WAVERTON resident and artist Eva Rinaldi was still buzzing today after attending the recording of the Oprah show in Sydney yesterday.
The US talkshow queen held two recordings for her Australia special show, to be screened next year, on the forecourt of the Opera House in front of about 6000 onlookers.
Bodypainter Rinaldi was offered a ticket to be in the audience and was also short-listed to appear on the show.
She had hoped to bodypaint Oprah or people from her US-audience of 300 people for charity.
Ms Rinaldi was disappointed she did not end up on stage, but said she had instead been asked to come to Chicago for one of the shows early next year.
Rinaldi, who has signed a confidentiality contract preventing her from revealing details about her appearance on the show, said she could not confirm or deny whether she would be bodypainting on the show.
She said she felt ``wonderful’’ about finally getting to experience the Oprah show as an audience member.
``Yesterday was so exciting,’’ she said.
The show was not short of Australian star power, with celebrities including NIcole Kidman, Keith Urban, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Olivia Newton-John taking to the stage.
``I absolutely loved all the celebrities were absolutely fantastic, however I do have a little bit of a soft spot for my favorite wolverine Hugh Jackman,’’ Rinaldi said.
Jackman hurt his eye after doing a flash entrance on a flying fox from the Opera House.
He failed to pull the brake and went head-first into a studio light, suffering a small cut to under his eye.
``Hugh got a couple of stitches and I’m so glad he will be okay now,’’ Rinaldi said.
She said Crowe sang and sounded ``better than I thought he would’‘, and another highlight was seeing Newton-John and hearing about the charity auction where she will sell the her skin tight pants she wore in the movieGrease.
``I was impressed with Oprah providing the platform to show case wonderful talent and accommodate their desires to help society as a toll not just talk show biz,’’ she said.
``The crowd was like 6000 Oprah maniacs they were into it big time. My life nor the Sydney Oprah House will ever be the same again.’‘
The Daily first ran the story about Rinaldi’s quest - to appear the Oprah Show - on September 23.
Jessica Wilson, 12, of Mosman joined Oprah on stage yesterday to sing with the Australian Girls Choir.
120 members of the AGC joined Jackman, Newton-John, Urban, Kidman and Crowe to perform ‘I Still Call Australia Home’. (Credit: The Mosman Daily)
