In a move that many saw coming, Lance Armstrong has decided to control the narrative of his public perception - which has morphed from cancer survivor to hero to sporting legend to celebrity to fallen icon - by telling his story to the talk-show host who gives away audience gifts and lets Tom Cruise jump on her furniture, when his pre-taped interview with Oprah Winfrey airs on Thursday, January 17th.
Journalists and pundits more talented than myself have weighed in on Armstrong's choice of Oprah and her comfy couch as his confessional. It could not have been lost on the now-disgraced former Tour de France winner that Oprah was notoriously easy on convicted perjurer and track and field doper Marion Jones when she sat on the daytime talk host's sofa.
Among those who have thoughtfully weighed in on the Armstrong confession saga include The New York Times' David Carr, The Wall Street Journal's Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O'Connell, The New York Daily News' Teri Thompson and Michael O'Keeffe, The Guardian's Matt Seaton, and many, many more.
This morning on CBS, Oprah herself indicated that
"I would say he did not come clean in the manner that I expected. It was surprising to me, I would say that for myself, my team, all of us in the room, we were mesmerized and riveted by some of his answers. I had prepared, I'd read the Reasoned Decision, I'd watched all of Scott Pelley's reports, 60 Minutes reports, I'd seen the Tyler Hamilton interview, I'd read 7 Deadly Sins, LA Confidentiel - David Walsh's books, I had prepared like it was a college exam, and walked into the room with 112 questions and in a two-and-a-half hour interview I asked most of those questions, or at least as many as I could. But I feel that he answered the questions in a way that he was ready. I didn't get all the questions asked but I think the most important questions and the answers that people around the world have been waiting to hear were answered and certainly, I can only say I was satisfied by the answers."
The world can only wait for Thursday at 9 pm to find out what took place on those upholstered cushions.
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