought him home. Oprah says we could feel 33 years of sincerity when he spoke to his wife- he says she looked so beautiful that night. His wife told him the other night that they’d been apart for 11 of the last 14 months. Oprah asks what the secret is to having an authentic connection with his wife? Jeff’s folks were a great role model, they were deeply in love despite their struggles. The bumps can be opportunities to make you stronger, then the relationship gets too precious for anything else to get in the way. Talking about the Oscars, he says it’s a double-edged sword; there is the risk of getting on stage and forgetting to thank people, but getting the nod from his peers is wonderful, bringing attention to the movie is great. He says the film was a dream come true- to work with his old friends, they had a wonderful time making it. Oprah wishes him all the best and thanks Jeff Bridges.

Oprah is determined to end the deadly craze of texting on the phone. After Monday’s show, so many responded; they play voiceovers of viewers who are promising never to play texting roulette again, with images of accidents showing behind. Oprah has banned all employees of her company from doing work on cell phones or Blackberries while driving. The executive producer, Sherri, says it’s been hard. One employee puts her phone in the back of the car so she is not tempted to answer the phone or check email. Oprah says she thinks everyone is addicted to checking their cell phones.

Lori, from Canada joins us via Skype, she was the victim of a drunk-driving accident ten years ago. She admitted she would text and drive in an email, then she made the connection. She was sickened by the guests on the show, than realised she texts while driving and is no better than the drunk driver. She says that an in impairment is an impairment- she wants to be proactive not reactive. Oprah thanks Lori for getting it. 40% of the emails they received were from people wanting the show to be re-aired so they can show it to their kids or students. It will be available for viewing on Oprah.com.

Actress Holly Robinson Peete saw the show and said it was an epiphany for the whole family. Her daughter Ryan made her mom sign the pledge because she texts all the time. Holly was judging the people on the show, but Ryan told her that it was her, and Holly realised she has to stop. Holly has an iPhone and a Blackberry and she was on them constantly. So now she realises she had a problem and they printed out the pledge. They are going to make it into an air freshener for the car. They also made a bumber sticker “Honk if you love Jesus. Text if you want to meet him”. Everyone laughs. Oprah says she loves that. Holly says that major reprogramming has to happen in the face of our addiction, just as we once had to get used to wearing seatbelts. She loves that Ryan is so socially conscious- she sent the pledge to the whole family. Holly has an assistant, and we all have to do our part – we have to realise we shouldn’t talk or text other people when they are in their cars. Oprah is teeming up with Progressive Insurance to take this campaign to the next level. There will be more on that soon. Holly and Ryan wrote a book together called”My Brother Charlie” about Ryan’s twin Charlie and living with autism in their family. They, and Scholastic, hope that this book will be in all schools and libraries in the near future. Autism is on the rise, 1 in 50 boys have autism. Oprah says Holly has a highly evolved child. Holly says she’ll keep her.

On saturday one of the producers of the Oprah Show flew to Haiti. 27 year old Madeline has a 7 year old girl and a 5 year old boy. Their father was killed in the earthquake. They are living in a field with other familes, it’s cold and hard to sleep. The kids sleep under her at night. She has a constant struggle for food, she can’t find anything. She relies on leftovers from strangers. She has no money, no way out which makes her really sad. They go to her former home which is rubble. She says her room was not affected, but the rest of the house and the foundation were gone. Her neighbor is surprised to see her alive. She says she has to keep smiling for the kids- she has hope because she has family and she’s still alive. Back in the studio, Oprah talks to the producer, Chris, who gave Madeline as much as she had in her pocket when they had to leave, which may be of use to her in the future. 11 water trucks did come to the area as a result of the media coverage.

There’s only one place to be tonight, in front of your television watching the benefit tonight on MTV at 8pm. It’s your opportunity to give to the people of Haiti. Thanks everyone.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Journalism should be about the who, what, where and why, from which the viewer can make their own judgements

Don’t close any doors which you may find open in the future

If you don’t want people to know what you ate for dinner last night, don’t announce it on the Oprah Winfrey Show

Oprah and Jeff Bridges are neighbors

An impairment is an impairment, be proactive not reactive

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

Just because you are a teenage single parent, doesn’t mean you can’t be the poster child for abstinence

Date: January 21st, 2010
File Under: Uncategorized

Episode 10: Life and Death Interventions

Powerful. Raw. Real And maybe their last chance.

The “family disease” is so called because it has the power to rip families apart. For the last 5 years, millions of people have tuned in to look at people dealing with addiction. Everyone has something. Each week the A&E series “Intervention” tackles addiction and orchestrates last chance interventions. The problem could be shopping, food, sex, pills, gambling, or even rage. Help is what they get in the form of emotional intervention, they get free inpatient treatment for 90 days.

24 year old Josh is morbidly obese, he is over 500 pounds and utterly miserable. He can’t believe he got to this point. The average adult needs 2000 claories a day; Josh gets 5-6000. He is like a walking time-bomb; his body will simply give up under his weight if he does not act now. He doesn’t know how to stop eating- he was called fat as a child, he is afraid of being hurt, his parents always made him clean his plate. His parents say he is rebelling the only way he can, by eating. He says he doesn’t get support at home- we see him baking cupcakes with his family. He is trapped in a situation he can’t control.

Josh’s family are worried and they reach out for help via an intervention specialist. In a hotel room his family and ex-girlfriend are there with the cameras rolling. Josh enters the room and says he doesn’t like surprises – he is told it’s not a surprise, it’s a gift. His Dad is worried about Josh following in his footsteps, he apologises for not being a good parent. 2 years ago he checked into rehab. In two years he has lost half his body weight, over 250 pounds. He comes into the studio.

Josh was eating himself to death, when Intervention and his family checked him into rehab. Intervention has a 76% success rate. Intervention saved his life. He doesn’t know how he managed to get around with all that weight. Oprah asks what was different this time, diet-wise? The structred environment of rehab enforced strict guidelines and focus on his emotional wellbeing. Prior to rehab he dealt with his pain and hurt with food; his drug of choice. Food really was an adiction- willpower was not an issue. He tried everything, he’d be good for a few weeks then go on binges. He was hiding the fact that he was gay- he comes from a conservative Christian background. He was living a facade so that his whole life wouldn’t reject him- his family, his church. By being the fat guy he could keep people away from him. Oprah asks how the reaction was to coming out. He did it when in treatment; he told his mom first, who did not react well. She then told his dad. His dad called and said he still loved him but there was so much disappointment evident in his voice. Oprah says the feeling of letting down parents by just being yourself must be the worst feeling in the world. Josh says he doesn’t regret his choice at all. Over time, his parents have grown to accept him for who he is. In rehab he was told that our secrets will keep us sick. Josh knew he would never get well if he didn’t come clean. From now on, he is real. The people who love him love the real him. Thank you Josh.

Lesley, a mother of three, struggles with alcoholism. Before her addiction, she was a wonderful mom. She married Craig when she was 27. She was the PTA mom, the homeroom mom. She started drinking at 41- she would drink in the afternoons with a girlfriend. Soon she was having 2 or 3 bottles of wine a day. Her friends told Craig that Lesley had a problem. The alcohol doesn’t fix her problems. At her lowest she drank mouthwash and two pints of vodka a day. In video footage, she says she can only exist, she can not be a good mom right then. The footage shows her drinking dregs out of bottles in the trash while the kids are around. She feels like an unworthy mother.

A few days later the family staged an intervention. She has been sober now for a year and a half. Watching the tape is devastating to her, the pain she caused her family can not be reversed. Oprah asked how did it happen? Lesley can count nine times in her life that she was drunk until she was 41. She wasn’t happy with herself but the alcohol could not fix it, could only cover it up. We need to be taught coping mechanisms. She was a drug counselor teaching kids not to take drink or drugs, but she got caught up in it herself. She would have a morning drink, trying to hide it from the kids, to face the day. She’d drink until preschool pickup at 11am. She was able to hide it from her husband, and she thought she was hiding it from the kids, but they knew. Oprah asks about her drinking out of bottles from the trash while her kids watch- did she realise what she was doing this to her kids. She did not. All that was important to her was the alcohol. Alcoholism is an obsession of the mind and an allergy of the body. She learned that mouthwash made her high- it’s 26.9% alcohol. She got high from it and learned it made her high- it became another means to get drunk. She will never have enough I’m Sorry’s for his kids. She deals with the pain that she does not raise her kids anymore- Craig took the children. She talks to them everyday but they never want to come visit. She finds the disease terrible, embarrassing and shameful.

We watch painful footage of the intervention. The addiction specialist says that children are not normally present because it’s too painful, but in this case they need the children to make it work. They are the mainstay of why Lesley should decide never to drink again. Her oldest son says its embarrassing, the loving mom has gone, and that if she doesn’t take control of her drinking, she’ll lose her family and relationships. She says she loves him, they embrace. Her daughter says she could die if she does this, she could die in a car- Lesley thanks her for sharing that with her. the younger son reads through the tears- they used to do so much together but now she does nothing but sleep in the car, ashe is not there for him when he needs her. She apologises and hugs him and says she wants to be there for them. In the audience, her son says it was hard, he didn’t want to be around her when she was drinking, he’d have to take care of her. Oprah says he had to parent his parent, and parent his siblings. The daughter, Margo, says it was hard to see her mom through it, even in 4th grade she found it embarrassing. Now she’s sober it’s easy to be around her, they talk two times a day. Ryan, the middle son can trust her now that she is sober, he could never trust her before. Now they can talk about anything. Oprah asks her husband where he was mentally when this was happening? He wasn’t thinking about alcohol, and he couldn’t figure out why she was acting this way. She’d blame hormones, PMS, she was a good liar. She’d go to the doctor for these things. They’d argue alot about dumb things- she was a good housewife and mom but all that stopped. She was neglecting her family responsibilities. She had been the trophy wife, the team mom, and all that stopped.

Lesley was told she had a high “bottom”- she hadn’t lost anything, not her family or her job. Through relapses she lost everything- dignity, home, family, marriage, finances, her home- she became homeless. She had to hit absolute bottom to begin to climb up. Over a peiod of three or four years she’d be sober then relapse. Then Craig had to take the kids. Lesley advises that alcoholism is a disease and that people should not be ashamed, they are not a bad person, they need to get help. Oprah asks if you should take responsibility for what you’re doing? Lesley says you need to get help and you shouldn’t be ashamed to get help. Last time she was sober for 2 1/2 years, this time round it’s 1 1/2 years. Lesley says she has to take things day by day, sometimes even minutes by minute. This is the nature of addiction, but she feels stronger in her sobriety than she has ever been.

Jason was a star athlete form a middle-class family in Colorado. After Columbine, his family watched him slowly kill himself. For five years, he had been injecting heroin. He was panhandling to feed his addiction. His mom would text him everyday to say she loved him, just incase. His addiction was destroying the family. He was the perfect child, he had everything. But at 16 he started experimenting with marijuana and cocaine. 10 months after graduating from Columbine High School, the deadly massacre occured. 12 off his former classmates and one teacher were killed. The shooters were retaliating against the jocks- Jason says a big reason for the rebellion was because him and the other athletic kids picked on them; they were bullies. After the Columbine incident, it became very apparent that Jason was using drugs. Cameras followed Jason to an Intervention with the A&E program. His family wants to fight to get Jason back. He agrees to listen. His family say that he has to change, they will no longer give him money for drugs. He agrees to go to rehab for an intervention.

Jason says that right is now the first time he has ever really broken down and started to feel his emotions. When his intervention took place, he couldn’t feel anything because he was too high. Columbine sent him into a downward spiral- his name came up as being at fault as a jock and a bully. He didn’t know the shooters personally, but he did pick on them- Jason was in the elite group. Guilt and shame piled upon him, so he began to do more drugs to try and not feel. Oprah says we all do it to try and escape stress. All Jason knew was how to get high. He has been clean for eleven months. The crowd applaud. He learned breathing skills and how to think about his emotions before he acts. The pain in his past is a motivator for what he is doing today. He doesn’t want to be that low, to hurt his family again. Heroin was his soulmate, he couldn’t stop it. Jason is grateful that his family are hear for him and that he is alive today. He is going to be a diving instructor. It’s a whole new world. He has a new passion for diving.

New episodes of Intervention are airing Mondays on A & E. Goodbye everyone.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Our secrets will keep us sick

We need to be taught coping mechanisms

Addiction is a disease, not a choice

Do not be ashamed, you are not a bad person, ask for help if you need it

Take things day by day, minute by minute if need be

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

Addiction is a disease which can be treated, but be honest- your secrets will keep you sick

Date: January 20th, 2010
File Under: Celebrity, Grief, Public Service Announcement, Tragedy

Episode 9: Help The Victims in Haiti

Live from Chicago. This morning an aftershock of 6.1 was recorded in Haiti. Oprah’s guest today just returned from Haiti a few days ago. He says it’s an apocalypse and the media coverage doesn’t begin to describe it. Wyclef Jean, the most famous person from Haiti; a Grammy award winning musician is here today, you may know him from The Fugees. This show is about Haiti so some of the images will be graphic.

Oprah says that Wyclef is the first person to describe this as an apocalypse. She says she’d said to friends that being there must be like being in hell. Wyclef says it’s like the 7th hell- there’s two things- what you see by the airport and then there is the belly of the beast. He says walking into the city feels like walking into a morgue. For every two blocks, there are 15-16 uncovered bodies, 3 are children. People are running holding their babies, while their babies are already dead. The aid workers can’t do much as there are so many people, and they are out of medication, and people want them to help their children but their children are already dead. Wyclef’s cousin used his Flip camera to go inside the belly of the beast.

As the footage rolls, Wyclef narrates. The first thing they heard were bone chilling screams. This is the worst thing they’ve seen in their lives, the whole country is a morgue, everywhere they walk there are bodies in the street. little kids. They spent hours in the heat moving decomposing bodies. The smell is very bad. the local cemetries are already overflowing, so the survivors are ae digging shallow graves. Their team pulled a fourteen year old out of the rubble, the rest of her family are dead.

Watching the footage, Wyclef remembers that every night they heard the Haitian people sing Amazing Grace. The Haitian people know struggle, despite what they are going through they are still chanting and singing the word of God. Oprah says that they have shown over and over that they are resilient people. Wyclef says the only thing they have is their pride.

Oprah observes that Wyclef’s team had masks on, whilst others did not. He says that the media don’t cover on the news the smell of the bodies. It’s raw meat, it’s animal, like a dead dog that no one has taken care of. Oprah asks about his friends and families. He has lost alot of friends. One of his friends was stopped by the police and a building fell on top of them all. It took two days to get his body out. Oprah says that the inital problem was the lack of heavy equipment. Wyclef says that the people who would drive the tractors are buried under rubble. They can not be where they should be, just like the President and his wife are at the airport. We was warned to be strong for he wouldn’t believe what he would see outside the airport.

About the size of Maryland, a two hour flight from the Florida coast lies Haiti, on the west end of a Carribean island- on the east is the wealthy Dominican Republic.In contrast, Haiti is home to the poorest citizens in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti is the only country on earth which gained independence by a slave rebellion. 9 million people speak two languages- French and Creole. 95% are of African descent. Civil war, violence, famine, corruption, war and countless disasters have wreaked havoc on Haiti but it was felt that Haiti was on a path to success. Bill Clinton said anyone who has seriously followed Haiti for a long time would say that it has the best chance now to break the chains of its lifetime and build a truly modern state. Amazingly the statue of a free slave, which signifies Haiti’s spirit is still standing.

Wyclef was 9 when his family left Haiti and came to the US. He dreamed of making it big in the music business, and both as a member of the Fugees and with his solo career he has been very successful. His passion in life is to get the rest of the world to care about Haiti as much as he does. It is his mission from God, he wants to make a serious dent with his Foundation, a school for young artists in Haiti. On Wednesday, the school was flattened with no survivors. It was in the Jacmel area, which is not talked about much in the news; it is 80% devastated. He and his wife have been trying to help Haiti for a long time- Wyclef says he went from being an ant to a gorilla overnight. Oprah says there has been alot of focus on the non-filing of taxes up until 2009 with his Foundation. He says in 1996 when he did the Grammys he wore a Haiti flag; therefore his pariotism cant be questioned. He says starting a foundation needs the right people around you. Being Haitian, a foundation needs logisitics; helicopters and trucks. No one was focused on the Foundation until they noticed that they raise $1 million a day. A lot of eyebrows were raised, as they are the youngest NGO on the ground. He put his first million into the charity, he has never taken any form of payment from the charity. Oprah says she has 3 foundations and comes under a lot of scrutiny, she says the IRS lives here. She says you need the right people who know the tax laws, was he let down by his people? He says it was poorly ran and moving forward they’ll be stronger than ever. The crown applaud.

Oprah says she heard Wyclef say there should be an exodus from Port-au-Prince, but where would the people go? Wyclef says there are places outside the capital where the US army could set up tents outside of the capital. He wants the tents to be built into communities in the future; we don’t want refugee camps. On Friday Wyclef joins George Clooney and a huge host of stars, for Hope For Haiti Now, a television event, with all proceeds going to Haiti. He’s going back to Haiti on Saturday because the food is being thrown down by helicopter, and he wants them to know that the Haitian people are not animals. He’s going to work on logisitics to distribute food and water more effectively.

Aids, malnutirition and poverty have ravaged Haiti- half of the population is under 18. 300,00 children were orphans before the earthquakes. Parents who can no longer feed children send them to be slaves in wealtheir homes where they are often abused. Tens of thousands of children live on the street eating dirt to surive, just hundreds of miles from our shores.

Rihanna is one of the stars performing for the Hope for Haiti Now TV event on Friday. She’ll be singing with JayZ and Bono. She says, we need your help, everyone should tune in. Today she will sing Bob Marley’s Redemption Song as it is so liberating. She played it as a child when times were difficult, and she still plays it now when her back is up against the wall. She feels the people of Haiti need to hear something uplifting. She sings the song, while images from Haiti are displayed behind her. Oprah gives Rihanna a hug. For the next 48 hours you can download this song, go to Oprah.com to find out how. All the proceeds will go to Haiti. Rihanna’s new album is called Rated R.

Neurosurgeon and CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr Sanjay Gupta filed some of the first reports out of Haiti. We see footage of a fifteen day old baby with a head injury who needed a doctor. She has a laceration and a fracture, but she’ll be ok. Reports of violence led Belgian doctors to evacuate the Field Hospital, leaving Dr Gupta the only person to care for 25 people overnight. A few days ago, the US military evacuated Dr Gupta out of Haiti to an aircraft carrier several miles off shore. The earthquake had embedded concrete in a 12 year old girls brain- Dr Gupta performed a ninety minute emergency surgery and saved the girls life.

In the studio, Oprah welcomes Dr Gupta via satellite from Port au-Prince. She thanks him and asks about this mornings aftershock. He says it was quite scary, behind him tents have been set up behind him- people are fearful to go back inside buildings with the continued aftershocks. The roads are a disaster, there are piles of rubble everywhere. He says it is hard to imagine how it will all get cleaned up. 6.1 and 5.2 are aftershocks in Haiti, but by any standards they are real earthquakes. They will have to test for trauma to buildings, but the emotional anxiety is very high here. Oprah says she is sure the fear and anxiety level are growing, The most pressing medical problem now, according to Dr Gupta, is that although many people died, many now are barely alive. They have preventable deaths, like crushed limbs. They are walking the streets having kidney failure and heart problems. In any other situation, these injuries are easily treated. 8 days out, these things are not happening, The problem now is distribution- the supplies are at the airports, but the supplies are not getting out where they are needed. In medical emergencies you count time in minutes and hours. So far it has been 8 days…

So many reporters are saying that this is the worst tragedy they have ever seen, worse even than Hurricane Katrina. Dr Gupta says this is the worst because Haiti is one of the most impoverished countries, there is no medical structure and they have one of the worst patient to doctor ratios in the world. From this point, there are infinitely more people needing medical care and infinitely less medical structure. In Katrina, people mainly lived or died, what they needed was food and water. In Haiti the people who lived have catastrophic injuries. They need someone on the ground to oversee the infrastructure. The security concerns are huge, there are soldiers and security there, but doctors are having problems getting in. The problems dovetail, solve the medical problems and the security issues will ease.

Thanks to Dr Gupta. Wyclef is willing to go to Haiti, he needs a taskforce, he knows Haiti. He will be in charge of distribution from the airport to the people of Haiti. He says the need for security will decrease if the medical situation improves.

Giving hope to Haiti is near and dear to singer Maxwell’s heart. He was raised by his Haitian grandmother. He is excited to help the great people of Haiti, today he will sing Fistful of Tears. He sings with images from Haiti playing behind him. Maxwell sings and cries. Oprah hugs him. For the next 48 hours you can download this song from Oprah.com, with all proceeds going to Haiti.

Oprah says they are here to encourage us to watch Hope for Haiti on Friday, it will play on all channels. Maxwell has been devastated by the tragedy. he doesn’t know fully how it feels for others like Wyclef who have lost so many people dear to them. He says “As someone who is you know, you know, my heritage is from there on some level”, he hopes he can stand as a beacon of hope for the Haitians to see there is more than this devastation, that you can grab onto something alot more tighter and secure than what Haiti has been holding on to for the last 200 years. Rihanna says she she goes to bed thinking of the orphans- the children suffer most and they had almost 400,000 orphans before this. The children are hungry and hopeless, they are the next generation, the chidren are our future. Rhianna and her Foundation are helping to rebuild Haiti. After survival, there is so much more to be done. Wyclef tells the Haitians to have unity and strength. The Haitian people told him to say on the show that they don’t need any more photo-ops, what they need is logistics, people to go to the airport and get the stuff out of the airport and to the people. The crowd applauds.

Rhianna and Maxwell donate the proceeds from the downloads of their songs from Oprah.com to Haiti. Watch the benefit on Friday. Thanks.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Wyclef Jean is the most famous person from Haiti, he has a mission from God to help the rest of the world care about Haiti as much as he does

Haiti today is apocalyptic, like the 7th hell

Wyclef Jean would like to manage the distribution of supplies from the airport to the people of Haiti; he will need a taskforce

This tragedy is worse than any other, because those who lived are dying from their injuries, which should be preventable deaths

Celebrities are helping as much as they can, there is a huge benefit on all channels on Friday night

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

Haiti needs a new infrastructure to end their apocalypse. Wyclef Jean is on a mission from God

Date: January 19th, 2010
File Under: Entertainment
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Episode 8: Big Breaks with Adam Lambert and Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle is on the wildest ride of her life. Last year she went from total obscurity- she worked as a volunteer in a church in Scotland- to become an international singing sensation, virtually overnight. In 2009, in three minutes on British TV, Susan reminded us to not judge a book by its cover. Raised in Blackburn, a small town in Scotland, Susan was deprived of oxygen at birth- her parents were told not to expect much from their youngest of nine children. She had a slight disability and found making friends hard. She couldn’t trust anyone and people made fun of her. Singing was her only solace. All she wanted to do was sing but when her mother died in 2007, Susan lost her will to sing. She said that she knew her mother wanted her to do something with her life, she just didn’t know it was the TV show until she saw it. Susan found the courage to interview for Britain’s Got Talent.

Simon Cowell said hitting the chorus changed Susan’s life forever. Piers Morgan was flabbergasted. They gave her three yesses. Her new album, I Dreamed a Dream has been on the number 1 spot for 6 weeks in a row. It is the biggest female debut of all time. A member of the audience, a British Susan, a 40+ lady cries. She says Susan inspires us to keep going, inspires all the the 40+ Susans to hit their best spots. Tera says she’s such a positive force, that when she hears Susan’s voice, her heart beats faster because it touches her so deeply. Susan comes onstage and sings a song off her new album. The crowd go wild, Oprah says it’s fantastic.

Oprah sits down with Susan Boyle. Oprah recounts the story of Susan’s success- 120 million hits on You Tube, the most watched video of 2009, her album has sold 8 million copies to date. January 21st 2009 was when she did the first audition. Before the audition, she had a mundane, routine life. But after she got recognised in the street, and she was taken more seriously as a professional singer. Oprah asks if she likes her new look better, now that she has people doing her hair and her makeup and her earings and someone steaming her dress earlier that day? Susan says she likes her new look, says she scrubs up well and looks more professional. Susan says she is an example that dreams can come true. When she didn’t win Britain’s Got Talent, there was a huge upset. Her friend says Susan couldn’t cope with the paparazzi, after she’d been the favorite to win for the entire season. Susan spent 3 days in The Priory. She hadn’t eaten or slept for over a week; she had total exhaustion. She says it’s a chapter in her life that is over now- she gets on with her life. She finds it amazing and humbling that so many people have taken the time and spent the money on her album. Susan does her little dance, her “Boyle wiggle”. She speaks of how she feels her mother’s presence right in the room. Her mother is the one that keeps her going. Oprah thanks Susan and tells us all to dream our dreams.

Please welcome Adam Lambert. He of course is going to sing later, but first- what a difference a year makes. Week after week, millions tuned in to American Idol to see Adam Lambert rocking unlike anything we had seen before. Growing up in San Diego, Adam learned that music was his speciality. Years of musical training set him up for professional success. Last May he came in second on American Idol, but you’d never know it. People magazine voted him the sexiest rocker of the year. He landed the cover of Rolling Stone where he confirmed that he is indeed gay.

In November a sexually charged performance on the American Music Awards sent shockwaves through the country, resulting in a cancellation of several TV appearances. Grabbing himself and kissing another man upset a lot of people. Adam says he would do the same again, but he would sing it better and do it in the dress rehearsal. He says he sat with it, and he understands why people took offence. The boys on the leashes was set, the kissing and grabbing was not planned. Oprah asked if something came over him and he decided to just kiss someone. He said he got taken over by the risky/ risque lyrics.

His life is surreal. A year ago he was doing musicals, singing in 8 shows a week. He was bored, he “kinda asked for something to happen” to change it. Oprah interrupts to ask about positive affirmation, about taking action and manifesting dreams, and asks who he asked for change. He says the universe. How did he ask? By positive projection. He didn’t expect it to be this huge- the universe came through for him. Oprah says she always says you dream the dream, you surrender it to God/ the universe and God can dream a bigger dream than you can dream, if you’re pure in the dream itself. She asks what he imagined. He says he asked for something to happen. He imagined it, visualised it. He auditioned for American Idol, but never thought he’d win. He got choked up when Simon called him a star. His biggest concern was that he was left of center- mixed with his theater background, he’s glad they took a chance on him.

He speaks about the media speculation about his sexuality. They wonder if there was ever any doubt? Adam says that photos of his ex and him kissing came out just before the show came out, and he was asked what he wanted to do by the American Idol staff. He said he wanted to own his behaviour but not be labelled by it. He didn’t want to be just the gay guy- which he says he is now. Oprah says he is known as the rocker Adam Lambert, not the gay part. Adam says he is often referred to as “Gay singer Adam Lambert” in the press. He hopes to be firstly the singer, not the gay part. The gay label does not define him. Oprah says that his openness should pave the way for others to be exactly as they are.

This time last year, most people had never heard the name Adam Lambert- here’s a glimpse inside his new life. Years before, he performed at Pantages in Hollywood in the musical ensemble in Wicked. The biggest change is the fact that he is recognized everywhere. He is financially stable and doing what he loves. He helped his mom out and rents a house, which he loves. He says he eats and shops, that’s his life. On Melrose Place he shops at a rocker store. The paparazzi are interesting- sometimes they are mellow, and sometimes very competitive which can be a little intense. The possibilities for his life are endless- maybe a film in the future, maybe more theater, more singing.

He had a realisation a couple of summers ago that he is living the life he is meant to live- he believes we are all meant to do something with our lives, and he is here to entertain us. Singing is what he does. He met Madonna for 5 minutes, he was super-starstruck, his heart was racing. He had a great conversation- his guitar player is Madonna’s guitar teacher. So he went over to the house, Madonna came in wearing yoga wear and no makeup. Adam had on a suit and tie. Madonna’s presence is very intense, she was checking him out. He says his first words were “Oh my God!” and then apologised and said he feels intimated because he loves her. Madonna asked if love for him equals intimidation. Oprah says that is very Madonna. They talked about celebrity- she said he should keep his eye on the prize and not be sidetracked. He should put his blinkers on.

His new year resolution is to live in the moment more and enjoy himself. Oprah asks if he’s experienced those moments where he feels lonely despite his success. He says yes, it can be lonely because his life is so hectic and crazy. When you’re finally alone, you really are alone. They agree that if they need to be “off”, they have to be at home. Oprah says she loves that he wants to be in the moment and enjoy it. He says there was a time when he was beating himself up about perfromanceas and appearances. But he has to have fun and live in the presence.

15 year old Jessica and her mom say they are Adam’s biggest fans. Filmed backstage last night, Adam says he has a big surprise for them. Upstairs, Sue and Jessica think they are here to be interviewed about their favorite star. During American Idol, they juggled 4 phones between them to vote for him. They start to sing one of his songs, and he comes up behind them singing the refrain. The mom leaps out her chair, they all hug. He has a suprise for them- 2 backstage passes for a private VIP soundcheck. Oprah says Adam is as delightful as she knew he would be. Sue and Jessica introduce Adam’s new song, Oprah and the crowd sing and dance. After the performance, Oprah hugs him and holds his hand.

Oprah asks what it feels like to perform like that- he says there is an adrenaline rush; it feels like everything is in synch. Oprah asks what he thinks of Simon’s resignation from American Idol. He says Simon will be missed- the honest criticism is essential. It makes people up their game. He believes Simon has excellent criticism generally, although he doesn’t like country music, for example. Adam believes ultimately we watch American Idol for the participants. They are both excited about Ellen, they will miss Paula, who brought the positive side to the show. Adam says that as a society we are obsessed by the negative, but as a performer the positive criticism is really important for your own growth and self-worth.

Thanks Adam, everyone in the audience is going home with Susan’s and Adam’s CD.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover

If you dream hard enough, your dreams will come true

Dream big and your possibilities are endless

Live in the moment and learn to enjoy it there

When you’re finally alone, you really are alone

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

Dream big, surrender your dream to God, he can dream bigger dreams for you, if your dreams are pure

Date: January 18th, 2010
File Under: Grief, Public Service Announcement, Tragedy, Uncategorized
1 comment

Episode 7: This Show Could Save Your Life: America’s New Deadly Obsession

This is the start of something really big in America. Oprah is asking us to give up something which we do all too much- texting while driving. This is maybe more dangerous than driving drunk- talking on the phone while driving is the equivalent of having 4 drinks and getting behind the wheel. The audience have taken a pledge to stop texting while driving; they are all wearing pledge t-shirts. Oprah is passionate about the issue and hopes that we will be too, that we will spread the message amongst our families, friends and communities.

The problem is not just texting, but also talking on the phone. They are both part of a dangerous practice called distractive driving. Almost 6 thousand people die, and 1/2 million are injured each year by a driver with their hands off the wheel. Drivers on the phone are 4 times more likely to have an accident than those concentrating on driving. 19 states plus DC have banned texting; in 7 states plus DC one can only use cell phones if they are hands free.

A year ago Shelly and Darren were happily married with 3 girls. On the way home from the doctors, Shelly saw fire trucks at end of her street. There were fire trucks and all these people and a child laying on ground. She had no idea it was her child, but then she saw Erica’s bicycle. The driver was distracted on the phone, and hit Erica face-on with her 5000lb SUV. The neurosurgeon knew she wouldn’t make it. Sheelly spend the night saying goodbye. Erica has gone because of a person on a cell phone.

Shelly’s kids at the time were 13 year old, Jessica, Erica was 9 and Valerie was 4 years old. Shelly was on her way home from doctor, she drove home talking to her dad on her bluetooth headset. She got out the car just at the end of their street, and saw her child laying still. The driver of the SUV said I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see her. The paramedics cut off Erica’s clothes- at this point Shelly realized this was serious. They spent the next two days at the children’s hospital. Darren says that Erica was out on her bike, 30 seconds from their house- 15 pedals from home, when the neighbor called him to say Erica had had an accident.

Oprah strongly believes that the laws need to change- Shelly and Darren are very proactive to try to change the law in Colorado. Shelly does not want anyone else to go through this. Shelly says we are doing too much, we must concentrate on driving- the deaths are not worth a phone call, a text, an email. Don’t talk and drive.

Throughout the show we will hear from more families who have paid the price for our deadly habit. A series of articles in the New York Times inspired this program which Oprah has waned to do for a long time.

In Oxford England- Victoria, 24, was a fashion designer. She got a flat tire, pulled over, put on her hazard lights and called her mother. 3 minutes later, Phillipa Curtis hit the back of the car, killing Victoria instantly. Phillipa was sending emails. Victoria’s mother says that seeing the car brings it all home. You never forget.

Jordan was the most lovable being that his father ever encountered. He was 18 years old, on Mothers Day. Around 4.25pm his parents called him on his cellphone and the line went dead. Soon after, the police came to the door. They went to the hospital, where they were told their son was dead. The father said he let out a primal scream like you hear in the movies. He says you feel like your whole life has died- children should not die before their parents. His job was to protect his son and he couldn’t do it; his son died. They believe he dropped his cell phone, unbuckled his seat belt and bent down to pick it up. He hit a big tree and was killed instantly.

There are two reasons why Utah has the strictest laws against distractive driving. Megan says her dad Keith was her whole world. Before the incident, Jackie was married with two kids and now she is a single parent. Jackie kissed her husband Jim goodbye as he went to pick up his colleague Keith on the way to work. At her work two hours later, Jackie was told he was dead. A 19 year old was texting while driving. Jackie lost Jim and Megan lost her father Keith. They were told the driver of a Tahoe went across the yellow line, hit Keith and Jim- their car span out of control and was blindsided by another vehicle. They were killed instantly. It was hard to believe the news. There was shock, dismay, disbelief. Jackie insisted that Reggie, the 19 year old driver, watched the funeral; he should know who he had killed.

Reggie Shaw was the 19 year old texting while driving instead of focusing on the road. He admits he was texting, he clipped another vehicle sending it into traffic. Opra appreciates that he is here. Reggie texted maybe almost 100% of the time while driving, as did most of his friends. Oprah finds this hard to believe, knows we can’t do this at the same time as driving, perhaps because she is an older person. Reggie says he never thought about it. Oprah says she does not use the word stupid much, and she isn’t calling Reggie stupid, but she says it is a stupid thing to do, to take your eyes off the road. In Reggie’s Driver’s Ed he says that no one mentioned how dangerous texting while driving is. He felt terrible when he discovered that he’d killed two people. He says it never gets easier. It affects his life every day. He can’t forgive himself for his bad choice. He can’t sleep at night; every day is hard.

Oprah says for every single person who texts, we could be looking at ourself when we look at Reggie in this chair. He didn’t mean to do it, it could happen to any of us. Oprah asks if he thought he could text and drive safely at the same time. He says of course he did but one second later this poor choice took two people’s lives. Reggie speaks out at high schools and gatherings; he explains to high schoolers that it is absolutely not safe to take your mind off the road. In the aftermath of this accident, Utah passed some of the strictest laws. Reggie was an essential part of this- he approached lawmakers to hasten the laws. Jackie says she has forgiven him; he went above and beyond his punishment in some cases. Oprah asks what his punishment was. He did 30 days in jail and 30 days of community service. Oprah asks if he thinks that he was in jail long enough. Reggie thinks how hard it was for him in jail, and thinks about the two lives lost, and he doesn’t know if it was long enough. Oprah thanks him for his honesty and for coming on the show.

AJ was a presence; goofy and funny and he had an amazing smile. On Dec 3rd, 2007, his mother was coming down the street and saw an accident ahead- she saw that it was her son’s car. At the hospital the doctors said they did all the could but they could not save him. He rolled through a stop sign into the path of a garbage truck. he was texting his girlfriend. The accident was 100% preventable. We are not talking about statistics, we are talking about mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, aunties, and uncles. She says that her son is not a number, not a statistic, he was her son.

Linda was 61 years old. A little over a year ago, the family lost their hero. A 23 year old driver t-boned Linda’s car at a light. He was engrossed in in a conversation on his cell phone. Linda’s daughter, Jennifer. says seeing the seat was the hardest part. She asks us to put our loved one in that seat, is that phone call worth it? Before her accident, Jennifer who is a realtor, used her car as her office. Even with a headset, she says you should not talk while driving- it’s not where your hands are, it’s where your head is. The man who killed her mother was on the phone for less than a minutes, his brain couldn’t handle it, he didn’t see the light. You can’t do it, you are not Superman. She has a bumper sticker that says “someone talking on their cell phone while driving killed my mom”.

Dr David Strayer, a professsor at the University of Utah says our brain doesn’t work the way we’d like it too- we can’t multitask the way we think we can. Many people think they are safer drivers, but we are not. Texting makes it like a multitude of drunks on the road says Oprah. David says it is worse than drunks- you are 8 times more likely to crash while texting, drunk driving is equivalent to talking on a phone- you are 4 times more likely to have accident. Talking on the phone gives us tunnel vision. Your brain won’t let you take in all the information. We have inattention blindness- you see about half of the visual information in front of us. The brain can’t take in all the information; we are not wired to multitask that way. We miss quite a bit.

In 2008 a San Antonia bus driver was caught on video driving and texting while in rush hour traffic. He looked up to the camera a split second before slamming on his brakes and ploughing into the car ahead. Months later in LA, a train driver so distracted sending and receiving over 40 text messages, missed a red light and his commuter train crashed into a freight train. 135 were injured. 25, including the conductor, were killed, making it the 2nd worst commuter train accident in US history. Weeks later, a school bus with 21 students was rammed by an 18 wheeler, when stopped with its blinkers on The bus was pushed over 200 feet before it burst into flames. 20 students escaped but one was tragically killed. The driver of the 18 wheeler admitted he was distracted on the phone and did not see that the bus had stopped.

71% people age 18-49 admit they text or talk on the phone while they drive. If you do that and think you’re safe, the next three guests are right there with you. Sean, a father of 4, thinks he has great driving and texting skills. Carly, a stay at home mom of 2, once found herself in the opposite lane while texting. Jen is a 19 year old college student and self-procclaimed super-texter. To gauge how dangerous their driving/ texting habits are, they went to do some driving tests. They were tested for reaction times stopping at a red light, and had to complete a slalom to measure deviation from their path. Each test was done twice; once concentrating on driving and again while texting and driving.

Jen hit a cone while texting, as did Sean, as did Carly. Jen felt she was out of control, Sean found the test hard- he sees this as a wake-up call. Carly thinks she’s very lucky that nothing has happened to her to date.

Gerard Ball, the editor at Car and Driver Magazine, analysed the data results of the road tests.. The results are dramatic. The reaction times increase greatly- there is a 22 ft difference in reaction time. This could be a huge difference between stopping or hitting someone. Oprah puts Carly on the spot saying she went into other lane before while texting, but now says the driving test has changed her life. Carly wants to spread the word and make a change in her city, to stop these 100% preventable accidents. Jen thought she could do it because all high school and college students text and drive. She feels that if all kids did the road test, she is 120% sure that the bad habits would stop. Sean was really cocky about texting and driving, he felt he was invincible. His wife always called him on it- he found the the test to be a big wake-up call. He went into the test thinking he could do it all. Now he realises that these accidents could have been him or his family. His wife was very infuriated by his behavior. He is a defensive football player, and that attitude spilled into his driving.

Oprah calls on us to make our cars a No Phone Zone, we can take the pledge on Oprah.com and pass it on via Twitter and Facebook. She urges that we make this show the end of being on the phone in the car. She asks us to take another look at the faces of the children, husbands, fathers, mothers who were killed by a distracted driver… and look at the loved ones left behind who carry that pain for the rest of their lives. She says we should think about that next time we are tempted to use your phone when driving.

Don’t tempt fate, that text or call when wait. Believe it. Thanks everybody.

WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY:

Talking on the phone while driving is as unsafe as driving with 4 drinks in your system- you are 4 times more likely to have an accident

Texting is twice as dangerous as talking while driving- statistically you are 8 times more likely to have an accident

Distractive driving is responsible for six thousand deaths and half a million injuries per year

These numbers are not just statistics, they are mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers

These accidents are 100% preventable

A VERY QUICK SUMMARY:

Don’t tempt fate, that text or call when wait. Believe it.

another one year projectThis year we follow the words of Oprah Winfrey

Archive for January, 2010