The Big O

My cousins had a dog called Oscar. He was a black Labrador, who had a tendency to eat things that he shouldn’t. We called him The Big O.

But it’s another Big O that has got everyone panting at the moment. It’s THE Big O.

On her ultimate Australian adventure this week and filming two episodes at the Opera House for her 25th and final season, Oprah Winfrey took Australia by storm. And took me by surprise.

I’d hardly say that I live under a rock when it comes to all things entertainment (I practically broke the news about Jake and Swifty’s new romance and the only reason that Bec & Lleyton kept baby Ava’s name a secret for so long, was coz they couldn’t get a hold of me and they wanted me to know first…), I mean certainly I’ve seen the footage of Oprah giving away a paddock-worth of cars with big red ribbons and I’ve heard the excited “we’re going to Australia!!” announcement more than enough times. And yes I’ve spent sick days on the couch watching Oprah – who hasn’t? But did I know she was a modern day Robin Hood? I have to say no.

From turning up at a Melbourne taco night (Becko – we should have thought of it!), to giving away $250,000 dollars to a family struggling with cancer, Oprah is more than generous. And it’s not just about the gifts and the money, she actually gives a shit. She talks to her fans, she’s almost as excited to meet them as they are to meet her. She never stops smiling or yelling or screaming. And neither do her fans.

Which brings me to my next point. She’s actually a quite a bogan. There, I said it. The Big O, one of the richest and most successful people in the world, is a dead set bogan. With her thumbs ups, her loud mouth, her lewdly coloured kaftans and her insistence on wearing an akubra ALL THE TIME, she has more in common with a subset of Aussies from the new western suburbs, that anyone would care to admit.

Does any of this matter? No way. I think she’s fabulous and even though she was all we heard about for one solid week, I never tired of her. I couldn’t get enough. And dare I say it, I even shed a little tear over her good-deeding.

And though there’s something particularly annoying about American tourists, if Oprah’s ultimate adventure brings more of them to Australia, I can’t find fault with that. She’s a better ambassador that others we’ve had. I’ll even offer to take a photo of them with the bridge in the background, making sure it’s full length and showing off their dark blue jeans and clean white treads and their big new akubra, just like Oprah’s.

I’m not as crazed as some of her ultimate fans, but if I had met her, I would have given her a massive cuddle, really snuggled right in and then offered to buy her a bevvie or two, just to say thanks for being a good person, a fun person, an easy going person and someone for us all to sit back and admire. She’s done good.

Hell, if the mood was right, I would have taken her to Minskys. That would have really given her something to talk about back home…

x