I have no trouble admitting that as a child, I was murderously jealous of all the kids in my class who got to celebrate Christmas.  Sure, we had Hanukkah, but eight days of books and sweaters as presents is difficult to digest as a young child. And although I learned to value my own unique cultural traditions (plus, my parents got us a Nintendo 64 in 8th grade), some of that old, lonely feeling bubbles up when I realize that ¾ of my friends will be scattered across the map this week, gathered in celebration of the day when, if my knowledge of Christianity is correct, Santa Claus gave Jesus a Nintendo 64 of His very own. More»

Since the Los Angeles Clippers moved here from San Diego in 1984, they have shared a "rivalry" with their championship-winning neighbors the Lakers that makes the relationship between Germany and Poland look equitable and balanced. Historically crippled by terrible signings, fan apathy, perpetually awful luck, and Ricky Davis, it seemed to most people as if the Clips were destined to be an eternal punchline. But in sports, conventional wisdom is only true until it's not anymore, and Monday night (in a game that admittedly means nothing) Chris Paul and the Clippers looked a hell of a lot better than Kobe and the Lakers. More»

Nicole Richie, Mindy Kaling and Samantha Ronson welcome Pressed Juicery to WeHo; cover girl Kate Beckinsale hosts a dinner at the SLS for FLAUNT; Gelila and Wolfgang Puck, Devon Aoki, Brett Ratner and more celebrate Vertu's new luxury mobile device; Justin Bieber, Jake Gyllenhaal and the Kardashians catch the final Watch The Throne concert at Staples—last night was proof L.A. is not slowing down for the holidays, get all the details in this edition of Last Night's Parties. More»

Jay-Z, Kanye West

If you've been following the NBA or those horrid Kardashians at all in the last week, you're probably aware that both the Lakers and the Clippers have at least for now been rebuffed in their efforts to acquire young superstar point guard Chris Paul. In other words, if the Staples Center were a human being, it would be going through some serious rejection anxiety right now. More»

• After not getting Chris Paul (who's about to close a deal to join the Clippers) or Dwight Howard, Kobe is seriously bummed noted candy fiend Lamar Odom was traded from the Lakers to the Dallas Mavericks in a first-round pick for the 2012 NBA season. [LATimes]
• Jessica Simpson is reportedly getting $3 million from Weight Watchers to join their program after she gives birth to stop being chunky lose her "baby weight." [Post]

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• Just kidding!! That trade we thought was locked down for the Lakers to get Hornets' Chris Paul yesterday was reversed after it was blocked by the New Orleans team, and there's nothing they can do about it. [LATimes]
• In its annual retrospective of the year's most popular content in the App Store, iTunes Rewind names my new favorite distraction Instagram as "iPhone App of the Year." [HuffPo]

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• While in town filming a movie, Denzel Washington goes clubbing in Atlanta in a Nike tracksuit and New Balances, then buys his party 15 bottles of booze for a $5,000 bar tab. [TMZ]
• After nixing the NBA preseason, commish David Stern cancels the first two weeks of the NBA's regular season as players and management are unable to meet each other in the middle on a new labor agreement. [KTLA]

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While most of our Daily Style Philes lately have focused on monsters of one sort or another– whether they happen to play one on television or just act like one in general– today's subject is probably the only one whose sheer physical abilities might actually deserve that qualification. That's right, we're talking about the Clippers' Blake Griffin, the most explosive power forward to happen to Los Angeles basketball since A.C. Green (at least on his wedding night). Oh yeah, and guess what? He's also a pretty funny dude. More»

There are some celebrities that will always be tied to the skill or trait that made them famous. How famous would Eric Clapton be without his hands? What if J. Lo's ass was lost in a freak airplane seat accident? But then there are also celebrities for whom their initial talent was only part of the equation, people who will stay famous forever, no matter what they're doing. One of those people is a 7'1" friendly giant, one of the most dominant big men of all time, and a guy who left a pretty strong impression here in Los Angeles. If you thought Shaquille O'Neal was going to fade out of the spotlight just because he's not shattering backboards anymore, you clearly weren't paying attention. More»