Inside Oprah's Houston Night

Inside Oprah's Houston night: Five secrets she shared, from a Stedman screw up to truffle hunting

Nobody commands a stadium like Oprah Winfrey. Statuesque and poised with her ever-infectious confidence and warmth, Oprah greeted the Houston audience in a floor length vibrant yellow gown at the Toyota Center on Friday night, and attendees did not leave disappointed.

For a stadium that is usually packed shoulder to shoulder with passionate basketball fans and giddy concert groupies, the Toyota Center turned into what can only be described as a middle-aged dance party during the "Oprah's The Life You Want" stop in Houston.

Imparting her signature feel good serum, self-help mantras and quote-worthy wisdoms, Winfrey guided the mostly female audience through the captivating story of how she was born into a poor rural Mississippi home and eventually became a world-renowned television personality.

The Toyota Center turned into what can only be described as a middle-aged dance party during Oprah's stop in Houston.

During the event, the media mogul shared a plethora of interesting and lesser-known facts about her life and work. For those who weren't there to witness the big money show, here are five things we learned about Winfrey:

1. She loves energy

After years of watching the Oprah Winfrey Show, I learned that Winfrey is deeply religious, but I never knew just how spiritual she was until Friday night. If there was one word that was repeated throughout the evening, it was energy. Energy. Energy. Energy.

Paraphrasing Newton's First Law, "Every action has a reaction," Oprah professed that the energy people put out into the world is exactly the energy they receive in return. That those who send out love will receive enrichment, and those who exhibit fear will feel that negativity in return.

2. She still remembers that terrible Texas beef incident

In 1998, Oprah was engulfed in a Texas lawsuit that resembled an episode of Dallas. To explain: In 1996, Winfrey ran a segment on mad cow disease that inspired a group of Texas cattlemen to sue the then talk show host for slandering their meat. The $10.3 million dollar lawsuit dragged on for weeks, but the jury eventually ruled in Winfrey's favor.

"Everything stands outside of you to tell you who you are. Be still and know who you are."

Ironically, Winfrey said those tiring weeks of litigation served as a test of character. Though these cattlemen were saying that Winfrey set out to ruin the beef industry, she knew she had no malicious intent with her words.

"Everything stands outside of you to tell you who you are," she says. "Be still and know who you are."

3. Just like your grandma, Oprah tells the same stories over and over again

If there is one qualm I have with Winfrey, it's her tendency to tell the same stories over again. Case in point: In Houston Winfrey narrated the story of how she auditioned for The Color Purple, realized she wasn't going to be cast in the film, went to a health retreat and surrendered her sadness only to receive a call from Steven Spielberg saying she had been cast in the movie.

I and many others in the audience already know this story since Oprah tells it nearly every chance she gets. Here's the evidence if you don't believe me. Please don't misunderstand me: Her messages are powerful, but I can't help but wonder if she doesn't have something fresh up her sleeve after all these years of life-altering experiences.

4. She loves to cook

As Winfrey put it, she loves to cook when she feels like it, which probably means she cooks only a few times a year. And yet, I can't imagine how fun it would be to sit alongside Winfrey as she prepared for one of her remarkable dinner parties. She even captivated audiences with the story how she once made a stuffed goose for her boyfriend Stedman, but that he showed up too late at night to eat it.

Long story short: Winfrey was mad and Stedman never did it again. Winfrey even detailed her recent truffle hunting trip in Italy that she took with her best friend Gayle King. Just like us, Winfrey loves food.

5. Every Oprah guest seeks acceptance

"We all desire to know we matter and that we are heard," Winfrey says. In all of her years of doing show after show, Winfrey admits that each and every guest — including "Beyonce with all her Beyonce-ness" — asks Winfrey how they did at the conclusion of the segment.

Even Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush turned to the host for the thumbs up or thumbs. In truth, it's good to know that even Beyonce seeks the occasional outward approval.

Oprah Winfrey played to the audience in Houston, even if she made it clear she hasn't forgotten the Texas beef incident.

unspecified

Movie Review

Ben Affleck cooks the books in chaotic sequel The Accountant 2

Photo by Warrick Page/Prime

Jon Bernthal and Ben Affleck in The Accountant 2.

In this Hollywood era of franchises, finding one to call their own is a priority for many movie stars. Over 30 years into his career, Ben Affleck had yet to find one; he did star as Batman in multiple movies, but that role has been interchangeable. He seemed to get a prime action hero role with 2016’s The Accountant, but somehow it’s taken nine years for The Accountant 2 to come out.

Affleck’s character of Christian Wolff is a high-functioning autistic man whose abilities to comb through mounds of data quickly and efficiently are matched only by his fighting skills. When Ray King (J.K. Simmons), a former Treasury agent who had previously hunted Christian, is murdered, King’s replacement, Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), calls on Christian to help figure out what happened and track down his killer.

The search quickly finds multiple criminal conspiracies, including a hitman ring, a scheme to abduct migrants, and more. Naturally, Wolff claims to need help in the endeavor, so his mercenary brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal) soon joins in on the quest. The two brothers work together to figure out the puzzle while also stopping to have some fun every now and then.

Directed by Gavin O’Connor and written by Bill Dubuque (both returning from the original), the film feels like it is missing many connective scenes. It often starts down one road and seems to be making good progress when it suddenly veers into another storytelling lane with no explanation. This happens multiple times throughout the film, to the point that it becomes almost impossible to tell what the main story is supposed to be.

In the first film, the oddity of having an autistic math genius also being a world-class marksman and fighter somehow made sense. This film leans much more into Christian’s physical skills, with the autistic side of things showing up in his (mostly) emotionless demeanor. While that works to a certain degree, the choppiness of the story undercuts the character traits that Affleck does his best to impart.

The best examples of the messiness of the film come in the multiple scenes that serve as nothing more than comic relief, with not even an attempt at connecting them to the main plot, such as it is. Two of them involve Christian proving himself to be a ladies man despite his lack of conversational skills, both of which fall flat as they seem to be making fun of his autism rather than highlighting positive aspects of it. Each of the comic scenes is so disparate in tone from the rest of the film that they essentially bring the story to a screeching halt.

Affleck is fine in the part, although he’s much better when Christian turns toward action hero mode than when he has to display the character’s autistic traits. Bernthal is great at being an over-the-top macho guy, and he gets to indulge that side of him throughout the film. Addai-Robinson is disserved by a role that doesn’t give her character any autonomy despite her high-powered position.

Affleck’s career has been one of the most up-and-down ones of any supposed A-list actor, and The Accountant 2 marks another down moment for him. He may have finally gotten his first sequel for a film in which he’s the main character, but don’t expect there to be a third installment.

---

The Accountant 2 opens in theaters on April 25.

movies film