The 2009 holiday shopping season turned out to be slightly less depressing for America's retailers. Consumer spending rose 3.6 percent between Thanksgiving and Christmas compared to the same time period last year. [AP, WSJ]

NY Post gossip dowager Cindy Adams had no news today because she hasn't had a scoop since the Paleozoic Era. She has resorted to asking psychics what the gossip of the future will be. The answers will shock you.

First Oprah, now Tyra. The Tyra Show, daytime television's main source for women to learn about periods, porn stars, and the danger of tacos, will air its last show next spring. So sad.

I thought all of the adults in the Peanuts series didn't have faces and sounded like muffled trombones? Something's not quite right here...

The experts agree: stocks are a big waste of time. For more than one reason! You would have done as well, ten years ago, just burying your money in a jar in the yard.

It may seem a couple months late, but Spike Lee really takes "remembrance montages" to a whole new level in this music video. Despite the Michael Jackson media overload, this is a really beautiful tribute to the King of Pop.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the man who attempted to blow up his crotch on a flight to Detroit, is being held in a federal prison in Michigan. His bail is scheduled to be set on January 8. Where is the outrage?

Someone trashed Jon Gosselin's Upper West Side apartment. It was either his ex-girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, seeking revenge or him seeking attention. Their lawyers disagree! So does the press! Who to believe in this very important case?

Andrew Madoff—Bernie's son—has applied for a handgun permit. To fend off the angry poors, presumably! Once all the Goldman and AIG execs get their handguns, too, things will be back to normal around here. [NYP]

In this almost unreal video, a semi truck drifts perfectly in the snow until it finally decides to gets on the freeway.

Coyote Ugly did many things for America, chief among them, teaching us what the phrase "coyote ugly" meant. So, since it's impolite to leave your arm anywhere, here's how to avoid that situation with dignity and class.

For those of you sick of reading "decade in reviews," designer Phillip Niemeyer has come up with a chart plotting the culture and history of the last decade for the New York Times Op-Ed page.

Kathie Lee, champion of housewives who enjoy a cocktail or five during the AM hours, appeared a little drunk on Today. While discussing her disdain for technology, she valiantly tries to make a point. What comes out is barely English.

It's so frustrating, watching all those bright colors swirl and whirl mockingly from behind the glass. It's enough to make a cat ATTACK!

[Sienna Miller and Jude Law continue to rekindle their scandalous romance on a boating excursion with Law's kids in the Caribbean yesterday. Image via INF]

Jeffrey Epstein penis-related legal woes update! The billionaire Bill Clinton pal is currently being sued by 14(!) women who are upset, in retrospect, that they sexually stimulated Epstein for money. He is therefore (legally) harassing them. Nice guy.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt picking up a few things for the kids from a street vendor on Park Avenue ... Lindsay Lohan leaving Century 21 with an armful of bags last week, and sitting in the stands at a Rangers game at Madison Square Garden on Saturday ... Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick carrying their twin daughters in the West Village ... Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz shopping at the Union Square Greenmarket on Thursday and leaving their apartment on Saturday ... Liam Neeson walking his dog in Millbrook, New York ...and Natalie Portman going into a building late last week with her dog, Charlie.

Looks like one guy got the gift that keeps on giving this Christmas. Let's hope a naughty actress, an asexual actor, and two feuding celeb families found something a little less infections under their tree this year.

Ever wonder just what in the world Kwanzaa is? Well wonder no more for these kids are going to school you on the fundamental principals of Kwanzaa.

Some thoughtful young students decide to go the extra mile on their teacher's birthday. They sing her happy birthday and give her a thoughtful gift. The teacher does not recognize this as a kind-hearted gesture.