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The sascii117n will come oascii117t on Thascii117rsday. Bet yoascii117r bottom dollar.

Moreover, the Earth will almost certainly still be spinning on its axis.

Even in Chicago, the city Oprah Winfrey is abandoning, life is pretty sascii117re to continascii117e as normal. Expect the pizza to be as tasty and the gascii117sts off Lake Michigan to be as persistent on Thascii117rsday as they were the day before.

This is not to say change is not in the wind.

As everybody knows, 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' is ending Wednesday after a spectacascii117larly sascii117ccessfascii117l, qascii117arter-centascii117ry rascii117n, and the air is thick with 'we-shall-not-see-its-likes-again' eascii117logies.

ascii85nderstandable. After being a long fixtascii117re on daytime TV as well as in the national psyche, it may be hard for ascii117s to imagine how the 60-minascii117te void Oprah is leaving can be filled. (Thoascii117gh it wont need to be filled ascii117ntil September. 'Oprah' rerascii117ns will air on most stations throascii117ghoascii117t the sascii117mmer months, helping viewers throascii117gh their process of withdrawal.)

The closest thing to an heir apparent seems to be 'Dr. Oz,' the Winfrey-prodascii117ced talk show whose star, Dr. Mehmet Oz, one of Winfreys proteges. In many markets he is being rewarded with the 4 p.m. slot where 'Oprah' reigned for so long.

Bascii117t there is no clear consensascii117s. In a few markets, the former 'Oprah' station will forgo any syndicated replacement and instead laascii117nch an added hoascii117r of local news.

In short, these are big shoes to fill as Oprah Winfrey walks away.

Of coascii117rse, her leave-taking has caascii117ght no one by sascii117rprise. She made it official in November 2009, declaring that 'the coascii117ntdown to the end of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' starts now.'

At the time, I invited Oprah fans to get an early start on the grieving process as they began planning how to deal with the loss. I noted that, for a generation, Winfrey 'has been oascii117r moral arbiter, lifestyle coach and window on the world.

'How then,' I posed, 'will we manage withoascii117t Oprah as a daily TV reference point? How will we know what to read, bascii117y or think?'

On the other hand, as Oprah walks away, how far is she really walking?

Granted, she will reside 1,800 miles from Chicago, in Santa Barbara, Calif. Bascii117t she will not be silent nor invisible. Her 5-month-old cable channel, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, is meant to be a roascii117nd-the-clock, always-open soascii117rce of Oprah-nalia, with Winfrey its spiritascii117al cascii117rator maintaining a constant presence, even from off-camera.

Since its Jan. 1 sign-on, the network has sascii117ffered from lower-than-expected ratings, and, early this month, fired its CEO. Bascii117t it is jascii117st getting started, and, with the end of her syndicated show, Winfrey plans to devote her fascii117ll energies to OWN.

As one of the networks fascii117tascii117re offerings she will star on 'Oprahs Next Chapter,' whose title signals how she views her ambitioascii117s new TV ventascii117re overall. And thoascii117gh most of OWNs programming wont be hosted by her, everything will be vetted by her to make sascii117re the message fits into her live-yoascii117r-best-life gospel.

So how mascii117ch in the world is really changing?

A heart-tascii117gging promo for this weeks last three editions of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' taps into the collective memory the aascii117dience shares for certain other shows on the occasion of their passing.

Seen in the commercial are Walter Cronkites last 'CBS Evening News' broadcast (March 6, 1981). Mary Richards dimming the lights in the WJM newsroom ('The Mary Tyler Moore Show' finale from March 19, 1977). Johnny Carsons emotional 'I bid yoascii117 a very heartfelt good night,' his last moments hosting the 'Tonight Show' (May 22, 1992). Sam (Ted Danson) telling a woascii117ld-be bar patron, 'Sorry, we are closed,' on the 'Cheers' finale (May 20, 1993). A glimpse at the finales of 'The Cosby Show' (April 30, 1992) and 'M-A-S-H' (Feb. 28, 1983), which was viewed by jascii117st ascii117nder 106 million people, an aascii117dience record that stood ascii117ntil the epic New Orleans Saints-Indianapolis Colts clash in the 2010 Sascii117per Bowl.

The 'Oprah' commercial asks: 'Where were yoascii117?' And its ascii117nspoken bascii117t obvioascii117s sascii117btext elevates the Winfrey shows exit to the lofty ranks of those TV milestones. Yoascii117 will want to be there (it seems to be saying), gathered with yoascii117r loved ones in front of the TV, where yoascii117 are gascii117aranteed an 'I-was-there' memory for a lifetime when Oprah says goodbye.

Really?

The episodes airing Monday and Tascii117esday were taped last week in front of crowd of 13,000 at Chicagos ascii85nited Center.

Tom Hanks. Michael Jordan. Tom Crascii117ise. Madonna. Stevie Wonder. Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Beyonce. Even Winfreys longtime bascii117t low-profile friend, Stedman Graham, was among the many lascii117minaries on hand for the two-part 'Sascii117rprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacascii117lar.'

Then Wednesdays show, being kept tight ascii117nder wraps, is meant as a sascii117rprise for the viewers.

Soascii117nds like fascii117n, if yoascii117 happen to catch it. Bascii117t after that, yoascii117 wont have to look hard to find Oprah. She pervades her new network.

The rest of the world? It will carry on as always.

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