All Articles Tagged "Harpo"
Woman Claims Oprah’s Network Stole Her Ideas In New Lawsuit
Oprah speaking at Harvard’s commencement. Bizu/WENN.com
Super Soul Sunday, Iyanla: Fix My Life, and Dr. Phil are a series of shows on the OWN network that instill a “feel-good” emotion within most viewers. These shows allow the audience to examine one’s life in an introspective way. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, this idea of cathartic programming was allegedly robbed and used without consent.
Susan Kasi claims that it was her who came up with the idea first. According to her lawsuit, the philosophy of inspiring viewers was first brought up in 2003 by Sunset Concepts, Kasi’s company. Back then, Kasi pitched the idea called Care Free TV to Harpo and Oxygen, Oprah’s previous network. They rejected her concept. But the lawsuit is based on what happens a few years after they turned her down.
One day, Kasi allegedly had the conversation she hoped for with the executive vice president of Discovery. During their discussion, Discovery signed a contract stating that they “will not use any of the company’s Confidential Information” without permission and proper compensation to Sunset Concepts.
Unfortunately for Kasi, further discussions eventually led to another demise of the Care Free idea. But now she claims that Oprah’s network—now a fusion of Discovery and Harpo—have breached the contract and revitalized her own concepts without her permission. They stole what she calls her “experiential programming” idea.
The lawsuit details that a former colleague who helped pitch Care Free TV began working with OWN. Shows on the new network “began airing programming that resembled what Kasi had proposed,” it said.
Kasi claims to take credit for Super Soul Sunday, Breathing Space Vignettes, Good News Breaks, and even the very Oprah-esque My Favorite Things.
Discovery is not having it: “This lawsuit is completely without merit and we look forward to its resolution in court.”
Oprah was always known to have a lifestyle and catharsis-oriented show since the 80s, wasn’t she? It’s hard to see the plaintiff winning this case. Kasi is convinced that she deserves her “cut” from Oprah’s new network. What do you think?
African-American Women Top List of 'Rags to Riches' CEOs
(AOL Black Voices) — Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox sang ‘Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves’ way back in the ’80s, and this piece of pop wisdom is holding true for ladies in the new millenium. The Huffington Post just released a list of the Top Ten CEOs who came up from nothing to make it into the realms of the über-rich — and the extremely powerful. And, it is quite an achievement that two of the ten featured are African American women. Oprah Winfrey and the relatively new CEO of Xerox, Ursula Burns, are prominent members of the club of “rags-to-riches” CEOs:
Oprah Settles South African Defamation Suit
(AP) — Oprah Winfrey has settled a defamation lawsuit filed by a headmistress she had accused of performing poorly at her South African girls school, where some students claimed they were abused, lawyers said Tuesday.
The lawsuit by former headmistress Nomvuyo Mzamane claimed Winfrey defamed her in remarks made in the wake of the 2007 sex-abuse scandal at the school. Mzamane said she had trouble finding a job after Winfrey stated she had “lost confidence” in her and was “cleaning house from top to bottom.”
Oprah Settles South African Defamation Suit
(AP) — Oprah Winfrey has settled a defamation lawsuit filed by a headmistress she had accused of performing poorly at her South African girls school, where some students claimed they were abused, lawyers said Tuesday.
The lawsuit by former headmistress Nomvuyo Mzamane claimed Winfrey defamed her in remarks made in the wake of the 2007 sex-abuse scandal at the school. Mzamane said she had trouble finding a job after Winfrey stated she had “lost confidence” in her and was “cleaning house from top to bottom.”
