Dr. Phil McGraw, who rose to fame appearing on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and eventually launched his own TV program, is opening up to ET about the news that Lady O is ending her show in 2011.

“This is a very nostalgic moment for me. Oprah Winfrey is first and foremost one of my dearest friends and obviously the person who taught me everything I know about television,” Dr. Phil tells us.

“Her show was home for me for five of the most exciting years of my life. ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ is the gold standard and I know that she will succeed at whatever she chooses to do next.”

Thursday night's Tribal Council was the Tribal Council of all Tribal Councils on "Survivor: Samoa." The vote was split with five castaways voting to send home Laura Morett, and five voting for Southern belle Natalie White.

When the vote is split like that, a second ballot is cast by everyone except the two named in the first vote. If there was a tie the second time, both Laura and Natalie would be safe, and stones would be drawn by the remaining castaways to see who would go home.

Three of Laura's original Galu tribe members still wrote her name down, but John Fincher took the opportunity to rid himself of a tough competitor: Laura had won individual immunity the previous two weeks in a row.

Oprah Winfrey announced her departure from daytime TV today and revealed her reasons for leaving.

"Over the next couple of days you may hear a lot of speculation," she told her audience Friday. "I wanted you to hear this directly from me." She tearfully spoke about her connection with her viewers, saying, "These years with you, my viewers, have been a blessing...I want you all to know that my relationship with you is one that I hold very dear...and has brought me the greatest joy I have ever known."

She then addressed her decision to move on. "Why walk away?" she asked, mirroring the thoughts of many fans. "Here is the real reason -- I love this show, this show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to say goodbye."

With the news that Oprah Winfrey will be ending her popular talk show at the end of the 2010-2011 season, her famous fans tell ET what they think of Lady O's big announcement.

Lisa Ling, who is a frequent contributor to "The Oprah Winfrey Show," said Oprah may be leaving the show, but fans shouldn't expect to see her gone for long.

"I can't even imagine daytime television without her and I'm lucky enough to have been able to work for her and her show for the last five years, it's been such an honor," Ling told ET Thursday night at the 'Ninja Assassin' premiere. "I'm going to continue working with Oprah, obviously not on the show, but I'm thrilled that she's going to be able to take a little time. But don't count her out cause this doesn't mean she's retiring by any means."

ET was at the star-studded screening of Matt Damon's new documentary in New York City on Thursday night, where the star shared his thoughts on the news that Oprah Winfrey plans to end her show in 2011.

"I just heard that and I'm shocked…," Damon said of the news. "But I'm sure that whatever she does will have a lasting and positive impact on American culture. She's just an incredible human being, and I don't think she's going to disappear. It would be amazing to not have her in front of you every day in your living room…I still have to digest it. She's done quite a bit, to say the least, over the last 25 years. She's got to do what feels right for her. She's certainly earned that right."

Matt also told us about his new documentary, which is inspired by acclaimed historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States and executive produced by Damon, Josh Brolin and Howard Zinn, among others.

Ellen DeGeneres broke the news to her audience that Oprah will not be continuing "The Oprah Winfrey Show" beyond September 2011.

The December cover girl of O Magazine said, "I don't think I could be here without her. I think she has blazed a trail that...She's an amazing, amazing woman. She will always be the queen of daytime television and she also said she's leaving me all of her money."

Watch the video to see the rest of the message Ellen delivered to her audience just moments after hanging up the phone with Oprah herself.

Oprah Winfrey is planning to announce that she is ending her show at the end of the 2010 - 2011 television season. That would bring her current broadcast schedule to an end in September of 2011 at the completion of her 25th season.

Sources tell ET that Lady O will announce the news on Friday's live episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Keep checking back here for more on this developing story.

James Franco is best known for his roles in the feature films 'Spider-man,' 'Milk' and 'Pineapple Express,' so everyone was surprised when the Golden Globe winner announced he was joining the cast of "General Hospital" for a short-term story.

Franco's first appearance on the daytime drama is today. He will be playing a character named ... what else? Franco.

"There is no first name or last name. It is just Franco," he explains. "He is an artist. I think he works in various mediums. He spray paints, he tags and he arranges installations based on murder scenes. He is obsessed with death. He actually goes to real murder scenes to find inspiration."

Oprah's career as host of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has spanned decades, making for many memorable moments. In conjunction with the announcement of ceasing production of her talk show in September 2011, the woman who has come to be known as Lady O selected her "Top 20 Moments."

Of all of the celebrity guests she has welcomed to her studio, one in particular stands out. Oprah nominated Mary Tyler Moore as her "Favorite Celebrity Woman" for her surprise appearance in 1997. A dedicated viewer of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," Oprah was inspired by Mary and blown away when she unexpectedly read her name on the teleprompter to cue the star to walk on stage.

Oprah has launched several projects that she holds very close to her heart. In 1996, the famous "Oprah's Book Club" was established to promote literacy and inspire people to read. To this day, viewers continue to rely on Oprah's advice on what book to pick up next. With the evolution of technology, the book club has grown into an interactive forum for the host to connect with fans by means of Skype.

Irina Shabayeva triumphed on “Project Runway”’s fierce season finale!

“I’m defintely proud of myself. I think this deserves a pat on the back, because I did have some stiff competition,” the 26-year-old designer said after prevailing over her fellow finalists Carol Hannah Whitfield and Althea Harper.

“Your line was sleek, modern, cohesive and it told a story,” Heidi Klum complimented Irina. “You knew what kind of woman you were designing for. And you really did articulate that to all of us beautifully.”

As news breaks that Oprah will be ending her famed "Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2011 after what will then have been a 25-year-run, ET takes a look back at some of the most notable moments from the show.

Just in 2009, Oprah interviewed such notables as Whitney Houston, Sarah Palin and Elizabeth Edwards, and they, like most who visit Oprah's couch, told all about not only their successes, but also their struggles.

No one can forget Tom Cruise declaring his love for Katie Holmes by jumping on Oprah's couch in 2005; in 2008, Tom invited Oprah to visit his home in Telluride, CO, in an interview which highlighted the couple's domestic bliss.

When Malcolm Winters returns to "The Young and the Restless"'s Genoa City, he will have a brand-new face.

ET can confirm that Darius McCrary, who TV fans will remember from his role as Eddie Winslow on "Family Matters," has been cast in the role originated by Shemar Moore.

"Y&R" co-executive producer and head writer Maria Bell issued the following statement to Entertainment Weekly on the return of the much-loved character: "We are thrilled to have the character of Malcolm back on Y&R. Malcolm, Neil Winters' brother, has always been a catalyst to exciting stories. He’s coming back to town to see his brother and to reunite with his biological daughter, Lily Winters, as she fights for her life. Malcolm is a photographer … someone who lives on the edge and who always pushes the envelope."

ABC today announced the premiere date of the sixth and final season of "Lost."

The hit series, starring Matthew Fox, Josh Holloway and Evangeline Lilly, will return with a special all-night event on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

The night will begin with a recap episode from 8 to 9 p.m., followed by the highly anticipated, two-hour premiere at 9.

Due to an injury, Kathy Ireland may not be able to join her fellow contestants on "Dancing with the Stars" for the finale. 

A source tells ET that Kathy is determined to make a comeback and dance again. However, her doctors don't know yet if they will be able to give her the go ahead.

After she was eliminated from the show earlier this season, she broke news that she secretly suffered a knee injury and will require surgery.

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy blogged his honest opinion of how the final "Dancing with the Stars" contestants performed this week, and he was not impressed.

"I'll be honest -- I didn't like anybody's first dance. They were fine, but not spectacular," Maksim wrote on his TVGuide.com blog. This week, model Joanna Krupa was voted off the show, leaving Donnie Osmond, Mya and Kelly Osbourne as the top three remaining contenders.

"I liked Mya's first dance, but not like, 'Oh my God! I'm falling head over heels!' It was better than anyone else's, but the first round, I didn't like in general," he said, continuing on about Donnie's first dance, "Donny is a strong guy. He tightened up completely and Kym [Johnson] wasn't able to yank him back into place and he never recovered. I felt really bad. I was like, 'Oh, no! This can't be happening!'"

When Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) scrubbed into Seattle Grace Hospital on "Grey's Anatomy" last season, he quickly found himself attracted to Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), but acting on it was another matter. Having just returned from the war in Iraq, he was dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder -- and he tried to strangle her.

Now in therapy, Owen and Cristina are moving on with their relationship, or are they? Owen just invited Dr. Teddy Altman (Kim Raver) into the mix. He thought he was giving Cristina a present by bringing a top-notch heart surgeon to Seattle Grace, but Teddy has romantic feelings for Owen, so is she really going to be a gift for himself? A love triangle can't be too far behind!

Kevin talks to ET about the two women in Owen's life, McNicknames and all the babies on the set.

Redhead Nicole overcame her shyness and fellow finalist Laura to become the first petite-cycle winner on "America's Next Top Model!"

"This journey was incredibly hard. I had to learn to embarass myself and to speak, which was a struggle," Nicole said after winning, adding: "I'm a dork and I'm 'America's Next Top Model!'"

On the season finale, Nicole said she'd led a "sheltered" life that occasionally contributed to feelings of social awkwardness. She even admitted to having spent a school lunch alone in the bathroom stall.

'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' stud Kellan Lutz showed off for Ellen DeGeneres, astounding the host and her audience by doing powerful push-ups!

Ellen told the actor she would give $5,000 to the Humane Society if he took off his shirt. He respectfully declined but compromised with her by showing what his muscles can do.

Watch the video to see the push-ups that shocked Ellen and her audience, and catch Kellan in 'New Moon' when it hits theaters Friday, Nov. 20.

Fans watching "The Biggest Loser" this season thought that Rebecca Meyer's best friend on the show was her roommate and pink team partner Amanda Arlauskas. But they would be wrong. Meyer, who currently weights 157 pounds -- a 122-pound loss -- revealed last night that it is really Daniel Wright, who was voted out last week, but has still lost 230 pounds over his two seasons on the hit weight-loss series.

ET spoke to Rebecca, who revealed, "I did fall in love with my best friend. We became each other's go-to person. It was, "Wow, ok." Now I look at him and he is my best friend, but he is also the person I want to jump." Wondering why the show didn't pick up on their relationship?  The 25-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa says, "The show didn't pick it up because it was after hours. I am a night owl."

ET: How is it different that you met Daniel at the ranch, rather than at a restaurant or a club?