Queen Elizabeth makes first appearance since Harry and Meghan interview

LONDON - Britain's Queen Elizabeth has made her first appearance since a tell-all interview by grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan rocked the monarchy, but made no reference to the crisis it had caused her family.

During the Oprah Winfrey interview, Meghan said a member of the royal family had made a racist comment and Harry criticized his relatives for how they dealt with press treatment of his wife, with the fallout dominating the British media since it aired last Sunday.

On Thursday, Harry's elder brother Prince William told reporters "we're very much not a racist family", the day after the 94-year-old monarch herself issued a statement on behalf of the royals in which she said they were saddened by how challenging the couple had found the last few years.

The Sun newspaper, citing an unnamed source, said Harry's father, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, had wanted to issue a point by point rebuttal, but the royal family had decided not to get involved in a 'tit for tat' battle.

In a video call with scientists and schoolchildren to mark British Science Week, the queen did not refer to the interview at all, the royals' usual approach to what they have said was a private, family matter.

Instead she discussed the latest updates from NASA's Mars Perseverance mission, as well as the discovery of a rare meteorite which landed in Gloucestershire, western England last month, the first to be recovered in the United Kingdom for 30 years.

"I’m glad it didn't hit anyone," the queen quipped during the "virtual showcase", which took place on Wednesday although details were only released by Buckingham Palace on Friday.

When told by space scientist and broadcaster Maggie Aderin-Pocock that she had been inspired to follow her career by the exploits of Russian Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space in 1961, Elizabeth, who has reigned for 69 years, recounted that she had met him shortly afterwards at Buckingham Palace.

Asked what he was like, she replied: "Russian, he didn't speak English. He was fascinating and I suppose being the first one, it was particularly fascinating." 

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton)

-reuters

Oprah Winfrey says ‘definitely not’ running for U.S. president

Oprah Winfrey put to rest any lingering questions about a potential 2020 bid for the presidency, declaring on a late-night talk show on Thursday that she was “definitely not running.”

The media mogul, appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” was emphatic in her response to host Kimmel’s question about whether she would run.

“Where do I look into the camera? I am definitely not running for president,” Winfrey said over cries of “no” from the studio audience.

Last month, Winfrey fans lit up Twitter with calls for her to run for president in 2020 against U.S. President Donald Trump after she gave an inspiring speech at the Golden Globe awards show in support of those who have exposed sexual misconduct.

“You now, you give a speech and then you sit down and you have surprisingly started to run for president,” Winfrey told Kimmel, calling it “a humbling thing to have people think that you can run the country.”


She acknowledged, though, having thought about it.

“I am the kind of person who tries to listen to signs. I think, well am I supposed to run the country? I don’t think so.”

Known by millions on first-name basis, Winfrey first rose to fame as the host of a television talk show, using it to build a media empire that spans magazine publishing, movie and television production, cable TV and satellite radio. Born into poverty, she is now one of the world’s wealthiest women and been nominated for two Academy Awards. She has long been associated with Democratic Party causes and fundraising.

Trump has several times said he hoped he would face Winfrey as an opponent in the 2020 presidential race.

On Sunday night, he blasted her over a segment on CBS’ “60 Minutes” program in which she led a panel of 14 Republican, Democrat and Independent voters from Grand Rapids, Michigan in a wide ranging discussion about Trump’s first year in office.

Trump tweeted: “Just watched a very insecure Oprah Winfrey, who at one point I knew very well, interview a panel of people on 60 Minutes. The questions were biased and slanted, the facts incorrect. Hope Oprah runs so she can be exposed and defeated just like all of the others!”

Asked by Kimmel whether she had thought about responding to the tweet, Winfrey replied: “Not a second.”

She added: “You don’t win by meeting any kind of negativity head on.”

source: interaksyon.com

‘Yeah I’ll beat Oprah’ – Trump

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he could beat Oprah Winfrey in a presidential race, while one of Winfrey’s closest friends said the media mogul and actress was “intrigued” by the possibility of running but was not considering it now.

Speculation about a 2020 White House bid by Winfrey blew up on social media and news outlets after her rousing “new day” speech at the Golden Globes awards show on Sunday night, which touched on female and black empowerment, her roots in poverty and support of those who speak up about sexual abuse and harassment.

But some media commentators also injected skepticism into the surge of excitement among fans of the former talk show star, saying the Democratic Party and the country might well reject the notion of another celebrity political novice following Trump’s 2016 election.

Winfrey, long associated with Democratic politics and fundraising, has not commented publicly on the speculation. Known to millions by her first name, Winfrey, 63, has been a cultural force in the country for decades.


Trump, speaking with reporters during a White House meeting with lawmakers, said in response to a question, “Yeah I’ll beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun.


“I know her very well … I like Oprah. I don’t think she’s going to run,” said the Republican president, 71.


Winfrey confidante Gayle King said earlier on Tuesday there was no change in Winfrey’s past position — that she is not interested in running for president

“I do think she’s intrigued by the idea, I do think that,” King said on the “CBS This Morning” program. “I also know that after years of watching ‘The Oprah (Winfrey) Show’ you always have the right to change your mind. I don’t think at this point she’s actually considering it.”


However, CNN, citing two of Winfrey’s close friends, reported on Monday that the television and movie producer and actress was actively thinking about a White House bid.


Winfrey has raised millions of dollars for various causes, including shelters for battered women but, like Trump when he launched his White House campaign, she has no prior experience in government. Trump, a businessman and former reality TV star, based part of his appeal on the fact he was truly not a Washington insider.


“NOPRAH! Do we really need another celebrity president?” read the front page of Tuesday’s New York Post. A critique in Slate on Monday was headlined “Oprah? Really?” and bemoaned the “impossibly boring” current crop of major political figures, making people more likely to vote for celebrities like Trump or Winfrey.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who was the public face of some of the Trump administration’s early missteps last year, said on the “Good Morning Britain” show that Winfrey lacked “political infrastructure” and would have a hard time adjusting to the White House.


Winfrey first gained national fame with her TV talk show, which often focused on self-improvement and touched on previously taboo subjects like incest, rape, eating disorders and depression. She used the show’s success to build a media empire encompassing movie production, magazines, cable TV, and satellite radio, becoming one of the world’s richest women.


Winfrey also branched out into acting. She is credited with roles in nearly 30 movie and TV productions, including a role in director Steven Spielberg’s “The Color Purple” that earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

source: interaksyon.com

Oprah Winfrey claims lifetime Golden Globe, calls for ‘a new day’

LOS ANGELES | Oprah Winfrey became the first black woman to be awarded a Golden Globe for lifetime achievement on Sunday, delivering an impassioned speech in support of those who have exposed sexual misconduct in Hollywood and beyond.

Actress, movie and television producer, and chief executive of her OWN cable channel, Winfrey, 63, was celebrated as a role model for women and a person who has promoted strong female characters.

Her honor came in a year when the awards show, Hollywood’s first leading up to the Oscars, was dominated by a scandal that has seen the downfall of dozens of powerful men as women break years of silence.

Winfrey, who along with most of the show’s other attendees donned a black gown to show support for victims of sexual misconduct, was the first black woman to receive the annual Cecil B. De Mille award, joining the likes of Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand and Sophia Loren.

Winfrey used her speech to praise women who have shared their stories of sexual harassment and abuse, and to declare that “a new day is on the horizon” for girls and women.

“And when that new day finally dawns it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure they become leaders that take us to the time where nobody has to say ‘me too’ again,” Winfrey said, referencing the social media movement raising awareness about sexual harassment.

Winfrey was raised in poverty by a single mother and went on host the top-rated talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for 25 years before ending it in 2011.

“I want to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue.”

During her speech, she recalled being inspired as a child by previous Cecil B. DeMille award winner Sidney Poitier, the first black actor to win a best actor Oscar.

“It is not lost on me that at this moment there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given the same award,” Winfrey said.

She produced and acted in the 2014 civil rights movie “Selma,” and 2017’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and was Oscar nominated in 1986 for her role in “The Color Purple” which she later helped finance as a Broadway musical.

Even after ending her daily talk show, her influence on popular culture remains strong.

Forbes last year estimated her net worth at $3 billion and placed her third on its list of the America’s richest self-made women.

source: interaksyon.com

Telethon raises $44 million for Hurricane Harvey, Irma relief

LOS ANGELES | A celebrity-packed telethon for the victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma raised some $44 million, organizers said on Wednesday, after more than 130 stars including George Clooney, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey and Justin Bieber joined forces to sing, man the phones or appeal for donations.

The hour-long Hand in Hand telethon, which aired across broadcast, cable and digital platforms on Tuesday night, raised more than $14 million during the live broadcast.

Organizers on Wednesday said that the total rose to $44 million in pledges made after West Coast and other re-broadcasts.

Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storms on record, ravaged several islands in the northern Caribbean, killing at least 60 people. It barreled into the Florida Keys on Sunday, where 90 percent of homes are believed to be destroyed or heavily damaged.

Beyonce, appearing in a taped message, spoke of the urgent need for supplies in her hometown of Houston after Harvey became the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, killing more than 60 people, displacing more than 1 million and damaging some 203,000 homes.

During the show, Stephen Colbert said Apple Inc had donated $5 million, which the comedian quipped, “is also the price of the new iPhone.”

The telethon aired from New York, Nashville and Los Angeles, where Stevie Wonder kicked off the event singing “Lean On Me,” with a gospel choir as stars such as Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand and Cher clapped along while sitting at their phone stations.

source: interaksyon.com

Oprah, Jimmy Fallon out of Emmy race, ‘Stranger Things’ star Barb in

LOS ANGELES | A mixed bag of new shows and old favorites on Thursday saw surprising Emmy exclusions for the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Jimmy Fallon and a surprise nod for short-lived character Barb Holland from Netflix’s “Stranger Things” in the race for television’s highest honors.

NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” were snubbed in the variety talk series category in favor of more politically scathing shows – “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” and “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.”

While NBC’s breakout multi-generational family drama “This Is Us” earned 11 nominations, its lead actress, Mandy Moore, was left out of the best drama actress race.

USA Network’s cyber thriller series “Mr. Robot” was snubbed just a year after its star, Rami Malek, won the best drama actor accolade, and Lena Dunham’s final season of “Girls” found no love with Emmy voters this year.

Winfrey was overlooked for her well-received role in HBO’s TV movie “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” although the show itself earned one nomination.

The absence of HBO’s double Emmy-winning medieval fantasy series “Game of Thrones” this year – ineligible due to a summer season debut – left a gap in the drama race that unsurprisingly was filled by the network’s new sci-fi drama “Westworld,” which earned a leading 22 nominations.

“Saturday Night Live” also got an unusually high 22 nods after enjoying a six-year ratings high thanks to its scathing takedowns of U.S. President Donald Trump and his advisers.

Alec Baldwin’s Trump impersonation, Kate McKinnon’s portrayal of White House advisor Kellyanne Conway and Melissa McCarthy’s recurring guest spot as an enraged White House spokesman Sean Spicer all earned them Emmy nominations.

“Saturday Night Live” has won 50 Primetime Emmy awards in its 42 years on air.

Among the biggest surprises was a nomination in the guest drama actress category for nerdy teenager Barb Holland, played by newcomer Shannon Purser, on Netflix’s 1980s supernatural sci-fi “Stranger Things.”

Barb became a viral phenomenon after her sudden and gruesome death on the show, prompting online tributes and songs to the character and fans petitioning “Stranger Things” creators The Duffer Brothers with the hashtag #JusticeForBarb.

On Thursday, the Duffer Brothers celebrated the show’s 18 Emmy nominations and paid tribute to Barb, saying “Gone but never forgotten!”

source: interaksyon.com

Ryan Reynolds, Oprah Winfrey top TIME 100 poll

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte might have won the TIME 100 poll among politicians, but among entertainment industry personalities, actor Ryan Reynolds and actress-TV host Oprah Winfrey are at the top of the list.

Although mentioned first in the list, Reynolds and Winfrey, however, are not the only ones who got two percent of the votes. Also garnering two percent are other Hollywood celebrities Lady Gaga, Beyonce, J.K. Rowling, Emma Watson, James Corden, Viola Davis, Emma Stone, John Legend and Rihanna.


At close one percent are Kanye West, Melissa McCarthy, RuPaul, Kim Kardashian West and Drake.

Though given a zero percent rating, Selena Gomez, Fan Bingbing, Alec Baldwin, Ryan Gosling, Ashley Graham, Gigi Hadid, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, DJ Khaled and Demi Lovato are also on the roster.

The TIME 100 is the US-based magazine’s annual list of the most influential people in the world. It features a number of leading artists, politicians, lawmakers, scientists, and leaders in technology and business. Although TIME's editors will choose the final list of honorees, readers can share their choices with as well through an online poll.

Voting closed at 11:59 p.m. on April 16, and the winner of the reader poll was announced immediately after. This year's official TIME 100 list will be revealed on April 20.

source: philstar.com

Oprah Winfrey ‘sorry’ for reaction to Swiss handbag incident

LOS ANGELES | Oprah Winfrey said she was sorry for the uproar and media response caused by her comments about an incident in a Swiss luxury store last month when an assistant refused to show her a $38,100 handbag.

At the premiere of her new film, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” in Los Angles on Monday evening, the U.S. actress and talk show host, recently named by Forbes as the world’s most powerful celebrity, said she regretted saying it took place in Switzerland.

“I’m really sorry that it got blown up. I purposefully did not mention the name of the store. I’m sorry that I said it was Switzerland,” she told reporters on the red carpet.

“I was just referencing it as an example of being in a place where people don’t expect that you would be able to be there,” she added.

Winfrey, 59, said in television interviews last week that while she was in Switzerland for the wedding of singer Tina Turner last month a sales assistant in a Zurich shop had refused to show her a luxury handbag by designer Tom Ford, saying it was “too expensive” and instead suggested cheaper bags.

Swiss tourism officials said it regretted the incident and the owner of the Tom Ford boutique, luxury shop operator Trois Pommes, denied racism, saying it was a misunderstanding.

“This has nothing to do with racism. I am here for everyone and the customer is king,” shop owner Trudie Goetz said last week.

Goetz added that the sales assistant had wanted to show Winfrey, who earned an estimated $77 million in the year to June 2013, that the bag was available in other materials, which may have given the impression that the shop did not want to sell it to her.

“It’s not an indictment against the country or even that store,” Winfrey explained. “It was just one person who didn’t want to offer me the opportunity to see the bag, so no apologies necessary from the country of Switzerland.”

In “The Butler,” which deals with race issues and opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, Winfrey plays the wife of an African-American butler who worked at the White House for eight U.S. presidents.

The handbag incident sparked criticism in Switzerland where media reported last week that local governments were given authority to prohibit asylum seekers from using public sports venues like municipal pools, prompting criticism from advocacy group Human Rights Watch. A government minister denied the reports.

source: interaksyon.com

Oprah named most influential celebrity for second straight year

NEW YORK – Oprah Winfrey was crowned America’s most influential celebrity for a second straight year on Friday, despite having dropped off daily television in 2011.

Forbes magazine ranked Winfrey, 59, ahead of Hollywood titans Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood and towering over other TV figures such as journalist Barbara Walters and financial guru Suze Orman.

Forbes said that 48 percent of people surveyed rated Winfrey as influential, down just one point from last year. The list was drawn from polls of Americans conducted by E-Poll Market Research, which ranks more than 7,500 celebrities based on 46 different personality attributes.

Winfrey ended her daily “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in May 2011 after 25 years to launch the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), which features lifestyle programming aimed at women.




After struggling in the ratings since its launch, OWN has seen audiences rise recently, thanks to Winfrey’s January world exclusive with cyclist Lance Armstrong admitting to years of doping, and her wide-ranging interview with R&B singer Beyonce.

Forbes noted that Winfrey’s magic had rubbed off as well, with one of her protégées, TV physician Dr. Mehmet Oz, ranking sixth on the list.

Film directing, however, seems to be the profession most associated with influence, as four directors, including Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese, crowded into the Top 10.

E-Poll Chief Executive Gerry Philpott said that while influence could mean different things to different people, most often it reflects someone’s impact on the culture.

Reflecting on Spielberg’s runner-up ranking, Philpott said “To this day, ask anyone what they think about before going in the ocean,” referring to the filmmaker’s 1975 blockbuster “Jaws.”

Dropping out of the Top 10 entirely was last year’s No. 2 finisher, actor Michael J. Fox, who has been out of the public eye of late.

Eastwood, who made headlines by addressing an empty chair at the 2012 Republican National Convention, rounded out the Top 10.

The Top 10 Most Influential Celebrities of 2013, according to Forbes are:

1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Steven Spielberg
3. Martin Scorsese
4. Ron Howard
5. George Lucas
6. Dr. Mehmet Oz
7. Barbara Walters
8. U2 frontman Bono
9. Suze Orman
10. Clint Eastwood

source: interaksyon.com