Dont You Wish You Loved Oprah Now??

[Pyser]

Everyone in the the audience at a recent taping was given a friggin CAR! (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=494&ncid=763&e=3&u=/ap/20040913/ap_en_tv/people_oprah_s_surprise)

[rkmsuf]

We're all really impressed with all your monies. Self serving jerkface.








can i have a car too?

[stevew]

Man, anyone got some tix?

[KevinNU7]

Pontiac just wasted $7.7M

[Hurst2112]

Pontiac just wasted $7.7M

That could buy a lot of crack, Oprah.

Christ, think what her 20 year anniv. special will be like.

[SunDancer]

Is this "Oprah's big secret"?

Now if she gave away the kind of cars she has (the Bentleys, ect), then I be impressed.

This is all self-promotion by Pontiac/GM that Oprah has became famous for. Oprah's not much more then a paid advertisment now.

[The_herd]

Didn't Pontiac give the cars away? Not Oprah.

1st Jury Duty, now this. She's out to save the world.

[SunDancer]

Didn't Pontiac give the cars away? Not Oprah.

1st Jury Duty, now this. She's out to save the world.

Love how she is going to do a show on that. But I have to give her credit, she's a hard working women who came from the rough bottom.

[rkmsuf]

Love how she is going to do a show on that. But I have to give her credit, she's a hard working women who came from the rough bottom.

and now she's quite possibly the most annoying person on the planet. She's even figured out how to be a women.

[Pyser]

say what you will, but she does do some incredible things for people in need.

[rkmsuf]

say what you will, but she does do some incredible things for people in need.

never said she didn't. she can do that and still be annoying.

[Cringer]

We're all really impressed with all your monies. Self serving jerkface.








can i have a car too?

"The cars, which retail for $28,000, were donated by Pontiac.

"A little idea grew into a big idea," Mary Henige of Pontiac told The Associated Press.

She added that Pontiac will pay for the taxes and the customizing of the cars. "

yeah, she didn't pay for them, she just has the power to get other people to give away stuff, she is still a jerkface though....

[Pyser]

never said she didn't. she can do that and still be annoying.


definitely annoying.

now excuse me while i finish my letter to her (come on new house and no more student loans!!!)

[SunDancer]

and now she's quite possibly the most annoying person on the planet. She's even figured out how to be a women.

Annoying? Yeah, but if I don't watch her show, then she isn't. What person isn't? I find your last comment to be pretty sad.

[rkmsuf]

Annoying? Yeah, but if I don't watch her show, then she isn't. What person isn't? I find your last comment to be pretty sad.

How can I argue with a statement I don't understand.

[The_herd]

now excuse me while i finish my letter to her (come on new house and no more student loans!!!)

I was going to ask her to mow my lawn. The damn grass here in Texas growns too fast. It's annoying me.

[SunDancer]

Now, what was her big secret?

[Cringer]

Now, what was her big secret?

she's a man

[Hurst2112]

she's a man

That wasn't a secret

[stevew]

say what you will, but she does do some incredible things for people in need.

Yes, but these people didnt need a 28K car, they just needed a car. Oprah s a bigtime schill now.

[bbor]

Can someone phone extreme house makeovers for me?...I'd really like a new house.

[Noop]

I would like to have sex with Christina Milian and Mya.

[Draft Dodger]

geez, tough crowd.

I think it's terrific. I applaud her and I applaud Pontiac. It was a very nice thing to do, and a cool way to do it. Sorry, can't find any fault with it.

[Fonzie]

But I have to give her credit, she's a hard working women who has a rough bottom.

:eek:

[lurker]

geez, tough crowd.

I think it's terrific. I applaud her and I applaud Pontiac. It was a very nice thing to do, and a cool way to do it. Sorry, can't find any fault with it.

From everything I heard, these people weren't really needy. I think it's not really all that great to give things to people who aren't really poor. I mean, some of those people said they needed new cars just because their old ones were ugly! If you're going to give out cars by the truckload, how about giving them (or their value) to people who really need them?

Sheesh, this reminds me of when she gave a grocery shopping spree to some women in one of the richest suburbs in Chicago. Just think of how much more appreciated that would have been if she gave it to some family that actually, you know, needed food.

I know I don't have any right to tell her how to give away her own money, but that doesn't mean I think she should be lauded for acts such as this.

[samifan24]

Anyone else find the associated Yahoo image funny? It's almost all women as far as the eye can see. ;)

[Draft Dodger]

From everything I heard, these people weren't really needy. I think it's not really all that great to give things to people who aren't really poor. I mean, some of those people said they needed new cars just because their old ones were ugly! If you're going to give out cars by the truckload, how about giving them (or their value) to people who really need them?

Sheesh, this reminds me of when she gave a grocery shopping spree to some women in one of the richest suburbs in Chicago. Just think of how much more appreciated that would have been if she gave it to some family that actually, you know, needed food.

I know I don't have any right to tell her how to give away her own money, but that doesn't mean I think she should be lauded for acts such as this.

what a warped way of thinking. it's just a good deed - she's not trying to solve hunger in Africa or anything.

[Tekneek]

I wonder if all of them can afford the taxes. Wouldn't they all get 1090s to go along with the cars?

[Draft Dodger]

I wonder if all of them can afford the taxes. Wouldn't they all get 1090s to go along with the cars?

per the article, Pontiac is paying the taxes and for customization of the cars.

[Tekneek]

per the article, Pontiac is paying the taxes and for customization of the cars.

Interesting point that I missed, but I fail to see how an individual does not get tax liability out of that. Someone else paying for your taxes is a cash gift, as I understand it.

[Draft Dodger]

Interesting point that I missed, but I fail to see how an individual does not get tax liability out of that. Someone else paying for your taxes is a cash gift, as I understand it.

yeah, I don't pretend to know how all the tax laws work, but I'm sure it all does somehow. at work they have a yearly trip to somewhere warm & sunny that you can win a spot on. normally, the company pays the taxes on that trip, so you don't end up getting screwed paying big bucks for a "free" trip.

[Draft Dodger]

btw, this thread cursed me. we found out today that my mother needs about $2,000 worth of repairs on her car. She has neither $2000 nor enough money each month to get a new car. if only we'd written to Oprah...

[RendeR]

I'm assuming that even though Pontiac is paying the tax liability on each car, they will be issuing receipts to each person for income tax resolution, as long as the value is shown as paid they aren't going to incur any further tax debt for it.

[SunDancer]

Just curious,
Are these 2004 cars, or the new 2005?

[Hurst2112]

she's not trying to solve hunger in Africa or anything.

She tried that already...remember her workout and diet craze of the late 90s.

How about putting some kids from her hometown through college? Afterall, the car isn't that great to begin with.

[Ajaxab]

She tried that already...remember her workout and diet craze of the late 90s.

How about putting some kids from her hometown through college? Afterall, the car isn't that great to begin with.

My cynical take is that Oprah's giveaways are both ads for the companies from which she gets the free stuff while at the same time conveniently gaining reward points with her middle class audience. If Oprah would give away a wide variety of vehicles rather than a bunch of Pontiacs, I might be less inclined to see it so cynically.

[Tekneek]

yeah, I don't pretend to know how all the tax laws work, but I'm sure it all does somehow. at work they have a yearly trip to somewhere warm & sunny that you can win a spot on. normally, the company pays the taxes on that trip, so you don't end up getting screwed paying big bucks for a "free" trip.

Must be nice. My employer has given those sorts of things away before, but issue a 1090 to everyone who "wins."

[Draft Dodger]

Must be nice. My employer has given those sorts of things away before, but issue a 1090 to everyone who "wins."

they used to do that. then, a couple years ago they had a big trip somewhere (Bahamas?), and maybe half the people who qualified turned the trip down, because they couldn't afford the taxes (that would have been directly deducted from paychecks, btw). since then, they've started paying for the trips. not that I ever get to go on them...

[JimboJ]

It wouldn't be worth sitting through that show just for a free car.

[SunDancer]

It wouldn't be worth sitting through that show just for a free car.

Agree. Its hard to believe she's a billionaire.

[lurker]

what a warped way of thinking. it's just a good deed - she's not trying to solve hunger in Africa or anything.

Like I said:

I know I don't have any right to tell her how to give away her own money, but that doesn't mean I think she should be lauded for acts such as this.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with, just not anything particularly terrific either.

[SunDancer]

Like I said:

I know I don't have any right to tell her how to give away her own money, but that doesn't mean I think she should be lauded for acts such as this.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with, just not anything particularly terrific either.

Agree.

[DaddyTorgo]

I absolutely hate this. Even if she wasn't trying to...solve world hunger in Africa...I'm sure there were plenty more people in whatever city she tapes in that could have used a new car more than the people in the audience. Or even...homeless people? Starving people? And Oprah is giving away friggin cars to people on her TV show. Rather than raising my opinion of her, or even keeping it level, this actually dropped it, because it shows that she is SO out of touch with the real world.

[Desnudo]

How can I argue with a statement I don't understand.

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

[Ksyrup]

I'm scratching my head at some of the comments in this thread. I can't stand Oprah just like the rest of you, but who cares if (a) the people she gave these cars to weren't destitute, or (b) the cars were donated, or frankly, just considered an advertising cost for the car company?

She arranged for 275 people to get new cars, free of charge. Regardless of who they were and why it happened, it happened. Those people are no doubt grateful, and while it's appropriate to examine the bottom line motive here, I don't see why anyone would consider this to reflect negatively on her. It's not like she went out and gathered up the owners of all major sports teams in the US and bought them Lamborghinis.

And why should someone have to go find the poorest of the poor just to do a good deed? I guess I should be criticized as well, since I've held doors open for people who aren't handicapped or on crutches...

I'm usually all for piling on people I can't stand, but I'm giving her a pass on this one. If she wants to reward her fans and a company sponsoring her sees value in giving away 275 cars, then so be it.

[Glengoyne]

With regard to the question asked in the thread title.

NO!!

That said, I wouldn't mind a new car.

[AENeuman]

Strange how high and mighty people are on charity. While the cars surely could have gone to a more "worthy" person that complaint does not seem to understand the idea of charity. Charity is not affirmative action giving.
Besides, who am I to judge someone's choices of charity. It puts me on pretty weak ground if all I did was dismiss Oprah's actions as being too little, not enough, misplaced, and do nothing about it myself.
Even if just one of the 200 plus cars went to a really needy person she has done more than I probaly ever will.

[lurker]

...It's not like she went out and gathered up the owners of all major sports teams in the US and bought them Lamborghinis.

So if she did that it wouldn't be a good thing? It seems then you are placing an upper bound on the people she should give things to and not have it reflect negatively on her.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Worst. Thread. Ever.

[Hurst2112]

Worst. Thread. Ever.

Easy there Stedmond

[miked]

You guys are fools. Oprah does more for charity in an hour than you most likely do your whole lives. I hate her, and I hate all for making me defend her. Most of these people from what I understand had difficult circumstances. Many did not need a new car, but most could certainly benefit from improved self-esteem and working conditions of their new cars.

I heard on the episode in question she also gave a bunch of stuff to a young lady who had no family and had been going to school while living in a homeless shelter. They applauded her effort to better herself, gave her free tuition, a makeover and a new wardrobe that will probably turn her whole life around.

You can say what you want, but at least she uses her fame and fortune for good sometimes.

And kudos to those of you that do find time to do charity work!

[Hurst2112]

You guys are fools.

"Everybody plays the fool...(there's) no exceptions to the rule."

[Hurst2112]

dola:

sorry, I was just singing out loud.

[Ksyrup]

So if she did that it wouldn't be a good thing? It seems then you are placing an upper bound on the people she should give things to and not have it reflect negatively on her.
No, I'm saying that the way many of you are reacting to the type of people she gave these cars to (or, the people she didn't give these cars to, since we don't really know the makeup of the audience) - thus making financial status relevant to your review of her actions - you act as though she purposely went out of her way to make the rich richer, instead of the reality of the situation. I only used that as an extreme example, since you and others seem preoccupied with linking financial status to being deserving of a free car.

In either situation, I don't care - she can do whatever she wants. I just don't think it's right to judge her harshly because she happened to give cars away to fans without reviewing their income tax returns to determine whether they were financially capable of buying a new car.

[Ksyrup]

I hate her, and I hate all for making me defend her.
Amen. :)

[lurker]

All I did was link financial status to making it a "good deed." Sure, it's a nice thing to do, but I think calling it that stretches the definition of a good deed a little.

[Ksyrup]

All I did was link financial status to making it a "good deed." Sure, it's a nice thing to do, but I think calling it that stretches the definition of a good deed a little.
What would you call it? At the risk of sounding like I actually like Oprah, couldn't this be one of her stupid "random acts of kindness?" Like when you go through the toll booth, and you pay for the person behind you (one of the "random acts" I recall her talking about), you don't tell the toll booth operator, "If the guy's in a Mercedes, don't bother; just give it to the next person in a jalopy."

A good deed is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. To those people, this was far beyond a good deed. To those who got nothing for free, it's a lot easier to sit back and question motives. Those who got cars probably don't give a crap about whether she did this to promote herself or Pontiac - and neither would you if one of your friends dragged you along to the show and you left with a new car.

[lurker]

Not everyone would just take something (including a car) from someone they have no respect for. I'm not at all complaining about this because *I* didn't get a car -- that didn't even occur to me. It just irritates me to hear about how great she is when she didn't do anything all that great.

And yes, the definition of a good deed could be different for different people, and this just doesn't meet my definition.

[Ksyrup]

Not everyone would just take something (including a car) from someone they have no respect for. I'm not at all complaining about this because *I* didn't get a car -- that didn't even occur to me. It just irritates me to hear about how great she is when she didn't do anything all that great.

And yes, the definition of a good deed could be different for different people, and this just doesn't meet my definition.
Believe me, I can't stand the woman, so I don't enjoy defending her in the least. But I don't see how what she did isn't a good deed. Hell, even if she went to Pontiac and strong-armed them into giving the cars away, and even if she/they benefit from the publicity out of this, I still think she did something nice for 275 people, when she had no obligation to do so. It doesn't make her "great" - I don't equate her with her deed - but that doesn't mean what she did wasn't great.

[lurker]

Game shows give stuff away all the time, does that make what they do great? Forgetting knowledge-based shows, what about segments of the Price is Right or something similar, where just guessing something right gets you a new car?

[Ksyrup]

Actually, I do think that's pretty great. I just wish the fuckers weren't all based in Southern California.

[lurker]

Heh, all right then, just a difference in definitions of good deeds, I guess.

[Ksyrup]

Certainly, there are degrees. I mean, if she went down to the local homeless shelter and gave away free food from her own refrigerator, I think I would qualify that as a "greater deed" than what she did. But taken by itself, I still think what she did qualifies as pretty effin' great.

[miked]

Who you think deserves cars aside, she's done alot of good deeds in the world. Probably turned more lives around than I care to acknowledge. These people weren't rich, they were people who she and all her people thought could use some new cars. They got thousands of letters with thousands of stories.

[lurker]

I don't know, I read that one of the people who got new cars got it because her son wrote that her car was rusting and so she had to have a new one. I'm aware that she's done good things for some people, but hearing a story like that just makes me think that she's just catering to spoiled people.

[Ksyrup]

My car isn't rusting, so I guess I'm spoiled. ;)

[lurker]

You'd be spoiled if you thought it was worthy of getting your kid to write in a sob story :)

[SunDancer]

Remember, Oprah is the not the one who gave the cars away, Pontiac did. Pontiac use Oprah as its giveaway.

[Draft Dodger]

where was all my backup yesterday?

[Thomkal]

I have to say I'm a bit amazed about all this hatred of Oprah Winfrey. I rarely watch the show, but I've always been an admirer of her. I think she's a tremendous role-model for just about anybody-women and African-Americans especially. What is so "bad" about her? She has always shown people from all walks of life on her show. I still remember when she went to the South for some of her shows and talked about racism.

And who the hell cares who got those cars? You know its okay for average every day folk like you and me to get a gift like this once in a while. It doesn't always have to tbe poor or disadvantaged. How many of us are considered "middle-class" and still couldn't afford a new car? Who cares if these companies are just using Oprah to advertise their products? (which I don't agree with in most cases). She uses her fame to give back to others, and its because of her fame that she can give back so much. In my mind she should be applauded for it, not chastised.

I worked at Barnes and Noble when she started her Book Club. And let me tell you people who never would have read a particular author or even read at all bought the books and enjoyed them or at least were stimulated intellectually by them. How can that along with her other activities and give aways be seen in a negative light in any way shape or form?

Perhaps you'd just rather lie down in the gutter with the likes of Jerry Springer and Jenny Jones instead of someone who honestly tries to improve the lives of those around her.

[lurker]

Her book club is what made me start to hate her. I don't like seeing classics that I enjoy being reduced to fodder for some pathetic talk show.

[stevew]

Man, Oprah went ape shit when she was giving them away. I think that sometimes she forgets she is a billionaire, a reverts back to times when she didnt have much. Not that theres anything wrong with it.

[Mac Howard]

You guys have just got too much money. All our tv audiences get is an advertsing sticker - supply your own car :rolleyes:

[SunDancer]

See,
I admire where Oprah came from and what she does for Africa, ect. But I think comparing this with her charity is like comparing Apples to Oranges. To me, her show and her organizationial has become very commerical. Also, she gave us Dr. Phil that is on like five days a week. Thats like a more annoying man-version of Oprah.

[Ksyrup]

where was all my backup yesterday?
Flying back from Alaska, then sleeping.

[SunDancer]

Man, Oprah went ape shit when she was giving them away. I think that sometimes she forgets she is a billionaire, a reverts back to times when she didnt have much. Not that theres anything wrong with it.

You don't she enjoys her money? I know she has a private jet, alot of nice estates/homes, and parties pretty hard. Not that theirs anything wrong it, she's pretty humble about her money and toys in not being like Trump (bragging about it, ect). Also, she didn't pay for the cars, Pontiac did.

[SunDancer]

You guys are fools. Oprah does more for charity in an hour than you most likely do your whole lives. I hate her, and I hate all for making me defend her. Most of these people from what I understand had difficult circumstances. Many did not need a new car, but most could certainly benefit from improved self-esteem and working conditions of their new cars.

I heard on the episode in question she also gave a bunch of stuff to a young lady who had no family and had been going to school while living in a homeless shelter. They applauded her effort to better herself, gave her free tuition, a makeover and a new wardrobe that will probably turn her whole life around.

You can say what you want, but at least she uses her fame and fortune for good sometimes.

And kudos to those of you that do find time to do charity work!

Rethinking this subject over, I have to agree that it was nice gesture (and I would not call it charity at all). Her other gestures on the show were more then gestures, they were really nice deeds. I just find the giveaway too much as a commerical move by Pontiac (and they are getting alot of publicitiy for the brand and car). It's on the level of Mark Cuban giving away $1 million (it may be a reality show, but its his own money).