NEWSMAKERS | Last ‘Oprah’ episode will be May 25

NEWSMAKERS

Last ‘Oprah’ episode will be May 25

CHICAGO

The final original episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” will air May 25.

Winfrey’s Chicago-based Harpo Productions confirmed the date Friday. Winfrey announced live on the show in November 2009 that she would end its run after 25 years. She since has launched cable’s Oprah Winfrey Network.

“The Oprah Winfrey Show” has been in reruns for the past few weeks. But Winfrey tweeted Thursday that she was “hard at work planning the final shows,” and new episodes would begin April 7.

The final episode brings an end to what has been television’s top-rated talk show for more than two decades. It airs in 145 countries worldwide.

Dictionary’s new words include OMG, LOL

LONDON

OMG! The exclamatory online abbreviation has won the approval of the Oxford English Dictionary. The term — short for “Oh my God” or “Oh my gosh” — is one of dozens of new entries in the authoritative reference book’s latest online update.

Other Internet-inspired expressions given the stamp of approval include LOL, “laughing out loud”; IMHO, “in my humble opinion”; and BFF, “best friends forever.”

The new update includes about 900 new words and meanings, including “muffin top,” defined as “a protuberance of flesh above the waistband of a tight pair of trousers.” The dictionary also includes a new entry for “heart” as a verb, a casual equivalent of “to love” that is represented with a symbol, as seen on millions of souvenirs proclaiming “I [heart] New York.”

Sheen didn’t hire book agent, rep says

NEW YORK

So much for a Charlie Sheen book deal.

Sheen spokesman Larry Solters says the former “Two and a Half Men” sitcom star never hired literary agent Peter McGuigan, who has been contacting publishers in recent weeks about a possible Sheen memoir.

Several publishers have told The Associated Press they rejected the proposal, citing Sheen’s high price tag and unpredictable behavior. Sheen has boasted he could get $10 million for a book.

The 45-year-old Sheen has made headlines for his marital problems and wild partying. He was fired from his hit CBS show 21/2 weeks ago. He then alleged breach of contract and sued the show’s producers for $100 million.

Associated Press