Celeb bloggers were quick to point out that the crooner Brown had helped promote O's South African school for girls.

According to the National Enquirer, "skeptics blast the talk queen’s call as
nothing more than a brazen attempt to secure an interview, and as one Web site said, 'lay the groundwork for an eventual on-air exclusive.' On her Feb. 20 show, Oprah created even more controversy by discussing a post-incident photo of a bruised Rihanna. …Gushing about Brown, Oprah called him “lovely…a wonderful, kind, generous guy."

But by Friday, after Brown's courtroom appearance and the gruesome details of the
assault were released, O was taking a different tact.

"The truth is guys, both Chris Brown and Rihanna, if I were your friend, I would call you up and I would say 'Give it some time, get yourself some counseling, take care of yourself, heal yourself first.' And also, 'Love doesn’t hurt.' I’ve been saying this to women for years - love doesn’t hurt. And if a man hits you once, he will hit you again. He will hit you again."

This is indeed a much softer scolding than Madame O typically takes. And I'm willing to bet that the softer line is part strategy to get the two teeny boppers to appear on a promised upcoming show on domestic violence to exploit this "teachable moment."

But here's the truth: regardless of her dual motivations, Oprah does Rihanna and the rest of us a favor by pointing out that men who are abusers remain abusers unless they
get intense counseling. And it's the use of her bully pulpit on topics like this that makes up for Oprah's outsized ego, her obscene "favorite things" shows and her celebrity fawning.