OPRAH WINFREY: BATTLING THE BULGE, AND THE BULGE IS WINNING FOR NOW

CHICAGO (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey says she's embarrassed to say it, but she's packed on the pounds -- again. She has ballooned up to 200 pounds, but is determined to do something about it -- again. She told viewers on her show that her thyroid problem and other issues caused her to "fall off the wagon" during the past year. She says it got so bad, she didn't want to put full-figure photos of herself on her own magazine, O, because she was so big. She says it was hard being one of the most visible people on the planet but trying to hide her weight gain from the public. But Oprah is determined to make a fresh start in 2009. She says the first step is to direct the same love she shows to others to someone else -- herself. And she's urging her viewers to do the same.

T.I.: RAPPER ACCUSED OF NOT PAYING LAWYERS HIRED BY EX-GIRLFRIEND

ATLANTA (AP) -- T.I. is being accused of M.I.A. when it comes to a financial matter. Back in September, the rapper was in court with the mother of his sons over a custody case. He was ordered to pay more than $3,000 a month to LaShon Dixon, the mom of two of his kids. In addition he had to pick up some other costs for the boys -- and was ordered to pay for her attorney's fees. Dixon's attorney is accusing the rapper of failing to pony up for the lawyers' fees -- saying he has owed an $8,000 bill to the attorneys since November. T.I. is to appear in Fulton County Superior Court on the matter today.

Meanwhile, the rap star and the boys' mother are still scrapping over child support and custody of the boys, who are ages 7 and 8. The rapper also has two sons with his finance, Tiny Cottle, of the now-disbanded R&B group Xscape.

RAPHAEL SAADIQ: FEELING AT HOME IN HIS OWN STUDIO

NEW YORK (AP) -- It's sort of like cooking a nice meal for yourself and friends at home -- or having to do the task in someone else's kitchen. Raphael Saadiq says he really enjoyed preparing his most recent album -- because he got to do it in his own studio. What's the difference, you might ask? For Saadiq, it's a simple one: "I didn't get kicked out." He says because he was working in his own studio, he could "stay in there all day, all night and come up with ideas every day and come back to the same room." He says being able to return to the same setting each time was "like marinating" meat before cooking it -- because everything was able to meld together. The album is called "The Way I See It" and it has earned Saadiq three Grammy nominations.

BARACK OBAMA: DAUGHTERS HEAD TO SCHOOL IN WASHINGTON D.C.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's the kind of problem you'd hope school-age kids would never have to deal with: Will the kids be taking pictures of me and posting them online. Or, "If someone doesn't like me, will they go tell the media." In this age of MySpace and Facebook, it might be the kind of issue that President-elect Barack Obama's two daughters may have to face, now that they are attending school in the nation's capital, where their dad starts "work" in two weeks as president. While the mainstream media are expected to keep their distance, there's the possibility that a rogue photographer may try to lurk around the Sidwell Friends private school hoping to get a picture of 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha. Then there's the possibility a classmate might post a photo or tidbit about the girls online or leak it to the media. How the first children deal with all this will depend what their parents do, says Doug Wead, a former White House aide and author of a book about presidential kids. Wead says if the Obamas give their kids a positive outlook on the attention their lives will now receive, it "will make a really big difference for the girls."

On the Net:

Obama transition site, where pictures of the kids' 1st trip to school were posted: http://change.gov/schoolpics

BARACK OBAMA: MEMORABILA FOR INAUGURATION SELLING ON QVC

NEW YORK (AP) -- QVC is will be "in da house" when Barack Obama takes over the White House two weeks from today. The retail network says it will set up shop in Washington to sell a supply of coins, stamps, jewelry and even a small handbag to mark Obama's election. QVC says it has already sold more than 100,000 items related to Obama's election. And it says the inauguration is a chance to sell stuff to people other than the core group of political junkies. An official with the network says if they didn't travel to Washington to do business at the inauguration, "we would feel like we were not doing our job." Obama's inauguration has attracted plenty of interest from TV networks, even outlets like BET, TVOne and Nickelodeon that don't normally pay attention to live political events.

VENUS WILLIAMS: NOT PLANNING RETIREMENT

HONG KONG (AP) -- Venus Williams says she isn't going anywhere -- at least not anytime soon. She says even though some of her top rivals have retired from tennis, she doesn't plan to hang up her racket in the immediate future. She discussed her future plans with reporters in Hong Kong, where she is playing in a tournament designed to get her ready for the Australian Open. Williams is 28 and says she feels she still has a lot of tennis left in her. She says she loves the sport and that is what keeps her motivated. She also says she'd like to win the French Open or the Australian Open, which she has never won. Williams also says she'd like to reclaim her the number-one ranking in the sport this year.

DIZZY GILLESPIE: LOOKING BACK

UNDATED (AP) -- On this date in 1993, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie died in Englewood, New Jersey. He was 75 and had become one of the towering figures in modern jazz. Along with saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker, drummer Max Roach and pianists Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, Gillespie helped develop the bebop school of jazz during all-night jam sessions in New York during the 1940's. He later was instrumental in merging Latin rhythms with mainstream jazz. Gillespie was also one of the most recognizable jazz figures with his balloon cheeks, goatee and bent trumpet. Legend has it that another musician tripped over his trumpet stand and bent the bell upward at a 45-degree angle. It's said that Gillespie liked the sound and used bent horns from then on.

THE MARVELETTES: LOOKING BACK

UNDATED (AP) -- On this date in 1980, Georgeanna Tillman Gordon of the Motown group, the Marvelettes, died. She was 46 and had suffered from lupus.

THE CLOVERS: LOOKING BACK

UNDATED (AP) -- On this date in 1994, Harold Lucas, the founder of the Clovers, died in Washington. The Clovers were the most successful r-and-b group of the 1950's with such hits as "Don't You Know I Love You," "Fool, Fool, Fool" and "Love Potion No. 9." As the only original member of the group still around, Lucas toured with a Clovers group until two years before his death.

JAMES BROWN: LOOKING BACK

UNDATED (AP) -- On this date in 1996, James Brown's wife collapsed and died at a Beverly Hills, California, clinic. Adrienne Brown's death came two days after she underwent liposuction. She was 47. An autopsy showed she died from a combination of the illegal drug P-C-P and heart disease. The Browns' ten-year marriage was marked by her repeated charges and his repeated denials of physical abuse.

LOU RAWLS: LOOKING BACK

UNDATED (AP) -- On this date in 2005, singer Lou Rawls died in Los Angeles. He had been fighting both lung and brain cancer. He was 72 years old.

KATHY SLEDGE OF SISTER SLEDGE: BIRTHDAY

UNDATED (AP) -- A birthday today for one of the "sisters" that make up the group Sister Sledge. Kathy Sledge turns 50.

ERIC WILLIAMS: BIRTHDAY

UNDATED (AP) -- A birthday today for a member of BLACKstreet. Eric Williams turns 49.