NEW YORK (AP) - Oprah, Dave. Dave, Oprah.The cold war between television titans Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman has thawed to the point where Winfrey has accepted Letterman's invitation to appear on the ``Late Show'' on Dec. 1.
Letterman made the announcement during a taping of his show on Monday. Winfrey's appearance will coincide with opening night of the Broadway musical ``The Color Purple,'' which she is producing.
``What a big night that is going to be - not only for us, not only for Oprah, but for Broadway,'' Letterman said. ``You have the big `Color Purple' Broadway opening, and then right across the street here in this theater, you have Oprah appearing here. I mean, that's what Broadway is all about - it's a street of dreams.''
It's Winfrey's first visit to ``Late Show,'' although she was twice Letterman's guest on his NBC show before the late-night comic moved to CBS in 1993.
The origin of their ``feud'' was murky, although Letterman has frequently joked about her through the years. Letterman's failed 1995 stint as Academy Awards host is best remembered for his awkward ``Oprah, Uma. Uma, Oprah'' introduction.
Winfrey told Time magazine in 2003 that she wouldn't go on Letterman's show because she's been ``completely uncomfortable'' as the target of his jokes.
``This just gives you an idea of what a big, big star this really is,'' Letterman said on Monday. ``She's huge. Put bygones behind us, the water under the bridge, over the dam, wherever water goes - standing in your basement - she's going to be here on this show and it's going to be fantastic.''
Back in 2003, Letterman joked about wanting Winfrey on his show to hold ``the Super Bowl of love.'' Winfrey - who had sent an olive branch gift of books for Letterman's newborn son - called his bluff and invited him on her show. He declined.
``Here's what would happen: I would go on the `Oprah' show, and I would break down and sob like a little girl ... I don't want to have that happen,'' he said at the time. ``I'd feel ridiculous. I'd never be able to live that down, that Oprah would make me sob.''
Former Winfrey protege Dr. Phil has been a frequent Letterman guest, offering his own form of ``tough love'' in a needling relationship.
Oprah's appearance is a big boost for Letterman, who has been struggling in the ratings this season and falling further behind his nemesis, NBC's Jay Leno.
The timing isn't quite ideal, however: Winfrey will visit the day after the November ratings sweeps period ends.
That's an awful photo of her...do you think she's had some *work* done?
ReplyDelete~Carrie =)
She's said in the past that she's not averse to it, so she may have had some cosmetc surgerey done.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that helps her in O: The Oprah Magazine is that she has exceptional photographers. When they're not photographing her, the results aren't as good.
Letterman's such a dick. One time he had Phil Donahue on, and, baiting a reference to Oprah's success in the daytime talk-show venue for which Donahue was himself legion, Letterman kept saying: "Oprah! She got aalll da money!" Donahue wouldn't even pretend to pinch off a smile at this racist mockery of her success, and Letterman looked quite the fool......
ReplyDeleteI used to think he was funny when I was 18 and all counter-culture and bored and his approach to the talk-show venue was revolutionary and fresh........
They had to bury the hatchet for publicity's sake, but I can't see Oprah and Dave hanging out, mostly because of him.
ReplyDeleteI respect his work, but he's a cranky, nasty, menopausal old man and when Oprah was on in the '80s, he was a jerk to her.