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Tag: Oprah Winfrey

  • Get to know 7 businesses owned by Oprah Winfrey

    Get to know 7 businesses owned by Oprah Winfrey

    American talk show host, Oprah Winfrey has undeniably established herself as one of the most prominent and revered media personalities not only in the United States but worldwide.

    Her remarkable journey began during her teenage years when she ventured into media and eventually solidified her position as the queen of talk shows, overcoming personal challenges and trauma to become a global idol, icon, and astute entrepreneur with a net worth exceeding a billion dollars.

    At the young age of 19, she secured a radio co-anchor position for the local evening news while still in high school, which later led to an opportunity in the daytime talk show realm, exposing her to a world of boundless possibilities. As a talk show host, she not only popularized but also revolutionized modern-day television, leaving an indelible mark on the industry. Presently, Oprah Winfrey stands as one of the wealthiest women in the world.

    Beyond her illustrious career in media, her ventures into the business world are often overlooked. Oprah Winfrey is an exceptionally prolific investor with interests in a myriad of businesses, exhibiting her astute business acumen. Her multiple business ventures and diverse revenue streams have earned her the distinction of being one of the earliest Black females to achieve billionaire status.

    With the ‘Queen of talk shows’ in the spotlight, here are 7 businesses owned by Oprah Winfrey that you probably didn’t know:

    Harpo Inc.

    Winfrey is the founder of Harpo Studios, a multimedia company she launched in 1986. The name of the company is rooted in the backward spelling of her name Oprah. She established the company to take over the production of her talk show, which catapulted her into the limelight.

    In addition to her show, Harpo Studios has produced films like The Color Purple, Selma, and Beloved. Together, the movies made around $2 billion, and Harpo Studios has an estimated net worth of $150 million, according to Forbes.

    Though Winfrey sold Harpo Studios in Chicago some years ago, her company, Harpo Inc., remains under her ownership and leadership.

    OWN

    In 2011, she launched her own cable network called Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). The network largely features entertainment and lifestyle programming targeting African American audiences, and reruns of talk show programming from the Harpo Studios library (including The Oprah Winfrey Show). Initially a 50/50 joint venture, Discovery acquired a larger stake in the network in 2017 and again in December 2020, when Discovery increased its ownership in OWN from 73% to 95%. Harpo remains a “significant” minority stakeholder and Winfrey is contracted with the channel through at least 2025.

    Oprah.com

    In addition to OWN, Winfrey owns an online media platform called Oprah.com. The platform is a women’s lifestyle website that features articles on various topics focused on health, wellness, fashion, and food. It reportedly generates over 75 million page views per month.

    Weight Watchers

    Winfrey acquired a minority stake in Weight Watchers, a global health and nutrition program, for $34 million. The value of her investment, however, reportedly reached $430 million by 2020. According to Forbes, she bought a 10% stake in Weight Watchers in 2015, though she owns less now.

    True Food Kitchen

    The media mogul is an investor in True Food Kitchen, a health food restaurant chain founded by author, Andrew Weil. The company reportedly owns at least 42 locations from coast to coast.

    Oatly

    Oprah owns shares in Oatmilk Company, Oatly, which went to IPO last year for a $10 billion evaluation. In 2020, Oatly sold a minority $200m stake to a group of high-profile investors that included Oprah Winfrey and Jay-Z.

    The Oprah Conversation

    The Queen of Talk Shows launched The Oprah Conversation in partnership with Apple TV+. “The Oprah Conversation,” features timely discussions between Oprah and “newsmakers, thought leaders and masters of their craft” across a range of topics, according to Tech Crunch.

  • Make Nana Ama McBrown Ghana’s Ellen DeGeneres or Oprah – Olele Salvador

    Make Nana Ama McBrown Ghana’s Ellen DeGeneres or Oprah – Olele Salvador

    Ghanaian entertainment journalist, Emmanuel Kwame Sarpong known popularly as Olele Salvador, wants Media General to transform actress and TV presenter, Nana Ama Brown into the likes of Oprah Winfrey or Ellen DeGeneres.

    According to him, this would be possible as Nana Ama McBrown is likeable and has a remarkable brand that attracts investors.

    In a tweet briefly after her move from UTV to Media General, he wrote: “I’m not too sure what the plan is for Nana Ama McBrown at Onua TV/Onua FM but I think she will best fit the ‘Ellen Degeneres/Oprah” profile or typa show. She’s likeable. & Her brand attracts all sorta products that can have her easily do these in-studio audience giveaway etc.”

    McBrown is joining the Onua brand under the Media General group.

    “Akwaabaa…. From the entire Media General family, we welcome the beautiful and amazing Nana Ama McBrown to the Onua family. You are welcome home Nana Ama,” the media house wrote.

    The two international women Olele Salvador want McBrown to walk in their footsteps have worked hard to become who they are now, just as Nana Ama McBrown who started with her “archrival” Suzzy Williams of blessed memory.

    Ellen DeGeneres

    After starting out as a stand-up comedian, Ellen DeGeneres rose to fame when her sitcom “Ellen” premiered on television in 1994.

    Nine years later, her eponymous daytime talk show first aired, making DeGeneres a household name, Forbes notes.

    In addition to the eight-figure check she gets from hosting her show, she has earned millions more producing shows like “Little Big Shots.”

    In 2021, she announced she would end her show after its 19th season, following various reports came out detailing the show’s toxic workplace.

    Since coming out as gay in 1997, she’s been an activist in the LGTBQ community, supporting to the Trevor Project, Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD.

    Oprah Winfrey

    Oprah Winfrey has transitioned her hit talk show, which ran for 25 years, into a media and business empire.

    According to Forbes, she reinvested the profits from her show plus profits from films like The Color Purple, Beloved and Selma (which her Harpo Productions coproduced) add up to more than $2 billion.

    In 2011, Winfrey launched cable channel OWN. Her 25.5% of the network is worth more than $65 million.

    The ‘Oprah effect’ has spread to Weight Watchers: she bought a 10% stake in 2015 (since lowered to 7%) and acts as a brand ambassador.

    In March 2020, she returned to the small screen on Apple TV+ for an interview show about Covid-19 as part of her multiyear pact with the streamer.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Harry and Meghan to testify in defamation case brought by duchess’s half-sister

    Harry and Meghan to testify in defamation case brought by duchess’s half-sister

    In her lawsuit against the duchess, Samantha Markle alleges that Meghan made “demonstrably false and malicious statements” to a “worldwide audience.”

    Following the judge’s denial of a motion to halt the testimony, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be forced to testify under oath in a US defamation case brought by the duchess’s half-sister.

    A lawsuit against the duchess for “defamation and injurious falsehood” was filed by Samantha Markle in 2021, following the couple’s high-profile tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

    Samantha Markle asserted in a document filed in March of last year that Meghan made “demonstrably false and malicious statements” to a “worldwide audience.”

    The duchess previously filed a motion to stop a person from being forced to testify under oath during depositions, where a person is made to give testimony under oath, from taking place in the case.

    However, this motion was dismissed by Florida judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell on Tuesday.

    “Defendant Markle does not show that unusual circumstances justify the requested stay, or that prejudice or an undue burden will result if the court does not impose a stay,” the documents state.

    “Defendant Markle does not satisfy the high standard required to stay discovery pending the resolution of a dispositive motion.”

    Samantha Markle
    Image:Samantha Markle is suing her sister for ‘defamation and injurious falsehood’

    In their joint interview with US talk show host Winfrey in March 2021, Harry and Meghan spoke about both their families and made a series of allegations about the Royal Family.

    Samantha Markle’s original complaint stated the comments made by the Sussexes during the interview had reached “roughly 50 million people in 17 countries”.

    In the filing she alleged she was defamed by Meghan in the interview when the duchess “falsely and maliciously” said that she was “an only child”.

    “Plaintiff – who suffers from multiple sclerosis and is confined to a wheelchair – brings this action for defamation based on demonstrably false and malicious statements made by her half-sister to a worldwide audience, including roughly 50 million people in 17 countries who watched the Oprah Winfrey interview with the defendant, Meghan Markle, and her husband, Prince Harry of England,” the filing stated.

    “Meghan – who was featured with Prince Harry on the cover of Time Magazine’s annual feature on ‘The World’s Most Influential People’ published and disseminated false and malicious lies designed to destroy Plaintiff’s reputation and which have subjected Plaintiff to humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale.”

    The filing also added that Meghan had used “the powerful resources of the royal family’s public relations operation” to disseminate and spread “lies worldwide” about Samantha Markle and their father, Thomas Markle.

    “The defendant orchestrated the campaign to defame and destroy her sister’s and her father’s reputation and credibility in order to preserve and promote the false ‘rags-to-royalty’ narrative,” the filing stated.

    “(It was) a premeditated campaign to destroy their reputation and credibility so they could not interfere with or contradict the false narrative and fairy tale life story concocted by the Defendant.”

    The planned depositions come following the Sussexes’ explosive Netflix series and the publication of Harry’s memoir Spare last month.

  • Montecito, home to Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, ordered to evacuate due to mudslides

    Montecito, home to Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, ordered to evacuate due to mudslides

    Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the entire community of Montecito was forced under mandatory evacuation orders by Santa Barbara County officials due to mudslides from a torrential storm.

    Ellen DeGeneres shared a video on Instagram of an overflowing creek by her home as she prepared to evacuate from the affluent town roughly 90 miles north of Los Angeles.

    “Montecito is under complete evacuation, the entire town,” she said. “This is the five-year anniversary from the fire and mudslides that killed so many people and people lost their homes, their lives. This is crazy … on the five-year anniversary. We are having unprecedented rain.”

    The town is also home to Katy Perry, Chris Pratt, Ariana Grande and Jennifer Aniston. Montecito local, Rob Lowe, made his directorial debut with the 2020 movie “Madness in the Hills.” It delved into the devastating 2018 mudslides which killed 23 people after the Thomas Fire burned for more than one month in 2017.

    PRINCE HARRY’S TOP 5 ‘60 MINUTE’ BOMBSHELLS

    Prince Harry Meghan Markle and Ellen DeGeneres in rain
    Montecito was ordered to evacuate due to heavy downpours and mudslides.

    DeGeneres added, “This creek next to our house never flows – ever. This is probably about nine feet up, and it’s going to go another two feet.”

  • With a net worth of $2.5 billion, Oprah Winfrey is still the richest Black woman in America

    With a net worth of $2.5 billion, Oprah Winfrey is still the richest Black woman in America

    The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran for 25 years and generated a billion dollars in revenue for the media company, made Oprah Winfrey the richest Black woman in America.

    Winfrey is not only the wealthiest Black woman in America, but also ranks 1,169th on the list of the world’s richest people and 24th on Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 most powerful women as of 2022, with a net worth of $2.5 billion.

    In addition to her successful media ventures, Winfrey has also demonstrated her expertise in investing in high-end real estate.

    In September 2022, she sold her Montecito estate in California for a profit of $6.6 million. Winfrey purchased the 2.1-acre estate, which includes a Mediterranean-style main house and two small cottages, for $10.5 million in 2020 and made additional renovations.

    She decided to split the estate in 2021, selling the main house to actress and producer Jennifer Aniston for almost $14.8 million and the cottages to her personal trainer and property manager, Bob Greene, for $2.3 million. The total proceeds from the sale of the estate were $17.1 million, with Winfrey’s gross profit estimated at $6.6 million, excluding renovation expenses.

    Winfrey’s diverse investments and businesses in the media industry have contributed to her impressive net worth and position as a powerful woman and as a beacon of hope to many, especially people of ccolor

    As the host of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for 25 years, Winfrey used her platform to create unforgettable moments through conversations with her guests and audience. 

    Her $2.5-billion net worth and diverse investments and businesses make her not only one of the world’s richest Black people and the richest Black woman in America, but also a role model for aspiring entrepreneurs.

  • 7 richest Black women in the United States in December 2022

    It was a successful year for Black businesswomen in the United States, as several saw their wealth significantly increase through new deals, acquisitions, and business expansion.

    Emma Grede, for example, experienced a significant rise in her net worth. With a current fortune of $360 million, Grede derives her net worth from ventures such as Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand Skims and size-inclusive fashion brand Good American, which she co-founded with Khloe Kardashian in 2016.

    However, not all Black businesswomen in the United States had such fortunate this year. Some, like cosmetics billionaire Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty, saw their net worth drop due to rising interest rates, the uneven reopening of the pandemic, and market uncertainty caused by the war in Europe.

    Despite these challenges, many Black businesswomen in the United States were able to achieve success and increase their wealth, showcasing their hard work, determination, and resilience.

    It is important to recognize and celebrate these achievements, as they inspire and encourage other women of color to pursue their entrepreneurial goals.

    According to data from Forbes, here is how these businesswomen rank.

    1. Oprah Winfrey

    Net worth: $2.5 billion

    Source: Media

    Oprah Winfrey, the talk show host turned media mogul, has a net worth of $2.5 billion, making her the wealthiest Black woman in America, according to Forbes.

    Oprah has transformed her hit talk show, which aired for 25 years, into a media and business empire. To preserve and grow her fortune over time, the leading media mogul has reinvested profits from her show, as well as profits from films like “The Color Purple,” “Beloved,” and “Selma,” into key assets and entities in the media industry.

    This year, Oprah faced some setbacks, including a decrease in her net worth from $2.6 billion at the start of the year.

    Despite these challenges, Oprah’s media empire continues to thrive, thanks to her shrewd business acumen and her determination to succeed.

    She recently earned $6.6 million from the sale of her Montecito estate in California, which she had purchased for $10.5 million just a year ago.

    2. Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty

    Net worth: $1.4 billion

    Source: Music and Cosmetics

    Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty is a successful musician and entrepreneur with a net worth of $1.4 billion. She is the second-richest Black woman in the United States. However, her net worth has declined by $300 million since the beginning of the year, going from $1.7 billion to $1.4 billion.

    Fenty’s main source of wealth is her cosmetics company, Fenty Beauty, which she launched in collaboration with LVMH Mot Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2017.

    The company sells makeup and skincare products on Sephora shelves and online to more than 150 countries, and is expected to bring in over $550 million in revenue in 2020.

    In addition to Fenty Beauty, Rihanna has recently filed two applications for Fenty Hair with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, indicating her plans to launch a haircare line under the Fenty brand.

    The Fenty Hair collection will include a range of accessories such as hairbands, bows, clips, ribbons, scrunchies, wigs, curlers, pins, brushes, and combs, further expanding the Fenty brand’s presence in the fashion and cosmetics industries.

    3. Sheila Johnson

    Net worth: $780 million

    Source: CableTV

    Sheila Johnson is a successful American businesswoman and co-founder of the cable TV channel BET, or Black Entertainment Network.

    According to Forbes, she is one of the richest Black women in the United States. Johnson was the first African-American woman to achieve a net worth of at least $1 billion, but her fortune has decreased to $780 million in recent years.

    However, data from Forbes shows that her net worth has increased by more than $30 million in the current year, going from $750 million at the beginning of the year to $780 million as of now.

    4. Janice Bryant Howroyd

    Net worth: $630 million

    Source: Workforce Solutions

    Janice Bryant Howroyd is a leading businesswoman and one of the richest Black women in the world, with a net worth of $630 million. She founded ActOne in 1978 with just $1,500, including a $900 loan from her mother, and a fax machine and phone. Today, the agency has more than 17,000 clients and 2,600 employees in 19 countries.

    In 2019, Howroyd released her second book, “Acting Up,” in which she shared her advice for conquering the business world. Her net worth has increased significantly from $285 million in 2020 to its present value of $630 million.

    In addition to her successful agency, Howroyd also owns several dozen properties, including commercial rental properties and personal residences.

    5. Beyonce Knowles

    Net worth: $450 million

    Source: Music, Fashion

    Beyonce Knowles is a highly successful musician and one of the wealthiest women in the world, with a net worth of $450 million, according to Forbes.

    In addition to her music career, Beyoncé has also had multiple clothing lines, including her activewear line, Ivy Park, which has a partnership with Adidas.

    In November 2022, Beyonce received nine new Grammy nominations, bringing her lifetime total to 88 and tying the record for the most nominations in Grammy history. She shares this record with her husband, further solidifying her place as a dominant force in the music industry.

    6. Emma Grede

    Net worth: $360 million

    Source: Fashion

    Emma Grede is the founder and CEO of Good American, a premium apparel label in the United States that promotes a healthy body ideal with a full and inclusive size range.

    She co-founded the company with Khloé Kardashian in 2016, and it has since become one of the most successful apparel launches in history, with sales reaching upwards of one million dollars on the first day.

    Grede was raised in East London by a single mother and began working a paper route at the age of 12, saving her earnings to buy fashion magazines. She later founded fashion and entertainment marketing agency ITB Worldwide in 2008 and became the first Black woman to serve as an investor on the popular ABC series Shark Tank.

    7. Serena Williams

    Net worth: $260 million

    Source: Tennis, Investments

    Serena Williams, one of the most successful and wealthy Black women in America, has a net worth of $260 million. Williams is also widely regarded as one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, having earned over $94 million in career prize money.

    However, Williams’ success extends beyond her achievements on the tennis court. She has also made smart investments through her firm, Serena Ventures, which has invested in over 60 startups.

    In March 2022, Serena Ventures raised an initial fund of $111 million. Recently, Williams launched a new company called Will Perform as part of her efforts to enter the booming sports recovery industry. This industry includes both large and small-scale stakeholders, such as wellness centers, sports recovery spas, and gyms.

    Since appearing on Forbes’ annual list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women in 2019, Williams’ net worth has increased by $20 million, from $240 million at the start of the year to $260 million at present.

  • ‘He is now on the institution side’: Harry on relationship with brother, Prince William in Netflix doc

    Prince Harry said that he and Prince William had “been through hell together” in his 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, but the final episodes of Netflix’s Harry & Meghan revealed a rift.

    More than ever, Prince Harry is discussing his relationship with his brother, Prince William.

    The 38-year-old Duke of Sussex discussed his strained relationship with his 40-year-old brother in brand-new episodes of Harry & Meghan that debuted on Thursday on Netflix.

     

    During the Sandringham Summit, in which Harry and William sat down with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles to discuss how the Sussexes could both lead an independent life while remaining of service to the Queen, “It became very clear very quickly that that goal was not up for discussion or debate,” said Harry. “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that simply weren’t true and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.”

    Leaving the monumental meeting without a clear path forward, “The saddest part of it was this wedge created between myself and my brother, so that he’s now on the institution’s side,” Harry continued. “Part of that I get, I understand, right, that’s his inheritance. So to some extent, it’s already ingrained in him that part of his responsibility is the survivability and continuation of this institution.”

    <a href="https://people.com/tag/prince-william/" data-inlink="true">Prince William</a>, Prince of Wales, <a href="https://people.com/tag/prince-harry/" data-inlink="true">Prince Harry</a>, Duke of Sussex
    CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY

    To that end, Harry opened up about the family’s relationship with the press: how there’s “leaking, but there’s also planting, of sorts,” and how “if the comms team want to be able to remove a negative story about their principal [royal figure], they will trade and give you something about someone else’s principal. So the offices end up working against each other.”

    “William and I both saw what happened in our dad [King Charles III]’s office, and we made an agreement that we would never let that happen to our office,” Harry continued.

    However, in 2020, Harry felt that promise was broken when William’s office released a joint statement from the brothers rebutting reports that Harry and Meghan’s step back from royal life had to do with bullying by William.

    <a href="https://people.com/tag/prince-harry/" data-inlink="true">Prince Harry</a>, Duke of Sussex and <a href="https://people.com/tag/prince-william/" data-inlink="true">Prince William</a>, Duke of Cambridge
    Prince Harry and Prince William. KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE

    “We couldn’t believe it,” Harry said. “No one had asked me permission to put my name to a statement like that. And I rang M and I told her and she burst into floods of tears because within four hours, they were happy to lie to protect my brother. And yet, for three years, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”

    In this week’s issue of PEOPLE, a palace source shares that Prince William and Kate Middleton are avoiding the Harry & Meghan docuseries, having aides watch instead.

    Despite an apparent olive branch following Queen Elizabeth’s death in September, when Prince Harry and Meghan joined Prince William and Kate to view tributes to the monarch outside Windsor Castle, the relationship between the brothers remains strained.

    “It will take a long time before there is harmony between the brothers,” says a source close to the royal household. “There is a lot of anger there.”

    Catherine, Princess of Wales, <a href="https://people.com/tag/prince-william/" data-inlink="true">Prince William</a>, Prince of Wales, <a href="https://people.com/tag/prince-harry/" data-inlink="true">Prince Harry</a>, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on the long Walk at Windsor Castle arrive to view flowers and tributes to HM <a href="https://people.com/tag/queen-elizabeth/" data-inlink="true">Queen Elizabeth</a> on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to <a href="https://people.com/tag/queen-elizabeth/" data-inlink="true">Queen Elizabeth</a> II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022
    CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY

    In the first three episodes of the Netflix series following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan spoke about her lack of understanding of royal life, including her surprise when she first met Kate.

    “When Will and Kate came over and I had met her for the first time, they came over for dinner,” Meghan said in Harry & Meghan. “I remember I was in ripped jeans and barefoot.”

    “Like I was a hugger, always been a hugger,” she added. “I didn’t realize that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits.”

    “I guess I’d start to understand very quickly that the formality on the outside, carried through on the inside,” she continued. “There is a forward-facing way of being and then you close the door and you relax now. But that formality carries over on both sides. And that was surprising to me.”

    A friend of the Princess of Wales tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story that the royal is “warm and friendly.”

    “Kate’s a big hugger,” the friend says. “She is warm and friendly and greets everyone with a big hug and kiss. It comes naturally to her to be like that.”

    <a href="https://people.com/tag/prince-william/" data-inlink="true">Prince William</a>, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, <a href="https://people.com/tag/prince-harry/" data-inlink="true">Prince Harry</a>, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend a service marking the centenary of WW1 armistice at Westminster Abbey on November 11, 2018 in London, England. The armistice ending the First World War between the Allies and Germany was signed at Compiègne, France on eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month - 11am on the 11th November 1918. This day is commemorated as Remembrance Day with special attention being paid for this year's centenary
    PAUL GROVER- WPA POOL/GETTY

    In Prince Harry and Meghan’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry said his relationship with Prince William “is space at the moment,” but added that he “loves William to bits — we’ve been through hell together.”

     

    “And you know, time heals all things, hopefully,” he said.

     

    Volumes one and two Harry & Meghan are now streaming on Netflix.

    Source: People.com 

     

  • Prince Harry: It’s a dirty game’ says Prince in new Netflix trailer

    In a new trailer for Netflix’s Harry and Meghan series, Prince Harry speaks of “leaking and… planting of stories” as part of a “dirty game.”

    In an apparent reference to his wife, Meghan, and mother, Princess Diana, he describes the “pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution.”

    The topic of race is brought up, with one commentator describing the couple’s experience as : “It is all about hatred. It all about race.”

    The series will be available on Thursday.

    A further three episodes of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s account of royal life will follow on 15 December. It has a 15 age rating, with Netflix’s listing saying it deals with “discrimination”.

    The latest trailer shows a series of hard-hitting comments, which show no sign of any olive branches to the Royal Family.

    Instead there is a commentary that claims “there was a war against Meghan to suit other people’s agendas”.

    Over an image of senior royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony, Prince Harry says: “There’s a hierarchy of the family. You know there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories.”

    Prince Harry and Meghan, who are no longer “working royals”, were not allowed on to that symbolic balcony for late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

    In the previous trailer there was a noticeable image of Catherine, Princess of Wales, looking very stony-faced and this latest teaser includes another austere picture of her, alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex.

    The trailer for the six-part series shows a quickfire narrative of the couple’s difficult relationship with the royals, the media and the public – which ended with Prince Harry and Meghan moving to the US.

    It begins with Meghan being warmly received by the public – treated like a “royal rock star”.

    But then it suggests “everything changed”, with Prince Harry talking of leaks and planted stories and with a commentator referring to “hatred” and “race”.

    The trailer links Meghan’s experience to the pressure faced by Princess Diana using images of the intense press attention surrounding her – with Meghan saying “I realised, they’re never going to protect you”.

    “We know the full truth,” says Prince Harry at the end.

    Last week, a teaser for the season was released at the same time as Prince Harry’s brother, the Prince of Wales, was in the US to present his Earthshot environmental prize.

    The documentary is said to offer an insight into what the couple describe as the inside story of why they stepped back from their royal duties.

    Prince Harry and Meghan formally stepped down as senior royals in March 2020.

    A year later, during an interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said life within the Royal Family became so difficult at times she “didn’t want to be alive anymore”.

    The trailer for the upcoming documentary comes against a backdrop of a royal race row following comments to a black British guest at Buckingham Palace.

    Lady Susan Hussey, Prince William’s godmother and lady-in-waiting to the late Queen, stood down from her honorary duties last week after Ngozi Fulani, the founder of the charity Sistah Space, described how she had been repeatedly asked where she “really” came from at a reception.

    A spokesman for Prince William responded to the row by saying that “racism has no place in our society”.

     

     

  • Here is why Tyler Perry fired his entire accounting staff

    Tyler Perry is a household name in Hollywood and his success tells the story of rags to riches. Although he reportedly grew up in an abusive family, he did not allow that to become an impediment to his path to success. At a point, Perry had to make a home in his car.

    In 2020, Forbes officially recognized him as a billionaire after he reached a net worth of $1 billion.

    According to Forbes, the 53-year-old has earned a pretax income of over $1.5 billion since 2005 and joins the likes of fellow billionaire industry players including Oprah Winfrey, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and John de Mol.

    The bulk of his earnings comes from his 133.5 (330 acres) Atlanta film studio, Madea franchise and his stake in the BET+ streaming service, according to Forbes. Perry’s journey to success was not without challenges.

    In a recent discussion with guests at the 2022 Earn Your Leisure Conference, the entrepreneur and popular filmmaker shared with his audience his challenges as a businessman, including dismissing his entire accounting staff for a costly error.

    Perry understood how important it was to make sure taxes had to adhere to a specific standard, despite the fact that he agrees that taxes are a grey area.

    “In business, it’s ok to make mistakes, but do learn. Don’t let it keep happening over and over again,” Perry noted, according to the daily caller, before opening up about his accounting problem.

    According to him, he commissioned an audit into his business which went on for three years, costing him hundreds of thousands of dollars. After the audit, he said, “we get to the end of the audit, and the IRS owed me $9 million — they owed me $9 million!”

    He further noted that he was shocked that his accounts didn’t initially recognize the severity of the issue, adding that he had no choice but to fire them. “And all my accountants come running and say ‘Isn’t that great? Isn’t that great?’ And I say, ‘Hell no! How did you miss me paying $9 million?’”

    “Everybody gone! I had to stop going to H&R block for my taxes at some point,” he joked.

    Source:ghanaweb.com

     

  • Olivia Newton-John: Tributes to Grease star and singer who died at 73

    Tributes have been paid from around the world to Olivia Newton-John, who has died from cancer aged 73.

    The British-born Australian singer and actress were best known for playing Sandy in Grease, one of the most successful film musicals ever made.

    Her Grease co-star John Travolta said she “made all of our lives so much better” while its director said: “What you see is what you get with her.”

    She died peacefully at her California ranch surrounded by family and friends.

    An actress and musician, Newton-John achieved commercial success as a country singer and sold millions of records globally.

    But it was her role as high school student Sandy in the film Grease that catapulted her to worldwide fame.

    Tributes have been paid from around the world to Olivia Newton-John, who has died from cancer aged 73.

    The British-born Australian singer and actress were best known for playing Sandy in Grease, one of the most successful film musicals ever made.

    Her Grease co-star John Travolta said she “made all of our lives so much better” while its director said: “What you see is what you get with her.”

    She died peacefully at her California ranch surrounded by family and friends.

    An actress and musician, Newton-John achieved commercial success as a country singer and sold millions of records globally.

    But it was her role as high school student Sandy in the film Grease that catapulted her to worldwide fame.

    “Olivia was the essence of summer – her sunniness, her warmth and her grace are what always comes to mind when I think of her. I will miss her enormously.”

    Singer Rod Stewart called her “the perfect lady, gorgeous, with great poise and with a certain Aussie sophistication”.

    “Her spandex trousers in Grease were my inspiration for my ‘Da ya think I’m Sexy’ era,” he added, referencing the iconic tight black outfit that she wore at the film’s finale.

    US television host Oprah Winfrey said her “positivity was just infectious”. “You’ll be missed, Olivia,” she wrote. “Here’s to the good times.”

    Travolta wrote on Instagram: “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again.”

    “Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever!” he added, signing off: “Your Danny, your John!”

    The film’s director Randal Kleiser said he had been friends with Newton-John for 40 years and “she never changed, she was always exactly the way everyone imagines her”.

    “She was charming, lovely, warm… There are so many clichés you can say about her, but in her case, it was all true.”

    Asked what his everlasting memory of her will be, he told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Hanging out with her at her ranch. Seeing the real Olivia which was exactly like the Olivia she projected. No cameras around, no people around… she was exactly the same and as loving as ever.”

    Didi Conn, who played Frenchy in Grease, told BBC Newsnight: “She was such a humungous, big, big pop star and her persona was of this beauty… pure and sweet. In the movie we would call her Miss Goody Two Shoes, you know, but simmering under that façade of innocence was a hot mama ready to come out.”

    Other tributes came from singers Kylie Minogue, who called her an inspiration, and Dionne Warwick, who called Newton-John “one of the nicest people I had the pleasure of recording and performing with”.

    Australian rock legend John Farnham, a long-time friend and with whom Newton-John released her final studio album, said she would be “greatly missed” and “behind that iconic smile was a tenacious fighter”.

    Olivia Moore, who is currently playing Sandy in Grease in London’s West End, broke the news to a shocked audience at the end of Monday evening’s performance.

    Newton-John was first diagnosed with cancer in 1992 and went on to become a leading advocate of cancer research. Her charity, the Olivia Newton-John Foundation, has raised millions of pounds to support research.

    In a statement, the hospital that runs the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne – which was opened after the star’s campaigning – said she “encouraged, inspired and supported” staff and patients every day.

    “We are incredibly grateful for the special relationship we had with Olivia for many years. Her generous support and gift provided hope and changed the lives of thousands of cancer patients… She was the light at the end of the tunnel for many, many people.”

    Her efforts in the field were recognized by the Queen, who honored her with a damehood in the 2020 New Year’s Honours list.

    In a statement posted to her social media channels, Newton-John’s husband John Easterling said she had died on Monday, hailing her “a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years, sharing her journey with breast cancer”.

    “Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continue with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer.”

    In later years, Newton-John became a cancer campaigner which led to the opening of an institute named after her in Melbourne

    Newton-John was born in Cambridge on 26 September 1948.

    Her father had been a British spy during World War Two. Her mother was the daughter of the German Nobel laureate, Max Born, and had fled with her family when the Nazis came to power in 1933.

    The family moved to Australia in 1954, where she was raised.

    Her breakthrough came in 1971 when she released a Bob Dylan-penned track, If Not For You, which reached number seven in the UK charts and featured on an album of the same name.

    She won four Grammy awards and scored seven US number one hits between 1974 and 1977.

    While critics never warmed to her audience-friendly style of music, the star forthrightly dismissed the reviews.

    “It annoys me when people think because it’s commercial, it’s bad,” she told Rolling Stone. “It’s completely opposite. If people like it, that’s what it’s supposed to be.”

    In 1978 she became a global star with the release of Grease. The film, set in the 1950s, told the story of Sandy’s summer fling with John Travolta’s Danny and the difficulties the relationship encounters. In the end, the pair reconcile, with Sandy having transformed her appearance.

    In 2019, after being diagnosed with breast cancer for the third time, she was asked by CBS News how she coped.

    “It was consuming my day and after a time I went ‘you know what, I need to enjoy my life so I’m going to eat a cookie if I want it,” she said.

    “Because the joy of life and everyday living has to be a part of that healing process as well. So I’ve chosen that path to be grateful and to feel good about things because the other side’s not so good.”

    Source: bbc.com