THE BUZZ

Franzen's 'Freedom' latest Oprah pick

Oprah Winfrey has forgiven Jonathan Franzen. Nine years after picking Franzen's "The Corrections" for her book club and then canceling his appearance on her show after he expressed ambivalence over her endorsement, Winfrey has chosen his new novel, "Freedom," The Associated Press reports. The talk show host is not scheduled to announce her pick until Friday, but the AP purchased a copy Thursday that had a book club sticker. Three bookstores previously had told the AP that "Freedom" had been selected.

Boyle sings for the pope at Mass

Susan Boyle has dreamed a dream and now has sung for the pope, AP reports. Boyle, the unlikely pop star who shot to global Internet fame after she sang on the TV show "Britain's Got Talent," reprised her performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" from "Les Miserables" during a Mass Thursday celebrated in Glasgow, Scotland, by Pope Benedict XVI. Boyle also joined an 800-strong choir in singing hymns at Glasgow's Bellahouston Park.

New E! show to mix weddings, surgery

E! has ordered a new reality series that crosses a wedding competition with extreme plastic surgery, says The Hollywood Reporter. On "Bridalplasty," brides-to-be compete in wedding-themed challenges to win extensive surgical procedures. The winner chooses a plastic surgery procedure from her "wish list." She's given the procedure immediately, and results are shown at the start of the following week's episode.