Oprah Winfrey filmed her Farewell Spectacular yesterday and she needed nearly 20,000 seats and a filled arena to do so. “Guests could not contain all the excited”, said an E! News reporter. To really get the party started Oprah’s long time BFF Gayle King, sauntered in with daughter Kirby and the Black Eyed Peas took the stage.
“Oprah Winfrey, today you are surrounded by nothing but love,” said Tom Hanks after walking the lady of the hour, who was dressed in purple and walked on stage to the BEP’s “I Gotta Feeling.” Hanks then added, “Some might say pulling of this party has been a darn near mission impossible.”
“I’m so happy you are all here. How did you get tickets? You must know somebody,” Oprah said. Poet Maya Angelou recited piece specially composed for her friend, accompanied by my dear friend and multi-talented Alicia Keys on the piano.
Actor & singer Tyrese later on tweeted “I’m high, I can’t believe I’m here” as he posted a photo with Aretha Franklin and Maya Angelou. This was by far one of the biggest farewell events any network has ever seen and there is no doubt we will all miss the Oprah Winfrey show one way or another. Oprah has inspired me to believe in my dreams and to work hard for what I believe and for this I am very thankful.
See below to see who else showed up to Oprah’s Farewell Spectacular:
Katie Holmes joined the party a little later, along with Halle Berry and Queen Latifah, but first, Josh Groban sang “Over the Rainbow” and Patti LaBelle showed up for the final bars. Then, as if it was nothing, there was Madonna.
“Get out!” Oprah exclaimed.
“She has balls,” Madonna said of her fellow trailblazer. “And a wealth of compassion. I have learned so much from her.”
Next up was the black-tie–preferring Beyoncé, who performed “Run the World (Girls)” in a tuxedo-style leotard. (FYI, she had to do the number twice, because apparently there were technical difficulties the first time around. Surely the crowd just considered it a complimentary encore.)
Dakota Fanning, who first appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show eight years ago when she was 9 years old, was greeted with a big squeeze from the already choked-with-emotion host.
John Legend, Tina Fey and Steve Carell apparently didn’t know anyone, so they checked in via satellite.
Cruise and Holmes returned to center stage to introduce Rascal Flatts, which closed out the first half of the taping with “I Won’t Let Go.”
After a brief pause in the action, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith showed up to get the second half of the taping underway.
Michael Jordan, perhaps the only other Chicago superstar of Oprah’s magnitude, popped out to reminisce about arriving in the Windy City at around the same time.
“You’ve done wonderfully,” the retired NBA champ said. “I know you’ve been fan of basketball. I’ve been a fan of yours.”
Six minutes later, Jamie Foxx was onstage singing “Isn’t She Lovely,” which, of course, paved the way for a piano-playing Stevie Wonder and a massive group sing-and-clap-along.
A tuxedo-clad Jerry Seinfeld offered up some Oprah material, comparing the event to “a dream that a disoriented husband would tell to a Freudian shrink.”
Moving right along, Simon Cowell introduced Rosie O’Donnell, who, along with Oprah protégés Dr. Phil McGraw, Dr. Nate Berkus and Dr. Mehmet Oz, belted out an Oprah-themed version of “Fever.”
But do you know what truly proved that Oprah has the world at her feet?
Maria Shriver, who is Oprah’s longtime pal (the two had lunch earlier today) but is, er, going through some “stuff” at the moment, also showed up to salute her dear friend.
The talk show host teared up again when Kristen Chenoweth took the stage with a number of students from Atlanta’s Morehouse College, where Winfrey has helped finance tuition for hundreds of young men to sing “For Good” from Wicked.
Some of the biggest “aw’s” of the night, however, came when Oprah’s longtime beau, Stedman Graham joined his fierce lady love onstage.
“Honey, you are so special,” he told her, reducing the Oprah Winfrey into an average woman-in-love, if just for a moment. “I’m so happy for your success and so proud of you…It amazes me that I get to be around a woman who changes people’s lives everyday.
“And I get to be around a woman who takes her own lunch to work every day!” he added. “She says she takes her lunch
to work because she wants to save money.”
Also in the first few rows for the final fling were Jay-Z, Wanda Sykes, Dr. Phil McGraw, Tyler Perry, Emmitt Smith, Lisa Ling, Tyler Florence, Carson Kressly, OWN sexpert Dr. Laura Berman, Bulls star Carlos Boozer, Charles Barkley, Dave Chappelle and former Chicago mayor Richard Daley.
Hmm, where were John Travolta, Michelle Obama and all the other muckety-mucks who have spent quality time on Oprah’s couch? There’s only one answer: They’re pretaping messages that will be played during the real finale.
Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular airs May 23 and May 24, and the final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show airs May 25.
(Originally published May 17, 2011, at 7:45 p.m .PT)
Read more: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b242466_oprah_tapes_her_big_goodbye_just_how.html#ixzz1Mi9qN7Xu
