It has been almost 25 years since Oprah Winfrey didn’t get an Academy Award for her critically-acclaimed portrayal of Sophia in the Spielberg-directed film, The Color Purple, and, right about now, the folks at the Academy have to be hoping she’s not holding that against them.
Now that the undisputed queen of talk’s 25-year reign at that other five-letter-O-word show has ended, she is rumored to top the short list of celebrities worthy of consideration to host the 2012 Oscar ceremony.
If Oprah is selected to do the honors, and she accepts, she’ll make another short list — that of African Americans who have served as sole host of the prestigious event. Although Richard Pryor, Diana Ross and Sammy Davis Jr. were invited to stand at the podium with other co-hosts, only Chris Rock (2004) and Whoopie Goldberg (1993, 1995, 1998, 2001) have been awarded sole custody of the Oscar-hosting mic.
Motion Picture Academy sources told The Chicago Sun-Times that, if Winfrey accepted the invitation, the awards show would be broadcast on ABC, and Oprah’s OWN network would be granted exclusive rights to a post-Oscars telecast. Sounds like a win-win for all involved, especially Oprah’s huge and diverse television fan base who have to be missing her and will be more than eager to tune in.
–kathleen cross
