O, The Oprah Magazine articles from February 2006

O, The Oprah Magazine archives from February 2006

We hear you! Readers riff on pleasure in general and sex in particular, cheer female presidents, applaud Jamie Foxx's stand on racism (and admire his weight loss) ....(letters)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2006... I read every word of the December O. And the whole time I was reading about pleasure, I couldn't help feeling that your thoughts mirrored my emotions. That is to say, I felt complete pleasure while reading about it. Thank you for a great issue....

Here we go!(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... If love is the answer, this month we've got a few questions: What does it mean to love well? How do you trust someone enough to put your messy, complicated, wildly imperfect life out there for them to see? And what happens when you take a good...

Live your best life.(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... The question of love is one that cannot be evaded. Whether or not you claim to be interested in it, from the moment you are alive you are bound to be concerned with love, because love is not just something that happens to you: It is a certain...

Her next big move: the heavenly Sanaa Lathan shines in a provocatively color-blind love story.(Movies)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Actress Sanaa Lathan took on the romantic lead in the upcoming film Something New--about an African-American businesswoman who falls for a white landscaper--because she knew the story would resonate. "She's dealing with her own racism and...

Must-see little movie of the month: Tsotsi.(anticipationLIST)(Movie review)
February 1, 2006... SET IN THE SHANTYTOWNS skirting Johannesburg, the new movie Tsotsi takes its title from the South African street word for "thug." That's also the name of its protagonist, a teenage gang member played with a sublime mix of menace and innocence...

Money: can we talk?(Q + A)(with Liz Perle)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... A quick conversation with Liz Perle, author of Money, a Memoir, an enlightening new book about her love-hate relationship with money that made us look at our personal finances in a whole new light. O: Why did you decide to write about...

A brilliant arrangement.(What a Concept!)(Nancy Lawlor had her own Holly Golightly tradition)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... LIVING IN NEW YORK CITY ON A CLERICAL temp's salary, Nancy Lawlor had her own Holly Golightly tradition. Instead of breakfast, though, it was lunchtime, and instead of Tiffany's, it was the Waldorf-Astoria hotel's ornate block-long lobby. And...

Nugget.(anticipationLIST)(Excerpt)
February 1, 2006... "Saying no will not turn you into a bully or make you insensitive or petty. You won't stop helping others, but you'll become more discerning about how you respond and to whom. By being more selective, you'll protect your health, have time for...

Five Juicy Facts You Didn't Know About: Oysters.(Excerpt)
February 1, 2006... For his latest book, The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell (Ballantine), historian and James Beard Award-winning author Mark Kurlansky shucked the delicious, often misunderstood bivalve's shell to get to the meat of things. He gave us some...

Dancing kings.(Arts)
February 1, 2006... Michael Flatley may be Lord of Riverdance, but he'll never be king--four superstars of 21st-century ballet have just seized that particular title. In this month's debut of Kings of the Dance, Ethan Stiefel and Angel Corella of American Ballet...

Blanket solution.(Site to See)(TaraTylers family started Kids Creating Comfort and set a goal of making 1,200 blankets for the needy on the Gulf Coast)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... IT BEGAN AS A SIMPLE LESson: Tara Tyler wanted to teach her five children how to start a business. "We were going to make blankets to sell at a local crafts show," says Logan, 12. "But when Katrina hit, we decided we'd send them to kids in...

Time to de-stress.(Gizmo)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... FOR MOST OF US, A TICKING SECOND HAND represents nothing but stress. Now there's a timepiece that purports to relieve tension. THE PHILIP STEIN TESLAR WATCH (from $595) may promote better sleep, a pervasive sense of calm, increased...

What's playing in Patti LaBelle's ear?(Music)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... "It's going to be a funny answer," Patti LaBelle says when we ask what's in her CD changer at the moment: "Nothing." It is funny that the woman who over her 45-year career pretty much invented the idea of the R&B diva hasn't figured out how to...

This is your life! What are audiences to make of the single female figure onstage, making theater out of her hopes and dreams, her bitterest war stories, crashed love affairs, even her poems? Molly Peacock explores the intimate, entrancing lone-star state known as the one-woman show.(tales of adventure)
February 1, 2006... EVERY WOMAN I KNOW HAS A ONE-woman show in her, a part of her life she would love to have onstage. It could be the romantic part or the most painful part--it doesn't matter. What matters is the impulse in each of us to lean forward and say,...

Advice, etc.
February 1, 2006... Q I have been with my husband for 13 years, and we have two daughters. We've had our ups and downs (mostly downs). Five years ago, I ran into a high school crush and we talked for an hour. Two years later, I saw him again and we started talking...

Advice, etc.
February 1, 2006... Q My daughter and son-in-law lost everything to Hurricane Katrina, including their house and car; they're living with me now in Florida. At first their mortgage company said they didn't need to make a payment for three months after the...

Something to think about.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... All you need is love, love. Love is all you need. Or is it? Love's the essential ingredient, but that's not all a relationship needs to supply your daily requirement of emotional nourishment. What's your recipe for fulfillment? Consider the...

Martha Beck's guide to avoiding avoidance: is there really such a thing as good grief? Does fear of suffering only increase suffering? For the fastest way through bad times, read on ....(advice, etc.)
February 1, 2006... MELANIE'S LIFE WAS SHRINKING LIKE A CHEAP BLOUSE in an overheated dryer. At 30 she'd developed a fear of flying that ended her dream of world travel. Within a year, her phobia had grown to include--or rather, exclude--driving. After the World...

Maria Bello's aha! Moment: she gave up the clearly noble path to follow her bliss as an actress. Then she discovered that there's more than one way to do some good in the world.(advice, etc.)
February 1, 2006... WHEN I WAS A FRESHMAN AT VILLANOVA University, I signed up for a class called Introduction to Peace and Justice Education. It addressed the question, "How, in this violent world, can we walk in harmony?" The professor: a 6'2," 65-year-old...

O to go xoxoxo marks the spot: take a cue from Cupid Let these simple valentines delight, enrapture, impassion, inspire, and just plain remind your sweetie why you're so happily in each other's lives.(Quotation)
February 1, 2006... "We love because it's the only true adventure." --NIKKI GIOVANNI "Attention is the most basic form of love; through it we bless and are blessed." --JOHN TARRANT "'Till I loved I never lived--Enough." --EMILY DICKINSON

The Olist: "a few things I think are just great."--Oprah.(Buyers guide)
February 1, 2006... See and Be Seen "Read a novel, read the paper, read a story to a little kid, read between the lines, read the fine print, just read! With these glasses, you'll not only see the words but look very mod in the process." ($20 for pair of...

Ciao down! Focaccia: the thrillingly versatile Italian flatbread that rises to every occasion (lunch for friends, afternoon snack, dinner at 8). Chef Art Smith shows how to loaf around in style.(great food)
February 1, 2006... IMAGINE A DISH SO SIMPLE, versatile, and easy to prepare that in the course of 24 hours it can (a) adorn an informal brunch, (b) serve as the perfect side dish at an elegant dinner party, (c) rev up your breakfast the following morning, and (d)...

Love at first bite: the new chocs on the block look like jewels, hearts, or modern art--it's almost a shame to eat them, but we managed. From O's valentine taste test, a rich and sinful assortment.(comfort zone)(Buyers guide)
February 1, 2006... Give your heart forever--but don't expect these treats to last more than a few rapturous minutes. They're that good, especially laced with intriguing new flavors like ginger, rose, smoky tea. 1. & 2. Cookies, $32 for 45, and Valentine box of...

How to wake up a winter wardrobe: these days we're thinking about seasons with a new freedom: mixing linen with tweed, wearing garden-party colors while there's snow outside. Four experts tell O how early-spring clothes can brighten your style right now--and give you an edge when the weather turns warmer.(getting dressed)
February 1, 2006... Lloyd Boston Style expert and author of Before You Put That On A trench is one of those season-bridging essentials no modern woman should be without. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shots of color, like a bright purse or belt, look...

Look what we found! Exquisite powders, silky oils, and more from companies that give something back. Here's what O's beauty editors--Valerie Monroe and Jenny Bailly--fell in love with this month.(beauty)
February 1, 2006... Over here at Beauty Central, we like the idea of cosmetics companies giving something back to the community. Intrigued that 5 percent of the proceeds from sales of these exquisite Chantecaille eyeshadows ($39 each) and face powders ($55 each)...

Ask Val: what's "facial water"? ... The big draw of highlighters ... are you overmoisturizing? ... O's beauty director, Valerie Monroe, gets to the bottom line.(beauty)
February 1, 2006... Do those misting sprays really help moisturize your skin? A: I'm predisposed not to like these things because I can't stand having anything sprayed at me, especially at my face. But even if you don't mind that, water sprayed on your skin...

The drug detectives: women who make sure your medication is safe.(body wise)
February 1, 2006... NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE A PILL that won't work or--worse--is harmful. But who can judge good medicine from bad when today's wonder drugs so often become tomorrow's pharmaceutical mistakes? We spoke to three women who investigate the tablets and...

The way to eat: David L. Katz, MD, sorts out the healthy, the harmful, and the hype.(body wise)
February 1, 2006... Q I've been insanely chewing sugar-free gum--two to three large packs a day. (When I "cheat," it's with sugared gumballs.) Am I addicted to the artificial sweeteners? --KRIS DEE, Toronto Experts debate whether addiction to foods and...

The weight of her experience: Andriette Ward once topped the scales at 290 pounds. Today she's a physician who educates overweight children about the health risks of obesity, bringing a lifetime battle with her own fears, fantasies, and food appetites to the table. Samantha Dunn reports.(body wise)
February 1, 2006... THE PATIENT in the waiting room is 16 years old and weighs 500 pounds. Each morning his mother drives him to Jack in the Box for breakfast. At the vending machine in the hall of the Los Angeles health clinic, she buys him candy to tide him over...

The Magic Camera.
February 1, 2006... SOME OF THE GREAT ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS of the 21st century are happening in Washington, D.C., where pioneering digital printmaker David Adamson conspires with Jim Dine, William Wegman, Annie Leibovitz, and other masters to create innovative...

Books That Made a Difference to Hugh Laurie: He laughs (Wodehouse, Heller)! He cries (The Grapes of Wrath)! And in between, the House star gets chills (Melville), thrills (Le Carre), plus a stirring lesson in evolution.(The Grapes of Wrath)(The Spy Who Came In from the Cold)(Children's review)(Book review)
February 1, 2006... WHAT GOOD IS READing without memory? Come to that, what good is anything without memory? A vertical slice of experience that can't be accessed on the horizontal--is it actually worth anything? Did it even happen? If you can't remember the tree...

February.(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... He may want to devour you with his eyes, but what exactly does his nose have to say? We took three couples (that's 12 nostrils) and six blindfolds, and put our finest floral, amber, vanilla, red tea, and fresh fruit scents to the test. ...

After the beginning: disappointment in romance may spell the end of the affair. But, as Michael Vincent Miller, PhD, argues, it can also be the beginning of real love.
February 1, 2006... I've been practicing psychotherapy for more than 30 years, and in my view a great number of people are running around thinking that they are depressed when it may be that they are simply disappointed. Not that disappointment is merely a case of...

Love: the reality show: it's not that they've never disagreed, drifted apart, or slept on the couch for a night or two (they have, they have, and they have). It's that they're still here, still in love, still saying "I do." Eight (im)perfect couples share their scripts for turning conflict into a stronger marriage. We take notes.
February 1, 2006... Elaine & Michael Rucker BURTONSVILLE, MARYLAND BOTH AGE 36 * MARRIED 9 YEARS Stay-at-home mother and vice president of a healthcare company TROUBLE IN PARADISE Elaine: "I thought after marriage it would be the same way it was...

What's timing got to do with it? Somewhere between rushing into a commitment ("the minute our eyes met, we knew ...") and backing into it ("All his stuff was at my place anyway"), there's a way to pace a relationship so it lasts. Amanda Robb has the step-by-steps.
February 1, 2006... ONCE UPON A TIME, FALLING IN LOVE was a remarkably straightforward process. A young man asked a young woman out. If he wanted to date her exclusively, he asked her to go steady. If he was in college and the steady thing was going well, he gave...

What's the hardest thing you've learned about love? Who said it was supposed to be easy? In their recollections of lessons learned and labors lost, seven writers shed light on the enduring and gorgeous complexity of what it means to swipe hearts with another human being.
February 1, 2006... Love, Loss, and Transformation BY JOYCE CAROL OATES The hardest truth about love? I think it must be this: Love gives meaning to our lives but, at the same time, sometimes terrifyingly, love makes us vulnerable, as if the outermost...

Kiss, kiss, pow! pow! You know those clever zingers that fly back and forth between couples, usually in front of a crowd? If they're meant to be funny, how come the room always falls silent? Jancee Dunn explores the psychology behind the blurts that hurt.
February 1, 2006... I'M AT A SMALL DINNER PARTY. THE WINE IS FLOWING, the mood is festive. A beaming couple are telling the guests about the joy their newborn son has brought them. "It just opens up your heart in ways you can't even imagine," said a friend I'll...

Astonished by love: who knew that "in sickness" could do more to deepen a marriage than "in health" ever did? Ellen Tien reports on the bizarre, out-of-the-blue illness that rocked her world.
February 1, 2006... HOW?" I CRIED AS MY HUSBAND lifted and carried me into the hospital bathroom, stopping to hoist my dead weight with his knee, my inert body rolling, unpredictable and clumsy as melons in a sack. Arms dangled helplessly from my sides, someone...

Cinnamon: the spice of life: it's as American as apple pie, as exotic as lamb tagine. It's a little bit sweet, a little bit daring. It's cinnamon, and it's probably sitting right there in your pantry.(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Quick, name a substance that will help attract the man of your dreams, lower your blood sugar, and sell your home all at the same time. If you answered cinnamon--then, my friend, the world is your sticky bun. Here's what we know: Men (bless...

Bolts from the blue: royal, navy, cobalt, and more--this spring's blues are absolutely electric. Mixed with white (today's major neutral), they're the perfect work clothes: crisply, effortlessly chic, and packed with natural authority.(Buyers guide)
February 1, 2006... THE LOOSER SUIT SOFT MEETS TAILORED This page: Not too buttoned-up, not too frilly--getting dressed for the workplace can be like walking a gender tightrope. The answer is balance: The pencil skirt is a chic take on trad menswear...

"I love the way you smell ...": three couples, one blindfold, 20 fragrances, and a burning question: can you trust the man in your life to pick a scent you'll both like? We ran a little experiment.
February 1, 2006... BEING THEATER LOVERS AS well as beauty editors, we were thrilled, recently, to set the stage for a trio of one-act plays. There would be drama, hilarity, conflict, suspense, a colorful narrative thread woven tautly into a joyful denouement. (Or...

Breathing space.(Poem)
February 1, 2006... Stand tall beneath a high blue sky in the French Alps and revel in the penetrating stillness as the shadows of looming spruce trees fall across the glistening snow.

A law unto herself.(life of Nigerian women)
February 1, 2006... Two years ago, in a case that made headlines around the world, Hauwa Ibrahim saved a young woman accused of adultery from death by stoning. In the process, Ibrahim became the first woman ever to stand up, defy tradition, and address a Nigerian...

Love that!(Recipe)
February 1, 2006... The Cure for Winter Hair CONVENTIONAL BEAUTY WISDOM has it that you should use a mask once a week to repair damaged hair. But we have a secret: In the bone-dry, hair-parching dead of winter, we treat ourselves to one after every...

Shop guide: (all prices are approximate).(Buyers guide)
February 1, 2006... COVER Michael Kors cashmere tunic, $995, Michael Kors, NYC; 212-452-4695, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus. Kara Ross opal, 18kt-gold-and-diamond earrings, $2,686, Bergdorf Goodman, NYC; 212-753-7300; Saks Fifth Avenue; 877-551-7257. HERE...

What I know for sure.
February 1, 2006... WHAT I KNOW ABOUT LOVE I MOSTLY learned on TV. In 20 years of hosting my show, I've seen what love can do in the most ordinary moments (watching a mother take her child to the first day of school) and the most extraordinary (strangers offering...