The first part of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Lance Armstrong on Thursday, in which he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, nabbed big numbers for OWN.

The much-anticipated special episode of Oprah’s Next Chapter attracted 3.2 million viewers to its 9 PM premiere and an additional 1.1 million viewers to the repeat airing at 10:30 PM.

The special also attracted the network’s highest male audience ever ranking No. 1 for males in all demographics, including the advertiser-coveted 18-49-year-old demo.

The interview ranks second only to Winfrey’s interview with the late Whitney Houston’s family in March 2012, which earned 3.5 million viewers to its first airing.

Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive Part 2 airs Friday at 9PM on OWN.

Do you the debut audience will return for Part 2?

After years of denying doping allegations, Lance Armstrong finally has all the answers.

The disgraced cyclist confessed to using “banned drugs and blood transfusions” in all of his seven Tour de France victories to Oprah Winfrey in an exclusive sit-down interview, which aired Thursday night on OWN. And in the second part of their chat, Armstrong continues his no-holds-barred revelations.

In a one-minute sneak peek, Winfrey grilled the 41-year-old (who began using performance-enhancing drugs in the mid-1990s) on his former sponsorship with Nike. The shoe and apparel company terminated its endorsement deal with Armstrong in October 2012.

“Nike called, they’re out,” he revealed about his sponsors, adding, “It was a $75 million day…gone.”

Armstrong went on to discuss the “most humbling moment” in his downfall: his disassociation with the Livestrong Foundation — a non-profit organization providing help with those diagnosed with cancer — revealing the exact details of his conversation with his former colleagues.

“We need you to consider stepping down for yourself,” he said they told him.

While the world may have turned against him, the father of five choked up about his lone supporter — 13-year-old son Luke.

“You heard that he was defending you. What did you say to him?” Winfrey asked as Armstrong was at a loss for words. Meanwhile, the former Olympian (his bronze medal was also stripped from his resume) revealed that his mother Linda is “a wreck.”

In Part 1, Armstrong admitted his “mythic, perfect story” was “one big lie” as he detailed his doping methods during his 2009 and 2010 comeback, hiding the truth in order to maintain the “momentum” of his fame.

The second part of the interview further delved into his future in cycling and his exact motives for speaking out.

“What do you say to the millions of people who are wearing Livestrong bracelets, to those millions of people who believed?” Winfrey asked.

Tune in for Armstrong’s shocking response in Part 2 of Winfrey’s interview at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN.

Did you watch the first part Lance’s interview with Oprah? Has your opinion on his doping scandal changed for the worse or better? Voice your opinion in the comments section.

This may not be Lance Armstrong’s day. After losing his seven Tour de France titles last October, it was announced on Thursday that he has now been stripped of his Olympic bronze medal, as well.

The news breaks just ahead of the cyclist’s much-publicized interview with Oprah Winfrey airing Thursday and Friday on OWN.

He’s expected to admit (more or less) to having lied about using performance-enhancing drugs, an admission that will further tarnish his reputation as the world’s fastest man on two wheels in the world, who became an inspiration to many after winning his battle with cancer.

For better or worse, he decided that this was the right time to do the interview – another notch in Winfrey’s belt. But, can he break our list of Winfrey’s most groundbreaking interviews of all time? It would be a tough feat.

Take a look at my picks below and you tell us.

1. Tom Cruise is crazy in love. Where do I start? This interview birthed so many uh-mazing animated gifs. Cruise’s leap onto Winfrey’s couch (showed us his crazy); his repeated expression of affection for Katie Holmes, “I’m in love, I’m in love” (especially in light of what we know now about their relationship) and the constant laughing (yep, he’s an actor).

2. Tyler Perry admits to being beaten and sexually abused as a child. This was powerful stuff from the guy who rolls movies out as if they were on a conveyor belt. The media giant not only announced that he had suffered abuse from his father and multiple adults, and later the show also filled its audience entirely with men who had similar stories to tell.

3. Iyanla Vanzant: “There’s some crazy that a pill can’t fix.” Oh, now this was an event. I know you all like celebrity feuds, I see the traffic on any article about one. And this was a doozie. One of the show’s former weekly guest hosts, Vanzant claims Winfrey reneged on an offer for her own talk show. The relationship really fell apart when Vanzant went into talks with Barbara Walters for a show, then used that as leverage against the media mogul. And, “O” don’t play that game.

4. Sarah Ferguson begs for forgiveness after bribery scandal. The Duchess of York appeared on the show right after being caught accepting a bribe from an undercover reporter in exchange for access to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew. It was a new low for Ferguson and Winfrey took the drill to her.

5. Barack Obama appearance throws Oprah for a loop. Clearly, the POTUS’ appearance on the show was to be expected: Some people believe Winfrey’s support helped get him elected. But, that doesn’t mean that he would give her a heads up that Osama bin Laden was about to be hunted down and assassinated. But for Winfrey, that meant her pre-taped interview with Obama was instantly dated. And Winfrey hates to lose a scoop.

6. Michael Jackson gives Oprah a tour of the bizarre Neverland Ranch. The famously media-shy King of Pop opened the doors to his menagerie of a property to Winfrey. He denied some of the stranger reports about him and offered an explanation to his obvious changes in appearance: Plastic surgery (duh!) and a disease called vitiligo explained his very pale skin (hm…).

7. Whitney Houston: Don’t call it a comeback. Noticeably different from the talented young singer we remembered, the now deceased Houston broke her seven-year stretch of turning down interviews to appear with Oprah in 2009. She was very candid about the things we already in our gut knew about her: She was abusing drugs, her marriage to Bobby Brown was toxic and her vocal chords weren’t in good shape. It shouldn’t have been that shocking, but it was.

8. Rihanna breaks down over Chris Brown. A recent addition to the list, the pop singer hadn’t talked about the notorious beat down by then boyfriend, Brown, very much. If anything, it showed that she wasn’t quite over him and really seemed confused about those feelings. Their PDAs are all over the place now, but that interview probably prepared us for the romantic reconciliation.

9. Mackenzie Phillips admits to incestuous relationship with her dad. Phillips’ confessions to a long-term sexual relationship with her father, Mamas & the Papas member John Phillips, were explosive. It started with a drug-fueled rape at age 19, moved into his offer to run away with her and then ended 10 years later with a pregnancy and abortion. Ay yi yi.

10. Oprah introduces her half-sister. This makes my list for almost the same reason Obama and Vanzant’s appearances did: Because it sheds light on Winfrey herself. Faced with the threat of having the secret of her half-sister revealed first in an unauthorized biography, Winfrey introduced the world to Patricia, the half-sister she only discovered herself in October 2010.

Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive airs Thursday and Friday at 9PM on OWN.

Will Lance Armstrong be added to future lists of Winfrey’s all-time greatest interviews? What are your favorite Oprah interviews?

The O.C. alum Adam Brody has been tapped to guest on the sophomore season of Showtime’s House of Lies. Brody’s character is the owner of an adult toy company who engages in a relationship with Jeannie (Kristen Bell). Season 2 of House of Lies premieres Jan. 13 at 10 PM on Showtime. [Showtime]

Basketball Hall of Famer, Julius “Dr. J” Erving is going to play some ball with Jim Halpert (John Krasinkski) on NBC’s The Office. The episode, set to air Jan. 17, will feature the basketball player as an investor in Jim’s sports marketing business. [EW]

TV Land is picking up The Soul Man for Season 2 and The Exes for Season 3. The Soul Man, which stars Cedric “The Entertainer,” will also be getting a new showrunner in the form of Yvette Lee Bowser (Living Single). Both shows are set to return in June 2013 with 10 new episodes. [Deadline]

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Cable network Bravo delivered its seventh consecutive best year ever in 2012 among total viewers and the 25-54 age demographic. The network also nabbed the most viewers and remained No.1 for viewers age 18-49, and 25-54. In a statement, Frances Berwick, president of Bravo said, “With over 400 hours of high quality original programming, 2012 was marked by record achievements across returning and new series, digital innovations like Play Live, Transmedia and Zeebox, brand extensions like the Top Chef Kitchen and multi-platform partnerships. We are in great shape to launch an exciting new slate of programming for 2013, which includes our first scripted original series.” [Bravo]

Season 2 of Randy to the Rescue is set to premiere in May 2013 on TLC. The network has confirmed that hair stylist Lindsay Yamashita and makeup artist Raychel Wade as the new beauty team for the second season.
This season, Randy will be visiting Denver, Seattle, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Miami, Savannah, D.C., and Chicago to make brides’ fantasies come true. [TLC]

Did you love NBC’s American Dreams? Well if so, you’re in luck, as much of the cast of the show will be attending the second annual ATX festival in Austin, Texas in June. Brittany Snow, Parenthood’s Sarah Ramos and Glee’s Vanessa Lengies among others will be on hand during the weekend long event. For more info on the ATX festival, head here. [TVLine]

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With ratings down all around, CBS still won the night. CSI hit a series low while Survivor and Criminal Minds were also down. All of the comedies on ABC also hit season or series lows. Meanwhile, FOX’s The X Factor nabbed 7.7 million viewers. [TV Guide]

It’s time for the Best Funeral Ever. TLC has ordered a special/backdoor pilot of the show that goes behind-the-scenes of an unconventional funeral home. At the home, funeral director John Beckwith asks families to create a special theme for a memorial and then throws a big party to celebrate the deceased The special, which airs on Dec. 26, will feature Christmas-inspired and BBQ-themed funerals. [EW]

Just a couple of months after Tyler Perry made a deal with the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), the network has now announced the two series the star will oversee. Perry will have a hand in new drama, The Haves and the Have Nots, and comedy, Love Thy Neighbor. Both shows are set to begin production next year and slated to premiere in mid 2013. [THR]

While the jury is still out on whether Justin Bieber has reunited with on-again, off-again girlfriend Selena Gomez, one thing is for sure: He was smitten with her. At least he was when Oprah Winfrey interviewed him for Oprah’s Next Chapter.

“I am all about genuine people, and I feel like she’s just one of the most genuine people,” the 18-year-old singer told Winfrey during their intimate interview. “She just has a good heart. And I can talk to her about anything.”

The couple reportedly split earlier this month, but the two have since been spotted together, leading some to believe their relationship is back on.

However, during their year-long romance, Bieber made sure to keep himself close to Gomez, 20, when they were out in public. “I never make her separate from me because I don’t ever want her to feel like I’m ashamed with her,” he said. “If we get away, we’re getting away together, at least.”

As for Bieber’s future plans, the “Beauty and a Beat” hitmaker told Winfrey he wants a “handful of children” and could see himself settling down by 25. However, Winfrey didn’t think that was such a good idea. “I think 25 is too young,” she chastised.

After telling him to rethink his marriage plans, the Biebs seemed to heed Winfrey’s advice. “You are Oprah, and you’re telling me not to get married at 25. I should probably listen to you,” he said. “We’ll see when I get there, but I’m not there yet.”

Bieber also opened up about his personal struggles at the top. He may have over 30 million followers on Twitter, but the teenage heartthrob admitted even he can get lonely at times.

“You just feel sometimes you need someone to be there with you,” he said. “Some days you’ve gone through, you have pain in your heart because maybe you haven’t dealt with that. Some days you’re depressed and you don’t know why, because you haven’t dealt with it.”

Anderson Cooper is hosting a special Hurricane Sandy aftermath episode on Thursday’s episode of Anderson Live! Joining Cooper is co-host Deborah Norville and NYU nurse Margo Condon. Condon, who works in the NIC-U at NYU’s hospital, helped save 20 babies during the storm. Cooper is also partnering with Kellogg and Crocs among other companies to donate to those in need. The episode airs Thursday. Check your local listings for network and time. [Anderson]

The 2012 Soul Train awards have announced John Legend, Fantasia and Charlie Wilson will perform on the annual show which films in Vegas on Nov. 9. The show will be hosted by Cedric The Entertainer and will honor R&B group New Edition with the lifetime achievement award. The Soul Train Awards will air on BET and Cetric on Sunday, Nov. 25 at 9 PM. [Soul Train]

The “Cake Boss,” Buddy Valastro has picked his 13 new contestants for Season 3 of TLC’s Next Great Baker. As with other seasons, the winner of the competition will get a $100,000 prize, a feature in Redbook and a chance to work with Valastro at Carlo’s. Season 3 will consist of 10 episodes and premiere with a special 90-minute episode on Monday, Nov. 26 at 9 PM. [TLC]

Who won the ratings game on Halloween? CBS led the night overall with 10.9 million viewers and a 6.8 rating while ABC shows Modern Family and Nashville hit season lows with 10.4 and 5.8 million overall viewers. Halloween classic, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,  broadcast on ABC led the hour in the ad-coveted 18-49 demo in the 8 o’clock hour. [Zap2it]

FX has renewed dark comedy, Wilfred, for Season 3. The show, starring Elijiah Wood and Jason Gann, will air for 13 episodes beginning in June of 2013. In addition, new showrunners Reed Agnew and Eli Jome are taking over for the third season. David Zuckerman, former Wilfred boss will remain an executive producer on the show. [TVLine]

Michael Madsen is heading to FOX’s The Mob Doctor for a two-episode stint. The actor will play Russel King, a veteran criminal who Grace (Jordana Spiro) may have to operate on. His first appearance will be in Episode 9. [TV Guide]

Oprah Winfrey’s OWN and The Huffington Post launched Huff Post Own on Thursday. This new part of The Huffington Post’s website will provide advice and ideas to motivate and inspire its users. In addition, the site will include some of Oprah’s Favorite Things from Winfrey’s Holiday O List in O, The Oprah Magazine. An exclusive video montage of the best Favorite Things moments and trivia will be available exclusively. [HuffPost OWN]