Oprah stuns crowd with 'favorite things'

CHICAGO, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Oprah is a favorite among the audience members who wound up with thousands of dollars worth of stuff during the taping of her first "Favorite Things" episode.

The delirious crowd went home Friday with freebies that included a new 52-inch, Sony 3D television and a commemorative diamond "Oprah" wrist watch valued at nearly $3,000.

"Oprah was as excited as we were," said Marlene Scott. "She's a billionaire and can have anything she wants, but she was genuine and personal with everyone."

Scott was more than just lucky. The Chicago Sun-Times said Saturday that the hand-picked audience had all performed some type of selfless act for others.

Still, Oprah's largess was pretty overwhelming. The newspaper said paramedics were standing by Friday in case the excitement was too much for anyone.

Another crop of upstanding citizens will join Oprah on Monday when she tapes the second of the two-part of "Favorite Things" segment.