{alltv} Will Maria Shriver Spill to Oprah?

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

{alltv} Will Maria Shriver Spill to Oprah?

Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger's split could be really good news for Oprah Winfrey.

No, we don't think the media queen is celebrating the breakup, but...

If Winfrey plays her cards right, she could end her 25-year talk show reign with what is now the biggest get in the news business—an interview with Maria Shriver.

Winfrey certainly has an in with the former first lady of California. The two have been close friends for decades (they first met in 1978 while working at a local Baltimore television station). Winfrey was even a guest at Shriver and Schwarzenegger's wedding.

If there's anyone who Shriver could trust, it's her old pal Oprah.

In 2003, Shriver masterminded an appearance by Schwarzenegger on Winfrey's show to help repair his image among women voters after his campaign for governor took a hit when it was revealed that he had made misogynistic comments to a magazine almost 30 years before.

Shriver also admitted in a Winfrey interview three years ago that she continues to struggle with her decision to abandon her career in journalism to support her husband's political aspirations

"I was happy being a journalist," she said. "I didn't realize losing my job, my identity went with it.

"I lost myself in the process and I realized how much I had identified myself with Maria Shriver, newswoman," she said. "When that was gone, I had to really sit back and go, 'Well, actually, who am I today?'"

She also revealed that the "lost" feeling caused by her angst still made her cry some days.

But does Winfrey even need a ratings boost for these last couple of weeks of her talk show? Not at all.

OWN, however, could use the help. The four-month-old network has been struggling in the ratings department. If Winfrey is able to snag Shriver for a sit-down (and we believe if anyone can, it's Ms. Winfrey), there's only one place for them to do it—in front of the OWN cameras.

Now we want to hear from you. Would you tune into an interview with Maria Shriver?