Oprah
 

Ok.... who was in Oprah's audience yesterday? :rolleyes:

Not that I saw the show, but it's all over our TVs today. Each and every member of her audience gets an 8 day, all expenses paid vacation..... to Australia ..... in December.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local...102775699.html

So.... how many Stumble Inners are coming on this trip?

How many of you are coming to my house during those 8 days?

I do need to change the sheets in the guest room, and hubby wants to order the food in, so a little notice would be helpful.

OK! Hands up.... I need numbers please. :D

IF I was ever in Oprah's audience it would be the day she asked everyone to give money to a foundation so we could all feel good about ourselves!! But a trip or car would really make me feel good||!

I heard about that, too. When is the trip? That is so exciting.......I hope you and DH have fun hosting all the guests! "Koala's Bed & Breakfast"!! :D :cool:

What's the financial costs of a trip like that? Do all the people she gave the trip to have to pay taxes on the costs of a trip like that?? (kind of like how the people she gave cars to years ago had to pay the expensive taxes on those cars)

I was upset to learn that those folks she gave cars to were forced to pay the taxes, registration and other expenses related to getting such a car. Many of them sold their car back to the dealers and used the money to get a car that was affordable to drive, and affordable to register. Why did she have to give a fancy smanchy G6? Why not...oh lets say a Ford focus, or a simple car with a good track record, or heaven forbid a used car! There are hundred and hundreds of gently used cars that would have been wonderful. anyway...I lost love for Oprah on that one.

As with many of these things, if its too good to be true, it probably is. Look at the "my favorite things" type shows. Many of those things are expensive, and then folks all want to clamour out and get it simply because Oprah said it was worth it. $120 for a pair of slippers?!

I wish Oprah the best, God Bless her for alot she has done, but she has clearly lost touch with what its like to be poor. She grew up one of the poorest of the poor, but I guess having folks follow you around pampering you all these years makes a girl forget. Those folks wanted a hang up, not a hand out.

Thanks for the invite, Koala! :hug: Sadly, I've never been to see an Oprah show. Wouldn't it be something if one of us had been in the audience yesterday and won the trip!

I think the old gal has lost her mind. I think that she's doing is decadent and cruel to those in real need..:mad:

I so wish I could visit you & DH, Koala. What fun.. :hug:

She has so much wealth. So much readily available to make a real difference in the lives of real people. For the cost of just one of those trips she could help make life changing things happen for a family who's sole supporter has lost their job, or a family who has medical needs but no insurance. I'd even rather see the money go to no-kill animal shelters to help with the pets people had to give up because they could no longer afford them due to the economy.

Yes, a trip to Australia would be fun but I feel like she is almost "buying" the approval of her fans. Now that I've had time to think it over I'm not impressed with her at all. :(

I've never been a fan of Oprah for so many reasons. But I would love to go to Australia and visit with you Koala!! :D

I think she should have donated the trip money to several cities food banks.

Or used the money to build a women's shelter somewhere.


It is her money tho, and we cant exactly tell her what to do with it, or insist that she spend it on certain groups of people. I just hope that she figures out that people might be disappointed in her, and maybe she'll do something charitable in addition to going to Australia with 150 of her best friends. (or however many were in that audience)

Koala,
I don't see any who got a trip. If I were rich (like Oprah) Australia has been on my wish list for decades and I'd be there.

Never been to Oprah's show...never will. I've lived in Chicago area my whole life, and when she was on the air, she made a difference, because she discussed what was going on in regular people's lives.
Then she went all Hollywood, and hasn't been the same since; it saddens me, because she helped so many people grow. Now it's all about the bling and name-dropping, IMHO.

Oprah doesn't pay for this stuff
 

To air a commercial on the Oprah show is probably about $75,000 for a 30 second spot. Pontiac donated all those cars to her show to give away. Whenever she "gives" things away, they are being re-gifted. It's a great marketing deal for the car makers and such. I don't think Ford or Chevy would do the donation of 300 cars like Pontiac did. (might have been their downfall since they are now gone).

And the trip is costing her nothing either, it's all paid for by Quantis Airlines and Tourism Australia.

I wonder if all 300 of the people in the audience have passports, ability to take two weeks off work? with pay? If this is economically viable for them. Not sure how the taxes work but I'm sure they are on the hook, I know they were for the cars, like someone said above, many didn't keep them.

AS far as Oprah giving to food banks and such. I read somewhere she gives millions away to charity each year, but as a billionaire, she can and has to do that for tax breaks. She does her share, but her share is SO huge, she has to do this stuff too. I doubt it will cost her or Harpo a dime.

I saw the show and the pilot for the flights is John Travolta, who is a certified ATP pilot and an honorary Quantis pilot. in a chartered Quantis 747.

I fully expect her to give away the moon this year, since it is her final year. It will be interesting to see what all she gives. My cousin will be in her show for the Christmas (holiday) give away show, she got tickets 3 years ago.

Is this her final year, her final final year, her final final final year????:D

Earl. the fact that none of the money for this great gift, is coming out of her pocket, makes it even more dishonest and smelly.:rolleyes:

its the Oprah show final season. She is starting her very own network called OWN or the Oprah Winfrey network. Like TBS or NBC. lets see what new tricks she comes up with.

I would love a 2 week vaca, but when you think about work, school, kids, pets, taxes, passports, clothes, meals, taxes on hotels, and so on...how free really is this?

I would love to visit Australia, but I dont think I'd want to go with Oprah and 300 of her best friends. (all those tour buses they'll probably be using. Too many people for me)

It sounds like a good deal, if you can take the time off and I'm sure you need to have your own spending money for buying souvenirs or do anything extra that isnt on O's itinerary.

Someday I'd love to go Down Under tho. That would be a dream vacation. My other dream vacation would be Scotland. (I've been to England about 9yrs ago. That was FUN! But, no one would drive me up to Scotland to make it perfect...darnit! At least back then, I was physically able to make the climb into the Tower of London. I couldnt do that now)

I just saw an update on this story on Oz television.

Apparently her people spoke to our people, or vice versa, because she wanted something really big for the first show in her final season.

Now I have more details, I can say that Earl is correct in that the Australian Tourist Bureau is collecting the tab for the audience, in the name of tourism.

If they all take up the offer, 300 audience members will get free flights, free accommodation, free tours and free entry into any attractions they visit.

Most (but not all) accommodation in Australia offer a free light breakfast and some places include one other meal in the package. Other than that, any extra meals and personal spending (like shopping) would be at the guest's own expense.

We do have GST (tax) on just about everything, same as everywhere else, but GST is already included in the price. You don't have to work it out yourself, or add it onto any price quoted. What you see is what you get.

There's no tipping policy for hotels and restaurants in Australia. There is no 5% or whatever to add to your bill. Any tips are voluntary and not compulsory.

Any additional taxes to enter the country would be included in the flight ticket, the way it is for us. Same for entry into attractions. I can't tell you yet what those attractions will be, but so far they've mentioned the Great Barrier Reef, an Outback tour, a trip to one of our major wine areas, and cruising on Sydney Harbour.

Oprah will do at least one show from the Sydney Opera House, and I believe that there's already huge interest in Australians wanting tickets to attend (I won't be one of them). I even heard one TV presenter say she'd be broadcasting from the Sydney Oprah House! :(

For those who are against this trip, I get where you're coming from, but at the same time I'm very happy for 300 people who are being given the opportunity to visit our beautiful country, at minimal cost to themselves.

I understand that a lot won't make the trip due to time or financial constraints, but I do think it's the chance of a life time for some, who without this.... would never get the chance.

If I was fit enough to travel and was offered free flights and accommodation in the USA, I'd not have enough spending money at the moment to make the trip worthwhile. Given the time to organise my finances I could.... just not as such short notice. I believe the trip is to be sometime in December, but I may be wrong there.

One of our TV stations is doing a group trip to Hawaii in November. They're trying to fill a plane and do a big show from Honolulu, but everyone has to pay for themselves. Albeit the price is fairly low, but I don't have that much money to spend right now, so thet's another I'll not be attending.

Sadly, no, I wasn't in the audience!!! Koala, it sounds like your country would be a wonderful place to visit with tips, taxes, etc., included in those package deals. And those little "Joey's are so cute!

I say good for Oprah -- she's worked hard for many years to become such a successful woman and she's entitled to spend her money in whatever way she wants. I'm sure she gives many $$$$$$ to charities, started the school for girls, etc., etc.
The part that would be scary for me is having John Trovolta flying the plane -- did you see him as the "Mother" in "HAIRSPRAY"? :) :) :)

I heard on the local news yesterday that Oprah will telecast her last show on her new network...she is one smart cookie...
And Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil are joining her on the network...

I wouldnt mind flying around in a plane flown by Travolta...as long as he's not dancing in the aisles when he's supposed to be flying the plane.

This entire thing is a marketing strategy and has nothing to do with personal generosity nor with the trauma of paying income tax. If someone doesn't see it as a terrific opportunity, they are certainly welcome to decline.

This society of ours has the most bizarre sense of entitlement. The government and tourism bureau of Australia is footing the bill for publicity in this, their most avid tourism market. Instead of going to the expense of buying mountains of airtime and organizing some kind of contest, they went to one of our nation's leading media vehicles— Oprah. Think of her as the mule hauling the load for Oz. Our media dotes on every breath she takes and will exponentially grow that publicity for free.

Simply put, it is smart marketing and boo-hoo for anyone who can't find a way to attend, it's not a gift, it's an ad.



Well, as a non-fan of Oprah, I do know and admire that in 2009 alone, she personally gave over $41 MILLION in charitable giving. In addition to that, her foundations have given away many, many $millions and we are only talking about what her left hand & the media saw her right hand dong. If you read the Philanthropy Chronicles, you will see that she has also consistently been named in the top 50 of their prestigious Philanthropy 50 list. That list is comprised of the nation's all-around most generous givers.

Hey, Cinders, I like Oprah and used to love watching her show, in the old days. I haven't watched her in years though..... Borrrrrrring! :)

I know that she is a great charitible giver and laud her for that accomplishment. It's just my opinion that this latest scam/advertisement, put forth as part of her generosity, does not go down on her plus side.:rolleyes:

The end..:cool::D

NOTE: However, Australia is numero uno, in my book, now.:hug:

Okay, Sal, I'll see your point and raise you two:

1) Did anyone here actually watch the whole show in question? Did Oprah in fact, claim personal credit for this or did she disclose the rest of the story about the Aus government's sponsorship?

2) I read the whole article in Anne's link and it never mentioned the Aus government or tourism bureau one single time. That, to say it plainly, is irresponsible journalism. In 10 minutes, this lay person was able to ascertain the facts and find 3 credible sources to back up each one of them. Are we not all using the same internet?

It's brazen and unfair to assume that anything is true without looking into it. I maintain, good marketing, bad journalism.

Quite right AMN, but Hey I didn't intend to start a war! :mad:


I deliberately included the article I did because it was American. I thought you might prefer a home grown site to an Australian site, but alas........ :(

Here's an Australian article that talks about the tourism angle.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/...914-15azs.html

This one talks about the $$$$ Australia will earn in the name of tourism because of Oprah's trip to Australia, because Oprah's telling everybody about Australia on her show.

Didn't some-one mention earlier how much it cost to advertise on Oprah's show? This means more in tourism $$$ to Australia than any ad campaign could manage.

And....... I still stand by my earlier statemant that this is a wonderful opportunity to visit Australia, at minimal expense to themselves, for 300 people who would never normally get the chance.

Oh, Anne, we're not arguing, we're trying to get a full grasp of the facts and discuss them with a little dash of opinion!

Are we fighting, Sal? :confused: I'm not fighting, I find the whole thing astonishing.

Anyway, I forced myself to wait through one of those embarrassing Hollywood speculation/gossip/half-truth shows to see the actual clip of Oprah's announcement. She definitely gave DIRECT and SUCCINCT credit to the Aussie government/tourism program as part of the announcement. I even detected a little excitement on her own part because she's going as well.

As I said earlier, this is a massive promotion by Australia and an ingenious publicity device. What they spend in accommodations for 300 +/- people will multiply so exponentially through American media exposure, no one could possibly factor a realistic profit margin.

What I have continuously heard in the headlines of several TV news stations is irresponsible reporting that insinuates that this gift is directly from Oprah. To me, these are deliberate lies of omission designed to fan the controversy flame in order generate an excuse for another headline.

This is one impressive campaign and I would LOVE to see Australia's before and after data!

One of the reports I heard also indicated that Australia had originally approached Ellen Degenerous with the idea, I won't perpetuate their rumor about why it ended up with Oprah, but let's be real, the woman is a money machine and everyone would love a piece of her.

Oh snap! I missed the whole thing. Sorry Anne, I wasn't in the audience to "win" anything so don't be changing any sheets for me. :(:p Although, that would be a fun trip. Maybe we could do it "cyberly." That would be kind of fun and much cheaper than Oprah's trip.

I don't watch Oprah or any of those day time shows. In fact, I don't even turn the tv on during the day. I guess I better start so I can see what I am missing. :D j/k

I visited Sydney back in my 20's. I was offered a free trip by a friend who worked as a stewardess for Delta. She said that if she paid for the ticket, would I come? It took me one second to respond YES! The four days we spent there were amazing, seeing a play in the opera house, visiting a kangaroo and koala zoo (I held a koala), driving up a coast, talking to some young men and getting them to take us to a drag queen show. I still smile about how the drag queens made such a fuss over the poor guys besotted by my beautiful friend and talked into seeing the show. Good memories. I still have a small opal ring I bought there as a souvenir.

Fighting? a-course not.:rolleyes:
Come'er, Cindy..http://www.clicksmilies.com/s1106/ak...smiley-060.gif


Thanks for that info, Cindy....Oprah just got back on my plus side.:)

I wanna go see my Aussie bud... :( wahhhhhh!

Rumor amount
 

I heard on TV tonight (on our news) that Tourism Australia estimates the cost to them of $2.8 million. Seems low to me, but I'm sure someone made a budget and expense spreadsheet.

I still think it will be about $100 a day to enjoy themselves.

(going to surf Chicago Craigs List to see if anyone has placed an ad to sell their tickets.)

Thanks AMN. I'm a non-fan of Oprah's also (think I've watched the show all of 6 times in my lifetime) but I totally applaud you for reminding us that Oprah's philanthropy is world class and extensive. The list of organizations she contributes vast amounts of her personal wealth to is as long as my arm. Listening to people gripe about how she's "disappointed" them re: charitable giving is proof positive that no good deed goes unpunished.

I love you guys. :):grouphug:

:o :paperbag: :Sorry: :lookaround:

I don't think she meant us, Kell. There are a lot of peeps out there who hate the wealthy. Look at how the Kennedys were treated.:rolleyes: And they had a Double whammy....being rich and Democrat..:D..not to mention, generous and beautiful..:p:D

I am volunteering myself to be wealthy and hated...where do I sign up?;)

I have some richy rich neighbors and they have more money than common sense. when they donate to causes or charities its only done as a tax shelter, or a way to hide funds. I was shocked when one wanted to know about MS and and what the NMSS is doing for me. I thought Hurray! he wants to know about my disease. :) nope! he wanted to know about the non profit status, and the hierarchy of the distrubition of funds to administrative costs...I asked why and he told me that he must invest about 300k in donations this year in order to avoid being in that higher tax bracket, and was only looking to give to a space that would give back to him. I asked what he meant, and he explained that he sees the local towns doing MS walk for the cures, or Ride for the cures and he wanted to know if he gave X amount of money, would they be willing to put HIS insurance company name on the advertizement, or banners on race day. :eek: He wanted to buy cheap advertizing and disquise it as a tax donation.

Another neighbor gives generously to the church, but on each church bulletin the things provide clearly say "organ donated by XYZ company" then states that if you are interested in their services, call Cindy! :eek:

I rarely see giving just for the sake of giving once you reach a certain level of income. I do however see poor neighbors bagging up clothes to go to the Salvation army, and they dont wait for a receipt. They just know that they need to pass it on. I see others gather up tattered blankets, sheets and pillows and take them to the humane society, so the dogs can make use of them, instead of throwing them away. No one waits for that reciept to claim it. Tag sale/cookie sale from the scouts, i see folks hand over bags of canned goods, or non perishable food stuff to go to the boy scout drive for the local food bank.

99% of the rich around here give as a way to get, or shift the focus. Makes me angry. btw, the local bike for the cause of MS DID allow this man to put his advertizing on the banner, and his company name was on the program handed out, as well as allowing trinkets like key chains, pencils, and coupon clippers with his company name at the info table. So, ...how was that a charitable act? :confused:

It really doesn't matter why he gave it, the fact is he did. The tax system is deliberately set up this way to create an incentive to give when one might not otherwise ever give anything. The important thing is that he chose NMSS when there are so many other opportunities out there.

He'll meet his maker and that is when the right/wrong motivations will be the point. In the meantime, we have to remember that one hand washes the other and he's legitimately working within our system to promote his product. I don't have a problem with that, I'm just glad he chose MS.

I know someone who looks for a write off too...I am married to him. We give generously to a few places, like a place in our town that is a residential facility for severely disabled children and adults, and an organization that assists people in economic straits find help paying bills, giving them donated cars, finding jobs, etc. DH likes to give to places that truly help people...but he also likes to be able to deduct the amount from our taxes.
We aren't wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but we are in the top tax bracket...and when you see 35% going off the top of your salary, then consider FICA, sales tax, property tax etc., you have to get creative with donations. We'd give either way, but it allows us to give more to help others if we can deduct what we donate from our income taxes.

I sneak clothing and food and other things to charities and don't take the write off...makes me feel better about the whole thing. We have had many heated discussions about it, but I think if we're offered the write-off, we should take it.

We don't own a business, and we don't advertise to friends or family what we donate...it's to help others, and that's that. No one's business, IMHO.