She's given away free cars, single-handedly reversed global illiteracy, brought the pipeline of education to young women in Africa, and helped launch the presidential candidacy of a young, African-American senator.   The only things Oprah hasn't accomplished (yet) is reversing the earth's rotation and landing an exclusive interview with Big Foot.  As the talk show guress enters her historic 24th year on her syndicated show, she continues to pull out all the stops: a shoe and handbag, accessory extravaganza show, karaoke madness, and this week, an exclusive interview with the woman whose face became kibble-n-bits thanks to a beleagured chimp.  Next week Oprah welcomes a, most-likely, incredibly proscribed, tightly mediated, uninteresting interview with the rogue-ish Sarah Palin. In a several weeks, women all over the country will have a chance to experience aneurisms on national television when they find themselves on a taping of Oprah's Favorite Things.

 I grow increasingly wary of Corporation O, and I sense that Oprah shares this blooming malaise.  What else could account for a recent episode where she took four female viewers, most of whom expressed deep, emotional concerns, and teamed them up with Ali Wentworth (contributer, actress, and wife of George Stepanopolis) to face their fears and "break out of their boxes."  The antidote for a woman plagued by social anxiety? Roller derby! How about the depressed woman who recently lost her job? Skinny dipping!  Though I can't say for sure if this was Oprah's shark-jumping episode, (I'm pretty sure Tom Cruise earns that honor) it raised the question: is Oprah still relevant? 

It occurs to me that we may be more seduced  by the idea of Oprah, the concept of this presence who offers guidance, advice, insight, and the occassional miracle, than the quantifiable content of her show.  And this might be the explanation for her longevity.  It no longer matters if she's interviewing a one-armed clog dancing Amish stripper or Supreme Court Justice Sonja Sotomayer so long as presents them with the same self-congratulating attitude that announces "I care about this, so you should too. This is important because I have deemed it so."  

No one begrudges or denies Oprah's philanthropic efforts or her artistic endeavors.  But if she's going to continue to occupy prime network real estate, and if she is going to retain her status as a powerful female icon and role model, could she give us something more to believe or intellectually invest in than Whitney Houston's come back, hip-slimming jeans, or a woman stupid enough to remain friends with someone keeping a dangerous, exotic animal as a pet?