FED:Melbourne hosts TV royalty

AAP General News (Australia)
12-10-2010
FED:Melbourne hosts TV royalty

SYDNEY, Dec 10 AAP - Oprah Winfrey fever is gripping Melbourne as the TV chat show
queen makes the first public appearance of her Australian tour.

Fans are expected to gather in Federation Square on Friday ahead of Winfrey's arrival
at 2.30pm (AEDT).

She continues her Australian tour after finding an unlikely travel guide - singer Paul Simon.

Ahead of her arrival in Melbourne on Friday, Winfrey had spent the second day of her
visit at Uluru.

She said a phone call with the best-selling singer led her to cancel a trip to Hamilton
Island in favour of visiting the world-famous sandstone rock formation.

Staff members at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Ayers Rock Resort signed confidentiality
agreements to stop them talking to the media.

Winfrey completed her tour of the site as a tearful interview was being screened in
the US showing her denying she was a lesbian.

Her long personal and professional connection with Gayle King has sparked rumours that
they are gay, but Winfrey broke down in tears as she dismissed the speculation in an interview
with American ABC's Barbara Walters.

"I'm not even kind of a lesbian," Winfrey told Walters.

Persistent gossip to the contrary annoys her, she says, explaining that, if it were
true, "why would you want to hide it? That is not the way I run my life".

There was no sign of the speculation affecting her trip to Australia, however, as Winfrey
told reporters how singer Simon had called her to say she should visit Uluru.

"The reason I wanted to go to Uluru is that Paul Simon called me and said you must,
it's not to be missed," Winfrey told Ten News.

Winfrey will meet up up with her 300 guests at various different points on her so-called
Ultimate Australian Adventure before ending her daytime talk show early next year.

AAP tcm/mp

KEYWORD: OPRAH AM UPDATE

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