The Big "O"...

OPRAH WINFREY's vast entertainment empire will expand next year with the creation of her own TV network. She will chair the Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN, which will become available in nearly 70 million homes on cable and satellite TV. The joint venture between Winfrey's Harpo Productions and Discovery Communications will replace the Discovery Health network. Under the agreement, the talk show queen will relinquish half-ownership of her Oprah.com website.

Programs on the Oprah Winfrey Network may focus on issues such as money, health and relationships -- not unlike The Oprah Winfrey Show. But you might not see much of Winfrey on the network when it debuts, since she'll keep busy with her talk show under a contract that runs through May, 2011.

Still, Winfrey says, quote, "I will now have the opportunity to do this 24 hours a day on a platform that goes on forever." Oprah's already the face of several media projects, including a magazine, TV movies and her website.

TV Hodgepodge

OPRAH WINFREY's primetime series Oprah's Big Give has recruited three judges to appear on the inspirational program. Naked Chef JAMIE OLIVER, football player TONY GONZALEZ, and CHRIS ROCK's wife MALAAK COMPTON-ROCK will pick the winners on the show, in which contestants will travel around the country and help others by giving away money. Oprah's Big Give will debut on ABC on March 2nd...

The New England Patriots' historic win over the New York Giants Saturday night was seen by an average of 34.5 million viewers, and was the most-watched TV program since last year's Academy Awards broadcast. The NFL Network's telecast of the game was simulcast on CBS and NBC. With their victory, the Patriots became the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to finish a regular season undefeated

TV Potpourri

MARTHA STEWART's mother, MARTHA KOSTYRA, passed away Friday at the age of 93. Kostyra, who was known as "Big Martha," often appeared on TV with her daughter. Stewart informed fans of her mother's death on her blog Saturday, and posted video clips of them together on TV in tribute...

OPRAH WINFREY handed out gifts ranging from refrigerators to camcorders to wrapping paper to her audience during a taping of her show in Macon, Georgia Saturday, as part of the show's theme, "Oprah's Favorite Things." It airs tomorrow. The taping is the first in a series of shows highlighting towns across the country...

NBC will air the Internet series Quarterlife, from the creators of Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life, early next year. The 36 eight-minute episodes of the Web series, which premiered on MySpace.com November 11th, will be edited together to air on NBC as an hour-long episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It will also stream on NBC.com...

AL GORE will receive a special honor tonight in New York at the International Emmy Awards ceremony. ROBERT DENIRO will present the former vice president -- who's already won an Oscar, an Emmy and the Nobel Peace Prize -- with the International Emmy Founders Award for his work as the co-chairman and co-founder of the interactive cable and satellite TV network Current TV...

ABC has picked up a full season of the newbie series Dirty Sexy Money. It's the first show on any network to get a pickup since the writers strike began on November 5th, according to The Hollywood Reporter...

The New York Post reports that presidential candidate BARACK OBAMA's wife, MICHELLE OBAMA, will guest co-host ABC's The View on December 5th...

Super Osmonds!

MARIE OSMOND has no plans to drop out of Dancing with the Stars following the death of her father earlier this week. She missed Tuesday night's results show after her father, 90-year-old GEORGE OSMOND, died earlier in the day, but ABC says the singer will remain on the show as a contestant.

Marie, her brother DONNY and other family members will also keep their commitment to appear on this Friday's Oprah Winfrey Show. According to Entertainment Tonight, Donny and Marie will pay tribute to their late father with a performance of The Donny and Marie Show theme song. Donny told Entertainment Tonight that he will also sing "Soldier of Love."

Oprah, You Tube, You Tube, Oprah...

The television phenomenon that is OPRAH WINFREY is taking over YouTube. The video-sharing website is now hosting an Oprah channel, where you can watch backstage clips and other goodies. You can log into the Oprah channel at youtube.com/oprah. A YouTube-themed episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show will air on TV tomorrow (Tuesday 11/6).

Hil and Oprah

HILARY SWANK won't be going to some fancy Beverly Hills stylist to get her hair cut this Friday -- she's gonna let OPRAH WINFREY do it. People magazine says Swank will appear on Oprah's talk show this Friday and will reportedly let the host cut some nine inches off her hair. The locks will be donated to a charity that helps women who lose their hair during cancer treatment. Swank says she's been taking extra good care of her hair in anticipation of it going to a woman in need.Included in Oprah's "Great American Haircut Show," will be 100 viewers who will get makeovers.