MANILA, Philippines - After more than 20 acclaimed years on the TV screen, the iconic Oprah Winfrey is reported to be experiencing a dip in her multimedia fortunes. Her long-running TV show?s viewership is down, and her ?O? magazine isn?t being patronized by as many readers as before.

Having been an Oprah fan for a long time, I am naturally saddened by these reports?particularly since Oprah?s value has transcended her contributions as a TV person and has even impinged on many people?s outlook on life. So, what happened?and why?

Informed speculations abound. One view has it that this is the natural flow of things in the biz: No matter how good you are, you can?t stay on top forever. And, hey, 20-plus years of topnotch work are nothing to sneeze at!

Now that she?s already in her 50s?and a billionaire mass-media entrepreneur, to boot?Oprah has to ?face the music? and ?read the handwriting on the wall,? some observers say:

The television audience is generally youthful, so it isn?t easy for a middle-aged talent to be able to ?connect? with this younger demographic. Conversely, too, some young viewers find it hard to empathize with an older woman.

Political endorsement

That?s the expected view. As we dig deeper into the ?problem,? however, we hit an unexpected complication: Some people believe that Oprah?s current career slump is due to the fact that she now has gone public with her support for Democratic presidential aspirant Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. Huh? What does this have to do with the price of tea in Tennessee?

Well, the political pundits argue, Oprah?s endorsement of Obama?s bid has turned off some of her show?s white female viewers, who think that women, due to their greater number, ?deserve? an earlier crack at the US presidency than the black minority.

Being both female and black, Oprah clearly has a big decision to make in terms of her endorsement choices, and she opted to support a black candidate?obviously, because she felt that giving blacks a political boost was a more urgent option than doing the same thing for women. Some women disagree with her choice, hence their reduced enthusiasm for her show and magazine.

What now? Oprah has opted to abide by her decision to support Obama instead of Clinton, so she?ll have to take whatever flak she?s getting for that.

Meanwhile, what about her media career?s future prospects? Years ago, Oprah had already intimated that she didn?t intend to be an on-camera TV talent ?forever,? and that she aimed to ease herself out of the picture in good time.

What would she do after that? Well, she?s already laid the groundwork for an alternative career in theater and film production. Oprah Winfrey still has a lot of good things to do for her millions of ?beneficiaries,? that?s for sure. The bottom line is, you can?t keep a good, iconic woman down?for long!

On MGM Channel

Watch out for these viewing treats on the MGM Channel:

June 29 at 9 p.m., ?Maxie,? directed by Paul Aaron. In this screwball comedy-fantasy, a roaring ?20s flapper inhabits the body of a hardworking ?80s secretary?and stars a partying spree that turns San Francisco on its ear! Glenn Close, Mandy Patinkin and Ruth Gordon star.

June 30 at 9 p.m., ?Annie Hall.? This famous film directed by Woody Allen is an Oscar winner that casts Allen as a neurotic comedian in New York who falls for a quirky Midwestern girl (Diane Keaton), and they launch into an on-again, off-again romance.

?The Incredible Hulk?

Later this month, brace yourself for a new, action-packed ?The Incredible Hulk? blockbuster. In this new beginning, scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately hunts for a cure to the gamma radiation that has poisoned his cells?and unleashes the unbridled force of rage with him: The Hulk. His arch-nemeses here are Gen. Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) and a monstrous new adversary known as The Abomination (Tim Roth).

At Starmall cinemas

Watch the Pacquiao vs Diaz fight live via satellite from Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas at all Starmall cinemas on June 29. Call 724-4992.