Oprah's visit Down Under brings joy to fans, Australian tourism

For the 300 fans who are accompanying talk show host Oprah Winfrey on what is being billed as the Ultimate Australian Adventure, the trip is a unique opportunity to take in the sights and wonders of the country with the TV icon.

But for Australia -- a country that heavily relies on tourism -- the investment is expected to pay off manifold in publicity, the government said Monday.

The eight-day trip began last week and ends with two taped shows at the Sydney Opera House, which has been renamed Oprah House.

Footing the bill for Oprah and her guests will collectively cost the government AUS $5 million, said Andrew McEvoy, managing director of Tourism Australia.

But the value equivalent in exposure has already made it a smart investment, he said.

"Just before Oprah turned up into our country, the number was $38 million," McEvoy said Monday. "So that was three or four days ago. I can imagine that to double in the time that she's been here. And I can imagine that to treble."

He said the number could further skyrocket next year if Oprah commits to making "at least four hours of Oprah Winfrey television, which will go to 145 countries around the world."

Oprah and her group have visited the Great Barrier Reef, gone on a wine-tasting excursion to Hunter Valley, taken in a scenic flight over the Australian outback, partied in the Royal Botanic Gardens and trekked up the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which adorned with a big 'O' in her honor.

"I can't believe the energy of Oprah herself, her crew -- they're phenomenal," McEvoy said, adding "everyone is full of adrenaline."

During the media mogul's career, many have cashed in on the "Oprah effect," which has launched sales of what she promotes.

Oprah is in the midst of her farewell season of her show. Earlier this year, she showed her gratitude to her audience by announcing the all-expenses paid excursion.

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Italy's Berlusconi fights for his political life

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi fought for his political life Monday in a speech to lawmakers a day before a vote which could see him dumped as head of government.

He is scheduled to face a confidence vote in Parliament Tuesday, the latest in a series of votes on his leadership since a dispute with a former ally over the summer.

"He who votes against us is betraying the mandate received from the electorate," Berlusconi said in his half-hour speech.

"In these particularly hard times for our country, we all have to find a way to be united and do what is best for the country," he said, adding that "a crisis" was the last thing Italy needed now.

He said he needed a mandate to complete judicial and institutional reforms and deal with the country's economic problems.

And he called on supporters of his rival Gianfranco Fini not to support the left by voting against him, saying they must not "subtract" votes from the right "in order to add them to the opposition."

Both Berlusconi and Fini's parties are on the center-right. The prime minister threw Fini out of his party over the summer, and Fini took about 40 lawmakers with him to form a new party.

Berlusconi Monday accused Fini of betraying him.

And he reached out to the Christian Democratic Union, which is allied with Fini, for support.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, who has the authority to dissolve parliament, has said he opposes new elections because it would create instability at a time of economic crisis.

Last month, Fini accused Berlusconi of a lack of attention to the economic crisis and structural reforms that Italy needs.

Berlusconi faces a difficult economic picture as he looks ahead to the rest of his term, which expires in 2013 if he survives confidence votes.

Italian unemployment is running at 8.5 percent, the highest level since 2003, according to the Italian statistical office, and public debt is 120 percent of the country's gross domestic product, the Bank of Italy says.

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Fox 8 News

Fox 8 News anchor Tim Taylor was a terrifying experience years ago. “My son was walking down the street with her brother and sister, four and a half years old. Suddenly, he ran forward and a neighbor of his support came not just seeing the hit, the have dragged on for about 30 feet below the bottom of the car. “Fox 8 News Two women died in an accident after his car slid on an icy road and a track of an SUV, Cleveland Sunday.

It visible military occurred around 2:40 near Woodhill Road and Parkview Avenue on Sunday. Researchers reveal a 2004 Buick lost Woodhill make roads and cars cream.The ice has left the base and a track from a 2002 strike Dodge Durango Durango.The the right side of a Buick, trapping two passengers, women. Cleveland Firefighters had to cut the tip of a gift shop Buick badly worn.

Rudolph Ohio for the last 26 minutes without telling a story local news they do care about local news or events of interest has nothing to Cleveland BP Compensation Fund to provide more payment Happy Holidays MiamiHerald.com BP, the gift that keeps giving blog Huffington Post all 31 news articles Mandy Moore movie musical “Tangled,” a new look at the princess fairy tale Rapunzel with long hair, sewed the No. 1 spot with $ 21.5 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

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Kim Kardashian is Dead

Kim Kardashian is dead. The lifeless body of the starlet is laid to rest- her eyes barely closed, the glue still drying on her skyrocketing lashes as the photo of it all is splashed about the Internet. What's worse is that the ghostly form of the celebutant is just clicks away from other similarly sallow-faced icons: Serena Williams, Ryan Seacrest, Elijah Woods, Jay Sean- all dead.

This apparent massacre of talent and stardom is being called the "Digital Life Sacrifice" and is all Alicia Key's fault. The Keep A Child Alive foundation, co-founded by Leigh Blake and advocated by Alicia Keys, has asked Hollywood's top celebrities to commit digital "suicide" and stop using Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets until fans can raise one million dollars for the charity. It is done in the hopes that sacrificing their digital lives will help others have a chance at a real life. Specifically, HIV/AIDS patients and orphans in India, Kenya and Rwanda, who will receive aid and care from the Keep A Child Alive foundation and the efforts of the ongoing digital life sacrifice.

The campaign may be sarcastic, shocking and slightly dark, but it will save lives. The merits of the fundraiser are honorable without doubt, but what of the method? Despite the purest of intentions, the campaign has fostered quite a bit of controversy and criticism.

The argument is that wanting to save lives should be more than enough incentive to donate. What kind of people are we if we are unwilling to drop some change to better the life of an orphaned African child, but are willing the pay an asking price in order to access Lady Gaga's Twitter account? The Digital Life Sacrifice blocks the real issue and merely replaces it with a frivolous and fabricated one. Humanity has failed if a tweet is worth more than a life.

And let's not forget the millions upon millions of dollars that this star powered group is collectively worth. Any one of them alone could meet the quota in the amount of time it takes to whip out a checkbook and scribble down some numbers. Numbers that, perhaps, are not substantial enough. When said in accordance with the names of those working the project- America's rich and powerful- one million transforms into a rather quaint goal. After all, Lady Gaga alone has 7 million followers on Twitter and 24 million Facebook Friends.

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