gayle king

Photo: George Burns

"At the moment of commitment, the universe conspires to assist you."
When a friend of mine was considering whether or not to take a new job, she said this Goethe-inspired quote helped her make the decision. She took the job!
unchained djanjo

Photo: Andrew Cooper, SMPSP/The Weinstein Company

There's Already Oscar Buzz...
surrounding Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino's latest film, starring Jamie Foxx. I ran into Jamie on a red-eye flight from L.A. to New York, and he said the chemistry among the cast members was magical. He plays Django, a slave who teams up with a bounty hunter played by Christopher Waltz (left, with Foxx) to track down two murderers. Leonardo DiCaprio plays an evil plantation owner, and Jamie told me he thinks this will finally be Leo's gold statue year. I hope he's right!
the fresh diet

Courtesy of the Fresh Diet

Here We Go Again!
I'm always looking for new ways to lose weight, so when I heard that the boss at CBS This Morning, Chris Licht, had dropped 17 pounds on the Fresh Diet, I wanted in. The company delivers gourmet food to you each day in a handy-dandy insulated bag; even better, every time I pick out my meals, my mouth does the happy dance! My order today included a sautéed kale omelet with sun-dried tomatoes, crab and quinoa cakes with lemon aioli, and eggplant rollatini with fresh mozzarella. And guess what? The Fresh Diet is giving O readers 20 percent off seven- and 31-day trials at freshdiet.com/omag.
boot

Courtesy of Ivanka Trump Footwear

Boots in January...
are always a good look, and some of the cutest ones I've seen lately were designed by Ivanka Trump, who knows a thing or two about style. The Vita boot comes in a variety of colors, but I'm nuts about this sage green! ($299; zappos.com)
bruno mars album

Photo: Kyoshino/iStockphoto

Bruno Mars is Back...
...With his sophomore album, Unorthodox Jukebox, and after hearing a preview, I'm sensing another hit. At just 27 years old, Bruno is posting impressive numbers: more than 45 million singles sold, platinum 39 times. Not bad for a guy who started his career at age 4 as an Elvis impersonator! My picks from Jukebox are the upbeat "Treasure" and the beautiful ballad "When I Was Your Man."
girls

Photo: Jessica Miglio/HBO

New Year, New Season...
for two of my favorite TV series, Downton Abbey (PBS) and Girls (HBO). Downton's third season still has the suspense, romance, and witty dialogue that make it addictive, and they're shaking things up by adding Shirley MacLaine to the cast. Fingers crossed Mr. Bates and Anna can finally be together! And I can't wait to see where Girls creator and star Lena Dunham takes us as she and her fellow 20-somethings navigate dating, sex, and work—with hilarious (and often humiliating) results. Special shout-out to Allison Williams for her convincing job as the smart, savvy Marnie!

Next: Gayle King's favorite cupcake: The maple-bacon cupcake