Favorite Things – This is the last favorite things show…one of Oprah’s favorite things. “How can we do it big and loud?” her staff asks. “Sharing the moment…and the experience is what is great…not the actual things,” is what Oprah tells us. We love it all….just to see a sneak peak of what some of the favorite things are makes us feel closer to Oprah. I still have my Karen Newburger jersey knit sheets with angels on them….still soft as can be! So, this year, we have some custom products needs some advanced time…so…I guess the choosing of the favorite things has turned into what seems like a favorite office thing for the whole Harpo team! Since these are real life Oprah favorite things to give it away to the whole audience…she wants to make sure that they are actually things she considers favorites. She has integrity….even on selecting her favorites. Ms. Aretha Franklin…can you give me an R-E-S-P-E-C-T shout out for Ms. Winfrey please?
It’s all in the presentation. If you haven’t learned this from Martha Stewart over the last 15 years…then, well….you haven’t been paying attention. The favorite things are presented to Oprah like a shopping mall in a meeting room for this first “custom” round. So she picks her out some of her favorite things that can be custom made…but wait….where are the IPads? It is her #1 Favorite of the century…she loves it…doesn’t go anywhere without it. Her people look a little scared….but one brave soul says, “Ok…we’ll call Apple…see what we can do.” Hello…it is Oprah’s Favorite Things after all! How could Apple say no? Like this….”Naaaaaaaaaaa-oh”
For the team….this has to be a “favorite” assignment. Brian Piotrowicz, a Co-producer working on the Favorite Things show, is busy taking notes along the way of what Oprah says…”she’s writing the script along the way,” he says. Perfect….I say. The whole Favorite Thing project is assigned to Jenna Kostelnik, Senior Producer and Caroline Ziv, Producer, this year. The biggest Favorite Things ever…and then some.
During the last presentation meeting we see a whole shopping mall of all of her favorite things…going from station to station….store front to store front….category to category. How do I choose, thinks our lovely Oprah. But there is one thing she doesn’t have to choose. Andre Walker’s hair shampoo. Andre has a new hair care line (www.andrewalkerhair.com) and Oprah is surprising him by adding his new shampoo to the Favorite Thing 2010 list. After 25 years as her hair stylist….”he’s such a good person and he’s been so loyal…having me as his only client. To be able to give something back to him was really touching to me…” We love you Andre….and I want to check out some of this Hair Makeup that I see on your website. Go Andre!
So…we see Oprah in the gym…alone….with her IPad. “It’s how I operate. I do everything on it. It has revolutionized everything I do. My most favorite of the favorite things…” So….it’s pretty important that it makes the list….but as noted earlier, Apple said, “Naaaaaaaaaaa-oh” Oprah is speechless. She says she thought about buying 300 of them to give out to the audience…. but thought it would be unfair to the other companies who were donating the items. Her integrity shown once again….nice. C’mon Apple….I was happy with my laptop…until I saw this episode of Oprah Season 25 Behind the Scenes. Now…I’m trying to figure out where I’m going to get the $500 extra spending money to get me one of these IPads!
After seeing all that they had presented…Oprah realizes that there was no way she is going to be able to do it all. What are your favorites? Let’s narrow it down? Wait…let’s see the bigger picture…step out of the box…thank you Oprah. Wait for it….”Let’s do TWO DAYS of favorite things.” Two audiences….two shows! Two days of Favorite Things…all taped on the same day. Can I get a big YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAH! Tara Denise, the Production Designer, is going crazy. Oprah has “such confidence and belief in her team….that she doesn’t worry about it.” Everyone take a breath and why don’t you have a Williams & Sonoma chocolate croissant? Can you pass the plate this way too???
Floating into the *O*ffice with angel-like wings, Harriet Seitler, Executive VP of Harpo Productions, brings what is called a “Christmas miracle”….Oh, Tiny Tim…can it be? YES! Apple IPads & the Scrabble Application for OOOOOOOOOOOOOPRAH’s Favorite Things. “This is the best invention of the century,” says Oprah. “I don’t know how they did it…” Oprah’s favorite thing of all time…gets a place on her Final Favorite Things Show….finally. She’s weeping… she loves it so much and wanted it on the list so much. You can tell….she’s so touched. “It’s life changing”…Change my life? Really? Oh….now I REALLY want one.
Finally….let’s look at and clean out the Favorite Things closet. WHAT? There is a closet! OMG…are you SERIOUS? Let me in!