Free Republic

On Fox News Tuesday afternoon, host Martha MacCallum and GOP strategist Dee Dee Benkie dismissed Oprah Winfrey’s claim that the prejudicial treatment she received in a Zurich boutique was racism, and wondered if the media mogul was pushing the story as a promotional tool for her new movie, The Butler. “Maybe Oprah Winfrey was miffed because [the store clerk] didn’t know who she was,” Benkie said. “And here’s the other thing: you know Oprah’s got a movie out about the butler. It would be really terrible if she was using this story to promote the movie. I’m not saying that....

Oprah Winfrey on Tuesday devoted the first of two shows to the wake of Hurricane Katrina, saying: "I think ... this country owes these people an apology" – referring to the survivors for their treatment after the disaster struck and to those who were left to die as help failed to arrive. "This makes me so mad. This should not have happened," said a tearful Winfrey, who wore a gas mask inside New Orleans' now-vacated Superdome, where she was overcome by the stench. "Nothing I saw on television prepared me for what I experienced on the ground," she said on...

James Hirsen's "Left Coast Report" follows: Hollywood's elite didn't miss a beat in using Hurricane Katrina to launch a political attack on the Bush administration – or to seek publicity for themselves. While many of the stars' actions have been well-intentioned, some sought to turn the hurricane tragedy to their own political advantage and to further an agenda that seemingly blames Bush and the GOP for all of the world's ills – even a natural disaster. According to some on Hollywood's political fringe, whether it's global warming, the wetlands, the funding for levees, racism, the tax cut or the president's...

From the article "Anita Hill's After Story" in the July 2005 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine:[Anita Hill's] moment in the news may not be over yet. An appointment to the Supreme Court is for life, so Thomas's position is safe. With Chief Justice William Rehnquist possibly stepping down after the session ends in late June, however, court watchers wonder who might replace him. When previously asked about federal judicial appointments, Bush has said he would select judges like Thomas and Antonin Scalia, indicating a preference for such conservatives. That leads people to wonder whether Thomas might get the nod...

Whether Oprah Winfrey was turned away from a bit of after-hours shopping in Paris because of a racist employee or a special event, news of the confrontation outside a luxury store has evoked empathy and anger from many American minorities who say they are routinely treated poorly -- and sometimes with outright suspicion -- by sales staffs in this country. The Winfrey case has sparked discussion of what many see as a chronic problem for minorities -- particularly in high-end stores -- no matter how educated, wealthy or accomplished the customer. ''The presumption in America is that if you have...

Ann Coulter says Katie Couric is “the affable Ava Braun” of daytime TV. But Couric’s got nothing on Oprah Winfrey. Oprah is the affable Joseph Goebbels of daytime talk . . . of chick magazines . . . of Oprah seminars—and every other medium in which the self-anointed high priestess of the religion of Oprah has her hands. Through all of these, Oprah preaches “how to be your best self” and “live your best life.” Unfortunately, a predilection for radical Islam and excusing terrorists is a prominent element of Oprah’s “best self.” Cheating husbands don’t get off as easy as...

Last Saturday, thousands of screaming fans paid a minimum of $185 apiece to attend a motivational seminar given by a television icon who has mesmerized a generation with her ability to seem like the girl next door. Her amazing communication skills have made her Oprah-ness a veritable billionaire by connecting with a kind of desperate housewife aggregate of entertainment-starved acolytes. Five thousand people jammed the Dallas Convention Center for the “Live your best life” seminar, many of whom got on line in the wee hours of the morning, even though they had reserved seats. Watching the TV news film clips...