Dear Gossips,

Last week they were calling for a $70 million opening for The Hunger Games on the low end. Now they’ve apparently readjusted to $90 million. And some say it could go as high as $125 million from an audience of boys and girls, men and women equally. Whether or not it reaches that number doesn’t depend on the ticket buyers then but on how many viewings theatres can jam into a day. Because the movie is 2 hours and 20 minutes long. I wonder if that affects how they end up editing Catching Fire.

The review embargo for most outlets was lifted today. And everyone jumped all over it at midnight. Mine will follow later.

So Oprah Winfrey is restructuring. 20% of the staff was laid off yesterday as she desperately tries to save her business. And she might; I wouldn’t ever bet against the Mighty O. The more interesting discussion is about where and how she miscalculated. Was it overconfidence in her audience? After all these years, after all that preaching, she thought the Angel Network was tight. She thought you would follow the Head Angel wherever she went. Why didn’t you?

If you watched even an episode of Oprah’s 25 years behind the scenes (TV producer porn) you would have seen how terrified her staff used to be of telling her the truth. When there was a f-ck-up on a shoot, when they wanted to change the order of a show, whatever it was, they’d be sh-tting themselves before going into her office because...well...she’s CRAZY. Looking back on that, it’s worth asking if her advisors were ever able to give it to her straight up. And if that’s part of the reason why OWN has not performed.

Saving OWN - that’s the reality show she should be making. I would watch.

Yours in gossip,

Lainey