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Oprah aims for "mindful TV" in OWN network gamble

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES | Thu Dec 30, 2010 1:40pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - She is already the most influential woman on television, publishes a magazine, has starred in movies, opened a school in South Africa and is one of America's biggest celebrity philanthropists.

So why is Oprah Winfrey taking perhaps the biggest gamble in her life and launching a cable TV network this weekend? Because she believes people are hungry for shows that entertain, inspire and offer what she calls "mindful television."

"What I want to do is build a channel that is a respite for your mind, an oasis of stimulation that you come away from with little pieces of light.

"I'm aiming for a moment where somebody could say, 'I never thought of it that way before.' I just love that," Winfrey 56, told Parade magazine in an interview this week.

Three years in the making, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) kicks off on January 1 with a weekend of "sneak peeks" into the array of largely female-oriented original series, lifestyle, and advice shows that viewers can expect in the first year.

OWN, a venture between Winfrey's Harpo Inc and Discovery Communications, will be available in some 80 million homes.

The OWN launch has brought with it some uncharacteristic anxiety for Winfrey, who will end her popular U.S. daytime chat program, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" -- which airs in some 140 countries -- in May after 25 years.

She told her magazine "O" that she has "never felt such fear in all my life" than she has in launching OWN in a crowded TV market packed with hundreds of cable channels.

'OPRAHFICATION'

Winfrey will appear in only 70 hours of programs in 2011, but the OWN schedule has the unmistakable flavor of uplifting tales, self-improvement and struggles in the face of adversity that has come to be known as "Oprahfication."

The lineup includes a four-part special bringing together health, wealth and relationship experts Dr. Phil McGraw, Suze Orman and Dr. Mehmet Oz. There are two reality shows about the fractious relationships between movie stars Tatum O'Neal and her father Ryan O'Neal and country singers Wynonna Judd and her mother Naomi Judd.

There will be frank sex and relationship therapy from Dr. Laura Berman and another reality series called "Kidnapped by the Kids" in which children force their parents to ditch work for family time.

Two shows were Oprah's ideas. "Oprah Presents Master Class" features eight famous people including rapper Jay-Z, poet Maya Angelou, actor Sidney Poitier and TV entrepreneur Simon Cowell talking about their lives' lessons, triumphs and setbacks.

"Finding Sarah", featuring disgraced British royal Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was inspired by a confessional TV interview between the two women earlier this year.

In May, Ferguson was caught on camera appearing to ask for cash to introduce a reporter to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.

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A Minute With: Bette Midler on New Year TV special

By Jill Jacobs

NEW YORK | Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:36am EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - She has received four Grammys, four Golden Globes, three Emmys, and a Tony Award, and even after selling more than 30 million records, singer Bette Midler is still going strong.

For over 40 years, Midler has delighted audiences with her bawdy live performances, and on December 31, Midler will be ringing in the New Year on cable TV channel HBO with her special, "The Showgirl Must Go On," which is the live stage show she has been performing in recent years at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The special was taped in front of a packed house at Caesars. Midler, known as "The Divine Miss M," dons elaborate costumes and sings some of her best-known hits including "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" with her back-up singers, The Harlettes, and a 13-piece band.

Reuters spoke to Midler about the TV special, why being environmentally green is common sense and her love of books.

Q: How did you get in such great shape for the show?

A: "A year before we even started rehearsals, I started doing my warm-ups, getting on the treadmill again and lifting weights. It's fascinating to get on stage and run for an hour and a half, wringing wet at the end. And I loved every minute of it."

Q: You've had such a long and successful career. What do you think is the key to your success?

A: "I don't do everything that comes my way and I tend to do things in spurts. I'll be really busy and then just collapse, take a break for a year or two and then come roaring back. I'm not sure if that's how you achieve longevity, but I tend to sift through things and make sure they are things I really want to do."

Q: You did over 200 performances of your Las Vegas show. How do you keep a song fresh that's done night after night?

A: It's not so easy, but the crowds are different every night and every crowd becomes a beast of its own -- this huge monster that has to be wrangled and corralled. And you have to stay in tune with them. There's an ebb and flow between the crowd and the entertainer that really keeps you on your toes, and this changes with every performance. I think that's what keeps a song fresh.

Q: Are you working on any new projects?

A: No, this is one of the down times. Just looking around to see what's out there. It's a different world now, with the Internet, iTunes, YouTube, Twitter -- all this stuff which is so different from what I do and I really don't know where I fit in it. I feel if you can entertain a group of people live, you're really going to be okay, and I've always been able to do that. But I'm curious to see where I fit in in this new world, so I'm exploring my options.

Q: What's on your iPod?

A: I just love Teddy Pendergrass. I've always been a big fan. Also, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, "The Sound of Philadelphia" and Harry Nielson, "A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night," which is one of the most beautiful records ever made. And I listen to The Stones.

Q: You've been a pioneer in the now popular green movement, founding the nonprofit New York Restoration Project (www.nyrp.org). Why are you so passionate about it?

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Jackson doctor defense may say singer killed self

LOS ANGELES | Wed Dec 29, 2010 7:51pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lawyers for the doctor charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson could claim the pop star killed himself when a hearing begins next week, a prosecutor said on Wednesday.

In a court session to discuss evidence in the case against Dr. Conrad Murray, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said he believes it is clear defense attorneys are looking into that theory, which has long been a consideration.

Outside the courtroom, Murray's attorney J. Michael Flanagan declined to comment on Walgren's statement.

"I'm not going to respond to that characterization. But apparently it is a consideration of Mr. Walgren," Flanagan told reporters.

Walgren spoke at a hearing in which a judge cleared the way for Murray's defense to test residue from syringes and an IV tube used to administer drugs to Jackson.

The "Thriller" singer died at age 50 on June 25, 2009, of an overdose of prescription drugs, primarily the powerful anesthetic propofol which can be used in surgery. Other drugs in Jackson's system included lorazepam, known under the brand names Ativan and Temesta, and diazepam, the generic version of Valium.

Murray, hired as Jackson's physician while the singer prepared for a series of concerts that would have begun in July 2009, has admitted giving Jackson propofol to help him sleep. But Murray has pleaded not guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The court session on the syringe testing came only days before a January 4 start date for a preliminary hearing in which a judge will decide if there is enough evidence against Murray to proceed to a full trial.

Representatives for the prosecution and defense told Reuters they expect the preliminary hearing to begin as planned and take roughly two weeks to complete.

(Editing by Xavier Briand)

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Jazz musician Billy Taylor dies at 89

NEW YORK | Wed Dec 29, 2010 5:57pm EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billy Taylor, a leading jazz musician and composer who introduced the genre to wider audiences as a TV broadcaster, teacher and booster of new talent, died Tuesday in New York of heart failure, age 89.

The Kennedy Center for the performing arts in Washington, D.C., where Taylor had been the artistic director for jazz since 1994, called him "a great statesman and ambassador for jazz throughout the world."

"We are grateful for Dr. Taylor's devotion, friendship and his influence on jazz," Darrell Ayers, vice-president of education and jazz at the Kennedy Center, said in a statement.

Representatives for Taylor cited his daughter, Kim Taylor-Thompson, as saying the cause of death was heart failure.

Taylor was born in Greenville, North Carolina in 1921 and made his way to New York where he played with jazz greats Ben Webster, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald among others.

He began playing professionally in 1944, and as the head of his own trio, Taylor composed over 300 songs and supported future legends such as Charles Mingus.

His song "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free," became an anthem for the civil rights movement. But Taylor became famous less as a performer than as one of jazz music's most vocal proponents.

On TV and radio, Taylor developed jazz programs, profiled musicians and broadcast music across the United States. He also taught jazz to people through a variety of means including grass-roots programs, and seminars at Yale University and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he got his PhD and taught as a professor.

Throughout his career, Taylor was awarded the 1992 U.S. National Medal of Arts, was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and received over 20 honorary degrees.

Taylor, who lived in Riverdale, New York, is survived by his wife, Theodora, and daughter. His son, Duane, died in 1988.

(Reporting by Basil Katz; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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