Read a terrific Newsweek profiule by Allison Samuels over the weekend on Oprah Winfrey and her new academy in Africa. Allison reports the following about Gayle King's participation:

The academy is Oprah's vision, but she does have a not-so-silent partner: longtime buddy Gayle King. She's with Oprah everywhere in Africa, and Oprah relies on her advice. On everything. Every time a girl leaves the interview room, Oprah asks for Gayle's thoughts. When they sit for a fashion show of possible uniforms, Gayle suggests the pleated skirts be looser to accommodate the heavier girls; Oprah agrees. We all know that King is Oprah's BFF—their cross-country car trip last summer was one of the best "Oprah" features in years—but it's still something of a shock to see someone of Oprah's stature rely so heavily on someone else. Gayle really does seem like Oprah's other half. King says rumors of their being lovers used to bother them both—"It wasn't true, and it implied that Oprah was a liar"—but they're over it now. "Most people will be lucky if they get one good friend in their lifetime," King says. "Most don't even get that one friendship, so the friendship we have is foreign to them. What we have is a blessing."

King has her own theory as to why her friend has become obsessed with the school. "When I watched Oprah with those girls," she says, "I kept thinking she was meant to be a mother, and it would happen one way or another."