Oprah’s new network is taking a beating over the last couple days, and who know’s what’s coming next!

Friday it was announced that Oprah was cancelling Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show because of poor ratings. According to Radar Online, one former staffer said of the show “It was such a f**king hellhole!”

Oprah called Rosie herself to let her down easy, and “it was a very strained conversation, obviously,” according to a source close to the situation. “Oprah wanted to handle the announcement of the cancellation in a professional and dignified manner. Rosie thanked Oprah for the opportunity and ended the conversation very abruptly. OWN’s public relations team and Rosie’s publicist handled the language in the press release. Rosie didn’t like the initial language of the press release because she felt that it placed sole responsibility of the failure of the show on her. Oprah didn’t need to get Rosie’s input or approval for the press release, but she was trying to be gracious. Up until the moment that the press release was sent out, Rosie wanted changes made, but Oprah instructed the release to go out, because it needed to go out, and she was just over the drama,” the source added.

Oprah released a statement on the canceling of Rosie’s show: “I thank Rosie from the bottom of my heart for joining me on this journey. She has been an incredible partner, working to deliver the best possible show every single day. As I have learned in the last 15 months, a new network launch is always a challenge and ratings grow over time as you continue to gather an audience. I’m grateful to Rosie and the dedicated Rosie Show team for giving it their all.”

Leave it to Donald Trump (who has never had anything nice to say about Rosie) to dance on her grave.

Trump went on Twitter this morning and wrote, “Rosie O’Donnell has failed again. Her ratings were abysmal and Oprah cancelled her on Friday night.”

He added: “When will media executives learn that Rosie just hasn’t got it. ”

Of course, Trump has been bashing Rosie for years … claiming she was a “pig” and a “loser” after she called him a “snake-oil salesman.”

As for Rosie … we’re told her opinion of the staff was clear — The writers couldn’t write, the producers couldn’t produce, the stage manager couldn’t manage, and the director couldn’t direct.

Mind you, most of these people were seasoned vets who worked on that little show called “Oprah.”

We’re told Rosie’s tantrums were predictable and regular. The one word several high level staffers used to describe R.O. is “bully.”

Our sources connected with the show tell us the staff hated Ro … and the consensus is it was the worst experience they ever had on TV.

And Rosie wasn’t OWN’s only casualty. TMZ is reporting that Oprah slashed the jobs of 15 people at her network today, including two top executives. [UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter is saying the number is double that. They're reporting Oprah's network fired 30 people.]

Sources connected to OWN tell us … people from at least 3 departments were let go … including the creative services dept., integrated marketing and promo scheduling.

We’re told one of the casualties was the head of the creative services department.

One source tells us the group included people with years of experience in the industry as well as newcomers.

The timing is interesting … considering O just cancelled Rosie O’Donnell’s show. OWN has been struggling with low ratings since its launch.

One source tells us, “It’s like a ghost town over there.”

It sure seems to me like Oprah just got greedy. She had one of the highest rated (if not THE highest rated) shows on daytime TV, was making a bazillion dollars, but chose to leave so she could start her OWN network. Looks like that’s not working out too well for her!

TMZ & RadarOnline

TV legend Oprah Winfrey greeted and mingled with her fans as she made her way to a restaurant in New York City.

I really miss the Oprah Winfrey Show.  I know she has her OWN network now, but I never get a chance to watch any of it.

Do you watch Oprah’s new network OWN?

Photos by Fame/Flynet

I have to be honest, I haven’t watched Oprah’s network once since she started it. Looks like I’m not alone. Oprah is desperate for viewers. So desperate – she’s begging people to watch her?

Find out what she did to get herself in some trouble!

Beyonce‘s been loving her latest role as a mother for about a month now, and as she has gotten settled with baby Blue Ivy, there were rumors that she and Jay-Z have decided on a godmother of their child.

Nope, it wasn’t any of her Destiny’s Child bandmates or even her sister Solange — it was none other than Oprah Winfrey.

Now, it’s Oprah’s best friend Gayle King who has revealed that her buddy has not taken on the responsibility that everyone keeps saying she has.

Gayle King shot down the rumor Friday on the CBS Morning Show, saying “It’s absolutely not true that she’s the godmother.”

Oprah’s bestie said she is fond of the couple but hasn’t even sent them a baby gift yet!

“She’s friends with them, of course, and likes them both very much. She’s working on sending them a baby gift. She hasn’t even had time to send a baby gift because she’s been away.”

Source

We’ve compiled a list of some of the star’s favorite recipes to keep you busy over the weekend. Some delicious, some just plain weird. Enjoy!

Jennifer Lopez Fried Chicken and Slaw

J*Lo’s fave meal to cook at home is fried chicken and slaw and she works it off by dancing for her Papi!

For the chicken

• 4 organic free-range chicken breasts
• 170 ml evaporated milk
• 100 g plain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, zest of
• 4 -5 tablespoons sunflower oil, to shallow fry

For the Coleslaw

• 2 large carrots, coarsely grated
• 2 red cabbage, finely shredded
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 4 tablespoons creme fraiche
• 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 1 lemon, zest of, and a squeeze of juice
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

Directions:

• Put the chicken in a bowl and cover with evaporated milk, set aside.
• Mix the flour, cayenne pepper, paprika, cajun seasoning, parsley and lemon zest together and put into a large plastic bag.
• Shake off the excess milk from the chicken and add to the bag to coat in the seasoned flour. Chill until ready to fry.
• Combine all the ingredients for the coleslaw in a bowl and chill until ready to use.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes. Turn and continue frying until browned and cooked through. Drain each piece of the chicken on kitchen paper.
• Serve with coleslaw.

Oprah Winfrey likes to watch her waist with her Unfried Chicken:

Ingredients

• 6 chicken drumsticks
• 6 chicken breast halves
• 3 1/2 cups ice water (875 mL)
• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt (250 mL)
• Vegetable oil

Breading

• 1 cup dried Italian bread crumbs (250 mL)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (250 mL)
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning (15 mL)
• 1/2 teaspoon each: garlic powder, thyme, basil, oregano (2 mL)
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (0.5 mL)

Directions

• Remove skin from chicken. Place chicken in large bowl with ice water. Put yogurt into medium bowl. Set aside.
• Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil.
• Breading: Combine all ingredients in large tight-sealing bag; shake to mix. Remove two pieces of chicken from ice water. Roll each piece in yogurt. Put chicken into plastic bag, seal and shake, coating thoroughly. Transfer breaded chicken to oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all 12 pieces are breaded. Spray chicken lightly with vegetable oil. Place baking sheet on bottom shelf of 400 degree F (200 degree C) oven and bake for 1 hour, turning pieces every 20 minutes for even browning.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.

Dolly Parton’s Pan-fried Catfish

Dolly has a whole cook book of recipes titled, Dolly’s Dixie Fixins, but this is her fave.

Ingredients

• 6 1/2 lbs catfish fillets
• lard or shortening, for pan frying
• 1 cup white cornmeal
• salt and black pepper, for seasoning
• lemon wedge

Directions

• Wash the catfish fillets in cold water and pat dry.
• Melt enough lard or shortening in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat to reach 3/4-inch deep.
• While the lard/shortening is melting, pour the cornmeal into a large, shallow plate or dish.
• Season both sides of the catfish fillets (remember to pat them dry, first) with salt and pepper, then dredge them in the cornmeal and shake off any excess.
• When the melted fat is hot but not smoking, carefully slide the fillets into the pan (careful not to splatter, and don’t crowd the pan because you want the fish to fry and not steam). Fry the fish in batches if necessary.
• Fry the fillets about 4 minutes per side, until crisp and golden brown.
• Put paper towels on a platter and transfer the fried fillets to the platter with a slotted spatula or spoon.
• Serve with lemon wedges and your favorite catfish sauce (tartar, cocktail, etc). Make sure to have plenty of napkins, hush puppies, corn on the cob, and coleslaw, too!
• Makes 6 servings.

Elvis’ Fried PB & Banana Sandwich

This recipe may or may not have had anything to do with the Death of a King!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (preferably smooth)
• 2 slices white sandwich bread
• 1 small ripe banana, mashed with a fork (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

• Spread peanut butter evenly on 1 slice of bread, then spread mashed banana on other slice, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge. Close sandwich, gently pressing bread slices together.
• Heat butter in an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then fry sandwich, turning over once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes total.
• Eat immediately with a knife and fork.

Britney’s Cheeto Chicken Casserole

The perfect recipe to use up those unwanted Cheetos, hit me baby one more time!

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 1 onion diced
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 to 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 1 bag of Crushed Cheetos for topping

Directions:

• Mix above ingredients together and put into casserole dish
• Crush enough Cheetos to cover top
• Bake in 180 degree oven for 30 minutes

Photos: Fame

Maria Shriver and her son Chris Schwarzenegger dine with Oprah at Spago in Beverly Hills.

Chris is recovering from a boogie board accident that resulted in a collapsed lung and broken ribs.

Currently Maria is going through a divorce with Actor turned Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after she discovered he had allegedly fathered a child with their housekeeper.

Photos: Fame

Jenny, Jenny, Jenny, don’t your remember what happened to Iyanla Vanzant when she ditched Oprah and ventured out on her own? It wasn’t good.

Personally, If I wanted a career boost I’d hang on to Oprah with every inch of strength I could muster up. But that’s just me.

Jenny McCarthy has left Oprah’s network OWN and signed on with NBC. It is speculated that there was a difference in opinions on how the show would be projected, so Jenny packed up and took her show elsewhere.

“Jenny wasn’t thrilled with the direction that OWN producers were going with on the show,” a source tells FOX411.com of McCarthy, 38. “She had been working with Oprah and her producers for over a year, developing this project for OWN. Jenny finally decided to embrace Oprah’s philosophy, which is to ‘follow your bliss.’ Well, Jenny followed her bliss and walked right off the project.”

The departure was probably a shock to Winfrey. McCarthy and Oprah had become friends through Jenny’s efforts as advocate for children with Autism. Jenny even wrote a blog on Oprah.com.

Oprah has acknowledged that her network is struggling and has put pressure on her.

“Over the years I had complete control,” Winfrey told TV execs in June. “It’s a little harder making a judgment as to what other shows can do. It’s about finding your particular flow and being able to connect to it.”

I’ve always been a fan of the Oprah Winfrey Show, but have yet to watch her new network OWN.

What’s your opinion on OWN? Do you think the shows are good? Do you think it will succeed?

Source Fame