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Entertainment
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Entertainment
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Entertainment
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As we get ready for the end of Oprah and the beginning of OWN, here are 10 facts to help you with the transition:
1. OWN stands for Oprah Winfrey Network, and it launches on 1/1/11 at 12 noon, with several sneak peeks of original shows that are set to premiere.
2. Forget her connection to Oxygen. This is Oprah's network now. "I was only an investor in Oxygen," Winfrey said during a press conference in January, 2008. "[That] channel did not reflect my voice…Here I'm chairman and owner. This is my vision… I'm the voice and the brand of the network."
3. You'll find OWN on what's now the Discovery Health channel. The Discovery Channel co-owns the network with Oprah, and some of Discovery Health's series, like Mystery Diagnosis, will transition over.
4. OWN's goal is trademark Oprah. "[It's] to entertain people, inspire people and educate people about themselves and others," says programming chief Lisa Erspamer.
5. It's heavy on reality. The network already has nine hours of prime time reality TV shows on the schedule -- and many, many more lined up for the future. Want to declutter your home? Or improve your sex life? There are shows for that. And a weekly, documentary-style reality show, The Oprah Winfrey Show: Behind the Scenes, chronicles the last year of Oprah's talk show.
6. You'll see plenty of Oprah's all-star guests, like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz and Suze Orman. In fact, there's actually a show called Ask Oprah's All-Stars, where these self-help idols and others field questions.
7. On Sunday nights, OWN will air its signature series, Master Class. This show will offer life lessons from subjects like Sidney Poitier, Simon Cowell, Condoleeza Rice and Oprah herself.
8. Make way for celebrities...trailed by cameras. Next spring and summer, OWN will unveil several reality series anchored by stars. We'll glimpse the personal struggles of Sarah Ferguson, Shania Twain, Ryan and Tatum O'Neal and Naomi and Wynonna Judd. And we'll watch Carson Kressley make over America, one poorly-dressed town at a time.
9. Rosie O'Donnell will arrive this fall. Presumably, her producers will warn guests not to bring up politics!
10. Oprah's promised to appear on air at least 70 hours a week. In the fall, she'll launch her new interview show, Oprah's Next Chapter.
Do any of the shows on OWN sound appealing to you? Chime in below!
