According to reports floating around on the web, Oprah Winfrey is upset with Aretha Franklin for not granting her the first interview about the battle she’s fighting with cancer. Aretha gave the coveted interview to Wendy Williams.

Via the National Enquirer:

“Oprah is about as angry as can be,” said an insider.

“This is the final season of her show, and she’s been pushing to land all the big ‘gets’ out there. Oprah is embarrassed that Aretha—a legend—chose Wendy, who is a relative newcomer in the TV talk show world.”

While Oprah, 57, gives Wendy, 46, credit for snagging the much-coveted sit-down with Aretha, she’s still “steaming,” adds the insider, telling pals that Wendy’s show is “a long way” from hers, and criticizing it for being “silly and gossipy.”

Aretha underwent surgery in December but has never publicly revealed the nature of her health issues. However, the Enquirer has exclusively reported that she is fighting pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly forms of the disease.

Oprah was said to have had big plans for Aretha. Here’s more from the Enquirer:

Oprah insisted she would’ve been able to outdo Wendy by using her clout to pack her show with legendary heavy hitters paying homage to the musical icon.

“Oprah was not going to keep the whole interview on the illness, which she knows Aretha is reluctant to fully discuss,” said the source.

“She was going to get Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, for a touching tribute. But instead, Aretha chose Wendy—and Oprah is NOT happy!”

If this is true, it sounds more like Oprah’s ego was hurt. Who knows why Aretha chose Wendy Williams for the first interview? There’s several obvious but simple reasons: Maybe Aretha wanted to speak to a different audience, i.e. younger, more hip, or maybe Aretha just likes Wendy’s interview style better (God forbid!). It could have been that Wendy’s people reached out first. Again, who knows why, but is it really that serious? Even Oprah has to lose sometimes.  That is, if the story is even true; this is reporting from The National Enquirer.

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You know the popular saying from Dirty Dancing, “Nobody puts baby in the corner?” In the same vein, it could be said that nobody says no to Oprah, but that’s exactly what Michael Vick did. Ok, I’m exaggerating. He didn’t say no. He said yes and then nevermind. He pulled the plug on the Oprah interview where he was supposed to bare all about his trials and tribulations over the last few years.

According to TMZ, Vick released a statement saying, “After careful consideration, I will need to postpone the taping of the Oprah Winfrey interview scheduled for February 22.”

He continues, “I admire and respect Oprah and hope to be able to participate in an interview in the future.”

So far there’s no word on why Vick pulled the plug but I’m just going to assume that he got cold feet, it’s understandable.

However, Mike has quite a story to tell. Despite spending time in prison for the dog fighting scandal,  he has seemingly turned his life around and participated in a good season with the Eagles after being out of the game for two years.  There are still several people persecuting him and regarding him with ill will but if anyone can help further boost his public persona in a positive direction it’s Oprah. Whatever his reasons are for not doing the interview right now, I hope they’re good. And I hope that at some point he really does finds his way to Chicago before Oprah’s show is over forever. People need to see that he is human and that he made a mistake but that he’s contrite (hopefully it’s sincere).

I don’t know about you guys but I’m rooting for Michael Vick. I don’t condone what he was allegedly participating in but at the same time, there are other NFL players who have been accused of worse (like rape) that don’t get nearly as bad of a rap (they’re usually white smh) but I digress.

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Oprah’s OWN hasn’t turned to gold just yet. So far the network is wavering when it comes to ratings. The network launched January 1 in conjunction with Discovery Communications, and replaced Discovery Health. But the programming hasn’t quite hit the nail on the head for her 25-54 demographic.

In its first month, OWN averaged 358,000 prime-time viewers in the target demographic of women 25 to 54, which was up 33 percent from last year’s numbers for Discovery Health, the network it replaced.

But according to ratings trackers tvbythenumbers.com, prime-time viewers in the network’s key demographic slipped to a mere 54,000 the week of Jan. 31-Feb. 6. By comparison, competitors Lifetime pulled in 394,000 viewers, Hallmark 182,000 and Oxygen 133,000 during the same week.

For her part, Winfrey doesn’t seem too concerned about the ratings.

“The number of people who found us surpassed my expectations and it proved that people were tired of the snark and the back-biting and wanted something different,” Winfrey said.

The most popular original show on the network so far has been Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes, which chronicles the current and final season of her talk show.

OWN has yet to cancel any shows, and small production tweaks have been ongoing, which spokespeople for the network say is to be expected.

I don’t really know what this means other than, the network’s ratings are so-so right now but we have faith because Oprah is behind it — which means that eventually it will get better!  Right?

Have you been watching OWN?

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On today’s edition of The Oprah Winfrey Show, Oprah Winfrey will reveal a family secret that she says sent her reeling.

In a clip for the upcoming episode, Oprah said:

“I thought I’d seen it all. I was given some news that literally shook me to my core. This time, I’m the one being reunited. I was keeping a family secret for months, and on Monday you’re going to hear it straight from me.”

With hype like this I hope she’s announcing that Jay-Z is her cousin, thrice removed and that’s why they’ve been hanging out so often lately.

That or she’s kin to Colonel Sanders and that’s why you, and you, and you, will each get a free order of boneless wings. You know, the hot kind!

After Oprah reveals her secret, she’ll be back to bringing in the big names for the final season of her daytime talk show.

According to the National Enquirer, First Lady Michelle Obama will appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Thursday.

The White House itself has confirmed that Michelle O will be returning to Chicago to tape an episode.

Reports say that Michelle will discuss the nationwide initiative to support military families. The First Lady has advocated substantially on this and against childhood obesity in her first two years of service.

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In an interview with Larry King time slot heir, Piers Morgan, Oprah was questioned about the biggest failure of her career.

Her answer was the failure of the 1998 film Beloved.

Oprah says the failure of that film caused her to go into a “massive, depressive, macaroni and cheese-eating tailspin – literally!”

She explained to Piers: “It premiered on a Friday and I remember hearing on Saturday morning that we got beat by something called Chucky. I didn’t even know what Chucky was. I asked my chef at the time, Art Smith, to make some macaroni and cheese.”

In the end, Oprah said, “I ate about 30 pounds worth.”

She added, “I’m not kidding! It’s the only time in my life I was ever depressed. I recognized I was depressed because I’ve done enough shows [to know], ‘Oh, this is what those people must feel like.’”

Yikes.

You can see a clip of the interview below:

All I have to say to that is that I hope she isn’t lactose intolerant.

Oprah’s interview with Piers Morgan will air on CNN on January 17 at 9 p.m. ET.

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On January 1, 2011 Oprah Winfrey’s latest and greatest venture – a full-fledged cable network – premiered to solid ratings and mixed reviews.

Some have adored the channel, while others wish it were something completely different.

Meanwhile, the New York Times‘ Alessandra Stanley called the channel a “no cynicism zone.”

The unveiling, Stanley wrote, “was most striking for what it lacked: Nowhere in that opening gush of feel-good highlight reels, self-improvement plans, spiritual quests, aha! moments, celebrity master classes and people finding their truths and living their own best lives was there a snicker of malice or a hint of raillery.”

Stanley went on to write that “OWN is a place where cynicism takes a holiday and mockery hasn’t yet been invented.”

Caryn James wrote on IndieWire.com that OWN “displays a whiff of spirituality, a huge amount of life-style fluff and a surprising layer of substance.”

One of the more negative reviews came from Jennifer Mabry in a critique on the Root, an online publication that targets a Black audience. Mabry wrote that she could sum up her feelings in one word: “disappointed.”

Speaking of complainers, a few fans took to Oprah’s message board to express their anger that the OWN channel requires them to pay extra cable fees they can’t afford.

Via the New York Post:

A day after the launch of her ambitious new TV network, the message board on Oprah Winfrey’s Web site was flooded with posts from fans upset that they now have to pay to see the talk-show queen.

“Cannot believe Oprah would launch a new show on a cable channel that is not part of the basic service,” wrote a fan tagged johnjanesmith.

“She will be losing some of her most loyal fans because they either do not have cable or they have basic cable. I have basic cable and do not plan on changing my cable service.

“Oprah has lost me as I am sure many other people. Too bad that she didn’t look into a channel that would serve everyone.”

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It appears Oprah’s mama, Vernita Lee, didn’t take too kind to the words her daughter said to Barbara Walters about their relationship.

Allegedly, Vernita feels “betrayed” after Oprah called Gayle King “the mother I never had” and acknowledged that the two weren’t particularly close.

The National Enquirer reports:

“Vernita is devastated,” divulged a close family friend.

“It was the final straw after years of insults and betrayals. She just doesn’t understand why Oprah still has to be so cruel to her.”

Vernita, 75, was said to have been “so proud” when she sat down to watch the Walters interview at her Milwaukee condo.

“But her joy turned to tears and embarrassment as Oprah described her friendship with Gayle,” maintained the friend. “Vernita knows she wasn’t the perfect mother, but she loves Oprah, and she is hurt by the way her daughter put her down in public.

“Vernita says Oprah keeps bringing up the fact that she was the result of a one-night stand, that Vernita didn’t protect Oprah from abuse or help her when she was raped when she was 9 years old .

“She wishes Oprah would forgive her after all these years.”

Vernita, who suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes, blurred vision and kidney problems,  tried to build a stronger relationship with Oprah over the years, but her efforts have been hampered by the fact that she doesn’t even have her daughter’s private phone number!

I’m suspicious. Oprah pays her bills – including her notorious outstanding ones – so if I were in her shoes, I’d be gleeful. Shade for pay is alright with me!

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According to The National Enquirer, Oprah has declared that Ellen DeGeneres is the heir to her daytime TV throne.

That and that their BFFs and stuff.

Indeed, the Enquirer claims Oprah and Ellen brought along best friend Gayle King and wife, Portia de Rossi for an intimate dinner where Oprah shared secrets to success.

The report:

“They’ve always been fond of each other, but Oprah sees Ellen as her successor. She’s wanted to personally give Ellen advice on turning herself into a worldwide media brand,” explained the source.

After spending a great deal of time communicating via phone and e-mail, Ellen invited Oprah and Gayle to

join her and Portia at their Los Angeles home for a gourmet vegan dinner.

“At the intimate gathering, Oprah gave Ellen advice on how to carry on with her upbeat, heartfelt approach to TV talk,” explained the source.

Meanwhile, Gayle and Portia chatted in another room, according to the source.

But the get-together nearly never happened — after Oprah, 56, kept her hosts waiting for more than an hour, explaining that she’d been stuck in traffic.

According to the source, Ellen joked: “You’re an L.A. girl now — get used to it!”

In other Oprah news, Jay-Z will reportedly join her in Australia during “Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure.”

Jay will stop by and perhaps perform during one of the four scheduled episodes set to air in January.

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Oprah Winfrey is tired of you calling her a lesbian.

In a clip from A Barbara Walters Special: Oprah, The Next Chapter, she addressed the longstanding rumor that she is involved in a relationship with Gayle King.

On her relationship with Gayle she explained to Barbara Walters:

“She is … the mother I never had. She is … the sister everybody would want. She is the friend that everybody deserves. I don’t know a better person. I don’t know a better person. It’s making me cry because I’m thinking about … how much … I probably have never told her that. Tissue please. I now need tissue. I’ve never told her that.”

And on the gay rumors:

“I’m not a lesbian … I’m not even kind of a lesbian. And the reason why it irritates me is because it means that somebody must think I’m lying. That’s number one. Number two … why would you want to hide it? That is not the way I run my life.”

She also touched on Stedman Graham:

“Stedman is still the love … the lover … the man … the partner … the mate,” of her life.

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Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Oprah feels fear. The January issue of The Oprah Magazine (on stands Tuesday) previews her OWN network, which launches New Year’s Day at noon. The lineup will include shows from Rosie O’Donnell, Ryan and Tatum O’Neal, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and Gayle King (of course).

OWN is “a channel where people will see themselves, and their ideals and their values and their hopes, see their struggles, see who they are through the lives of others — in a real way that enriches them,” Winfrey told O’s editor in chief.

In the interview, Winfrey also revealed some of her concerns about launching a new network and the uncertainty of the television climate. “I have never felt such fear in all my life … I was afraid of failing … I was afraid it wouldn’t be what “The Oprah Winfrey Show” has been, and has meant, for all these years,” she revealed. “What I realized is that I’ve never been afraid before. Not with any decision I’ve ever made.”

Oprah is human after all. But the best thing about her is she never lets fear get the best of her. I’m sure this network will flourish. Pretty much everything Oprah touches (except the film adaptation of “Beloved”) turns to gold.

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