Oprah's Favorite Things??

[ihearttx]

Did they already do it for this season? Please tell me I didn't miss it!:confused:

[curlygurl]

Oprah Ditches Favorite Things in Favor of Donations

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- "Oprah's Favorite Things," an episode of Oprah that usually airs annually around Thanksgiving, has repeatedly been one of her best rated shows of the year. This year, though, it's not running at all.

In past seasons, Oprah has given away her favorite hand-picked products, including a Maytag (Charts) washer and dryer, a diamond watch by Philip Stein and fudge brownies.

But this October, Oprah surprised audience members with $1,000 debit cards in a "Pay It Forward" challenge in lieu of her "Favorite Things" show. She instructed them to spend the money on the charity of their choice.

On Tuesday, Oprah taped the results of the "Pay it Forward" challenge and explained her decision to bag "Favorite Things."

"I can honestly say that every gift I've ever given has brought at least as much happiness to me as it has to the person I've given it to," Oprah said. "That's the feeling I want to pass on to you."

Many viewers had relied on Oprah's suggestions as a guideline for holiday shopping, putting all of Oprah's picks in extremely high demand, translating into a boon for the makers of those products.

"For a small business there really isn't any greater exposure than that," said Lori Karmel whose key lime cake was chosen as one of Oprah's Favorite Things in 2004.

"It's very sad for small businesses," Karmel said of Oprah's decision to not run the show this year.

A spokeswoman for Harpo Productions said the producers had not made any final decisions about revisiting the show next year or in future seasons.

"It's been a financial boon to small companies and entrepreneurs like myself," said Pete Seltzer, CEO of Kashwére, the small firm responsible for the ultra-soft robes selected by Oprah last year.

But "things had gotten out of hand," he said, referring to a number of copycat companies falsely claiming to be one of Oprah's picks. "There were shenanigans going on."

Additionally, he added, "Oprah's staff was concerned about the overwhelming orders flowing in to small companies." In such cases, the deluge of customers crippled web sites, crowded stores and caused months of back log.

"I absolutely understand why she's not doing it," Seltzer said, adding that "it's good for us - it leaves us as the reigning champ."

So instead, Oprah hopes her audience members will give to others. All 300 of them were also given a Sony (Charts) DVD Handycam to record their charitable activities.

"You're going to open your hearts, you're going to be really creative, and you're going to spend it all at once on one stranger or spend a dollar on every person," she said. "Imagine the love and kindness you can spread with $1,000."

The Oprah Winfrey Show is scheduled to air the results of the "Pay it Forward" challenge on Monday, Nov. 27.

Source (http://money.aol.com/cnnmoney/general/canvas3/_a/oprah-ditches-favorite-things-in-favor/20061115124109990001)

[ginastorm]

This is completely off topic, but do y'all remember the SNL skit of Oprah's Favorite Things. The audience was so excited that some of their heads exploded. Hee!

[ihearttx]

Thanks Curly!! I didn't realize she had switched out that show for the $1000 show.

And Gina..yes..that was hysterical!

[Adaya]

This is completely off topic, but do y'all remember the SNL skit of Oprah's Favorite Things. The audience was so excited that some of their heads exploded. Hee!

That was hilarious! I laughed so hard when I saw that skit. :D

[southerner]

I watched the show this week of everyone who was given the money. There were a ton of moving stories on there. For me, most of them were emotional. One of the more memorable ones was the woman in Denver who has a badly damaged face. She was given the money to cover medical expenses. She was a victim of a violent crime. This woman with the money to give had been the victim of a violent crime years earlier. She talked about how it was a full circle experience for her.

There were some unique things people did. One family gave random $100-300 tips to their delivery people. A pair of sisters from Atlanta asked their community for help and ended up raising over $200K to give to a shelter for women.

[Adaya]

I watched the show this week of everyone who was given the money. There were a ton of moving stories on there. For me, most of them were emotional. One of the more memorable ones was the woman in Denver who has a badly damaged face. She was given the money to cover medical expenses. She was a victim of a violent crime. This woman with the money to give had been the victim of a violent crime years earlier. She talked about how it was a full circle experience for her.

There were some unique things people did. One family gave random $100-300 tips to their delivery people. A pair of sisters from Atlanta asked their community for help and ended up raising over $200K to give to a shelter for women.

I think I cried throughout that whole show. I really lost it on the story about the man who went back to school. I mean for him to have the determination to fulfill his mother's dream and then for those 2 women to help him do that. I was so moved.

Loved the story about the sisters in Atlanta. That shelter is wonderful. My church supports that shelter and does a "lock-in" raise money for them. It's a really nice place and they offer such great services for the women and children there.

[j*east]

I'm glad she did that. The Favorite Things show was always a weird one to watch--I was half-glad for the people getting the stuff, but half-embarrassed at the materialism of it all...you could practically see dollar signs in people's eyes.

If anyone needs shopping help, the current O magazine has several gift guides/suggestions.