Programming note

UPDATE: Something has come up that I have to deal with, so I will see you Tuesday.

My boss tells me I have to take either Friday or Monday off for New Year's. I'm all about the instant gratification, so I shall not be joining you tomorrow. I hope you all have a lovely New Year's celebration. I personally wasn't able to stay awake until midnight last year and I'm not holding out much hope for this year either. Here's a picture of the traditional Danish New Year's meal - something that really screams wild abandon and extra-fun celebration: Boiled Cod.

First must-have item for 2011

 
Via Buzzfeed.

 

Prettiest short film about the New York blizzard ever. Today

Neatorama explains that Jamie Stuart filmed this on Saturday, uploaded it to YouTube Sunday AND got scored this review from Roger Ebert: "This film deserves to win the Academy Award for best live-action short subject. (1) Because of its wonderful quality. (2) Because of its role as homage. It is directly inspired by Dziga Vertov’s 1929 silent classic “Man With a Movie Camera.” (3) Because it represents an almost unbelievable technical proficiency ... You can tell from the cinematography he knew exactly what he was doing and how to do it. He held the Vertov film in memory. Stuart must already been thinking of how he would do the edit and sound. Any professional will tell you the talent exhibited here is extraordinary."

Boney M frontman has died

Bobby Farrell has been found dead in Saint Petersburg. Reuters has this: "Boney M frontman Bobby Farrell was found dead in his hotel room in St. Petersburg on Thursday, the day after a performance in the city where the band rose to stardom in the Soviet era, his agent said on Thursday. "He did a show last night as part of Bobby Farrell's Boney M and they found him this morning dead in his hotel room," agent John Seine told Reuters by telephone from the Netherlands. Farrell was 61. "He did not feel well last night, and was having problems with his breathing, but he did the show anyway," he added. The cause of his death was not immediately clear, said Sergei Kapitanov, representative of St. Petersburg's branch of Russia's investigative committee. Farrell was famous for dancing and lip synching for the disco band that rose to prominence in Europe, the United States and the Soviet Union with songs like "Ma Baker," "Rivers of Babylon" and "Rasputin." Boney M was put together by German singer-songwriter Frank Farian who also produced most of the vocals for the group, which stormed to the top of the charts in the late 1970s with a string of disco hits."

PS: Don't tell anyone, but I used to own two Boney M tapes. Yes, I'm a thousand years old.

Someone just pointed out that Rasputin died the night between Dec. 29 and 30, 1916.

David Beckham says he didn't have sex with prostitute

TMZ has the details from Beckham's lawsuit. Irma better start saving up.

"David Beckham swears under oath, he never had sex with the prostitute who claims she had a threesome with him in 2007. Beckham filed a declaration in his $25 million lawsuit against Irma Nici and the publishers of "In Touch Weekly," which ran the story. Beckham says in his declaration, "... Nici has fabricated the following facts about me:

-- that in August 2007, I committed adultery with Nici and another prostitute by paying for sex with the two of them ...
-- that about a month later, I again committed adultery with Nici at the Claridges Hotel in London
-- that in October 2007, I contacted Nici while I was in New York seeking to again commit adultery ...
-- that Nici has had sex with me five times in total."

Beckham calls Nici's allegations "unequivocally false," adding, "I have never met Nici, let alone committed adultery or paid her for sex."

Kanye's new video is, erm, interesting

As of right now, Kanye West's new video, Monster, is being pulled down as fast as it goes up. But this is the link. If you're planning on watching, be WARNED that it's guaranteed to be the most offensive thing you'll see all day. Perhaps all week. It's full of strong profanity, of course. And nudity. But it's also a misogyny fest like I've seldom seen before. Dead women. Dead women posed. The heads of dead women. Dead women hanging from the ceiling. Women killing each other. I'm not judging because it's also a revoltingly awesome video. Just warning.

Don't bring a musket to a modern robbery

Is it too late to nominate someone for Least Capable Criminals of 2010? If not, then this duo attempting to rob a motel in St. John's may qualify. (Via The Daily What)

People eyes do not belong in Muppets

The person behind Muppets With People Eyes obviously disagrees.

While you were sleeping

... brought to you by Hawkeye, because The Wrap has this: "Everyone knows that Jeremy Renner will play Hawkeye in Joss Whedon's "The Avengers," but that's not the first time we'll see the Oscar-nominated "Hurt Locker" star drawing the bow and arrow. Renner will first appear as Hawkeye in a cameo in the Kenneth Branagh-directed "Thor," TheWrap has learned ... an individual who has seen an early cut of "Thor" confirmed to TheWrap that Renner's Hawkeye appears in the film, although the person declined to elaborate on the context of the character's appearance or when it will occur. They did, however, confirm Jackson's earlier statements that Nick Fury does not appear in "Thor."

No Snookie in Times Square "TMZ has learned Snookie's ball drop will happen on the Jersey shore instead of Times Square. The giant ball - with a lit "Snooki" sign attached - just showed up in Seaside Heights ... near the infamous "Jersey Shore" house. MTV's New Year's Eve Snooki ball was reportedly banned from Times Square - but  we've learned plan B is shore sweet shore. They're even getting the rigging ready to drop the ball ... and Snooki."

And he seemed like such a catch "After tying the knot in early November, Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis has separated from wife Christina McLarty, UsMagazine.com has learned. "Things completely changed in the relationship and it just became painful," a source close to the couple tells Us. "They are not sure if they are going to divorce yet. They're just taking some time apart." Though Francis' rep denied that McLarty moved out of their shared Bel Air pad, an insider tells Us that the two are indeed living apart as they evaluate their relationship. "The rumors are true despite the rep's denial, but that's because he's hoping to reconcile with her," the source says. "It's just a spat. They've turned to friends for counsel."

I know you've been waiting for this pertinent information I, personally, could hardly sleep as I wondered exactly what kind of ring Reese Witherspoon scored. Fortunately, People has this: "Reese Witherspoon‘s sparkler has just been revealed as well. A rep for the Oscar-winning actress confirms that Reese’s fiancé, Jim Toth, 40, proposed with a 4-carat Ashoka diamond stunner set on a pave diamond-and-platinum band, similar to the one pictured above. So how did Toth land on the special sparkler? “In the past year, the retro look in diamonds has been very popular,” says Eve Goldberg, co-owner of William Goldberg Diamond Corporation, which produced the custom-designed ring. “It’s a very elegant cut and it has an old feel to it.” As for the stunning center stone, the jeweler says that Ashoka stones are rare, with less than 10 percent of rough diamonds each year having the potential to be cut in this unique way, with 62 displayed facets and rounded corners to create a dazzling sparkle – just like Reese’s eyes when she saw her ring, no doubt." Yes, they really wrote that.

As if Jennifer Aniston didn't have enough to cry about

Rupert Everett isn't known for keeping his opinions to himself and this time poor, sad Jennifer is the target of his scorn. Us has this:

"Rupert Everett isn't a fan of The Bounty Hunter. Or The Switch. Or pretty much anything else Jennifer Aniston has starred in. During an interview with BBC Radio 4, the 51-year-old British actor claimed that no matter how poorly an actor performs at the box office, certain stars will always remain on Hollywood's A-list. "If you look and analyze the careers of many, many stars, you'll find that they're mostly sustained by the business," Everett argued. "You'll find there's lots of women and lots of men in the business that the powers that be decide are right for their business, and they'll stand with them for quite a long time." He then used the 41-year-old Just Go With It actress to further illustrate his point. "OK, something will go wrong, like Jennifer Aniston will have one too many total flops, but she's still a member of that club," Everett continued. "And she will still manage to…like a star forming in the universe, things will swirl around her and it will suddenly solidify into another vital tasteless rom-com, a little glitter next to the Crab Nebula. I'm not sure that nebula was ever mentioned on Star Trek. And the only nebulas I've heard of are the ones mentioned on Star Trek." But Aniston isn't the only box office draw who Everett is frustrated with: He's got an issue with Oscar-nominated actor Colin Firth too! "Colin Firth I don't think was at all good in Mamma Mia! I would have thought it was almost a careericide," Everett sniped. "On the other hand, I think his performance in A Single Man was the best performance of his life."