I’m generally alright with Oprah. I don’t think she’s the next coming of Christ like a lot of people do, but she’s cool enough. She’s done some good, and used her money and power to try to influence people in a positive way. And after her show hit a major scandalous steak for several years, she turned it around to the point where it’s not even recognizable from the trash it used to be. But Oprah can be a bit of a diva, and seems to have a “What Oprah wants, Oprah gets” mindset. She’s thrown her support behind Barack Obama for the upcoming US presidential elections, and is hosting a fundraiser for him on September 8th at her $64 million compound in Santa Barbara, California. For some reason she couldn’t host the guests at her home (I don’t care if she invited half the county, you’d think she’d have room somewhere in a $64 million compound) and wanted to put them up at the San Ysidro Ranch nearby. Well the ranch was booked for a wedding, which wasn’t to Oprah’s liking. Apparently Oprah and her people have been calling the bride and trying to strong arm them into moving or giving up their rooms. The bride, who is an attorney, supposedly refused to give in.

“The talk-show queen is holding a star-studded fund-raiser for presidential wannabe Barack Obama on Sept. 8 at her $64 million estate near Santa Barbara, Calif., and she wanted out-of-town guests to be able to stay at the nearby San Ysidro Ranch. But – horrors – it was booked for a wedding that weekend. ‘Due to the proximity to and the cachet of the ranch to Oprah Winfrey’s estate, Oprah’s people have been calling the bride to either move or vacate some of the rooms to accommodate her guest list,’ our source snitched. ‘The bride, an attorney, is not budging.’

“Well, she may have budged a bit.

“San Ysidro Ranch Manager Marco Perry denied that Winfrey’s people had talked to the bride but said, ‘The wedding party did cancel a few rooms – but we didn’t charge them a cancellation fee because there was such a demand for the rooms that weekend.’ Winfrey’s representative at her production company, Harpo Inc., insisted that no calls to the bride were made.

“In any event, the fund-raiser for Obama will have some strict rules. No cameras will be allowed in, and there will be heavy security to make sure it’s enforced. Nor will guests be able to enter Oprah’s house. Instead, they’ll be dining alfresco on blankets under tents. And to avoid a mass crush of limos, they must park at a ‘greeting center’ eight miles away and take a shuttle bus to Winfrey’s estate.

Among the famous Obama supporters expected are George Clooney, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg.”

[From Page Six]

Well it sounds like they somehow got the bridal party moved. I hope Oprah paid off the bride herself instead of the hotel, so she’d at least be compensated for her trouble. I love the line about the bride not budging… oh but she did give in. Remember a few years ago when Oprah randomly “surprised” some people at their weddings by showing up? I think it was the basis for “Wedding Crashers.” I remember her proudly airing the footage on her show, and showing everyone how she graced the couple and their wedding with her presence. But a lot of people pointed out that Oprah also stole focus from the couple on their special day, and without their advance knowledge or permission. If Oprah showed up at my wedding I’d kick her in the shins and tell her to get the hell out. Unless she offered me one of her famous free vacations. Then we could talk. I’m guessing that’s what happened with this bride too.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Oprah when she was honored by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity with a Humanitarian award in May. Header image at the 2007 CFDA Fashion Awards in June.
Images thanks to PR Photos.