Oprah's Last Taping Shrouded in Speculation

Everyone is abuzz counting down the hours until Oprah Winfrey sits down for her last live taping of 'The Oprah Show' after 25 triumphant years on the air. The taping will take place tonight at the United Center in Chicago, just steps from her usual stage at Harpo Studios.

The venue, which serves as home to the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks, has a capacity of over 20,000. But its capacity still comes nowhere close to accommodating the over 154,000 ticket requests sent to Harpo Productions for the event. Those lucky enough to score one of the coveted free tickets were determined by a random lottery.

Just hours before fans pack the arena, details about what to expect are still closely under wraps.

Reportedly, even the queen bee herself doesn't know the roster of A-list celebrities who will be coming to see her off. According to blogger Perez Hilton, Madonna and Beyonce Knowles are in Chicago for the taping, although whether or not they'll be performing still remains to be seen. Meanwhile, many say that Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, longtime friends of Oprah, will definitely be making an appearance to pay homage to the first lady of daytime talk.

And in light of recent events, another contender has been tossed into the mix -- Maria Shriver. Following shocking news that she and husband of 25 years, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had separated because he had fathered a love child with a former household staff member, Shriver might be a last-minute addition to the bill. Oprah and Shriver are friends, and Oprah even bestowed her the honor of becoming the first ever guest editor of O magazine in February.

'Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular,' will air over the course of two days on May 23 and 24 before the show's finale airs on May 25.

Watch clips from Oprah's final season.

Source: http://www.popeater.com/2011/05/17/oprah-last-taping-speculation/

Tamie Sheffield Emmanuelle Vaugier Amber Arbucci Minki van der Westhuizen Marley Shelton