Oprah Winfrey's OWN Cast of Characters: Rosie O'Donnell, Gayle King, Julia Roberts and More

Aug. 9, 2010 — -- With a name like Oprah's, it has to be big.

OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network is slowly but surely building up to be a broadcast behemoth. Besides the media mogul herself, a slew of celebrities and talk show staples have agreed to appear on the channel, from the A-list actress with a megawat smile (Julia Roberts) to the controversial comedian who can't be kept off the air (Rosie O'Donnell).

Below, a look at the cast of characters Winfrey's assembled to front her cable television network, slated to debut in at least 80 million homes come January:

TV is familiar turf for the comedian: her last solo talk show, "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," ran from 1996 to 2002 and won a slew of daytime Emmys. But her more recent stint on daytime television was marked by squabbles, not statues. Chairing the coffee table of "The View" from 2005 to 2007, O'Donnell sparked memorable on-air spats with Donald Trump and fellow "View" host Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

But it sounds like O'Donnell's new venture will be sunnier: the statement she released with Winfrey promises a "fun, uplifting show with Ms. O'Donnell's playful and energetic style."

It's part of OWN's monthly "Documentary Film Club" which features a host of celebrity-produced projects. Mariel Hemingway looks at the legacy of suicide in her own family in "Seven Suicides," Gabriel Byrne explores homelessness in Nashville with "Tent City," Goldie Hawn investigates positive psychology in "Searching for Happiness," and Forest Whitaker goes inside a Lousiana prison's hospice wing in "One Last Shot."