Oprah To End Talk Show, Announcement On-Air Friday

CHICAGO — “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” an iconic broadcast that began as a local Chicago talk show and grew over two decades into the foundation of a media empire worth billions, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air, Winfrey’s production company said Thursday night.

Winfrey, who from a seat on the couch of her set in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood became a billionaire and one of the most powerful women in entertainment, plans to announce the final date for her show during a live broadcast on Friday, said Harpo Productions Inc.

A Harpo spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday when asked if Oprah’s decision to end the show meant she planned to retire, or would move her broadcasting efforts onto a long-rumored Oprah network.

Winfrey’s 24th season opened earlier this year with a bang, as she drew more than 20,000 fans to the city’s Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue for a Chicago block party with the Black Eyed Peas.

She followed up with a series of blockbuster interviews – Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, exclusives with singer Whitney Houston and ESPN’s Erin Andrews, and just this week, former Alaska governor, GOP vice presidential candidate and best-selling author Sarah Palin. Oprah’s much-anticipated interview of Sarah Palin brought her the biggest “Oprah” ratings in two years. She found time between shows to lobby the International Olympic Committee in Denmark for Chicago’s failed bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

Source: Huffington

Bye E.D!

TV Newser has learned that Fox News anchor E.D. Hill is leaving the channel after her contract was not renewed:

TVNewser has learned veteran Fox News Channel anchor E.D. Hill will not be renewed when her current contract expires. Hill, who has been with Fox News for more than 10 years, will continue with the network for the next few months until her current deal expires.
SVP of Programming Bill Shine tells TVNewser that he “chose not to renew E.D.’s latest contract” but noted that “Hill has been a valued contributor to the success of FNC over the years, and we wish her all the best.”

Hill gained notoriety several months ago when she referred to the “pound,” “fist bump,” or whatever you want to call the handshake that Barack Obama exchanged with his wife Michelle as a “terrorist fist jab.”

Political roundup….

Bye Condoleeza! Clinton Met With Obama About Role In New Administration

A Democratic official confirms to the Huffington Post that Sen. Hillary Clinton met with President-elect Barack Obama on Thursday to discuss her role in the new administration.

Clinton’s trip to Chicago, described in press reports as “personal business,” came following a request from Obama, the official said.

The New York Senator is reportedly under consideration for Secretary of State, but it is unclear whether she had discussed that position with the transition team before making the trip. “If they told her beforehand, she did not tell her people,” the official said.

Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines referred questions to the Obama transition team.

Bill O’Reilly On “Daily Show”: Obama Fears, The Secular Revolution (VIDEO)

Fox news quack Bill O’Reilly stopped by “The Daily Show” Thursday for the first time since the election and stayed two segments. In the first Jon Stewart comforted him about his pre-election fears over Barack Obama, even giving him a stuffed animal to snuggle.

Part 1

Part 2

Palin blames bloggers for her downfall

Glad to do my part, Sarah!

Click here to watch her sqwak!

Also, a strategist for a rival potential presidential rival e-mails to express amusement with Gov. Sarah Palin’s come one, come all PR strategy:

“Fine with us. Let her be the sacrificial lamb for 2012.”

Which means: a lot of the folks who you’d think are angling to run in 2012 are certainly preparing to do so, but they’re looking to and thinking about 2016….

Read the whole story here.

How should we recognize Veteran’s day?

Tuesday on “The View” Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck sparred over how to recognize Veterans Day. Behar began the show by reading facts about the war, over 4,000 American soldiers dead, the immense cost, etc.

Elisabeth was not happy and round one broke out, with Elisabeth forcefully telling Joy, “Do not complain about the war today.”

Moderator Whoopi Goldberg briefly interjected, but was overpowered by Joy and Elisabeth. Elisabeth got angrier insisting, “It is not our day to gripe about the cost” while Joy argued, “We are honoring them by discussing this war.”

Click here to watch…

Sherri Shepherd Cried on The View Talking About Obama’s Win

“Don’t do it…” Whoopi calmed Sherri in a motherly way, as the tears flowed down Sherri Shepherd’s face.

I’m crying again now too almost as Sherri said that when she told her family she wanted to be a comic, how her family told her to just “get a job at the post office, because they don’t let people like us do that.”

ALSO…..
This week’s Time magazine is going to be special commemorative issue celebrating Barack Obama’s election victory. It will be hitting newsstands a day early, on Thursday. Check out the magazine’s cover below.

I don’t know if anyone else found this to be weird but did you notice how Palin looked like she wanted to speak last night but wasn’t able to?  Well Newsweek just reported that “Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night, but campaign strategist Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.”  You can read more info at newseek.com on how many underhanded things were done in this campaign including how the clothes bought by Palin exceeded $150,000 and she had her staffers put it on there personal credit cards.