Last night Iyanla Vanzant sat down with former reality star Sheree Whitfield and her ex-husband former NFL player Bob Whitfield. Vanzant attempted to try to help them form a healthy co-parenting relationship, but both of them seem to be set in their positions and not willing to change so Vanzant had to simply let them continue to agree to disagree, but the show was the catalyst to an interesting conversation in my home. Bob Whitfield has not been paying child support but he wants to foster a relationship with his children. His ex-wife’s chief complaint has been that he does not pay support and he contends she makes enough money to care for the children. So as we were watching the show I said he does not pay his support so he has to forgo seeing them until he pays up, my husband had a very interesting perspective. My husband made this simple distinction he said it is “child support not child viewing.” The custodial parent has all the power and sometimes even when the parent does pay support they simply do not have true access to the children but my question is do you think that a parent has a right to see the children even if they don’t pay support? Share your thoughts.
SENT TO THE TYLER PERRY MAILING LIST:
As I sit here in Atlanta, it’s raining an abundant rain. It makes me think of my mother. She loved the rain and I do too. It is befitting that this announcement would be made on a day like today. Yes it’s true, Oprah and I have joined forces. We’ve formed a partnership for OWN and I’m super excited about it. I’ll fill you in more as we get closer to the airing of my shows. I have a lot of questions for you about this, so stay close, OK? I need your help.
Shortly before Oprah ended her talk show she cited an incident that let her know her life would be different once she left her perch as the queen of daytime. she said when she went to see her doctor she was always quietly ushered in a secret door and allowed to sit in solitude as she waited for her appointment, but on a recent visist she was escorted into the real waiting room where other people sat and waited to see the doctor. She asked the receptionist if there was some mistake and the receptionist let her know she was right where she needed to be. Things had changed, and that is what i thought about when i saw she was sitting down to interview 50 cent. This is a woman who did not permit rappers to sit on her cushioned seats during her heydey but now as her network struggles to survive he is one of her guest. This morning I read an article written by Dr, Boyce Watkins and I have attached the link read it, and share your thoughts.
When the Queen of talk Oprah had her show she spoke to all mankind. Now with her network struggling she is going after the African American audience. Her network’s first bonafide success is Welcome to Sweetie Pies, and now her network is trying to tap into that viewing segment. It will be interesting see what other shows the OWN network will develop to satisfy those of us who stopped by only to see Welcome to Sweetie Pies. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/09/own-network-tackles-disma_n_1139117.html?ref=black-voices
Gayle King, Oprah’s bestie will be one of the new host on the revamped CBS morning show. When the news broke Wendy willams wondered if King’s departure signaled an end or rift in her friendship with Oprah. Last week Williams read a letter that she claimed she received from Oprah in reference to her speculation. King called the Tom Joyner Morning show and set the record straight. King said Oprah never sent Williams a letter and that her friendship with the former Queen of Talk is stronger than ever. So what does this mean? Somebody’s lying and the bigger point is why would Oprah deny her friend the opportunity of a lifetime? Read the link and tell me what you think.
Over the weekend Oprah sent out this video to her Twitter followers touting the foot nanny. Oprah gave up a big stage this spring and she is now concentrating her efforts on her television network, but is she still relevant? Is she still going to have the kind of influence she enjoyed in the past? Will it still be a case of when oprah speaks people listen? Tell me what you think.
Do you miss Oprah? Well she is repackaging her old shows and running them on her network. Are we really that desperate for our daily dose of the Great O? Repackaged still spells rerun to me, but will you watch them?
Unless you have been under a rock you know this is the last week of Oprah. Sure she will be working with her network, but she will no longer be sitting in our homes every day at 4PM (east coast time). It is the end of an era. The finale shows have included A-List Hollywwod, but today I was most impressed by the number of people Oprah has helped get an education. She has helped close to 65,000 people get an education. Oprah is truly a Phenomenal Woman, but what most impressed me was what she has done for black men in general and Morehouse men in particular. She has given the school over 12 million dollars and today 400 of those young men came to the United Center and marched up to the stage to say a collective thank you. Although they did not do it audibly they are doing it with the lives of service that they are leading. They are paying it forward. To see them march up to the stage brought tears to Oprah, and tears to this writer. Far too often we see black men handcuffed, lying in the street dead or hanging on the street corner. These are the images that sadly define young black men, but that is truly one side of a two-sided coin. There are still good black men who have purpose and, and in some cases lack the cash to continue their education, but on this day we salute Oprah with her deep pockets because she has helped them make their dreams become reality and that is worthy of much applause.
I watched Iyanla Vanzant on Oprah’s show yesterday and it was interesting to watch her interaction with the queen of talk. This two part interview was their attempt to quash their 11 year beef and it seems to be over. Iynala’s trevails almost rival the biblical Job. She lost her career, her daughter, her husband, her home and her money. She even thought about suicide, but she is still standing. Her tone with Oprah was almost deferential, but this morning on the Tom Joyner Show she sounded more like the self-assured woman that shared the stage with Oprah over a decade ago. She has lost everything, but she still has her faith and her mojo. Oprah asked her did she think she got “the big head”? Iyanla said no, but as a student of the Bible she should be familiar with the passage “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” This morning on Tom Joyner, Vanzant said she is in talks to get another show. Hopefully, it will work out for her because yesterday she said she did not even have health insurance. We may have just witnessed the beginning of a restoration period, and I say Amen to that.
