Oprah’s Favorite Things combines two of America’s greatest pastimes: gluttony and ridiculousness. Watching the over the top talk show host announce fabulous gift after fabulous gift to an audience that could spontaneously combust from excitement is one of the many joys that the holidays brings me.
Of course, Oprah doesn’t have a talk show anymore, just her OWN network, so the craziness has been stretched into a special that not only features the gift-giving, but also the process of picking out every item on the list. Watching Oprah stroll through the New York Tory Burch store with a harried creative director gives me unprecedented pleasure.
To be honest, I have no idea why. Maybe it’s the way Oprah gesticulates while Tory Burch stands by, simultaneously enjoying the publicity and looking a little uncomfortable. Or maybe it’s the way we get a peek into Oprah’s psyche as she clutches a pair of UGG knock-offs. What made a woman with so much money fall in love with something so frickin’ tacky?
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Oprah. On one hand, I respect her as a self-made woman, and fellow journalist, who worked her way through the ranks, despite the multitude of adversity she’s faced. On the other hand, the woman’s become a caricature of herself. Her talk show was sensationalistic and her pained looks of sympathy were never entirely convincing. Her network is faltering as well
But of course, I’ll always watch her favorite things show. I don’t care how crazy Oprah is. She actually has ok taste and the woman cannot take a bad picture.
Check out her full list of 2012’s favorite things here.