Five Really Big Oprah Winfrey Show Moments

With the final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show slated to begin on September 13^th, it's time to take a look back at some of the top Oprah moments. Here are some of the most memorable moments from 25 years of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Oprah's wagon of fat (1988). Two seasons in, Oprah came back from summer hiatus 67 pounds slimmer- and she had a wagon full of fat to symbolize just how much weight she lost on an all-liquid diet. Unfortunately, once she started eating real food again the weight quickly came back on and she would go on to document her weight woes over the years. But for one glorious day in 1988, Oprah proudly showed off her coveted size 10 jeans- and her wagon full of fat- to the world.

Oprah's first "Favorite Things" episode (2002). It was like Christmas had come early for millions of viewers-and it did back in 2002 when Oprah aired her first holiday-themed "Favorite Things" episode and doled out each of the gifts she showcased to her unsuspecting audience members. In the first year's giveaway Oprah's elves handed out everything from key lime pie to J Lo velour sweatsuits to a Samsung mobile camera phone (a big deal back in 2002). "Oprah's Favorite Things" would later become the hottest ticket in television, but before it became predictable it was magical.

Nate Berkus interview after Sri Lanka tsunami (2005). Happy go lucky designer Nate Berkus was an Oprah favorite for several seasons, known for the gorgeous rooms he transformed for her viewers. But when Berkus was caught in the devastating Asian tsunami back in 2004, he lost his life partner after they both struggled to survive. It was difficult to watch Nate detail his horrific experience when he made his first visit back to the Oprah studios a few weeks later, but it was a must for any fan of the show.

Oprah interviews Michael Jackson (1993). While it wasn't part of her regular talk show, Oprah's primetime interview with singer Michael Jackson was an iconic moment in pop culture. And Oprah asked the King of Pop about everything under the sun- from his ever-changing skin color to the status of his virginity ("I'm a gentlemen" he giggled).

Oprah's book club dinner is canceled (2001). Guess who's coming to dinner? No one. Oprah picked Jonathan Franzen's book, "The Corrections," for her book club back in 2001, but the author later expressed conflict over being an Oprah book pick, fearing the "Oprah" logo on his book would dissuade male readers. Winfrey had no time for such nonsense- she quickly announced that that Franzen would not appear on her show to talk about his book and that she was skipping the usual book club dinner and moving on. Goodbye Jonathan Franzen, hello Rohinton Mistry!

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Sources:

The Oprah Winfrey Show, 1986-2010

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah's_Favorite_Things

http://www.oprah.com/world/Nate-Berkus-and-Stories-of-Survival-After-the-Asian-Tsunami

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/tvblog/item_pMTo4plF6SszK0ZQQiGngO