Obama Oprah Oprah Winfrey introduces then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama to the crowd at a rally in Manchester, N.H. in Dec. 2007. (AP File Photo) NEW YORK (AP) Hollywood , as everyone knows, loves the Next Big Thing. And four years ago, Barack Obama was certainly that: a political supernova, the equivalent of a breakout movie star. He is `The One, declared Oprah Winfrey, his biggest and most influential celebrity champion. The best candidate Ive ever seen, pronounced George Clooney . Halle Berry said shed collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear. Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am chimed in with the famous Yes We Can video. And so on. (Related: Spielberg, Clooney, Hanks Give Maximum Contributions to Obamas Reelection Bid ) But you cant be the Next Big Thing twice. And so, with the 2012 vote less than a year away, theres clearly a different mood in heavily Democratic Hollywood: less gushing, not to mention snippets of criticism, most prominen

Giuliana & Bill Rancic Discuss Double Mastectomy: It Was Hell, It Was Horrible | Home December 30, 2011 03:58 PM by Ashley Lee Though Oprah Winfrey ended her network television talk show with tearful goodbyes and high hopes for the future, her television channel OWN has yet to collect praiseworthy ratings. In fact, its generally doing worse than the niche audience channel it replaced. What will Oprah do to being new life to her channel in 2012? And whats her plan if she continues to strike out? Read on for a preview of Oprahs exciting new show, premiering Sunday and featuring Steven Tyler ! Oprah Winfrey remains realistic but positive about the future of her OWN network: Yes, some mistakes were made. Who hasnt made mistakes? The real beauty is you can say, I learned from that, Winfrey said. I dont worry about failure. I worry about, Did I do all I could do? The cable channels first year featured executive turnover and management errors behind-the-scenes, and not very much of W

by Lynn Elber - Dec. 30, 2011 03:26 PM Associated Press LOS ANGELES - Oprah Winfrey earned the rare opportunity to convert her media charisma into a monogrammed TV channel. Now she's the one tasked with rescuing OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, after a disappointing first year. It's a high-stakes, potentially ego-shattering challenge that could make the strongest woman or man flinch. But win or lose, Winfrey says she relishes the fight to turn OWN's fortunes around. "Yes, some mistakes were made. Who hasn't made mistakes? The real beauty is you can say, 'I learned from that,' " Winfrey said. "I don't worry about failure. I worry about, 'Did I do all I could do?' " The cable channel, which marks its first year Jan. 1, is trying for a fresh start after executive turnover and missteps that proved OWN lacked a solid foundation on which to build, this despite a Discovery Communications investment of a reported $250 million and countin

Oprah Winfrey 's cable venture, OWN, wasn't exactly a ratings hit in its first year. As The Hollywood Reporter reported, there were executive turnovers, increased pressure to raise carriage fees and over $245 million has been spent funding the venture in the last year. PHOTOS: Oprah Through the Years The media personality is now returning to television in a new show on the network, Oprah's Next Chapter , which debuts on the channel's first anniversary, Jan. 1, in the hopes that it will bring in viewers. ANALYSIS: Oprah's Big Return to TV Marred By Struggle, Deep Financial Woes at OWN In a new interview with the Associated Press , Winfrey was frank about the struggles she's faced trying to take a successful image and turn it into a network. "I would absolutely say it is and was not where I want it to be for year one," Winfrey said . "My focus up until (last) May was doing what I do best, which is 'The Oprah Winfrey Show,' and giving that my

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approx. 9:00 a.m. ET December 30, 2011 Enlarge Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Oprah Winfrey talks to reporters during a press tour that followed the launch of her cable network, OWN, in January. Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Oprah Winfrey talks to reporters during a press tour that followed the launch of her cable network, OWN, in January. Ratings have been a major disappointment for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), but that could change now that Oprah Winfrey is about to debut her own show on the cable channel. When Winfrey ended her longtime show on broadcast TV earlier this year, there were lots of tears and endless tributes to the queen of daytime talk. She shifted focus to OWN, a joint venture between her Harpo Productions and Discovery. The channel, which marks its anniversary Sunday, is a 24-hour mixed bag that includes repackaged Oprah Winfrey shows, cooking and reality! shows, and documentaries. OWN to

Published Friday, December 30, 2011 12:01 AM By LYNN ELBERAssociated Press AP Photo Oprah Winfrey is tasked with rescuing OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, after a disappointing first year. LOS ANGELES -- Oprah Winfrey earned the rare opportunity to convert her media charisma into a monogramed TV channel. Now she's the one tasked with rescuing OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, after a disappointing first year. It's a high-stakes, potentially ego-shattering challenge that could make the strongest woman or man flinch. But win or lose, Winfrey says she relishes the fight to turn OWN's fortunes around. "Yes, some mistakes were made. Who hasn't made mistakes? The real beauty is you can say, 'I learned from that,"' Winfrey said. "I don't worry about failure. I worry about, 'Did I do all I could do?"' The cable channel, which marks its first year Jan. 1, is trying for a fresh start after executive turnover and missteps that proved OWN lacke

Oprah Winfrey earned the rare opportunity to convert her media charisma into a monogrammed TV channel. Now she's the one tasked with rescuing OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, after a disappointing first year. It's a high-stakes, potentially ego-shattering challenge that could make the strongest woman or man flinch. But win or lose, Winfrey says she relishes the fight to turn OWN's fortunes around. "Yes, some mistakes were made. Who hasn't made mistakes? The real beauty is you can say, 'I learned from that'," Winfrey said. "I don't worry about failure. I worry about, 'Did I do all I could do?'" The cable channel, which marks its first year on January 1, is trying for a fresh start after executive turnover and missteps that proved OWN lacked a solid foundation on which to build. This was despite a Discovery Communications investment of a reported $US250 million ($A247.33 million) and counting. Viewers snubbed the line-up that skimped

LOS ANGELES -- Oprah Winfrey earned the rare opportunity to convert her media charisma into a monogramed TV channel. Now she's the one tasked with rescuing OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, after a disappointing first year. It's a high-stakes, potentially ego-shattering challenge that could make the strongest woman or man flinch. But win or lose, Winfrey says she relishes the fight to turn OWN's fortunes around. "Yes, some mistakes were made. Who hasn't made mistakes? The real beauty is you can say, `I learned from that,'" Winfrey said. "I don't worry about failure. I worry about, `Did I do all I could do?'" The cable channel, which marks its first year Jan. 1, is trying for a fresh start after executive turnover and missteps that proved OWN lacked a solid foundation on which to build, this despite a Discovery Communications investment of a reported $250 million and counting. Viewers snubb

December 29, 2011 09:02:53 GMT The highlights on this second quarter of the year are the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the final bow of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', and the removal of Rebecca Black's video. AceShowbiz's look-back at 2011 continues with this second part of Kaleidoscope. Many celebrities shared happy news about marriage, pregnancy or newborn babies, but there were also others who coped with personal woes like divorce, split and health scares. Among those receiving wide coverage, it was the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton which stole the most attention. 's star-studded farewell and the removal of 's "Friday" from YouTube also stole the headlines. In movie business, big studios had already packed their big movies ready for summer releases, so they focused more on the promotions. Still, they got their hands full for fall and next year's projects. The casting departments were busy with securing high-