Ohhhhprah...

Just two weeks after Oprah came to James Frey's defense on Larry King Live in what appeared to be a career-saving phone call for him, Queen Ope invited him on her show today and, in a surprising move, gave him his second live television whooping in front of millions of viewers. Only this time, she didn't hold back. Ok, Frey's appearance on Larry King wasn't pretty either... but come on, King didn't really know what was going on, it seemed like he was reading cue card questions... and after all, he hadn't even read the book! Oprah on the other hand, gave Frey a serious lashing, like a mommy putting his son in the corner. And indeed, Frey looked like a boy who'd just gotten a spanking and was getting grounded for the rest of his writing career.

Oprah came out and said she felt "duped" and "embarassed" in what was basically a cover-your-ass move by Harpo after she realized it was a mistake to so quickly and easily overlook the "truth" in her initial defense of Frey and his lies. It was really a sight to see, Oprah in her scary element on that stage, and her studio audience-- who not long ago were the ones on their feet pumping their fists for him-- moaning and gasping after Frey's meek defenses and cheering after Oprah smacked him down. Yikes.

Anyway, I did think it was a bit of a cheap shot for Oprah to do what she did. Clearly she got busted by someone after she made that Larry King phone and had to quickly do something to restore her Book Club cred. But still, you have to wonder if Frey knew what he was getting into. I imagine he was probably thinking "Yay! Oprah saved me.. now she's inviting me back so we can have a party on her show!" That much was apparent, as he seemed (once again) ill-prepared for her direct accusations and blunt questions.

So while book sales looked good after Frey's Larry King appearance, it'll be interesting to see how they hold up after she-who-directs-book-sales said her piece today.

In a completely unrelated observation, Oprah's hair looked quite lovely today. I'd post a picture if I could find one. Update: Ah, here we go...