Oh, you shouldn’t have, you really, really shouldn’t have: that’s the reaction that Victoria Beckham, the popstar formerly known as Posh Spice, had to a gift she received from celebrity dermatologist Neetu Nirdosh. According to Ecorazzi, Dr. Nirdosh “decided it would be a good idea to stuff some skin care freebies into dead poultry carcasses and give them to celebrities as festive gifts.”

Beckham, a diehard vegetarian and animal lover, was understandably revolted. But then, who wouldn’t be? I’m all in favor of creative ways to wrap presents””anything to reduce all that Christmas crap that clogs the landfills this time of year””but, seriously. I’m not even a vegetarian, but I can’t think of any present that I’d want to receive entombed in a turkey carcass. Ick.

Looks like humorist David Sedaris, who moved to France a few years back to escape New York’s onerous anti-smoking laws, has given up smoking just in time. Starting on January 1st, France will no longer permit smoking in bars, cafes, restaurants, or discos. The ban will also cover casinos and hotels, according to the BBC, and is an extension of a ban that began in February which outlawed smoking in public places, including airports, railway stations, hospitals, schools, shops and offices.A smoke-free French café may sound like an oxymoron, but with similar bans already in place in Britain, Ireland, Italy, and Spain, tolerance for second hand smoke is clearly on the wane in Europe, even in the notoriously tobacco-tolerant culture of France.The French health ministry has gallantly declared that smokers will be given a 24-hour “grace” period permitting them to puff away through the New Year””the ban won’t really be enforced till January 2nd. That may be cold comfort to French smokers; come January 2nd, the only places they’ll be able to light up in public will be the outdoor seating at cafés and bistros or open-air terraces.

Sri Lankan Labour Minister Mervin Silva got more than he bargained for when he barged into a television station to complain about lack of coverage.  During the fracas, one of Silva’s aides allegedly assaulted a news director.  Enraged journalists seized the minister, refusing to release him until he issued an apology.  Journalists and supportive crowds jeered as government commandos finally freed Silva.Protests were held today decrying Silva’s ‘hooliganism’ when dealing with the press.

With all its gaudy neon and nonstop glitz, Las Vegas doesn’t get a gold star for energy efficiency””yet. But that’s about to change, thanks to MGM, which is constructing the nation’s most expensive LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) private development, according to the CS Monitor.

The 68-acre, $7.5 billion complex, called CityCenter, will feature a casino, hotels, condos, shops, and a convention center. The decision to make the complex ultra-energy efficient is a win-win for MGM; first, it will benefit from a rebate on state sales and property taxes for construction that meets the LEED standards, and second, MGM expects to save a bundle on operating costs. The 10 hotels it already owns on the Strip run up a daily electric bill of $350,000. Yes, daily.

The decision to go green has not been without complications, though. MGM couldn’t find suitably luxurious low-flow faucets, so it had to have a faucet specially designed to meet its specifications. An extravagance, perhaps, but it’s not money down the drain; with the west’s water growing ever more scarce, a complex like CityCenter has no choice but to conserve. What better place to build an eco-friendly development than an irrigated desert famous for its electrifying excess?

In Shreveport LA, a substitute teacher is facing opposition, the authorities say it’s because of her blue hair, she says it’s because of faith. You see, Jennifer Harmon talked to her students about paganism:

Harmon, whose appearance has remained the same since early 2006 and was evident during her substitute application process, doesn’t think it was her hair color or an accompanying nose piercing that got her in trouble. Rather, it was religion.

The same early December day a fellow substitute teacher asked if she was Wiccan, Harmon found herself in Principal Jamie (Rene) Tolbert’s office answering questions about her appearance and whether she had discussed religion with students.

“Not only was I extremely confused and upset because I was never made aware of any policy prohibiting teachers from having blue hair and nose piercings, but when (Tolbert) asked me about religion I started to panic,” said Harmon, who said she is not Wiccan and does not subscribe to any particular religious faith. “Of course, I never spoke to the children about religion. I would never do such a thing.”

Wicca is a pagan faith centered on veneration of the Earth. It emphasizes peace, not harming living things and observance of ancient religious traditions. The religion is often misunderstood and some view it as anti-Christian. [The Shreveport Times]

Paganism’s misrepresentation goes back a ways - but despite more general views, folks of the pagan faith are still going strong. Each year they gather to celebrate in the Black Rock Desert at the Burning Man Festival. For more on what the Burning Man Festival is - point your mouse here.

And if you are looking for an example of how folks feel about Paganism (keep Burning Man in mind) and also a great film to see - check out the 1973’s The Wicker Man (avoid the more recent Nic Cage remake at all costs). A trailer and clip are below:

Christmas is a pretty important time for a lot of folks : for Christians it is the day their savior was born, for many, it is one of, if not the only time that they will be able to visit their family, for retailers it’s the time of year that they are expected to pull in the majority of their profits and for the movie studios it marks the last few days they have to get potential award winners into the theaters along with a chance to release more family friendly fare:

Family-friendly films saw a spike the day after Christmas as kids and parents looked for something to do, while Paramount Vantage scored one of the best recent per-location averages with the bow of “There Will Be Blood” in two theaters in New York and Los Angeles.“Blood,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day Lewis, grossed an estimated $67,951 in its bow, according to Rentrak, for a per-location average of $33,976. Film is among the last three specialty titles to unspool before the year ends.The domestic box office remains ahead of 2006 by 5%, according to Nielsen EDI. That’s a relief for studios, who saw the box office take a surprise stumble this fall after a record-breaking summer. The holiday sesh thus far has rallied the B.O. back to good health, posting some of the best numbers on record for an extended holiday frame. [Variety]

For this brings up an especially frustrating thing - ever since I moved to New York, each Christmas has meant that the one movie I want to see more than any other and have likely been waiting all year to see, opens on Christmas day or the day after - the catch is that it always opens only in New York and LA, and I spend Christmas in Ohio with my family.

This year that film is Paul Thomas Andersen’s There Will Be Blood. So while all my friends in NYC got to go on opening day to see what promises to be an amazing film, (something happening less and less these days where American film is concerned) I got to go see Charlie Wilson’s War. This isn’t to put Charlie down, it’s a really good film that everyone should see, if only for Philip Seymour Hoffman’s outstanding performance and the last title card at the very end of the movie, that has a quote that is more relevant to our political situation than anything I have seen in some time. (Also Tom Hanks steps up his game here, giving a performance reminiscent of the days when every movie he made turned to gold - everything before the extremely over-rated Saving Private Ryan).But back to the point - I should have had the option to see There Will Be Blood! For a while now I have been wondering why there is no longer a fervor among young folks for the cinema, for good cinema, for political cinema, for the cinema that could and should define us. And more and more I am realizing that the studios formula for box office success, for taking a movie like There Will Be Blood and making it as profitable as possible, is really representative of the state of cinema today.Paul Thomas Andersen (the director of TWBB) is in many ways the closest thing we have to an American auteur and he hasn’t made a film since 2002 - this should be more than enough to get people flocking to the theater. But in today’s blockbuster climate, the studio has to release the film in stages, it has to in a sense fool people into going to the theater.This makes me sad…So as not to feel completely hopeless, I am going to leave you with a link to learn more about The Cleveland Film Society - cinephiles are everywhere, even in Ohio, and maybe we just need a little help finding each other to fight the good fight.Go here for more info on the Cleveland Film Society.And because I am still angry, watch the trailer for There Will Be Blood below and think about heading out to see it when it opens in your town, and also, watch the trailer for Charlie Wilson’s War, a good choice if you don’t live in NY or LA:

In the Guardian today, Tariq Ali discusses his relationship with Benazir Bhutto, and the coexistence of despotism and anarchy in Pakistan. Ali argues that military rule in Pakistan has promoted lawlessness rather than create favorable conditions for order. A history rife with unpopular foreign and domestic policies, continuous martial rule, and political assassinations has led to this moment where those in power must address a despairing majority preparing for increased confrontations with the government. His hope for the Pakistan Peoples Party, formerly led by Bhutto, is that it will revive itself in the wake of her death as a modern democratic body dedicated to open and fair dialogue, and the creation of solid proposals aimed and furthering social rights and stabilizing Afghanistan.

College students, Andrew Butler and Christopher Avery were sentenced to 20-year prison terms after they were charged guilty of armed robbery in Cincinnati yesterday.

Not only did the duo commit two charges of aggravated robbery and six charges of kidnapping, but they tried to defend their actions claiming they were in need of tuition money. Ooooooooh, well in that case I suppose holding up victims at gun point and stealing cash is totes okay!

Sadly college tuition is indeed rising . If you are in need of some tuition assistance, visit http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/index.html
It’s a lot easier and nicer than robbing someone.

New Jersey signed a bill into law on Wednesday requiring all pregnant women to be tested for HIV, unless they object. The law also requires newborns be tested if the HIV status of the mother is unknown. Michigan, Arkansas, Texas and Tennessee have similar laws to New Jersey regarding the testing of pregnant women. Only New York, Connecticut and Illinois currently have mandatory testing of newborns. The measure is meant to decrease the number of newborn infections by prescribing HIV positive mothers antiretroviral drugs and delivering by C-section.

Following the fumbling drunken stiletto-sporting footsteps of Lindsey, Paris and Brittney, Mischa Barton was arrested early this morning in West Hollywood, California, for DUI and other charges, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.Come on Misch (can I call ya Misch?) you have the money to pay for a driver! Or a cab! Hell, I’m sure you could pay some shmuck to carry you home! So don’t drive drunk!!!!And while I’ve got your attention, can you also please do something about the name of your fansite http://mischa-b.com- The Mischa Barton Experience? What is the Mischa Barton experience anyhoo? Getting wasted and endangering the lives of fellow innocent drivers?Oh Mischa, I bet you’d love to see the letters OC instead of DUI right now, huh? Me too…

For info on drunk driving awareness visit http://www.madd.org/ or http://www.sadd.org.