Oprah at OWN

Photo: Ruven Afanador

OWN It!
Mark your calendar! At noon on January 1, 2011, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network goes live with a cable channel unlike any you've ever seen. See what you'll be watching...
Master Class - Oprah Winfrey

Photo: Robin Layton © 2010 Harpo, Inc.

Oprah Presents Master Class, premieres January 1st
The revealing biography series Oprah Presents Master Class shares hard-won insight from extraordinary achievers whose paths have inspired Oprah—and countless others.

See what they know for sure
Gayle King

Photo: Rob Howard

The Gayle King Show, premieres January 3rd
O's editor at large is bringing her popular news radio program, The Gayle King Show, to TV. She gave us the scoop.

Her Mission: "I don't want to hear, 'Lights, camera, action!'" says Gayle. "Radio is a very intimate medium, and I want to preserve that, even though I'll be talking to TV viewers now, too. When guests come to my studio, they always say, 'Wow, I feel like it's just you and me!' It's conducive to conversation. That's why I'm not having a studio audience."

Her Topics: Depending on the day, Gayle might touch on the challenges facing gay teens, the rise of Islamophobia, or the decline of civility in our politics, or she might invite Carrie Underwood, Michelle Obama, or Jay-Z to the studio for a chat. "I'm all over the place," she says.

Her Snark-Free Zone: "I don't want people to feel on guard when they come on my show or call in. I want them to know that even if they're going through something awkward, it's a safe place to have a discussion."

Her News Flash: "I have listeners who call my radio show and say, 'Gayle, you're the only place I get my news.' I want to give people some idea of what's going on in the world, but get your news someplace else, too!"

Her Message to the Audience: Come play! "I tell people, 'Put me on your speed dial, because I guarantee there will be something you'll want to weigh in on.' I want people to be engaged. I don't want to have a conversation by myself!"

Rosie O'Donnell

Photo: Ben Baker

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, premieres fall 2011
Nearly ten years after her talk show ended—and three years after her short-lived stint on The View—Rosie O'Donnell is stepping back into the spotlight. We had a few questions about her life's "part two." Read the interview
Oprah Winfrey

Oprah's Next Chapter, premieres fall 2011
"For Oprah's Next Chapter, debuting later this year, I'm looking forward to getting out and seeing the world, and to not being tethered to the chair anymore! I'll still do interviews, but in interesting places—in front of the Pyramids, the Great Wall, or in a village in Kenya. I know there are lots of people who will never be able to see the world, and I'm hoping I can help them see it. I want to bring it to them—like Gayle and I did with Yosemite last fall. When we saw the famous tunnel view of all those different mountains, I know many people were thinking, "I have now had the tunnel experience." It was like they were there." — Oprah
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York

Photo: Getty Images

Finding Sarah, premieres spring 2011
The Duchess of York, star of the revealing docu-series Finding Sarah, explains how an embarrassing lapse in judgment last spring—yes, we're talking about that video of her selling access to her royal ex for $750,000—helped her reclaim her life.

"Last May, after the incident in Britain with the News of the World journalist, I wanted to talk to Oprah because she's the only person in the media I trusted. I'm proud to say she's now my friend. As I started to work on myself, I began writing to her every day—a diary of how I felt. She asked me to do a show documenting my journey to find the true Sarah. I'll be meeting an amazing group of people—Mark Nepo, Martha Beck, Suze Orman, Eckhart Tolle, and many more—who will help give me the chance to have a new life at 51. It's a scary thing to do, to let cameras into your therapy sessions, but I feel courageous. Of course I have fears that the world will say, 'What's she doing now?' And the British tabloids will kill me for doing it. They'll say, 'Why didn't she go put her head in the sand?' But I think when you're on the public stage, you can't just go away and live quietly. That's not who I am. I want to continue my charity work. I have 72 schools for children around the world. It's my hope that in doing this show I'll feel a peace I haven't felt my whole life, free from my mind tormenting and judging and calling me names. And if in healing myself I can help others learn from my journey, then I'm very lucky to have this opportunity. Rather than waiting until I get cancer or get old to wake up, as many do, I'm awake now, and I'm proud of that."

Kidnapped by the Kids

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Kidnapped by the Kids, premieres spring 2011
"I realized long ago that parents are spending a lot of time away from their kids so the kids can have things the parents never had. But what kids really want is time with their parents. Every child wants to see, 'Do your eyes light up when I walk into the room?' They want to feel—F-E-E-L—your love. I wanted to create a show that proves this, week after week, in a fun, entertaining way. I think it will be life-enhancing for kids and parents." — Oprah
Carson Kressley

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Carson-Nation , premieres summer 2011
On his new show, makeover guru Carson Kressley will traverse the country with an Airstream full of supplies, making over "families, bridal parties, class reunions, stores...anyone or anything that really needs it," he explains. Kressley wanted to call it Carson-Nation, although OWN execs preferred Carson Across America. Oprah herself was the tiebreaker.
Will.i.am

Photo: Getty Images

Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind, premieres summer 2011
A star of OWN's Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind, will.i.am wrote the network's anthem, to boot.

When OWN chief creative officer Lisa Erspamer called her friend will.i.am, cofounder of the Black Eyed Peas, to ask for help finding a great song for one of the network's shows, he said, "Let me call you right back." Forty-five minutes later, he sent her "OWN It!," a sunny track that became the theme song not only for Your OWN Show but for the entire network as well. "I work well under pressure," he explains. "I wrote 'I Gotta Feeling'"—the Peas' 2009 smash-hit single, now tattooed onto the consciousness of seemingly every sentient being on Earth—"in 30 minutes." On Visionaries (which also features Lady Gaga, among others), OWN's cameras follow will.i.am into the Louvre at 2 A.M., as he records tracks for a multimedia ode to da Vinci's Mona Lisa. "We're breaking apart that painting and just dreaming to it," he explains. "But it was crazy. Who records a song in the Louvre?"

Cristina Ferrare

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Cristina's Big Bowl of Love, premieres January 3rd

On Cristina's Big Bowl of Love, former Max Factor spokesmodel Cristina Ferrare, who has published two books on style and entertaining, will help viewers tackle easy weeknight meals, tasty Super Bowl party fare, and even what to make if Oprah drops by for dinner—which Ferrare knows a thing or two about. Oprah fell in love with her food after being invited to her home in Santa Barbara, where the pair are neighbors.
Carson Kressley and Nancy O'Dell

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star premieres January 7th
The contestants on Your OWN Show —all vying for a hosting gig on the network—will need to turn on the charisma to land the grand prize. We asked the show's hosts, Nancy O'Dell and Carson Kressley, how to channel small-screen magnetism in daily life.

1. Project Confidence.

Nancy: "Speak with authority. A lot of times getting people to believe what you're saying is just about how you say it. Also, stand up tall!"

2. Avoid the Awkward Pause.

Carson: "Do your homework. Some people say, 'Don't go to a party without reading the front page of USA Today.' That way you'll have things to say beyond, 'I love your shoes!' Although sometimes that works, too."

3. Adjust Your Perspective.

Nancy: "If you're positive, people will automatically want to be around you. Next time someone asks you about your day, say, 'I'm having the best day!' Not only will people look at you differently, but you actually will have a great day."

4. Own Your Verbal Blunders.

Nancy: "People appreciate honesty. Just bluntly say, 'I didn't mean for that to come out that way.' It's better to acknowledge or make fun of it than gloss over it."

Suze Orman, Dr. Phillip C. McGraw, and Dr. Mehmet Oz

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Ask Oprah's All-Stars, premieres January 2nd
On Ask Oprah's All-Stars, three powerhouses—Suze Orman, Dr. Phillip C. McGraw, and Dr. Mehmet Oz—team up for the first time to help ordinary people get their lives together—financially, emotionally, and physically. On each episode, their guest will present his or her problems (credit card debt, a difficult boss, an unhealthy diet) and the all-stars will weigh in with solutions. "I can't wait to see what the dynamic is like," says Suze, who proposed the idea to OWN execs. "If Dr. Oz tells someone to join a gym, can I interrupt him to say, 'But they don't have any money'?"

Shania Twain

Photo: Getty Images

Why Not?...with Shania Twain, premieres in April 2011
She's sold 75 million albums worldwide over her 17-year career, but when Twain discovered in 2008 that her husband had been unfaithful—with her best friend—no amount of success could ease the pain. This April, in the six-part series Why Not?...with Shania Twain, the singer opens up about her divorce, recovering her creative voice, and her plans for a new beginning.
Lisa Ling

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Our America with Lisa Ling, premieres February 2011
On Our America with Lisa Ling, the unflinching journalist investigates subjects as varied as religious faith healing, a heroin epidemic in a Midwest community, and the online mail-order-bride business.

Read Lisa Ling's Aha! Moment
Naomi and Wynonna Judd

Photo: Getty Images

The Judds, premieres summer 2011
The Judds provides an inside look at the famously successful—and famously volatile—mother-daughter singing duo of Naomi and Wynonna Judd as they board their tour buses for a triumphant 18-city reunion tour. "We're a work in progress," reports Wynonna. "The important part is learning from your mistakes," adds Naomi. Sparks are likely to fly, although they do agree on this: "We're each 100 percent responsible for our 50 percent of the relationship," says Naomi.
Dr. Laura Berman

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

In the Bedroom With Dr. Laura Berman, premieres January 3rd
The renowned sex guru and relationship expert makes house calls to help couples overcome their carnal conundrums (look for one woman who can climax only with the help of a laundry basket).

Hannah, Breaking Down the Bars

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Breaking Down the Bars, premieres spring 2011
On Breaking Down the Bars, eight convicts work with Stephanie Covington, PhD, to rebuild their lives. Here, one prisoner shares her story.

Hannah, 20
Convicted of: Attempted robbery
Sentence: Ten years

"Besides truancy from school, I'd never been in any trouble. But then I was hanging around the wrong crowd, and I began using heroin. One day I walked into a hotel and demanded money. I was unarmed. They said no, so I left. That's a felony. They called the cops, I was arrested, and I got ten years—two to four years in prison, six years' probation. I came to Rockville [Correctional Facility, in Indiana] in September 2009. At first I just cried and cried. You don't know who's next to you, or what they've done. My mind raced—How did I get here? What do I need to do to fix this? But the structure has been good for me.

"Dr. Covington understood what I'd been through. She told us to make a Wall of Shame, where we wrote down everything we felt guilty about—each thing was one brick in the wall. As we worked through those things, we broke down the bricks. One brick was my heroin addiction. Another was the way I'd treated my parents. The first time they visited me here, I hadn't seen them in a long time. I knew it would be hard, because they would have a lot of questions. I had a panic attack on camera. But after I caught my breath, I told them I was sorry I hadn't been open with them. When I get out, I hope we can go to counseling. I want them to get the kind of help and comfort I got from Dr. Covington.

"I'm hoping to get my GED here—that's my main priority. I want to be a nurse, but I don't know if that's possible with my felony. I'm going to exhaust all my options before I give up. I've already dealt with all the bricks that were in that wall. There aren't any left. I'm looking forward to starting fresh."

Miracle Detectives

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Miracle Detectives, premieres January 5th
The show Miracle Detectives will investigate enduring mysteries like the strange rose-scented oil that continuously oozes from religious figurines inside Cora Lorenzo's home in Union City, California, attracting flocks of true believers from around the world. Lorenzo says the oil, thought by some to heal, started flowing in 1995 from a small artifact she bought on a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
Searching For

Photo: OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Searching For, premieres summer 2011
The docu-series Searching For follows investigative genealogist Pam Slaton as she tracks down missing pieces of her clients' pasts, from birth parents to unknown siblings. "Recently I connected a woman with her biological father, a famous musician," says Slaton." Her birth mother had been a groupie, and my client had to jump through hoops to make him believe she was his daughter. But eventually he did."

More from O's OWN Preview
  • 4 groundbreaking original documentaries
  • What the subjects of Oprah Presents Master Class know for sure
  • Why Rosie's ready for the new Rosie O'Donnell Show
  • Plus: Oprah talks to editor in chief Susan Casey about her exhilarating new chapter