It’s not that I’m not going….It’s that they had a limited number of people that they could invite. I was not one of the invitees. That’s fine.
[Oprah trying in vain to rationalize why Tom did not invite her to his wedding]
Poor Oprah…first Hermes, now Tom: Despite all her power and influence, being denied access to a Parisian boutique or not receiving an invitation to the celebrity event of the year must make Oprah think that some (white) people still see her as nothing more than a poor nappy-headed black girl from Kosciusko, Mississippi (notwithstanding the best perms, weaves and hair extensions money can buy).
To her credit, however, Oprah showed her authentic self by refusing to cite the PR canard of “a scheduling conflict” to save face. Rather, she made it painfully clear that Tom’s diss was made even more devastating by the fact that she really wanted to be invited to his wedding in Italy this weekend.
Which begs the question:
Given her exalted and revered position in the Hollywood firmament and how contrived (and opportunistic) celebrity friendships invariably are (Brooke Shields and Katie are now “best friends”?), why did Tom risk alienating Oprah by refusing to invite her?
Let me hasten to clarify that, unlike the Hermes people, I do not think Tom’s motivation was racist…. Instead:
Perhaps Tom considers Oprah such a superstar that he did not want her to outshine his bride on her wedding day; or
Perhaps it’s payback because, unlike other celebrities (especially black invitees like Will Smith and Jamie Foxx), Oprah was not sufficiently receptive to his invitation to explore the wonders of Scientology; or
Perhaps Tom’s movie-star ego has grown so much since he was given his own movie studio (United Artist) that he now considers Oprah – with her Harpo Studios – more a rival than a “friend” whose ego he needs to stroke to market his movies; or
Perhaps Tom is still recovering from the public ridicule he suffered after prancing on Oprah’s couch – like a Cocker Spaniel, and pledging his love for the nubile Katie – like a pussy-whipped teenager. And, fair or not, he probably fears that Oprah’s presence would only trigger flashbacks of that humiliating episode in people’s minds.
But, whatever Tom’s reason for dissing her, Oprah should not compound her embarrassment by suggesting that he did not have room on his 1500-perons guest list to include her….
Related Articles:
Hermes French Boutique: Oprah Just Looked Too African to Shop Here…
Cruise shares Scientology with black celebrity friends
War of the Stars: Top Gun Tom Cruise strikes Pretty Baby Brooke Shields!
Tom Cruise wedding, Oprah Winfrey
WeblogBahamas.com says
Hi iPinions:
Don’t you think you ar ebeing a bit harsh on Oprah?
ALH ipinions says
On the contrary Weblogbahamas
My respect for Oprah is such that I think it’s beneath her dignity to be offering fatuous explanations for not being invited to Tom’s wedding. A simple, “I was not invited” would have sufficed.
Alas, I think she really is hurt by this farcical oversight.
WeblogBahamas.com says
But what would you expect iPinions?
That’s how she makes her living.
What am I missing?
ALH ipinions says
Weblog…
This commentary was actually meant to be more facetious than serious. But I do find Oprah’s public whining over not being invited unseemly.
I don’t watch her talk show, but based on what I’ve heard her say about it, I suspect what you’re missing is the fact that Oprah does not depend of celebrity wedding’s for her living. That would be tabloid magazines like “Hello”.
Oprah claims that millions of people (mostly women) tune in everyday for guidance on how to bring out the extraordinary in their ordinary lives. And clearly, pining about not being invited to a celebrity wedding makes a mockery of her missionary work.