Actor Owen Wilson will return to work next month, filming Marley & Me with co-star Jennifer Aniston in Miami, his The new cast of Dancing with the Stars will be revealed tonight, but who can forget last season’s most-talked about names, especially one Marie Osmond?

The entertainer, who finished a surprising third on the program, joined fellow alum Cameron Mathison for an interview in which the soap star asked if she would participate in a Dancing All-Stars show?

“Only if you do it,” she says.

One person who won’t be doing any Dancing of any kind is her brother Donny, who was long-speculated to have made the DWTS shortlist for this season. “They are rumors,” Marie says.

Don’t expect Donny on Marie’s upcoming daytime talk show either. Although they have teamed up for two versions of Donny and Marie in the past three decades, Marie says she’ll be on her own for The Marie Osmond Show, launching in 2009.

“The problem is Donny’s not very articulate…If he were there, it’d be a different kind of talk show,” she laughs.

So can we expect Marie to dethrone Oprah Winfrey as the Queen of Talk?

“Absolutely not,” she says. “Oprah’s amazing. [She] brings perspective but our hearts are similar because she does all her charity.”

The 48-year-old, who lost 40 lbs during her Dancing days, also discussed growing up in show business — past and present.

“The difference is that our homes were more solid [back then] so we had a place to fall back on. So, that’s what’s concerning. These kids [current celebrities] don’t have that stability. They’re kind of raising each other.”

Source, WENN

I don’t know how true this is, but a source is saying that Dr. “Opportunity” Phil McGraw is going to have Oprah Winfrey on his show as a special guest for the February 11th show. The show is special because it will mark McGraw’s 1,000th episode of “helping” people.

The self-help “guru” started his TV career with a weekly spot on Oprah.

WENN

Oprah Winfrey is getting her own network, appropriately titled the Oprah Winfrey Network, teaming with Discovery Communications to create an Oprah branded network.

The Oprah Winfrey Network will take over the Discovery Health Channel distribution platform, which guarantees it a strong subscriber base of 67.7 million cable and satellite homes, according to Nielsen. Winfrey will be chair of the network.

The deal between Winfrey and Discovery was considered a “cashless transaction” for a 50/50 joint venture that will be considered independent from any other Discovery Channel holdings. Winfrey will have full editorial control of OWN and oversee its programming, branding and creative thrust.

Do you think celebs have an influence on voters?  I love Oprah as much as the next woman …

The Big O is hitting the campaign trail to lend her support to presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama.  Here’s a pic from a rally in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday. “I’m here because of my personal conviction about Barack Obama and what I know he can do for America,” she said in a speech.

Do you think it’ll help that Obama is the newest addition to “Oprah’s Favorite Things”?

Oprah Winfrey paid a secret visit Sunday to her elite Leadership Academy Girls School in South Africa, which has been embroiled with abuse allegations after a 12-year-old pupil aired claims of misconduct.

“The meeting went well. It took about two hours, and I appreciate that Oprah took time to listen,” the girl’s father told PEOPLE exclusively. The session with Winfrey included him, his wife and their daughter. “Oprah looked beautiful and was so easy to talk to. It went very smoothly.”

The girl had left the school complaining about incidents involving the school’s staff, but her claims did not result in charges against the dorm matron.

Until now, no contact had been made, and the family had not been not invited to an emergency meeting in October, at which Winfrey apologized.

“I am very happy and pleased that Oprah heard our side of the story,” added the father, whose name is not being revealed. “We have closure.”

The meeting, which he described as very emotional, is one of several Winfrey had throughout the day. “I think they are planning new rules and staff for the school,” he said, expressing happiness that his daughter will return to complete eighth grade there. (The academy is located in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg.)

“I am so excited because we were invited to the end-of-year school party, which will be on Tuesday,” the father said. “The other pupils and families knew about the party, but we were never told. So it was a big surprise for us when Oprah asked us to join the party.”

The concerned father also said that his daughter will receive counseling and support, as did other students who were abused. The therapy, he said, “will be organized by the school.”

He added, “I am happy because at last we had a chance to speak. Oprah resolved everything.”

Source

I am not a huge Oprah watcher, however, I love this time of year when she does her annual Favorite Things list! I dream of being in the audience the day she gives away her favorite things and screaming like an infant at all the wonderful things! It just makes me ready to the holidays. This year was no exception to wonderful things. Here is a complete list of everything Oprah gave away.

SAMSUNG PROGRESSIVE HD CAMCORDER SC-HMX10C-Worth $799.99

UGG® AUSTRALIA CLASSIC CROCHET TALL BOOT worth $120.00

TOYWATCH WATCHES worth $150 to $1500.00

PERFECT ENDINGS CUPCAKES FROM WILLIAMS-SONOMA worth $59.00 for 9

MELAMINE BOWLS, MEASURING CUPS AND SPOONS FROM WILLIAMS-SONOMA worth $72.00 for all

THE ARTISAN® STAND MIXER FROM KITCHENAID HOME APPLIANCES worth $349.99

THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S PLANET EARTH DVD SET worth $59.95

KAI BODY BUTTER and BODY BUFFER worth $28.00 and $55.00

CLARISONIC SKIN CARE SYSTEMb worth $195.00

CLAUS PORTO SOAPS FROM LAFCO NEW YORK worth $42.00 for 3

THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH BY KEN FOLLETT worth $24.95

BREVILLE IKON PANINI PRESS FROM WILLIAMS-SONOMA worth $95.95

HDTV REFRIGERATOR WITH WEATHER AND INFO CENTER FROM LG ELECTRONICS worth $3,799.00!!!!

CIAO BELLA BLOOD ORANGE SORBETTO worth $4.99

RACHEL PALLY SWING TURTLENECK AND SAILOR PANTS worth $141 and $194

SCRABBLE PREMIER EDITION FROM HASBRO worth $70.00

UNITED ARTISTS 90TH ANNIVERSARY PRESTIGE COLLECTION worth $869.98

SHAKLEE GET CLEAN™ STARTER KIT worth $89.60

O’S GUIDE TO LIFE worth$ 29.95

JOSH GROBAN’S NOEL CD worth $15.00

WOW!!!!

Oprah Winfrey said the recent alleged abuse scandal at her $47 million Leadership Academy in South Africa “has been one of the most devastating, if not the most devastating, experience of my life.

“When I first heard about it I spent about a half-hour going around my house crying,” Winfrey, 53 — who was abused as a child — said in a video news conference from Chicago Monday.

Though she said she was not responsible for school hiring, she admitted the screening process was inadequate and “the buck always stops with me.”

The same day, the former employee accused of alleged sexual and physical abuse appeared in a South African court.

Virginia “Tiny” Makopo – who worked as a caregiver at Winfrey’s $47 million Leadership Academy in South Africa – was not required to enter a plea at Monday’s hearing, but said she was innocent when the charges — which include 13 counts of assault and criminal injury committed against at least six students aged 13-15 and a 23-year-old at the school — were read, the Associated Press reports.

Makopo was released on $450 bail. She is due back in court December 13.

Mokopo was ordered to report weekly to the police station in Sebokeng, a township south of Johanessburg. She was also banned from having any contact with staff or students at Winfrey’s school.

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