Posted by chicagomedia.org on August 31, 2008 at 14:18:31:
Fans wait for hours to score tickets to Winfrey's season premiere
About 150 Olympians, including Michael Phelps, are expected to appear
Deborah Theobold showed Olympic dedication in her quest to attend Oprah Winfrey's season premiere, which will showcase some of the more glittering stars. For her efforts, the Forest Park resident landed some gold herself�a coveted wristband ticket.
Theobold, who had donned a Phelps Phan T-shirt, said she was so keyed up she couldn't sleep the night before tickets were handed out Saturday afternoon.
"That's probably why I got into the accident," she said.
But even the fender-bender on the Edens Expressway didn't stop her. She still showed up by 10 a.m. and waited in line more than two hours before she emerged as a winner.
"This is the biggest thing ever," said Theobold, whose lips quivered at the mention of possibly meeting the Olympic swimmers.
About 150 Olympians, including Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin and Kobe Bryant, are expected to attend a taping of the show in Millennium Park on Wednesday.
Some who sought tickets slept in their cars. Others arrived at 6 a.m. They brought coffee and folding chairs. The hungry munched on granola bars. One woman turned vigilante and scouted for people cutting in line.
All were waiting for a woman in a pink Winfrey T-shirt to hand them a red wristband to get them into Wednesday's taping.
But for many, it's all about Winfrey.
"I love Oprah," said Doug Collins, 37, of Chicago. "I didn't even know who was going to be here. We found out when someone in line was reading RedEye and told us that Olympians were going to be on the show."
At 11:50 a.m., a line snaked out of Millennium Park onto Randolph Street, stretching about six blocks across the Columbus Drive bridge.
Typically, tickets are only available by telephone. About 1,000 free wristbands were passed out Saturday between noon and 1:20 p.m.
At the head of the line was soft-spoken Cecilie Sugden, 37, a stay-at-home mother of six from Naperville. In tow was her eldest son, Rohan, 12.
"I'm here for Oprah. He's here for Michael Phelps," said Sugden, who admitted that she was ill-prepared for her endeavor.
Those with wristbands will have premium seating in the park for the 10 a.m. taping. About 7,000 lawn seats will be offered to the public, Winfrey officials said. The park will open at 6 a.m. for lawn-seat seekers looking to line up Wednesday.
The show also will attempt to boost Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics.
Vincent Norment of Chicago said a Winfrey endorsement can be gold.
"It helped Obama, didn't it?" he said.
(Chicago Tribune)