Time heals all wounds, even Oprah's. That old maxim was again proven true today with the AP's eyebrow-raising scoop that the talk show host will choose Jonathan Franzen's "Freedom" as the 64th pick for her hugely influential book club, the same book club Franzen famously dismissed as "schmaltzy" back in 2001 when his novel "The Corrections" was selected for inclusion. Franzen apologized, but Winfrey was sufficiently chuffed to disinvite him from her show. According to the AP story, the book club's iconic 'O'--which Franzen called a "logo of corporate ownership" during the "Corrections"-flap--will indeed appear on the cover of the novel in subsequent printings.

Still no word on that TV appearance, though.

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Ray Gustini