KFC Suspends Chicken Run

What a difference a day makes. We told you how clucked-up the deal was with Oprah's KFC offer. Now the good folks at the chicken chain are pulling the plug...sort of.

According to E! Online, KFC has decided to cut the promotion short. In other words, if you haven't already redeemed your coupon for a free meal, you can forget about it for now. KFC president Roger Eaton said on Oprah's website that excessive lines at restaurants around the country and the the fact that they just didn't have enough to feed everyone caused them to suspend the deal, which was slated to run through May 19th.

However, all is not lost. If you still have your coupon, you can take it to your local KFC and they'll give you a rain check, good for a two-piece grilled dinner AND a free Pepsi. The drink wasn't included in the original deal. Complete instructions on how to get your rain check are on Oprah.com.

But if you just can't wait on your free meal, El Pollo Loco said it will be honoring those coupons this Sunday.

Oprah Causes Chicken Run at KFC

Obviously KFC didn't get the memo about how good an endorsement by Oprah Winfrey can be for business. Entertainment Tonight reported that several restaurants ran out of the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken after the Queen of All Media made coupons available on Oprah.com for 24 hours for free meals. While there was a report of a riot at a New York City eatery, a spokesperson for the chain said it was greatly exaggerated.

At this point, the coupons aren't available from Oprah's site. However, if you downloaded one, it's good until May 19th -- excluding Mother's Day.

Mutual of Omaha and Oprah Battle for "Aha Moment"

Who's really having an "aha" moment? It depends on who you ask. Mutual of Omaha -- the insurance company famous for bringing us Wild Kingdom in the 1970s -- is suing Oprah Winfrey and Harpo Productions Inc. over use of the phrase.

Mutual of Omaha released a statement on Friday saying that it had been grated preliminary approval of a federal trademark for the slogan, official sponsor of the aha moment," which became a part of its national ad campaign in February.

Unfortunately, Oprah is claiming rights to "aha moment." The Queen of All Media told Mutual to stop using the phrase to promote its insurance and financial products. In response, the company filed its lawsuit on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Omaha.

A Harpo spokesperson says they hope to reach a mutually acceptable resolution with the insurance company.