Nate Berkus by Craig Sjodin/ABC
As Oprahs Big Give winds down to the finale of its first season Sunday at 8 pmET ABC three philanthropists-in-training remain We asked host and Oprah pal Nate Berkus to give us the lowdown or in this case the high points of each of the final contestants who will return to their hometowns for the final big challenge Also look for a special drop-by from Jennifer Aniston Dotcom entrepreneur Cameron Johnson Because he achieved financial success at a very early age Cameron thought he had this in the bag But giving back using his incredible organizational skills and sales ability to help anybody else wasnt part of his vernacular Through the course of this show Cameron has really come to understand just what giving is able to give back to you Hes one of the most tenacious people Ive ever met but has he thought big enough every weekBeauty queen Brandi MilloyPeople underestimated her because shes pretty and that worked to her advantage and to her
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Monica Seles and Jonathan Roberts by Kelsey McNeal/ABC
He predicted it even before the dancing started. Magician Penn Jillette said that if you looked at the big picture, booking him for the show — and then booting him out first — wouldn't be a bad move for the producers of Dancing with the Stars. "I like a little bit of game theory," Jillette said in his first interview about the show. "The producers could have me on and say: 'We're booking Sasquatch and isn't that funny? And then when he loses, it'll be funny, too.'" But once he signed on the dotted line, Jillette committed himself fully. He got a trainer in Las Vegas that he calls "the Nazi. He's a very, very bad man." He dropped an astonishing 48 pounds before the show went on the air. He got special orthopedic shoes for feet that have been battered by his more than three decades in show business, starting with circus training. "The producers made me promise that I would try as hard as I could," he says.And he did. "He did his best," said his wife, Emily, after Tuesday...
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Nate Berkus, Oprah's Big Give
Design guru Nate Berkus is wearing a new hat for his gig as the host of Oprah's Big Give (Sunday at 9 pm/ET, ABC). We caught up with him to talk about what to expect from the new show, how he approached hosting and what it's like to be in Oprah's inner circle.
TV Guide: What's your role as host?Nate Berkus: Every week I give the contestants a new challenge. And I was nervous for them because I couldn't believe what they had to do and how they had to do it. It's like a roller-coaster with constant drama.These people are exhausted, they're away from their families, it's a pressure-filled, competitive setting. You see it all — glory, inspiration, breakdowns, tears, screaming matches.
TV Guide: Are you a nice host or a snarky one?Berkus: I was me. [Laughs]
TV Guid
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Nate Berkus, Oprah Winfrey and the Big Give cast
Oprah's Big Give, the media mogul's first prime-time show, premieres Sunday, March 2 (at 9 pm/ET). In a TV Guide exclusive, Nate Berkus, Oprah's favorite designer moonlighting as Big Give host, gives the lowdown on the 10 contestants chosen to cross the country fulfilling dreams for complete strangers. "People are going to get really involved not only with the stories of the people that we help but with the stories of people that are competing," says Berkus. "They're regular people who have to think fast and make huge things happen even faster. The truth is that we're looking for the next everyday hero."
In this "Give big or go home" reality competition, one wannabe philanthropist is sent packing each week, while the "biggest giver" goes home with a cool million bucks. Here's Berkus on the Big Give player
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Does Melissa Etheridge have it all over Ellen? Does Doogie put Lance to shame? Bravo's OUTzoneTV.com broadband channel is launching a poll on Friday, Dec. 8, seeking to crown the "Sexiest Gay Celebrity of 2007." In addition to the aforementioned foursome, nominees include Project Runway's Tim Gunn, filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears, Shortbus driver John Cameron Mitchell, decorator-to-Oprah Nate Berkus, former Bassmaster Reichen Lehmkuhl, Portia de Rossi, and singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. Apparently, T.R. Knight will have to rely on the write-in vote.
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Question: The new office looks great! A few suggestions though: You need some stuff on the wall, that cat calendar has got to go, and the computer monitor you have looks like it's from 1993. Make TPTB give you one of those fancy flat-screen ones. Also, what size shoe do you wear? Those things look huge! Answer: I don't want to brag, but, yes, I've been blessed with a huge… pair of shoes. And don't knock the calendar — it was a gift from my friends at PETA. But I appreciate the feedback. Actually, I was pretty shocked at how many e-mails I received specifically about my new digs. Here are some of the standouts:
Your lamp shade is crooked. It kind of bothers me. — Libby
I think your office needs a Snapple machine and a life-size poster of Keri Russell. — Amie
The office pictures loo
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