Oprah gains – viewers and more

Life is a roller coaster, they say. So are weight issues for many of us.

Oprah Winfrey, for example, has focused on her own weight fluctuations as fodder both for her television show and magazine.

And she’s doing it again.

In the January issue of “O” magazine, the 54-year-old talk-show queen admits her weight has ballooned to 200 pounds and that she has reverted to bad health habits.

“I’m mad at myself,” Winfrey wrote. “I’m embarrassed. I can’t believe that after all these years, all the things I know how to do, I’m still talking about my weight. I look at my thinner self and think, ‘How did I let this happen again?’ “

In the article, Winfrey explains her recent struggles with an out-of-balance thyroid and how the condition made her develop “a fear of working out.” She says she’s gained 40 pounds since 2006.

“Yes, you’re adding correctly; that means the dreaded 2-0-0,” Winfrey writes. “I was so frustrated I started eating whatever I wanted – and that’s never good.”

Her goal, she now says, is no longer to be thin but rather to be strong, healthy and fit, a point she will stress during her upcoming “Best Life Week,” starting Jan. 5 with an episode on her show in which she will talk, once again, about weight.

No Hollywood ending here

Actor Mark Ruffalo’s brother died late Monday a week after he was shot in the head, according to Beverly Hills Police Sgt. Renato Moreno. Scott Ruffalo, 39, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Two people wanted for questioning about the shooting have surrendered themselves to police.

This is a discount birthday

Angelina Jolie’s birthday present to partner Brad Pitt, who will turn 45 on Dec. 18, will be a Ducati Monster 1100S titanium.

The chopper, says In Touch magazine, costs just $12,000, cheap compared to the $100,000 Jolie spent on Pitt’s 44th birthday for a custom-built Ducati Desmosedici RR with handlebars engraved with “My Sweetheart The Drunk,” a reference to an album by Pitt’s favorite singer, Jeff Buckley.

No O’Reilly to kick around

Bill O’Reilly says he is leaving his radio show, “The Radio Factor,” which is carried on more than 400 stations. O’Reilly will continue his TV show on the Fox News Channel, “The O’Reilly Factor.” “I can no longer give both TV and radio the time they deserve,” the conservative spokesman said in a statement.

But there’s still Sarah Palin

Looking for that right Christmas gift? Why not the Sarah Palin 2009 Calendar, created by photographer Judy Patrick? The cover features Palin standing, shotgun on shoulder. Behind her a snowcapped peak is superimposed on a giant, wind-ruffled American flag. Look for it at www.sarahcalendar.com.

The birthday bunch

Actor Tommy Kirk is 67. Singer Chad Stuart of Chad and Jeremy is 67. Actress-singer Gloria Loring is 62. Actress Susan Dey is 56. Actor Michael Clarke Duncan is 51. Actor-director Kenneth Branagh is 48. Actress Nia Peeples is 47. Drummer Meg White of The White Stripes is 34. Actress Raven-Symone (“That’s So Raven”) is 23.