Even taking into account the legions of devoted fans, launching her own 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week television channel was still a bold move for Oprah Winfrey. The stakes are extremely high, yet early opinion suggests that OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) looks set to notch up another success for the media mogul with the Midas touch.
The network debuted on January 1 and preliminary reports released by OWN had viewing figures hovering around the 800,000 mark during the first hour. This number climbed to more than one million later on in the evening, when the reality series Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes aired. These impressive numbers mean that between 8pm and 9pm on January 1, OWN was the third most-watched advertisement-supported cable channel for its target audience (the 25 to 54-year old-demographic).
After three years of planning, Winfrey launched this new network in collaboration with the media company Discovery Communications. In doing so, she made history, becoming the first talk-show host to take over an entire channel. OWN replaces the Discovery Health network and is available in more than 80 million homes in the US. To begin with, Discovery predicted that the channel wouldn't make a profit until 2012 or 2013. After noting the very positive initial viewer response, Brad Singer, the chief financial officer for the company, has said that they now expect to achieve profitability within the year.
Reactions to the network are inevitably rather mixed. It comes as no surprise that Winfrey devotees have been quick to vocalise their support for the new channel. Various internet forums dedicated to the subject are filled with posts professing adoration for the woman herself and the new shows on offer. Not all Winfrey fans are as thrilled, though. A number have expressed disappointment that the channel is not available on basic cable network charges. In order to watch their favourite talk-show host, they will now have to pay extra.
Many critics and media insiders currently seem underwhelmed. Frazier Moore from the Associated Press claimed that the opening few hours felt rather flat, after all the planning and hype, and there have been mumblings that the lack of news focus and the prevalence of feel-good fluff means that the channel is left wanting. TheNew York Times' Alessandra Stanley wrote that "OWN is a place where cynicism takes a holiday and mockery hasn't yet been invented", before going on to suggest that the channel was bereft of necessary bite. In her conclusion, Stanley does admit that it "lives up to the Oprah Winfrey ethos - a 'meaningful, mindful' cable network that seeks its own truth and tries to be its own best self".
Winfrey's live-your-best-life mantra has always formed a key part of her success and as Stanley acknowledges, this ethos is reflected in the programme scheduling. On the official website, Lisa Erspamer, the chief creative officer at OWN, says the network "seeks to entertain, inspire and inform". So what can viewers expect if they tune in? Well, there are programmes fronted by Winfrey herself, such as the aforementioned reality series, which was filmed during the final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show. This is almost guaranteed to be a hit, as is Oprah Presents Master Class, a show where famous faces (or modern masters, as they are described) share life lessons and inspiring stories - Jay-Z kicked things off and in the coming weeks Maya Angelou, Simon Cowell and Condoleezza Rice will make appearances.
Ask Oprah's All Stars sees Dr Phil, Suze Orman and Dr Oz (all familiar faces to Winfrey fans) answering viewers' question on health, wealth and relationships, in front of a live audience. Enough Already! With Peter Walsh features the organisational expert helping people to get rid of their clutter and streamline their lives, and Big Bowl of Love is a cookery show with a family focus. A six-part docu-series (read reality show) will follow Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and a friend of Winfrey's, apparently rebuilding her life after recent scandal. In April, meanwhile, Why Not? With Shania Twain will premiere on OWN and chart Twain's attempt to relaunch her music career and re-establish herself as the queen of country music.
The OWN network will launch in Canada on March 1. It is unclear whether the channel will become available internationally after that, so for the moment at least, the rest of us will have to wait for our screens to be graced with around-the-clock Winfrey.
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Company%20profile
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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