X17 News

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - According to Parade magazine's annual report, "What People Earn," media mogul Oprah Winfrey leads the pack of celebrity salaries by having earned a whopping $260 million in 2007.

Oprah's pal, Dr. Phil McGraw wasn't too far behind her with $90 million, while Steven Spielberg took in around $110 million last year. In the world of sports, golf superstar Tiger Woods made $115 million, while New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning earned around $11.5 million.

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen raked in $33 million, out earning Mary-Kate Olsen, who made around $17 million. Teen singing sensation Miley Cyrus took in an estimated $18.2 million - not bad for a 15 year old!

Katherine Heigl broke the 8-digit figure at $11 million, while other hot female celebrities made slightly less - Jessica Alba earned $9 million, Carrie Underwood made $7 million, and Scarlett Johansson took in $5 million.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey topped the Forbes' Celebrity 100 list of the world's most powerful celebrities followed by Tiger Woods, Angelina Jolie, and a slew of young celebrities, the financial magazine announced yesterday (June 11).

Winfrey kept the top spot on the list, a power ranking based on earnings and fame. Winfrey earned $275 million, year-to-date, despite lower television ratings and magazine circulation.

Tiger Woods stayed at No. 2; he made $115 million in the last twelve months. Angelina Jolie, in the third position, made far less, at $14 million, but her star factor was high enough to propel her to No. 3. Jolie's partner Brad Pitt came in at No. 10.

Forbes generates the list with estimated earnings, metrics like Google hits, the number of mentions in the media, and the celebrities' number of magazine covers.

Miley Cyrus got plenty of media mentions in the past few months, which undoubtedly helped push her to No. 35 on the list. The tween star had a super successful concert tour, a hit 3-D film, and the now infamous Vanity Fair photo spread to bolster her position.

Other young Hollywood stars on the list include Cameron Diaz, No. 14 on the list; Leonardo DiCaprio at No. 44; Keira Knightley in the 47th spot; Reese Witherspoon at No. 60; Gwen Stefani in 63rd; Gisele Bundchen in at No. 66; the Jonas Brothers at No. 89; Ashley Tisdale in the 94th spot; and Lauren Conrad in at No. 97.

Another celebrity power couple, Jay Z (No. 7) and Beyonce Knowles (No. 4), made a showing due to Beyonce's $80 million in earnings and Jay Z's $150 million-deal with concert promoter Live Nation.

Newcomers to the list include The Police who sold $200 million in tickets over the past year; Daily Show host Jon Stewart; and The Office's Steve Carrell.

CLICK HERE to see the complete Forbes Celebrity 100 list

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Charlie Sheen, star of the CBS hit show Two and a Half Men, is the highest paid television actor, according to TV Guide. Sheen earns a staggering $825,000 per episode, which includes money from his ownership rights for the series. With an average of 23 episodes, the Emmy nominated actor is taking home just under $20 million per year.

Law & Order: SVU star and Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay is the highest-paid actress in a television drama, earning $400,000 an episode, while Oprah Winfrey is the top earner for daytime television, taking home an estimated $385 million a year for her legendary talk show.

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who also does voices for four of the show's main characters, signed a deal with Fox in May that will net him $100 million over the next 4 years, making him the highest paid writer/producer in television.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey was moved to tears by Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention last night, and the talk show legend told the Associated Press, "I cried my eyelashes off," just moments after Obama accepted the nomination for president before an estimated 84,000 people.

Winfrey added, "He's not an African-American candidate. He's a candidate for Americans."

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - A Louisiana man who was accused of trying to extort money from Oprah Winfrey, is now suing the talk-show host for defamation, claiming Winfrey's statement damaged his reputation.

Keifer Bonvillain, who agreed to perform 50 hours of community service and pay $3000 in restitution, is seeking $180 million in damages.

"There was substantial damage done to my name and reputation on a world level," his complaint states. "The extent of my damages is vast."

The federal charges against him were dismissed a year later, according to the suit.

An attorney for Harpo denies any wrongdoing on Winfrey's part.

"We know that this whole episode started when the plaintiff wiretapped a Harpo employee in California," lawyer Chip Babcock told the Associated Press.

"We advised [the plaintiff] we believe that wiretapping was illegal, and this case will give us an opportunity to determine whether we were right about that."

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Brad Pitt will appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" November 18th to promote his new film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Pitt and Winfrey reportedly talked about attending the victory rally for President-Elect Obama at Chicago's Grant Park the night before.

"I would have invited you out with me to the rally last night, but I was down with the people and I didn't think you would want to be," Oprah joked.

"I took the tram, shoulder to shoulder," Pitt replied referring to his taking Chicago CTA public transportation to the event.

Winfrey also talked with Pitt about raising six children with his partner, Angelina Jolie.

Asked if the pair were planning on adding to their brood, Pitt responded, "Probably."

"[Parenthood] is the the greatest endeavor I've ever taken on," Pitt said. "Why stop now?"

Pitt said that daughter Shiloh was going through a phase where she will only respond to the names John and Peter. And revealed that son Pax once rebelled by peeing on the "time out" chair.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" opens in theaters on Christmas day.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Massive wildfires continue to rage through the steep hillsides near Oprah's home in Montecito, California.

As of Friday afternoon, more than 80 homes had been destroyed and hundreds of acres charred.

On her talk show Friday, Oprah sent a message to those affected by the blaze.

"All our prayers are with all the folks and neighbors in Santa Barbara. Hope you're well today. And those of you who lost your homes, our hearts go out to you."

According to fire officials, Oprah's property has not been damaged by the fire.

Rob Lowe, who also lives in the area, called into show. He told a harrowing tale of trying to escape the flames.

"We got in the car, pulled out of the driveway and the entire mountain behind us was flames, 200 feet high, shooting into the air...This thing came on so fast, you just can't believe it."

"I'm very lucky," he continued. "My house is fine. Although I'm looking—I'm talking to you right now and I'm looking out of my office and I can see the smoke billowing still..."

"I've lived out here since 1976 and seen a lot of fires, but last night...I mean, I watched 12, 13 homes burn to the ground. It's so tragic. It's so sad. And this is the worst I have ever seen by far," Lowe said.

The actor later told KABC-TV his home was ultimately spared, but as they left, the wind was blowing at 70 miles an hour and "it was just like Armageddon."

Both Lowe's and Winfrey's homes are less than a mile from many of the homes destroyed in the blaze, and Winfrey's 42-acre estate is within several hundred yards of the mandatory evacuation zone.

Many other celebrities have homes in the area, including Michael Douglas, Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Costner.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey tops this year's list of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry.

The talk show host garnered the top spot on the Hollywood Reporter's 17th annual Power 100 list, which honors the hundred most important women in the motion picture and television industries.

"The decision to place Oprah at the top of the list was based on her dizzying array of Oprah-branded media and her immense cultural influence," THR editor Elizabeth Guider said. "Today's most powerful woman in entertainment might just be the most influential woman in America."

Angelina Jolie was the most powerful actress, coming in at number 24 on the list.

Rounding out the list at number 100 is Disney tween superstar Miley Cyrus.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey is moving her production company to HBO in a three-year deal to make movies, documentaries and TV Series.

Winfrey's Harpo Films had been with ABC for the last 15 years.

Kate Forte, head of Harpo films, said Tuesday the company wanted to make a more eclectic mix of programming than was available on broadcast TV.

ABC wanted to extend the deal, but Harpo Films believed HBO was a better fit, Forte said.

"This is really a dream come true for us," she said.

The premium cable network doesn't usually make such individual deals with production companies, but network co-president Richard Plepler said that "Oprah personifies excellence and quality in everything she does."

No financial terms of the deal were disclosed and there was no immediate announcement of any upcoming projects.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey had a private dinner with President-elect Obama on Sunday, Entertainment Tonight reports.

Winfrey's friend Gayle King told ET the dinner was attended by about 100 people at Blair House.

The dinner was informal and served buffet style.

Winfrey endorsed Obama for president early in the campaign. It is estimated that her support may be responsible for bringing in as many as one million votes.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - While many celebs like to promote environmental causes, the readers of Dailygreen.com say Mariah Carey is anything but green.

In a poll for the site, Carey is singled out for her gas-guzzling and emission-expelling lifestyle that includes flying her private trainer on a private jet from New York to St. Barths.

But other celebs earn their "green-cred" by practicing what they preach.

Leonardo DiCaprio was named the best male celebrity for his ongoing activism and the creation an environmental foundation. He also co-wrote, co-produced and narrated a documentary about the dangers of global warming.

Oprah was singled out as the woman doing the most to protect the environment and often features important environmental issues on her talk soon.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - The queen of talk met the king of glam in her studio yesterday for a taping of Oprah.

The show, which won't air until next week, will feature Adam dishing on topics like Simon leaving Idol and of course that controversial performance at the AMAs.

And of course, Adam will also belting out his new single Whataya Want from Me from his album, For Your Entertainment.

Tune in on January 19th to see Glambert in action on the show!

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey will have the exclusive first interview with John Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter.

Harpo has confirmed with X17online that Hunter, who fathered her young daughter, Frances Quinn with Edwards, will definitely be sitting down with Oprah, but the exact airdate has yet to be announced.

In 2008, Edwards admitted to carrying on an affair with Hunter, who opened up about the relationship in a revealing interview with GQ Magazine.

Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, who suffers from terminal cancer, are currently separated.

Photo courtesy: GQ Magazine

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey will be given a Minerva Award by California first lady Maria Shriver.

The talk show host is among five ladies who are being honored on October 26 for "serving on the frontlines of humanity."

The awards, created by Shriver in 2004, will be handed out at the Women's Conference in Long Beach.

Shriver released this statement:

"This year's Minerva Award honorees are women who live with a deep sense of purpose and who are passionately dedicated to serving others. These Minervas all identified problems and unmet needs in their communities and have worked tirelessly to solve them."

Also receiving a Minerva Award ... former Supreme Court judge Sandra Day O'Connor.

CHICAGO, Illinois (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey is seeking Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, to star in a TV series for Lady O's upcoming cable channel, OWN.

The series will reportedly be about how Ferguson was abandoned by her mother at the age of 13, and how "devastating" it was on her life.

Harpo has admitted to X17online that they have been in talks with Ferguson, however the exact show details have not been officially revealed.

According to sources close to production, Fergie's OWN series would run for six episodes.

TORONTO, Canada (X17online) - The Oprah Winfrey Network will be launched in Canada next year by Canadian broadcaster Corus Entertainment.

According to reports, the Canadian company is hoping to attract more female viewers with the hopes of attracting advertisers who are in search of women viewers.

Corus, who already run the cable women's channel W, plans to launch OWN soon after the Jan. 1, 2011 launch here in the states.

Christina Norman, CEO of OWN, said the following:

"Corus has a great track record launching channels, and we're excited to join them in bringing OWN and Oprah Winfrey's vision to Canada."

ILLINOIS, Chicago (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey will be interviewed by Barbara Walters ... discussing 25 successful years with The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The interview, featured in an hourlong special, will take place at Oprah's house, as well as the Harpo Studios in Chicago.

Lady O announced that she's leaving her show to focus more of her time on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. The interview is scheduled to air December 9th on ABC.

Crown Publishers

The very first chapter called Quitting begins with the sentence, "It was a simple question, 'Can you remember the last day you didn't have a drink?'"

Bush also writes about the aftermath of 9/11, an emotional meeting with the pope in 2001 and developing a friendship with Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

As for his appearance on Oprah, a Bush source says, "You will find the president strong, loving life, and ultimately at peace with the decisions he made."

Decision Points hits stores on November 9.

NEW YORK, New York (x17online) - The Oprah Winfrey Network announced three new original reality series set to join the regular schedule for the channel, premiering January 1 at noon.

The three new reality shows include The Judds, which follows Wynonna and Naomi as they prepare for their first tour together in 10 years. Queer Eye For The Straight guy's Carson Kressley will star in Carson-Nation which follows Kressley's travel to small towns where he plans to transform lives, and Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals, a family drama which deals with the estranged father and daughter actors looking to reclaim their relationship after spending more than 25 years apart.

OWN will also become the exclusive home of the Best of Dr. Phil, which will feature the first off-broadcast exhibition of the popular daily syndicated talk show Dr. Phil, hosted by Dr. Phil McGraw.

CEO Christina Norman announced OWN will include "original series and specials, all focused on entertaining, informing and inspiring people to live their best lives. During our launch weekend, the audience will see a little of everything OWN has to offer."

As for the networks mission, Norman adds:

"Oprah as they’ve never seen her in Season 25: Oprah Behind The Scenes, expert advice from Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil and Suze Orman to get their year started right on Ask Oprah’s All-Stars, and sneak peeks at the kinds of shows we believe really fulfill our mission to be entertaining and inspiring."

Jay Z and Diane Sawyer will be the featured stars in the premiere weekend's editions of Oprah Presents Master Class.

OWN has also launched Your OWN Channel, an online destination designed for viewers where they can upload questions for Dr. Phil, Suze Orman and Dr. Oz for the four-part primetime special Ask Oprah’s All-Stars, scheduled to premiere Sunday, January 2 from 8-10pm.

CHICAGO, Illinois (X17online) - In honor of the Oprah Winfrey Show Farewell Season, United Airlines has created a specially-painted 757 for Lady O.

Passengers who fly on the plane will be greeted with a video by the talk show host, and will also enjoy an interior that was designed by her, as well.

Mark Bergsrud, SVP of marketing for United, had the following to say about the tribute to Oprah:

“As Chicago’s hometown airline, United is proud to celebrate The Oprah Winfrey Show’s Farewell Season with our customers, employees and ‘Oprah’ show fans. This unique plane represents the global reach of two great Chicago icons.”

The plane will be in rotation with United domestic flights through May of next year.

See a time-lapsed video of the painting process below:

ILLINOIS, Chicago (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey scored an 8.1 household rating with her sit-down interview with Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and Michael's kids.

The Oprah Winfrey Show, now in its final season, has been the #1 talk show for 600 straight weeks. The Jackson episode was Winfrey's highest-rated episode since the beginning of the year. Not since last November's interview with Sarah Palin has the talk show seen ratings this big.

Oprah interviewed Michael Jackson back in 1993 which also brought in big ratings. Her daytime talk show will end in September 2011.

CHICAGO, Illinois (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey is ending her show after 25 years to start her OWN network, but the host plans on going out with a bang, not to mention massive ratings.

The Oprah Winfrey Show episode featuring Michael Jackson's kids, Prince, Paris and Blanket ... as well as Michael's parents, scored a 6.7 rating when it aired the week of November 7, her biggest ratings in three years.

Other recent shows that did well for the queen of talk: her sit-down with Marie Osmond discussing her son's suicide and former President George W. Bush brought in a 6.1 rating ... drawing in over 8 million viewers.

Oprah's biggest syndicated competitors are Wheel of Fortune and Judge Judy. The court show was beating Winfrey earlier this year by 600,000 viewers.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey's first major promotion spot for the launch of her new OWN Network will premiere in theaters across the country starting today.

The song featured in the background of the new promo is actually a bonus track on the new Black Eyed Peas album The Beginning featuring the voice of Will.i.am.

The entertainer created the song especially for Oprah after he spoke with OWN CEO Lisa Erspamer who was looking for a theme song for Your OWN Show: Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star.

The theater ad is only part of a multimillion-dollar campaign that will also expand to billboards, including one in Times Square and one on the Sunset Strip, TV, print ads, radio and the Internet, according to The New York Times.

OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network is set to launch Jan. 1.

SYDNEY, Australia (X17online) -
Oprah Winfrey kicked off her 25th and final season of The Oprah Winfrey Show with the ultimate giveaway: an eight-day journey across the land Down Under for 300 lucky audience members.

Winfrey hand-picked the audience, some of whom the program called it's most loyal viewers over the years, to join the talk show queen on Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure.

The details of the trip had been kept a closely guarded secret from the 300 guests, but were finally released by Australia’s tourism minister later Tuesday. Winfrey has trips planned to each of the country’s eight states and territories.

The audience ranges in age from 18 to 75, and will be split into several smaller groups and sent off to explore the Great Barrier Reef, the crocodile-infested rainforests of northern Oz, and the famous red monolith called Uluru, located in the Outback.

Audience members will also get a chance to enjoy everything from surfing lessons and snorkeling, to nature hikes and beachside barbecues.

Winfrey is traveling separately by private jet and is expected to land later Tuesday or Wednesday.

Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure is set to air in January. The show's final season premieres in September.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey recently offered U2's Bono his own show on her upcoming OWN Network, during a dinner the pair attended.

“Would you like a TV show?” she asked the super-star musician, according to the New York Times. Winfrey has already given Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, her own series Finding Sarah, after interviewing her on the Oprah show this year. In the series Dr. Phil and Suze Orman help Ferguson piece her life back together after she was caught on camera trying to sell access to her former husband Prince Andrew.

On Jan. 1, OWN will replace the Discovery Health Channel in nearly 80 million homes. Winfrey told the Times of her launch: “The real truth is this: Everything I’ve ever done has prepared me for this moment, for this launch.”

No word yet on whether Bono has accepted the talk-show queen's lucrative offer.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (X17online) - The 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors aired last night on CBS and the list of honorees included: Oprah Winfrey, Sir Paul McCartney, Merle Haggard, Jerry Herman and Bill T. Jones.

The John F. Kennedy Center honors five individuals each year who have spent their lives enriching and inspiring others. Jennifer Hudson sang The Color Purple song I am Here in a tribute to Oprah. Steven Tyler, Norah Jones, Dave Groh, Gwen Stefani and No Doubt also attended, with the band covering popular tunes from The Beatles.

President Obama said in a speech to the honorees: “Tonight it is my honor to offer them the appreciation of a grateful nation.”

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network premiered well over the New Year's holiday weekend, earning one million viewers in it's first night of primetime.

OWN's second day drew a primetime average of 822,000 viewers, a 18% drop from premiere night, but it was a dramatic improvement over Discovery Health which OWN replaced.

The most watched program was the two-hour debut of Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes, which follows the final season of Oprah's daytime talk show. The episode premiered with 1.2 million viewers on Jan.1. Behind the Scenes propelled OWN to third place in the time period among all cable networks in women ages 25-54.

Surprisingly, the most hyped new OWN series, Oprah Presents Master Class was the lowest-rated program with the first episode featuring Jay-Z averaging a mere 602,000 viewers.

OWN is now available in 67% of U.S. homes and 80% of cable homes.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Piers Morgan Tonight made its debut on CNN with Oprah Winfrey as the first guest.

Morgan asked Winfrey, 56, about Martin Luther King, and the talk show host began to get emotional.

Oprah said to Piers:

"Now you are going to make me weep. I could weep over that. I would because I hold him in reverence. And I know that I would not be here... this life... the dream that I live in, would not be possible if he hadn't had been who he was."

During the interview, Winfrey also discussed President Obama running the country, getting pregnant and losing the baby at age 14 ... and the fact that she'll never marry long-term beau Stedman Graham.

The talk show queen also discussed her thoughts of suicide after learning of her pregnancy. She added, "I did silly things like drinking detergent, but really I was crying for help."

Shock jock Howard Stern will be the next guest on Piers Morgan Tonight.

NEW YORK, New York (X17online) - Discovery Communications revealed Friday it will invest an additional $50 million in OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, particularly in programming.

President and CEO David Zaslav said Discovery expects to increase funding to help drive the network, a joint venture with Oprah Winfrey, to longer-term profitability and growth with stronger content.

CFO Brad Singer said Discovery invested an additional $46 million in OWN in the fourth quarter and expects to spend an incremental $50 million on added funding beyond its original $189 million commitment to the network. Programming investments will be the focus.

Although OWN currently features a lot of reruns, over the next six to 12 months, original programming will begin to grow stronger as the network progresses.

CHICAGO, Illinois (X17online) - After 25 years on television, The Oprah Winfrey Show will air its final original episode on May 25.

Back in November 2009, Oprah announced she would end her talk show after 25 years to focus on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Just recently, Oprah tweeted, "hard at work planning the final shows." New shows will begin airing on April 7.

The final guest has yet to be revealed.

CHICAGO, Illinois (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey's final show is scheduled for May 25, and now advertisers will be forced to fork over $1 million for any 30-second TV spots. The prices could increase depending on when the ads air during the hour-long show.

These prices are similar to what advertisers had to pay during the finales of Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

During the finale of Friends, advertisers paid close to $2 million. The Friends finale had more than 52.5 million viewers tuning in back in 2004.

For the finale of Seinfeld, over 76 million tuned in. Check out the five priciest :30 second finale spots below:

Lost (2010): $900,000
X-Files (2002): $679,700
24 (2010): $650,000
Cheers (1993): $650,000
Ally McBeal (2002): $582,600

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - The last broadcast of Oprah Winfrey's daytime talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, delivered the highest ratings in 17 years.

The episode featured the host reminiscing about her 25 years in daytime television, which averaged a 13.3 household rating, according to preliminary ratings from Nielsen.

It was marked as the highest per household average since her installment, “People Shed Their Disguises," which aired on February 21, 1994.

Wednesday's episode featured no guests; just Oprah talking to her studio audience and viewers about God, love and self-acceptance, topped her three-day farewell.

Oprah is leaving her daytime duties to focus her time and energy on her cable network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Reruns of The Oprah Winfrey Show will begin to air on OWN in the fall, and the media mogul will be providing fresh content, to give old episodes a new twist.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - OWN CEO Oprah Winfrey may have taken credit for an idea that was not her own, according to a New Jersey woman.

Simone Kelly-Brown and Own Your Power Communications, Inc., a motivational communication services company, claim that the “Own Your Power” mantra – a phrase that has been used on Winfrey’s television network, website, and O publication – is originally theirs.

The company, which filed a lawsuit against Winfrey and Harpo Productions on Thursday, is seeking damages for Winfrey’s “brazenly unlawful disregard for the existence and use of [OTP's] trademark.”

The suit continues, “Under such circumstances, with [Winfrey and Harpo] being much larger, spending more money, having a wider reach, and an overlapping audience with the much smaller Company, particularly with one of the most influential women in the world at the helm … [OTP has] been irreparably harmed.”

A Harpo spokesperson responded in a statement to EW: "Harpo has not been served and we have no information about what allegations are being made.”

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has just announced that Oprah Winfrey will receive an Honorary Oscar.

The former talk show host is being honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her philanthropy work, especially for her efforts with the Angel Network and the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls in South Africa.

Also earning Honorary Oscars are famed actor James Earl Jones and the "Godfather of Makeup," Dick Smith. The three will collect their statuettes at the Academy's 3rd Annual Governors Awards on November 12.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey is hoping that fellow talk show veteran Rosie O’Donnell will invigorate her cable network.

The OWN network has yet to produce a hit show despite having spent $150 million on programming since the network’s January 1 launch.

Winfrey is investing quite a bit in O’Donnell’s upcoming talk show, including her Chicago studio and many members of her former staff.

O’Donnell drew polar reactions during her year-long stint at The View, and the comedienne hinted in a July press conference that we can expect more of the same on her OWN program.

The Rosie Show debuts Oct. 10 and will air weekdays at 7 p.m.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Queen of TV Oprah Winfrey will reign over computer screens on Sept. 8.

Winfrey will sit down for a live Facebook interview at the company’s California headquarters. Questions are currently being taken on the event’s Facebook page.

The OWN CEO will also meet with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Dick Costolo during her trip to discuss traffic-boosting strategies for Oprah.com, which has faltered since her talk show came to an end in May.

Winfrey’s Facebook interview will begin at 1:30 PST on Thursday.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey is curiously missing from the long list of celebrity contributors toward a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington.

Despite her oft-vocalized admiration for the civil rights leader – she even dedicated a show to him in 2008 on the steps of the Washington Memorial - Winfrey reportedly turned down a number of requests for donations.

Those who did donate to the cause include Whoopi Goldberg, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Dr. Maya Angelou, Carlos Santana, Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Brown, Muhammad Ali and his daughter Laila Ali.

President Obama debuted the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in a ceremony this past Sunday, which included special performances by Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, and James Taylor.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey took home an honorary Oscar at Saturday night’s Governors Awards.

The media mogul received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in recognition of her philanthropic efforts.

"I never imagined receiving an Oscar, especially for doing what is part of my calling, part of my being," Winfrey remarked at the ceremony. "If you are not a former colored girl born in Mississippi in 1954, it is impossible for you to know what this journey has meant."

Good friends Gayle King, Maria Shriver, Tyler Perry, John Travolta, and Sidney Poitier presented Winfrey with the award.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - Oprah Winfrey will join Lady Gaga this Wednesday for the launch of Gaga's Born This Way Foundation.

Along with U.S Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the talk show host and the pop star will gather at Harvard's Graduate School of Education to debut the foundation, which is centered on addressing self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development through research, education, and advocacy.

The goal is to explore the most effective ways to create a culture of tolerance and empowerment. Spiritual guru Deepak Chopra and Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree will also be in attendance.

Gaga has long been an outspoken advocate for anti-bullying.

LOS ANGELES, California (X17online) - SNL Kagan analyst Derek Baine predicted Wednesday that cable network group Discovery Communications will report a higher loss this year, due to programming problems and advertising and carriage fee revenues.

Oprah Winfrey's joint venture with Discovery, the OWN network, is rumored to be taking a write-down, but nothing has been confirmed and certain sources believe they will be able to avoid one.

OWN recently laid off 30 employees and canceled Rosie O'Donnell's talk show, causing many to speculate about financial trouble, but the network maintains it's progress and prosperity. A Discovery spokesman told THR that OWN is "on more solid ground and has more business momentum than ever before." Since Discovery doesn't disclose their financials, analysts have been doing their best to guess the current state of affairs.

"Net-net, we estimate that OWN lost $107 million on a cash-flow basis in 2011, but Discovery has invested much more," Baine said in his report, projecting that OWN's losses could rise to $142.9 million this year. Other analysts have been more optimistic.

Adding to the severity of the situation, Baine is also predicting obstacles on the revenue side. "With all of the bad press that the channel is getting, advertisers may tire of playing the waiting for shows to catch an audience," he suggested.

Discovery CEO David Zaslav remains optimistic that OWN will be a success.

LOS ANGELES, California (x17online) - After experiencing financial losses earlier this year, Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav has said that he expects Oprah Winfrey's network OWN to break even in 2013.

Zaslav announced his estimation during his company's first-quarter earnings conference call Tuesday, stating that even though there's much more to be done, they are making progress in with the network.

The news comes after reports that OWN may have lost nearly $330 million since its start in 2008. The network has recently enjoyed a rise in ratings and subscribers, going from 80 to 85 million pay TV customers. Additionally, it has become the 27th highest rated network for women with about 15 million viewers a week — a boost from last year when it was in the top 45 targeting that audience.