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ABC's "Good Morning America" took up the issue of "Life After Oprah" this morning and turned to an expert on the subject, Winfrey's best pal. Winfrey announced Friday that she would end "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in September 2011.Best friend Gayle King doesn't know what Winfrey will do after the talk show ends. King even said she kept hoping that Winfrey would change her mind about ending the show."After 25 years, it's just time to go while you're on top," King told Robin Roberts. "It really was as simple as that and maybe have a semblance of a life. Listen: No pity party for Oprah, because she has a great life, does wonderful things."Yeah, I'm not feeling any pity for Oprah. I don't think Winfrey threw up enough warnings in her Friday segment about "Precious," a movie on which she is an executive producer. I'm glad I saw it, but it's one of the most horrifying films I've ever seen. It's a vampire movie without the supernatural variety. Mo'Nique is a strong candidate for playing the worst mother in the history of cinema.Despite my complaint about the "Precious" segment, I'll miss Winfrey's turning her laser focus on what's happening in the culture."What is the next step for her? I don't even think she knows," King told "Good Morning America." "She's riding off from 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' as we know it, but she's not riding off into the sunset."On CNN's "Reliable Sources" yesterday, former ABC correspondent Judy Muller summed up Winfrey's appeal simply: "She seems like everybody's best girlfriend."

At Pandemonium Booksellers, the Sarah Palin 2010 calendars are hot sellers, and since the election, the traffic in political books has been decidedly to the right.In the window, there is a small Wasilla Chamber of Commerce sticker and an image of the town's famous mayor-turned-governor-turned-GOP vice presidential nominee.Palin's fast political rise has been good for business: Books on Palin's tenure as governor are in the Alaska section; Obama's "Audacity of Hope" is among the titles in the politics section.There are plenty of Palin critics in her state. "Impeach Palin" signs are still visible at a downtown Anchorage lot that is a warehouse of sorts for outdoor advertisements.Her sudden selection as Sen. John McCain's running mate had a personal impact on Cheezem. He is a Democrat and decided to make a run for a state House seat last year on the calculation that local Republicans seemed a bit demoralized.