or oprah?stories, the producers are pitching stories. ultimately she signs off on them. i think the reason why it's important for her is ultimately she really believes that her role, her job is to raise consciousness. she has this forum, and she recognizes the responsibility in that. and she doesn't just want to do trash television. certainly not every single day can be as substantive as a lot of the shows that she's covered. but she intersperses those important shows with topics like the best jeans for your butt. but i think that's important. the levity is really important. >> suzy, in terms of oprah's brand, which she described to me as the love brand, but i think it's more than that. the power of the oprah brand came through her searing honesty, whether it was producing a great big load of fat to show how much weight she had put on or lost and so on or talking about her struggles with eating disorders or whatever it may be, the abuse and so on, it was the searing honesty, wasn't it? >> it wa

oprah: it's oprah. >> what would oprah do? >> this could be my oprah moment. >> oprah's favor things--birthday edition. >> i hate you! >> that's good. you'll have a lot to tell oprah. can i eat heart healthy without giving up taste? a man can only try... and try...and try. [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and cahelp lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healy. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] it's new, and it's thmost delicious thing that's ever happened to cinnamon. introducg cinnamon burst cheerios. 20% day value of fiber bursting with the delicious taste of cinnamon. new cinnamon burst cheerios. prepare your taste buds. oprah: i'm still--you know, i don't look nervous, do i? >> no. you look good. oprah: i'm doing ok. >> you're looking good. oprah: well, i was a little nervous because, as i was saying, just the very idea of you being here and what this office is, what's very interesting, i was saying to my here before. i think this is your third time on the show, and people weren't putting on mascara and stuff. it's th

"oprah winfrey show"! applause ] i have lost as of this morning, as of this morning, 67 pounds since july 7th. 67 pounds. and 30 inches from my bust, my waist and my hips. what we want to do is start a book club here on "oprah" show at lot of you are in reading clubs out there you have a book of the month and so forth. i want to get the wholeountry reading again, those of you who haven't been reading, books are important. we asked you towel collect, get your small change laying around the house this year so that we could send 50 students, one from every state to college. we've got a grand total of $3,557,000 clam we needed to measure your feet so we know when you walk out today that you get a brand new pair of sneakers! here we are, half way through the season 24. and it still means as much to me to spend an hour every day with you as it did back in 1986. why walk away and make next season the last? here is the real reason. i love this show, this show has been my life and i love it enough to know when it's

. >>> and the oprah countdown, saying good-bye to the undisputed queen of daytime tv. captioning funded by cbs >>> good morning, everybody and thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords is expected to pass another medical milestone today. she'll undergo a planned surgery to replace a piece of her skull that was removed after she was shot in the head in january during an assassination attempt. joel brown is in washington with more on this. joel, how complicated is this surgery? >> reporter: betty it's called a cranioplasty. it probably sounds more complicated than it is but it is the biggest milestone yet in what giffords' doctors describe a miraculous recovery. doctors at this houston hospital plan to use a plastic implant to replace a piece of congresswoman gabrielle giffords' skull. >> they decided to use a fabricated segment as opposed to her original. they feel it's safer, cleaner, actually it's a better puzzle piece sort of fitting in there, if you can imagine that. >> reporter: surgeons removed a section in january to reduce

and oprah on the treadmill.arths more down to erlgt girlfriend than day time edee letting me hang out while she got got her hair done and she introduced me to steadman. >> when i met her, the show just tra transitioned from a ll chicago program to nationwide powerhouse. when the show went national there was some suggestion she should trade in her local chicago staffers and hire big name producers but oprah a remained loyal and has we all know her show became a huge hit. >> she is going make a lot of stars shine. >> one of oprah's biggest strengths has been her willingness to share personal details including her life as a little girl in rural, mississippi. >> is it true that when you were a k you we spoo yu had a r aet. >> i guess everybody didn't do that, huh? >> no. >> funnily when she asked about her role in the film the women of brewster place. >> perhaps we could go fix some sugar cane unrestricted access and a lot of fun. i had no idea at the time that oprah would become such a superstar. in the newsroom, c

oprah is staying on the air! oprah isn't going anywhere! oprah's here to stay forever!o, she's leaving. [ laughter ] she's definitely leaving. she's definitely leaving. i'm sorry. but you know what helps if you are feeling sad about oprah? ice cream. lots and lots of ice cream. right? oprah's final show airs next wednesday, may 25th. honestly, i don't know how i'll go on. how do i know what books to read? who will tell me what mango facial scrub to use? how will i know what brand of bra will give me the greatest sense of empowerment as a woman? the truth is, oprah will never leave us. she will appear like obi-wan kenobi when we need her most. "forbes" magazine by the way just released their list of the 100 most powerful celebrities. oprah was number two this year. number one last year. this year she was beaten by lady gaga. put those two in a cage match, i guarantee oprah comes out the most powerful celebrity. [ cheers and applause ] this week, to honor oprah, we are doing something very special. we've taken the audio from some of the great moments of the oprah show and

oprah!ve to ask that question. >> she laughs, she screams, she cries, she's a great performer. >> you get a car! you get a car. >> reporter: we thought, who better to analyze the phenomenon that is oprah than the woman she said she wanted to grow up to be. barbara walters. >> i see you on "the today show" and i say, there's a woman. she's holding that space. wow. she did that. maybe i can do that. >> reporter: but in fact, oprah wasn't like anyone else. consider what she told barbara in their first interview back in 1988. >> somewhere i have always known that i was born for greatness in my life. somewhere i've always felt it. >> i mean, that's quite a statement. i was born to do great things. but she really feels that. >> reporter: but -- >> and she has, cynthia. >> reporter: it was in that first interview with walters that oprah made it crystal clear. as hard as it might be, she was not going to hide from her own tragedies. she would bear them all. like the rape she endured at the age of 9.

. >>> and, oprah's farewell. after 25 years, why saying good-bye is so hard for millions of americans. it's about a lot more than television. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening. we begin with a developing story out of minnesota where severe storms and at least three tornadoes have swept through sections of minneapolis. early pictures from there show extensive damage in residential areas in north minneapolis and thousands are said to be without power. by late afternoon our colleagues at the weather channel had tallied at least 17 tornadoes across sections of minnesota, iowa and missouri. on what has been an especially dangerous and volatile weekend throughout the country's midsection. right now severe weather watches and warnings cover a 1,000-mile stretch from dallas north to the twin cities. nbc's janet shamlian leads off our coverage with this report. >> reporter: a first look at the devasta

you saw signs, oprah don't go. opr oprah, we love you.s you. >> richard, you've been getting buzz the last month, the big celebrity show there. what was it like? >> oh, my gosh, lester, it was as great as being here with you this morning. i tell you, it was great stuff. beyonce, patti labelle, tom hanks, tom cruise. >> you would expect nothing less. >> i won't give it away but there are some very touching, wonderful moments about the 65,000 people in this country who have been provided educations because of the oprah winfrey scholarship fund or her wonderful oprah winfrey academy. i was just going to say to you because you'll get a king out of this, when she covered news as an anchor in baltimore, she wasn't good at hard news. you know why? anytime anyone had been hurt or killed or it was a sad story, oprah was so empathetic. she was so involved. she felt everybody's pain and, of course, that carried on to her talk show. she, as i said, the real deal. she means and feels everything she has said and done. >> even as we say good-bye, people

con, like running "oprah" magazine, oprah radio, harpo film, harpo studios, the oprah/angel network,oprah winfrey network. [ laughter ] that sounds relaxing. "i just want to chill out, dudes." pro, there's only one "o." con, unless you're talking about her paycheck. in that case, there's like 15 of them. [ laughter ] good for her. [ applause ] [ imitates schwarzenegger ] "i think you forgot something in the other room. in the garage. [ laughter ] you have to clean the garage right now. yeah." >> steve: "quickly." >> jimmy: "quickly." [ talking over each other ] "so we have to go to the garage and clean that." [ audience ohs ] >> steve: "there's a baguette in there." [ laughter ] >> jimmy: "there's a baguette and two potatoes in there." [ laughter ] >> steve: "gently. gently. i'm done." whew! >> jimmy: pro, you saw your mom in "oprah's" audience. con, you met your dad on "maury's" stage. [ audience ohs ] "you are the father!" "oh, come on." >> steve: oh, no! no! you don't know me!" >> jimmy: "you don't know me. and talk to the hand." >> steve: yeah. >> jimmy: and not in that particula

"the oprah magazine." it now attracts more than two million readers each month and features her face on nearly every cover. and she is rich. her net worth is now pegged at $2.7 billion. in 2010, forbes magazine ranked her the third most powerful woman in the world. along the way, she's also but success hasn't come without controversy. in 1998, a group of texas cattlemen sued winfrey after she expressed fears of mad cow disease in beef. she won. in 2006, she confronted discredited author james frey for fabricating parts of a memoir that was one of her book club selections. >> i feel that you have betrayed millions of readers. >> ifill: earlier this month, she invited him back to apologize for being too hard on him. and at the school she created to educate disadvantaged south african girls, a dorm matron was charged with abuse in 2007. the woman was later acquitted. presidents lined up to appear on "oprah," but it wasn't until 2008 that she embraced partisan politics with her pivotal endorsement of barack ob

with everybody talking about oprah.e all love her to death. >> reporter: tell that to victoria king, who tells us she gave oprah the only thing she could, her head. >> we're not losing her. this is always going to be home. >> reporter: in all, there was some 13,000 fans who packed into the united center for the three-hour-long oprah show taping, which will be split and air in two episodes. among those on stage tonight, beyonce, patti labelle, josh groban and madonna. and tom cruise. >> that was great. lots of excitement. that was alex perez with our nbc station. two shows taped today. they air on may 23rd and the h. heh. her very last show, said to be taped next week. >>> we're back with the interesting forecast. >>> okay. let's turn things over to jeff to see if the weather gets better for the week. >> it is. sunshine. that was for oprah. she comes out and screams something. i had to give a an homage there. she does it with enthusiasm. we had 58 in redwood city. 62 in livermore. 55 in san rafael. so, a lot colder than

oprah! only jackie jackson could make oprah levitate. one more oprah-related item.t to do without oprah. so we sent my cousin sal out into the world with a video booth in which oprah fans would get the opportunity to record a farewell message for her, and record they did. here's one fan's emotional good-bye to oprah. >> all right come on in. there's a prerecorded message. listen to that. after that's done, you can tell what you want to oprah. good luck. >> thanks, thanks. hi, oprah, my name is cathy. and i've watched your show from the beginning. and you have just really -- >> hey how you doing? what you're saying is great but your hair's a disaster. >> oh, sorry. >> i have to help you out. let me help out. >> is that better? oh, god. how about i take it out -- oh. >> all right. >> people truly, truly miss you. god bless you. >> hi. hi. hello? >> hello? >> hello, how are you? >> okay. >> this is oprah! >> oh, my gosh, hi! >> you know my favorite thing show? >> yes. >> well, i'm going to send in a special treat for you today. >> oh, thank you. >> it's one of my favor

oprah more than 30 years.rt, but was she dressed to kill. in a stunning navy sequin dress. she didn't say much, but she really thanked oprah for her years of friendship for teaching her the truth and oprah interjected saying here's to the truth. what was so special, almost as if everyone in that audience embraced her. they knew what she was going through with her public scandal, police from arnold. -- split from arnold. no specific references to that but it was a touching moment on stage for her. >> it's considering, kareen, some who were there said it was almost a dig at arnold without saying anything. she said thank you for telling me the truth and they both sort of said that word and the audience erupted. that was file video of maria shriver. >> that wasn't last night. >> we'll be seeing that soon, of course, when the shows air. kareen, thanks so much. >> thanks. >>> no sympathy for arnold schwarzenegger from late night comedians. we're going to hear how they -- their take on the situation, you could say, c

oprah launched her brand-new channel, the oprah winfrey network, in january. she's focusing only her channel. guess what, rosie is going to have a new show on own. it debuts in the fall. and she's taking over oprah's studio in chicago. >> that is something. that's great for rosie o'donnell because she's had her problems in the past. must have been a fascinating time. i envy you, kareen wynter, thank you. >> it was great. >> oh, it was nothing. >>> a reality tv happy ending turns into a tragic soap opera said. the family gets a home makeover because the two kids were listed as having a serious immune disorder. now, we hear it could be a lie. >>> the feds raffling off the personal belongings of ted kaczynski, aka, the unabomber. [ female announcer ] sun damage is on the rise. now use the best suncare recommended most by dermatologists. neutrogena®, with technologies like helioplex... it provides the highest average spf and unsurpassed uva protection. neutrogena®. get the best. and unsurpassed uva protection. so i took my heartburn pill and some antacids. we're h

up with everybody talking about oprah. we all love her to death. >> reporter: but tell that to victoria king who said she gave oprah the only thing she could, her head. >> we know she's from here so we're not really losing her because this is always going to be home. >> reporter: in all there are some 13,000 fans who packed into the united center for the three-hour long oprah show taping which will actually be split and air in two episodes. among those on stage, beyonce, patti labelle, josh groebin and madonna. also a walk down memory lane with tom cruise. >> i knew coming to chicago that i was going to see a loving friend. >> all right. well, that was reporter alex perez with our nbc station in chicago. oprah's very last show, which is set to be taped next week, will air may 25th. >>> coming up, the benefits of coffee. another reason you may not want to hold back on that second, third, even sixth cup of the day. >> oh, thank goodness! and we're looking over here, highway 24 off of the walnut creek interchange. i do have o

. >> please welcome, oprah. >> reporter: within the first five minutes, oprah's spectacular deliveredcular. superstar tom hanks kicked off the party. >> you're oprah winfrey. >> you're tom hanks. >> reporter: minutes later, mr. "mission impossible" himself showed up. >> how about this? huh? >> reporter: it was a sendoff fit for the queen of daytime television. the iconic host ruled the small screen for 25 years. september 8th, 1986, america met oprah winfrey. 25 years later, we're saying good-bye. >> these years with you, our viewers, have enriched my life beyond all measure. >> reporter: she packed plenty of must-see moments into those years. who could forget tom cruise jumping for joy on her couch? or the chaos that followed after she made this announcement? >> you get a car. you get a car. >> reporter: you never knew what might happen. especially now, on the star-studded taping of the finale to one of america's iconic shows. but the fans will tell you the biggest and best asset is oprah herself. >> she is one of us. she is our ultimate girlfriend. >> reporter: we know oprah doesn't

. >>> and oprah and suze. suze orman on lessons from oprah. and the financial advice she now wants to give to change your life. >>> good evening. we have new images tonight of the nine minutes -- nine minutes -- that ravaged the town of joplin, missouri. the tornado, video captured on a security camera outside this home. and you can see the wind and debris consuming the backyard. while inside, a dad is trying to protect his family who are taking refuge inside a closet. and the kind of fury you could see in this one home was descending all across the city of joplin. this was joplin before the storm. you can see the trees and the grass and the buildings standing. and as we said, nine minutes later, this is what happened. trees stripped away. large parts of the city were simply decimated. and today, the city released a list of the missing. 232. our matt gutman decided to follow up on the names and also take us inside the story of that family with the video, looking out at the tornado in their backyard. matt is in joplin tonight. matt? >> reporter

was revealed-- it was oprah herself. >> thank you, america. thank you so much. >> reporter: the woman who for millions of viewers is more than a talk show host... >> you are responsible for your life. >> reporter: ...she's a life coach... >> love somebody. >> reporter: ...teacher. >> no one completes you. >> reporter: even pop culture preacher. >> god is love. >> reporter: oprah has interviewed 30,000 guests, turned some into top tv stars themselves. >> for open the game is the talk show but it's much bigger than that. i mean, she's a whole industry. >> she gave me great advice about being in television. she said don't take any advice. be yourself. because they know if you're not. >> reporter: oprah let it all hang out and frequently her guests... >> have you ever felt this way before? >> reporter: and her audience the same. >> everything gets a car! >> reporter: after 25 years her final show wasn't go car giveaways or celebrity guests. it was about oprah's viewers, her fans, and what she says they've given to her. >> you and this show have be

and on this week "the oprah winfrey show has ended," he says the oprah and dr.just begun. what's the number one thing you want to say to everybody out there? >> be the world expert in your body. and now that you know that only you can be the world expert on your body, do it. i would love three things to be done by everybody. number one, do what humans have always done, which is to walk. i'm not talking about a stroll through the park. an active, aggressive walk. number two, half of all the foods you eat, half, should be made up of real food. food that comes out of the ground, looking the way it looks when you eat it. and finally, you have to give your heart a reason to keep beating. seems so simple. if you don't have passion, if you don't have vision, if you don't have something that brings you joy, day in and day out, nothing else makes a difference. >> passion. diane with the doctor tonight. >>> when we come back here, the challenge for graduates from a famous face. it was a challenge we were not sure we could even live up to. finally, there's a choice for my

>> no one had ever seen anyone like oprah.bout when she first appeared on the screen, she was this big black woman with a jheri curl and a fur coat. but she managed to tap into something americans had been longing for and they didn't know it. she was funny, honest and brash. and more than anything, she was willing to share all of herself with audiences. and i think that's the reason she's managed to be on successful over the years. >> oprah winfrey also became a big force in the publishing industry. she could put a book on a best-seller list with a single episode. she had the author on with the book that turned out not to be entirely accurate. there was that african girls school that was rocked by allegations. but often she'd have to own up to those mistakes. >> that's exactly right. that's one of the things that gave her that authenticity and moral authority is that she also brought her mistakes before the people. she said she always wanted to be a teacher in her final show. i always wanted to be a teacher, and now i've wound

>> her final program just oprah.r own set, saying thank you. >> from you whose names i will never know, i learned what love is. you and this show have been the great love of my life. ♪ 25 years have come and gone >> 4,551 shows later. the program that in many ways redefined the talk show. >> she laughs, screams, emotes, she's a great performer. >> reporter: we thought who better to analyze the phenomenon that is oprah than the woman she said she wanted to grow up to be, barbara walters. in fact, oprah wasn't like anyone else. consider what she told barbara in their first interview in 1988. >> somewhere i've always known that i was born for greats in in my life. i've always felt it. >> that's quite a statement, i was born to do great things, but she really feels that. and she has. >> reporter: who does walters think will carry forward oprah's message of self-accepts and? >> lady gaga reminds me a little bit of oprah. ♪ right track baby i was born this way ♪ >> reporter: you know when she talks about her little monster

>> i do love oprah. a message for the man who terrorized her and held her captive for months. it's thursday, may 26th. >>> good morning, everyone. i'm peggy bunker. >> and i'm rob nelson. after nine years, elizabeth smart finally had her say and gave her abductor, brian david mitchell, a piece of her mind. find out what smart is doing these days now to help others. >>> and also this half hour, the ruthless tornado season and how it is slowing down recovery in hard-hit joplin, missouri. the search for survivors from sunday's historic twister is now turning very desperate. >>> and later on, how the first lady made an indelible impression on young women in britain. why some people are now speculating michelle obama could possibly take oprah winfrey's place as the newest role model for women around the world. >> that would be interesting and would be good. >> has done a good job, right. >>> but first, a new chapter for elizabeth smart now that the manage who stole her childhood really is being brought to jus

here we go. >> mourning oprah. >> the queen of talk has officially stepped down from her throne. >> oprah winfrey was driven home from her studio for the final time with her best friend gayle in tow. she taped her final episode yesterday. we get the details from leah hope from our chicago station. >> reporter: the last show was emotional. >> an homage to her career and the things we gave her and the things she gave us. it was beautiful. i cried the whole time. >> reporter: 400 people watched the finale of "the oprah winfrey show" live in harpo studios. >> part of history. this is awesome. we listen to oprah talk to us through our tvs every day and now to be with her in person as she embarks on this amazing journey. i wouldn't be anywhere else. >> reporter: it's hard to believe they could top the last few shows. two star-studded shows full of surprises, taped at the united center last week. those in attendance today said it was a reflective ms. winfrey who took the stage by herself for the final show. >> a raw performance, amazing good-bye to everybody. >> whole hour was perfection, when s

the final three episodes of "the oprah winfrey show" will air.e some surprises in store for us. peggy bunker is here with that. good morning. >> good morning. a lot of people feel like the world really is coming to an end. and, in fact, because oprah is ending her show this week, some people think they need psychological counseling to deal with the loss. we have three days left to enjoy her show. and the big question on everyone's mind is who will be her last guest? >> i just finished my last in-studio show with guests, my last one. >> and with that video diary, oprah dropped a big hint. her very final show may not be in studio, may not even have an audience. but we can assume it will be big. >> we are going to australia! >> reporter: it will be emotional. >> and it will have many surprises. from famous friends like john travolta to visionaries like nelson mandela, speculation is running wild, but the tight-lipped production team has not leaked any information. >> and i think very few people, frankly, know anything about that last show in part be

oprah's best friend.le king may be the most famous best friend in the world, but she isn't resting on anyone's else's laurels. she is a hard-charging woman who is determined to live her best life. we wanted to know more about king, where she came from, where she wants to go, and so we spent some time with her "on the town." it's just past dawn in new york city, and human dynamo gayle king, the world's best-known best friend, is gearing up for another heart-pounding day. >> 6:42, now it's time for the transformation process. >> cue gayle. >> reporter: we're backstage at the 4-month-old "gayle king show," where she chats with everyone from politicians to superstars. >> what do you wear? >> i mean, probably just throw something on like this. >> reporter: where can you watch it? where else but on her best friend oprah winfrey's new network, own. >> am i having fun? the answer to that is a bona fide yes, yes, yes. >> reporter: king is loaded with personality. enthusiastic for oprah, who made her part of her sh

we're talking about oprah still. >> jimmy: of course.for awhile. >> until the end of time. until the end of time. >> jimmy: you were on the oprah show. >> i was. the whole cast was. it wasn't a one-on-one that i was hoping it to be but we were actually supposed to go to her studio in chicago, but we were in hawaii we couldn't make it. we did a via satellite thing. we were in our studio and she was in her studio but we talked to each other through a television set. but it was enough because there's that moment everyone dreams of it. you dream of oprah saying your name. she said each one of our names. she was like she saw us getting more excited, so she bumped it up. by the time she got to me she was like jesse tyler ferguson! i was like -- i actually made that my outgoing message on my phone. >> jimmy: you got the full oprah treatment. on what phone is that your outgoing message? >> on my cell phone no one has a land line -- >> jimmy: can we call it? >> you want to test me? >> jimmy: absolutely. can we put the thing on? all right. we'll s

oprah: m.j.'s in the house! >> one more hour of legends... oprah: aretha franklin!more hour of television history. be there for the second-to-last "oprah winfrey show" ever. tomorrow. oprah: thank you for being a part of this, this great night, this celebration of what you have done for "the oprah winfrey show." you have made it possible for us to stand for 25 years. your presence in front of your television set and your presence here tonight honors me in the deepest way possible, and i feel the love. thank you. >> don't touch that dial. we will see you tomorrow for the second-to-the-last show in "oprah" history. [captioning made possible by king world] [captioned by the national captioning institute -www.ncicap.org--] >> >> ♪ i will dry your eyes i will fight your fight ♪ this is not a lipstick. [ male announcer ] it's outlast lipstan from covergirl. [ drew ] light as air lipwear that does what a lipstick can't. with one sold every 15 seconds, it's the #1 selling lipstain in the u.s. [ male announcer ] outlast lipstain. from easy, breezy, beautiful covergirl. >>> t

oprah. >> please welcome, oprah. >> reporter: within the first five minutes oprah surprised spectacularcked off the party. >> you're oprah winfrey! >> you're tom hanks! >> reporter: minutes later, mr. mission impossible himself showed up. >> i love this. i love seeing oprah's face, huh? >> reporter: it was a send-off fit for the queen of daytime television. the iconic host ruled the small screen for 25 years. on september 8th, 1986, america met oprah winfrey. 25 years later, we're saying good-bye. >> these years with you, our viewers have enriched my life beyond all measure. >> reporter: she packed plenty of must-see moments into those years. who could forget tom cruise jumping for joy on her couch or the chaos that followed when she made this announcement -- you'd never know what might happen especially now on the eve of her last few tapings. a star-studded finale to one of america's most iconic shows. but ask her fans, they'll tell you, the show's biggest and best asset was oprah herself. >> she is one of us. she's our ultimate girlfriend. >> thank you, america! >> reporter: now, we a

or is it the oprah phenomenon?s her, and look for that kind of feeling in the daytime. >> people will miss their girlfriend, like you said, dave. she was the nation's girlfriend. and now she's gone. i suspect a lot of people will be tuning into the repeats, though. >> and today it's going to be an event today. >> what do you think the audience will be today? >> the audience already up 50% compared to the whole season. sky is the limit. it is truly an event. >> and everybody came to kiss from the ring, everybody from tom cruise to tom hanks to will smith. halle berry, acknowledged oprah. they love her. >> she knew they would. >> thank you. >>> let's go back to matt in new york. >> meredith, thank you very much. this morning on "today's consumer, talking about saving money on gasoline. memorial day weekend kicks off the summer driving season. unfortunately, gas prices about $1 per gallon than they were this year at the same time. kevin tibbles conducted a small experiment to see if making little changes in the way yo

anyone out there like oprah.ouches your spirit and reaches your heart, mind, and soul the way that oprah was. >> reporter: the nebraska woman says she can't bear to watch the final show alone. she'll join hundreds of other nebraska fans and watch the finale at a movie theater. similar parties are being held throughout the nation including at the paley center. a veritable shrine to the history of television. >> oprah was unique, perhaps the last great broadcaster to bring the country together. the thing about oprah is, even if you didn't watch her show, you were aware of what was going on on the show. it was part of the national conversation. >> reporter: not to worry. the legacy will carry on in her magazine and her new television network. "own" which launched in january. loyalists say television won't be the same without her holding court on the mainstream airwaves every day. >> she's the best woman to look up to. in modern day society as a hero. >> reporter: will anybody fill herve beautiful shoes. >> no. >> re

there's a new oprah winfrey network along with oprah radio, the oprah magazine, her book club and so on. wish her the best. >>> this morning on "the early show," live reports from the latest deadly twister. i'm betty nguyen. epower, "infiniti surround sound, "seating for seven -- wait. this is a minivan?" makes you almost want to have kids. [ child screams ] [ male announcer ] almost. the new 2011 dodge grand caravan. now get $2,000 cash allowance or 0% financing for 60 months on select 2011 dodge grand caravans. [ male announcer ] know the feeling? try acuvue® oasys brand contact lenses with hydraclear® plus for exceptional comfort. it feels like it disappeared on my eye! [ male announcer ] discover why it's the brand eye doctors trust most for comfort. acuvue® oasys brand. get an extra ten percent off mattresses already half off. and instant savings up to three hundred fifty dollars on select mattresses. head to sears to talk with our mattress experts, or shop our largest selection online. hurry. it's all on now! sears. >>> check it out, in orbit this morning, astronauts are taking

oprah: mj's in the house! >> be there for the second-to-last oprah winfrey show ever!k at a few of clouds. it will dominate our forecast. it will be breezy, most of us in the mid to upper 40s. half moon bay around 50. upper 50s to low 60s and low to mid-70s inland with high cloud and sunshine. this time tomorrow it will be rainy. >> the >>> incredible stories we're hearing out of the disaster zone. shoppers caught right in the middle of the tornado, trapped inside those huge stores as chaos hit. buildings that seemed so safe, just don't match with a twister. >> that's right. one person said the ceiling tiles flew away like a flock of birds. we'll have a lot more from joplin. >>> also ahead the death trial for casey anthony begins. they'll decide the fate whether she's accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter caylee. >> and so many stars have turned out for oprah's final show. her plans for tomorrow's very last show have been kept highly under wraps. we'll look at the clues to oprah's big good-bye. >> we cannot wait for that. that's coming up tomorrow. but let's get

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those are our letters to oprah.nd, we'll be back with more "late night." ♪ we used to bet who could get closest to the edge. took some crazy risks as a kid. but i was still over the edge with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more, and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol...stop. 80% of people who have had heart attacks have high cholesterol. lipitor is a cholesterol lowering medication, fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this

we all benefited from oprah. and come on to oprah winfrey winfrey show everybody is talking about you. >> it's an honor to be near her. i can personally look up to and learn from. >> her show has been on the show for 25 years. it kicked off with lavish prizes and cruises. they received 154,000 requests for the taping of the show. they made sure there were 13,000 boxes of tissue. she taped two shows that will air next monday and tuesday before the big finale that is scheduled for next tuesday. i can't imagine what she did for the final show. who is left. are you going on the show? do you have any ideas? >> eric: very good. >> kristen: i can't wait. >> eric: i got an appointment to clean the gutters but i can't make it. >> kristen: as the big day for social networking site. jane can king joins us with more on this and her appearance on oprah is coming up. >>. [ laughter ] >> i am still waiting to ask to be a guest. and facebook this is a big company in its own right and they are leaping into wall street funding as

at&t. >>> oprah winfrey had a star-studded episode taping. tom hanks and tom cruise and even michael jordan showed up. a crowd of 13,000 fans gathered at chicago's theater last night. 13,000, oprah didn't know who was on the show until just before the show. >> it was an, indeed, a historical moment. 25 years of oprah. she definitely an original. >> she has given a lot not only to americans. they have no idea how she has helped people but women everywhere. >> the two shows called surprise oprah will air monday and big finale is wednesday. >> right now we're watching sunshine coming in. >> and a threat of a small shower in the afternoon hours but take a look outside what is going on. here we're looking at northwest from sutro tower, you see the marin headlands and some of the clouds that look dangerous but if they do open and drop rain it would be very little rain and very frequent event. here we are looking southeast back across the bay bridge back towards berkeley. you can see a few clouds starting to build over the east bay hills. take a loo

there's a way to stay well. >>> oprah winfrey had a star-studded episode taping. tom hanks and tom cruise and even michael jordan showed up. a crowd of 13,000 fans gathered at chicago's theater last night. 13,000, oprah didn't know who was on the show until just before the show. >> it was an, indeed, a historical moment. 25 years of oprah. she definitely an original. >> she has given a lot not only to americans. they have no idea how she has helped people but women everywhere. >> the two shows called surprise oprah will air monday and big finale is wednesday. >> right now we're watching sunshine coming in. >> and a threat of a small shower in the afternoon hours but take a look outside what is going on. here we're looking at northwest from sutro tower, you see the marin headlands and some of the clouds that look dangerous but if they do open and drop rain it would be very little rain and very frequent event. here we are looking southeast back across the bay bridge back towards berkeley. you can see a few clouds starting to build over the east bay hills. take a loo

psychologists say there could be real feelings of loss now that oprah is going off. >> post-oprah winfreyin her 25 years. >>> first we do want to tell you about the helpless waiting game as floodwaters seep into louisiana cajun country. >> thousands are already headed to higher ground but the national guard is knocking on doors to make sure everyone is now out of harp's way. yunji de nies is in butte larose. it is expect td be totally submerged in a week. >> reporter: this might be one of the last glimpses of butte la rose louisiana. already it is a ghost town. the few ill-fated residents left are reluctant to making their way out of the neighborhood. >> this is the house that we raised our children in and what we would reallyic to keep. >> reporter: but time and tide are closing in. >> we have a lot of memories gone or will be gone more than likely. >> reporter: gone under a wall of water. just like that. this home, already evacuated, would be almost totally submerged, and this laundromat 13-feet tall, would disappear under water. some are leaving with heads and hopes high. >> this is al

we have oprah.ise party fit for a queen. ♪ >> you're going to australia. >> reporter: she's made a career out of surprising people. and no one can do it bigger or better. >> you get a car. you get a car. you get a car. you get a car. >> reporter: last night, the tables were turned as hundreds of oprah's fans and friends surprised her to say good-bye. >> oprah winfrey, today, you are surrounded by nothing but love. >> reporter: the goal -- >> some might say pulling off this party is in fact darn near a "mission impossible." [ cheers ] >> reporter: to celebrate and surprise oprah. >> oh! >> thank you. thank you very much. >> reporter: she wiped away a tear for tom hanks. embraced patti labelle and madonna. kissed usher. and hugged aretha franklin. and we got a look at it all backstage at the big show. here, look. maya angelou. stevie wonder. and we got a big break. tell us what it's like. >> here we are. this is backstage. and everywhere you walk you go that's -- that's -- it can't be. but it is. and