Jaffe Juice

I just watched Oprah's interrogation of AMLP "author", James Frey. Instead of joining the mob of millions in grilling him and passing him guilty until presumed guiltier, I must admit...I felt sad for him and disgusted with everyone else, including his after-the-fact publisher and O.

A good part of the program was the vilification of Frey, but another healthy chunk was spent feeling good about Oprah..because she made a mistake, but hey at least she admitted to it, which is more than we can say for that pig Frey (PS The dude is fragile with a capital FRAGILE and DID make a joke with Oprah, which she DID mention on air...about hoping there was a gun waiting for him backstage)

Oprah made a stinker of a mistake all right...by calling in to Larry King and defending Frey, she acted as impetuously and foolishly as a high profile blogger with a nervous twich on the mouse button. For that, an "I'm sorry" shouldn't have cut it...her advisors, confidants, legal eagles and financial bean counters were AWOL or if not, should be. She clearly had some kind of (self) interest at stake (her reputation through her influence; from viewership through Oprah book club sales)

Then comes her show...and once again, self interest is pervasive. Good for ratings, no doubt!

As for Frey, he clearly was uncomfortable and yes, even though he should have been...clearly he was not at the show in order to stir the controversy and sell more books (which is happening without his current efforts, thank you very much) Instead, he was most likely contractually obligated...and dragged (this time for real) kicking and screaming by his publisher, who her/themselves wanted to save face...or at least kiss Oprah's butt.

Please don't get me wrong...I'm not and never will condone Frey's actions or fuzzy account. Nor would I ever hope or dare to attack The Oprah, who is truly one of THE most remarkable people in our current (why stop there) generation. Her generosity...HER story...memoir or not....even at 50% accuracy...is worth a billion big pieces (or at least book sales) What she has done for this country...for my country (South Africa) and so many others, is not short of miraculous. BUT in this case, she messed up...and let this be her only blemish in what is otherwise a stellar career and life.

Just don't dedicate an entire show on your terms and bring a bunch of journalists onstage who are going to tell the world how wonderful you are.

Instead (Doubleday - are you listening?), why not donate the Advertising proceeds of your show to recovering drug and alcohol addicts who don't have anyone to hear/care about their story or need someone to talk to or need help in general. And as for Doubleday, you should be REFUNDING every and anyone who produces a physical copy of the book under the pretences of being wronged/duped/insulted/emotionally traumatized. And yes, you should hire a lackey @ $30,000 to check facts. Brother.

And I do think the media that played a pivotal role in sensationalizing this story should also stand up and give something back. This may sound backwards and illogical, but there are so many people who didn't need his bubble burst...to the extent that their reality of Frey's perception uplifted, inspired and/or helped them, that too is now gone.

The whole show kept on emphasizing truth and how truth sets you free and how the first step in moving forward is to be truthful...and ultimately how that centers around being HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

All of you should give something back....if you're all about the healing, why not start with the people who are hurt.