Glenn Goldman, the proprietor of Book Soup, died at age 58 Saturday from pancreatic cancer, one day after announcing he'd be selling the Sunset Strip landmark.

Hugh Hefner spent some time last weekend recounting his Hollywood obsession for the LAT. Conspicuously missing from his list: Brett Ratner, who is likely to direct a Hefner biopic in the years ahead.

[Funny screenshots! Actress Anne Hathaway on the Today show this morning; images (another is after the jump) via INF]

Nobody watches Fox Business Network, but that doesn't stop them from landing the best business journalists in the game. Like Liz Claman, who split from CNBC because they used too many fancy "business" words:

Greasy chicks and dudes compete for male affection tonight on The Bachelor and Bromance, respectively. We try to restrain ourselves, but can't help noting our disdain for the latter, regardless of tonight's Bro-athalon results.

Having journeyed through the dark abyss and emerged to become the current Biggest Star in the World Upstaged by a Mischievous Doggy, junketphobic Marley & Me star Owen Wilson will be counting many blessings in 2009.

• Why is Karl Lagerfeld pro-fur? Because if we didn't kill animals, they'd kill us, naturally. Oh, and don't complain about skinny models until the "zillions" of fat people get "taken care" of. [Telegraph]
• Don't hold your breath, but Topshop has scheduled its opening party for March 26. [NYM]
• Gemma Ward is taking a break from acting to return to modeling full-time. [Sassybella]
• Ecco Domani's annual Fashion Foundation award winners have been announced. [WWD]
• Claudia Schiffer is launching a line of beauty products. [DM]
• Fashion mags are very thin this month, in case you haven't noticed. [NYT]

You know what's always cute? Kids doing crazy adult stuff. Like these German tykes who wanted to get married in Africa. We smell a movie deal.

Who would have guessed there was so much demand for pubic hair dye? Nancy Jarecki's Betty Beauty, which produces "specially formulated color dyes for the hair down there," has filed suit against a competitor called Smart Beauty for copying its thong-shaped logo as well as "content" from its "instruction sheet." [NYP, previously]

The Producers Guild of America just announced its five Best Picture nominations. So which films made the cut, and which found no endorsement with this leading Oscar indicator?

Ad Creep installment #563: "Crotchvertising," to sell garish watches. The only shocking thing here is that Dov Charney is not involved somehow. [Trendhunter]

This is it! January 5, 2009: the beginning of the Obama presidency. He is on TV fixing the economy, making tough decisions, being presidential, and the inauguration is just a formality now.

After several months of negotiations, Universal has closed its deal to sell genre-mill Rogue Pictures to the studio's close financing partners at Relativity Media.

The commercial real estate market is tanking. Jared Kushner, the owner of the New York Observer, is invested up to his neck in that market. Is it time to start jumping to conclusions?

Oh no! Another Clintonite will ruin Barack Obama's change forever! Clinton Chief-of-Staff Leon Panetta will be your new CIA director.

Sherri Shepherd's got an entry for Hollywood PrivacyWatch! On a plane over the holidays, she realized that the "short," fedora-clad man she'd been bothering was none other than the famously mercury-addled Jeremy Piven.

Georgina Sparks returns to Gossip Girl. Plus a spoiler! [EW]

Regardless of your New Year's party indiscretions, the possibilities are still endless for 2009. Maybe cut back on the drinking, but whoever you made out with in that alley will change your life. We promise.

Having softpedaled rumors of Steve Jobs's failing health, CNBC is falling over itself to catch up to the story — with embarrassing results.

• The Cipriani family is planning to close the Rainbow Grill on January 12th, although the bar and banquet space will remain open. [AP]
• The troubled Palm Court inside the Plaza closed last week. [Eater]
• A pizza-making school is coming to Bleecker Street. [NYT]
• Upright Citizens Brigade is contemplating an East Village outpost. [GS]
• The success of Simon Hammerstein's The Box is leading more nightclubs to consider adding live entertainment. [NYP]
• Restaurant Week reservations are now being accepted. [NYCGo]