Last summer, the self-proclaimed "Queen of All Media," Wendy Williams, made daytime television take notice with her breakout hit, 'The Wendy Williams Show.' Her talk show tested well in four markets, including New York and Los Angeles.
During a six-week trial last summer, viewers were treated to an all-out catfight between Wiliams and reality show villainess Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, plenty of juicy gossip, and a parade of B-list (okay, maybe some C-list) interviews.
As previously reported in BV Newswire, the show will return on July 13 in national syndication. But is the catty Jersey native ready to take on Empress Oprah?
Before you laugh, take note of this fact: Ratings for Oprah Winfrey's talk show, while still huge, fell at least 14 percent in 2008. There's room for Williams to maneuver, but even this anti-Oprah admits that taking the daytime throne means she'll have to expand her brand to a more mainstream audience.
Time will tell if she has what it takes. Meanwhile, for our latest round of Tale of the Tape, we took a look at the two media queens to determine how they matched up. Who do you think will come out on top? Scroll down for the comparisons.
oprah winfrey
Full Name: Wendy Joan Williams
Full Name: Oprah Gail Winfrey
Alias: "The Queen of All Media"
Alias: "O," "Deepak Oprah," "Lady O"
(W) Birth date: July 18, 1964
(O) Birth date: January 29, 1954
(W) Birthplace: Ocean Township, New Jersey
(O) Birthplace: Kosciusko, Mississippi
(W) Education: Northeastern University, majoring in Communications
(O) Education: Tennessee State University, majoring in Speech and Performing Arts
(W) Trademark Phrase: "How you doin'," "Awwwlllriiight?"
(O) Trademark Phrase: "Aha moment"
(W) Family Ties: 1 son, Kevin, Jr. (8 years old)
(O) Family Ties: 2 adopted cocker spaniel puppies
(W) Famous Feuds: Hip-Hop mogul Diddy (he reportedly got her fired from a radio gig), rapper/deejay Angie Martinez (they reportedly had a catfight in a radio studio), former singer/former deejay Miss Jones (it was alleged that hubby Kevin Hunter arranged for a hit to be made on her life) and former chart-topping diva Whitney Houston (who came undone on a notorious telephone interview with Williams).
(O) Famous Feuds: Hip-Hop mogul 50 Cent (the rapper lashed out at Winfrey after appearing on her show stating, "I think she caters to older white women...Oprah's audience is my audience's parents. So, I could care less about Oprah or her show.")
(W) Addictions: Marijuana and cocaine. A recovered addict, she told Essence in 2003: "Growing up, I was a loner and a misfit. I took drugs to fit in."
(O) Addictions: Food. In the January 2009 edition of "O" she says, " "My drug of choice is food. I use food for the same reasons an addict uses drugs: to comfort, to soothe, to ease stress."
(W) Claim to Fame: Gossip, Outing rappers and their sexual exploits.
(O) Claim to Fame: First woman in history to own and produce her very own talk show.
(W) Partner In Crime: Radio co-host Charlemagne (who was released from Wendy's radio show in November 2008)
(O) Partner In Crime: Gayle King (Driving Ms. Winfrey across America)
(W) Recent Scandal: Last June Kevin Hunter was embroiled in a federal sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Wendy's former intern/publicist and confidante Nicole Spence.
(O) Recent Scandal: Earlier this year seven students from Oprah's South Africa Leadership Academy for Girls were suspended (for the second time in two years) for "inappropriate behaviors" toward classmates which included sexual misconduct.
(W) Personal Quotes: "I was doing the gossip thing long before it was hip to talk about celebs and their lives being as much a mess as anyone else." (Newsweek)
(O) Personal Quotes: "My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with." (TV)
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