People start dancing on Oprah - suck it Ellen

Amazing to watch - apparently Oprah didn't know it was coming.

 

The dancing was way, way, way, way better than the song. Geez, I don't get Black Eyed Peas.[/grouchyoldman]

 

I liked the lyrics - "she gives us cars, jump on your sofa - Everybody - Oprah!"

 

they can dance all they want to just as long as oprah doesn't try to become the 5th and 6th judges on american idol

 

If she didn't know it was coming, it was because she wasn't around for crowd rehearsal.

I walked over from my office before taping just to check out the scene, and at the time I got there some angry young British chap was telling the crowd what they were supposed to do when Blackeyed Peas came on stage. He told them that under NO circumstances should they start dancing. "There are a million videos on YouTube of people dancing to Blackeyed Peas," he said over and over, to shame the Oprah crowd out of any rhythm. Instead, he put the crowd through the paces of the exact dance they were going to do at the exact time.

So two-and-a-half hours before taping, angry British guy was showing them the dance they were going to do (the one you see on the video), when certain people would dance, and the whole ripple action he wanted through the crowd. He informed people to communicate with those behind them to help them out so the ripple effect was right.

Also, just in case you didn't think the singing was anything other than plausibly live, I heard some tech over the loudspeaker panicking around that time, "I can't hear the Auto-Tune!"

Strangest thing with the taping is how Chicago heeded the warning to stay away from Michigan Avenue. Because it was the day after Labor Day, the tourists had gone home, and I suspect a lot of the workers along the Mag Mile had taken the day off. I went to the Starbucks across from Trib Tower, which at 2:30 on normal days has a long line. Instead, crickets were chirping. The Starbucks set up a system to speed through the line even faster excepting Oprah crowds, but they were shocked at how few people came through. (It also might have been that the crowd, at least up front, had to be in place pretty early.) The Marriott up the treat was selling food and drink (for charity, of course), and it had a big red slash through the prices in order to get stuff to move. That day was the easiest time I've ever had walking up and down Michigan Avenue.

 

I wish Oprah hadn't been dancing.

 

Just watched it. Can't decide if I liked the big crowd dance or not.
I did think it was really odd how they just stood there in the beginning and did nothing.

Loved Jennifer Hudson and it's always great to see Sweet Baby James.

Gotta give credit to the Peas PR People. Oprah & the NFL kick-off show in the same week = huge audiences.

 

Most hilarious moment in my office in a long time came yesterday when our quite old retired former SE, who works for us now in a correspondent capacity, said he had to rush back home after covering a golf match because he was going to miss the Black Eyed Peas.

I know for damn sight I did a poor job of covering up the cracked-up look on my face.

 

I'm almost sure that Oprah dropped an f-bomb during the dance. Hell - this may as well go on Chicago's Olympic reel.

 

I thought she dropped the F-bomb, too,

 

That was so f'ing cool.

My wife's lifelong dream is to be Oprah's best friend.

 

I think this was cooler