• Oprah brought David Letterman more than three times his regular audience — and bragging rights aimed at Jay Leno. [AP]
• In Touch is giving out $1 million to one lucky reader. The two dozen other readers, unfortunately, will get nothing. [WWD]
• Irv and Chris Gotti's jurors paid attention: If the cash don't fit, you must acquit. The record label execs were acquitted of money laundering charges, whereupon two of the jurors immediately became their newest groupies. [NYT]
• Britney Spears is rumored to be meeting with divorce lawyers to end her short-lived romance with Kevin Federline. Jossip is rumored to be dancing a jig. [News of the World]
• Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' reps aren't saying one way or the other whether the Neiman Marcus wedding registry is actually theirs, probably because they'd have to own up to those cheap face cloths. [The Scoop]
• At least Lizzie Grubman can be applauded for teaching her Power Girls how to generate press. Party shadow and Jossip friendly Rachel Krupa did just that with Entourage's Adrian Grenier, and thankfully Turtle wasn't in the vicinity to pick up the leftovers. [Page Six]
• Fabian Basabe isn't just a lousy closet gay, he's a lousy driver. [Page Six]
• Marilyn Manson is it in for the long haul with Dita Von Teese, tying the knot over the weekend in Ireland. And no, they did not drink and each other's blood. [People]
• The NBA aren't the only ones who don't want to see anymore of Dennis Rodman: The folks at Crobar don't either. [Page Six]
• The real reason Kate Moss left Pete Doherty: he can't buy her diamonds and his dick is too small. [The Scoop]
• Got a great idea for a Yeah Yeah Yeahs flag? Great, they just might want to use it as cover art for your upcoming album. All materials accepted, so perhaps your "macaroni and blood" collection won't go to waste after all. [Yeah Yeah Yeahs]
• Singer/drug lover Pete Doherty was arrested (yes, again, as if you needed to ask) Tuesday night for possession of a Class A substance. He is reportedly out on bond and, to meet the terms of his bail, expected to be arrested again withing the next two days. [NME]
• Londonist has called out British mag NME for doctoring their top albums of 2005 list. And if a music magazine is taking "commercial and political factors" into account, we don't know who to trust anymore. [Londonist]
• Jay-Z showed up for the closing arguments in Irv and Lorenzo Gotti's trial yesterday. Be sure to check out the courtroom depiction of Jay, Ashanti, Russell Simmons and Ja Rule. We'll be looking for it on eBay. [MTV]
• Let the best albums of 2005 blogger games begin. The first of the big guns comes in with Sufjan Stevens at the number one. [Largehearted Boy]
• The Beastie Boys are set to release a live film Awesome: I F**ckin' Shot That, which was recorded by 50 fans given video cameras at a Madison Square Garden concert last November. The movie, which is touted as a look "deep inside the world of a live Beastie Boys show" will hopefully not include as much standing in line for the bathroom as a real concert. [Pitchfork]
• Queen is planning a triumphant Spring 2006 tour of the States. Unfortunately, New York appears not to be included in the schedule at this point. Deluth just has so much more pull. [NME]
• Mark your calenders, because bidding on Jerry Garcia's toilet starts December 18th only on eBay. Forgive the pun, but it's a pretty crappy looking toilet for someone who had so much money. [Stereogum]
• Irv and Chris Gotti's defense team called only one witness and rested after two hours this morning, sending the quickly sending the jury into deliberation. The prosecution, on the other hand, called up four days worth of witnesses. Somehow, this probably doesn't feel great for The Inc. [MTV]
• Yesterday's arguments at the Murder Inc. trial centered around whether a text message reading "I love the s*** out of you" was sent as a message of passion to Gotti's wife or as thanks for shooting 50 Cent to drug kingpin Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff. We're no technophiles, but it seems this debate could be settled fairly quickly with a glance at what the "To" address was. [Billboard]
• Ricky Martin told Blender that he is sure to treat all of his lovers "like a lady" (especially when they're fans of golden showers). His gentlemen callers must enjoy that. [R&M]
• Tis the season of coming together — for publicity of course. Over 50 members of the ATL music community, including Young Jeezy and Ludacris, came together for an MTV photo shoot. It's a nice holiday reminder than anyone can overcome differences if there are cameras. [MTV]
• Poetry written by Bob Dylan during his college years was auctioned off for $78,000. The 16 pages, entitled "Poetry Without Titles," cover, among other things, Dylan's desire to quit smoking. Sounds enthralling. [NME]
• Kylie Minogue announced that she will release a digital single including live versions of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Santa Baby" on Christmas of this year. Ricky Martin reported to be especially excited. [Kylie.com]
• After weeks of battling it out in the headlines, Radio City Music Hall and the musicians' union have reached an agreement, bringing live music back to Christmas Spectacular as early as .. today. [NYDN]
• One day, hailing a cab will be as simple as pushing a button on your cell phone. Also appearing "one day": The Second Avenue subway line. Yeah, good luck with that. [NYT]
• It's not quite Perez Hilton mugging with Paris Hilton, but FishbowlNY's HuffPo-Gawker coverage comes off with just a touch of media celeb worship. [FishbowlNY, and more]
• You're not the only one tired of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey holding on to their all-but-kaput marriage. So is her publicist Brad Cafarelli, who dumped the dumb blonde. [Gawker]
• Leave it to the New York Times to muddy the "no obnoxious kids at the restaurant" story. [Chicago Reader]
• Are five cameras really necessary for one interview? Well, if you're going to capture all of Pat O'Brien's ego, then yes, yes, they are. [NYDN]
• At Chris and Irv (Gotti) Lorenzo's drug money laundering trial, if the money don't fit, you must acquit. [NYP]
• Congratulations, New Yorkers! Despite the small decline in the number of new HIV infections, city dwellers account for one in five new cases. Well done. [NYP]
• You've been waiting a while for it: Radar gets campy. [Radar]
· Producer, rapper and alleged felon (at least this year) Irv Gotti will likely lose his recording partnership with Island Def Jam, which plays daddy to his his The Inc. label. Gotti was indicted, along with his brother Christopher, on charges of laundering $1 million in drug money through the record label, though that hasn't stopped other labels like EMI from courting the man behind Ashanti and Ja Rule.
· Janet Jackson could be heading to court, though this has nothing to do with an areola sighting. She's being sued by Michael Ortega, who says he wrote the Grammy-nominated song "All For You" for his girlfriend, then played it for Jackson's songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The charges of copyright infringement are expected, but he's also suing for slander .. so maybe this does have something to do with nipples.
· The three-year romance between Rose McGowan and Men's Health editor Dave Zinczenko actually ended weeks ago. They're blaming it on their failed attempts at maintaining bi-coastal lives, but given Rose's history, it may be "bi" of another sort. You'll be able to find Zinczenko holed up in the Hamptons with MSNBC's Dan Abrams. Hot.
· Forever B-listing Fabian Basabe has cut ties with publicist and professional celeb mongerer R. Couri Hay, but the two insist they're still friends and not warring over Hay's alleged shopping around of a raunchy dancing tape of Basabe friend and presidential daughter Barbara Bush.
· Speaking of socialites, goddess of the ladies who lunch Nan Kempner is said to be in a "medically induced coma." The 74-year-old social ladder reigning queen has been hospitalized and, not that we're wishing her unwell, would guarantee a funeral of the year should she pass. We're not sure David Patrick Columbia could survive it.
· MSNBC is revving up its blonde ambition tour by signing away Rita Cosby from rival Fox News, a weekender who will be given a shot at hosting her own nightime programming (think 11pm slottage).
· CNN is doing away with its Draconian ways of charging for video clips and will offer them for free on its website - just like it does not on its television channel!
· Checking in with media score card Katharine Q. Seelye, we're told Jann Wenner plans to take the laddie lifestyle out of Rolling Stone as he promotes Will Dana (one of three deputy managing editors) to managing editor. More politics, less Girls Gone Wild.
