Watch the big diet companies and you might think they're playing a game of who can snag the most high-profile celebrity spokesperson. The latest VIP dieters for hire: Charles Barkley, the NBA pro turned TV sportscaster, who tried Weight Watchers on his own and will now be featured in the company's "Lose Like a Man" campaign which starts the day after Christmas, according to the New York Times. Janet Jackson, meanwhile, was revealed today as the new face of Nutrisystem.Continue reading...

The queen of daytime TV is publically wondering if kicking off OWN while still on the air with the final (and busy) season of The Oprah Winfrey Show was the right strategic move.

"I’ve thought maybe it would have been better to wait until this completely ended and then literally use [Oprah] as a launchpad. If I had it to do differently and had thought of that option, I might have considered that a priority. But I don’t spend a lot of time in the regret mode," she says. 

She’s gaining some comfort from another TV veteran as she prepares to leave the comfort of her daytime perch.Continue reading...

She may be on her OWN soon, but Oprah Winfrey's world is about to get a lot bigger.

Launching her 24/7 OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network in a 50/50 partnership  between her Harpo Productions and Discovery Communications on January 1, the Winfrey-"curated" (as CEO Christina Norman told CNN) channel will debut in 80 million U.S. homes via cable and satellite, where it's replacing the Discovery Health Channel.

Initial bumps in development caused Discovery to increase funding to $189 million and Winfrey to increase her on-air appearances, including starring in Oprah's Next Chapter.Continue reading...

Victoria Beckham and Eva Longoria are promoting the LG Fashion Touch.

Major League Baseball signs All-Star Game sponsors. [NY Times]

Lane Bryant has its panties in a bunch after networks pull a new lingerie ad. [Adweek]

Neiman-Marcus dips its toes into discount retail. [Mediapost]

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, wants to extend her brand to include a show. [Reuters]

Chrysler lost $4 billion since emerging from bankruptcy protection. [NY Times]Continue reading...