Oprah auditions thousands of hopefuls in seach for new TV host

She's the most powerful women in the entertainment industry, and Oprah Winfrey is looking for a new host for her Oprah Winfrey Network.

The talk show queen auditioned thousands of hopefuls for "Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star" and only ten lucky contestants made the  cut.

The show is hosted by Nancy O'Dell and Carson Kressley who will put the potential stars through a series of intense challenges.

Carson told press, "It is a reality show, so there was some hair-pulling and some name calling and that was just Nancy and I. We got out there and did our jobs. The thing is, all of these people are vying to have their dream come true. And it was really important to them -- our 10 contestants -- to do their best, so there was tension."

ET Online revealed that the 10 hopefuls will be mentored by the likes of Dr. Phil McGraw, Suze Orman, and Gayle King. As Judges, the three will give advice and share their knowledge with contestants. Challenges will range from booking interviews and researching story ideas to successfully completing a pilot presentation.

The Oprah Winfrey Network debuts on January 1st, 2011. In addition to the celebrity judges, the cable program will feature appearances by other familiar TV personalities including Diane Sawyer, Jay-Z, and Simon Cowell.

As for the talk show queen herself, Forbes has released their list of Hollywood's 20 Highest Earners of 2010, and she was #1.

With an estimated income of $315 million, MTV.com says that Oprah collected most of her earnings in multimedia deals, which include a TV show syndication, a magazine and the soon-to-be launched OWN.

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