Oprah Ending in 2011

In another blow to the struggling business of network television, Oprah Winfrey is expected to announce on her program today that she will step down from her syndicated afternoon talk show, which over the last two decades has transformed her into one of the richest and most influential forces in popular culture.

Although she has kept mum about her plans, Winfrey, 55, is expected to furnish a new show to OWN: the Oprah Winfrey Network, the long-delayed cable outlet she is starting in partnership with Discovery Communications. The network is scheduled to roll out in 2011 in about 75 million U.S. homes.

Read More at LA TIMES

Miley Cyrus Deletes Twitter Account

Ask not for whom the teen tweets, dear Pop Watchers; as of today, she tweets for no one.

It’s true, Miley lovers: Hannah Montana is a Twitter Quitter. According to People, Cyrus has apparently deleted her page at the behest of her Last Song co-star and rumored boyfriend Liam Hemsworth. The farewell tweet? “FYI Liam doesn’t have a Twitter and he wants ME to delete mine with good reason,” the teen superstar wrote today. Now, the page is naught but a dead, empty link.

Apparently, there can be no party in the U.S.A. without her; #mileycomeback is currently Twitter’s top trending topic.

POP WATCH

Lady Gaga will hit the road solo

Lady Gaga isn’t letting her ill-fated tour with Kanye West keep her from her fans.

A day after her joint tour with the rapper was canceled, the pop star said Friday she’ll be hitting the road solo.

The West and Lady Gaga tour was supposed to kick off Nov. 10 in Phoenix. Lady Gaga said the two “mutually decided to cancel the tour.” She said that West is “going to take some time off, but I’m not.”

Gaga made the comments before accepting the Rising Star honor at Billboard’s annual Women in Music event in New York, where Beyoncé was honored as woman of the year.

In announcing the cancellation of the Fame Kills tour Thursday, Live Nation offered no explanation. The tour was to have hit Anaheim on Nov. 15 and Los Angeles on Nov. 16. The company said that refunds would be available at the point of purchase and that tickets purchased online or over the phone “will be refunded automatically.”

Gaga said her tour will start in mid-November, but there were no immediate details on dates and locations.

The Fame Kills tour had been problematic from the start, especially after West’s appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 13, where he took the microphone from teenage singer Taylor Swift as she was about to begin an acceptance speech. He subsequently apologized and told Jay Leno the next day he planned to take some time off.

LA TIMES

Kanye West Cancels Tour

Kayne West announced that his N American Tour will be canceled. Since the MTV Music Awards, he has taken a lot of flack for his comments, though he says the controversy surrounding his comments at the awards had nothing to do with the cancellation. Instead, he says he needs to take time off to ourn the loss of his mother, who died over two years ago.

Good one.

BBC