• Even more free holiday invites!
• 3 lip balms for mistletoe moments
• Don't let them eat cake? 4 ways the Queen handles tough times
• Lil tip: make homemade holiday cards
• 5 treadmill gripes — and 5 solutions
• The scoop: Joe Biden picks his puppy!
• Those three little words: "I Google You"
• How well do you know blonde models?
• Nicolas Cage's real estate roller-coaster
• American Idol shakes it up for season 8
• The guide to avoiding the holiday sex slump
• Last minute shoppers should wait 3 more days!
• VH1's The Pickup Artist: the most douchetastic show on TV?

We've been counting down the biggest headlines of 2008, and we'll be revealing more throughout the month of December. We hope you enjoy this look back at some of the posts and stories that created the most buzz throughout the year.

One of the more shocking news stories of the year happened late on Sept. 19 when Travis Barker and DJ AM were the sole survivors of a plane crash in South Carolina. The crash took the lives of four people including the two pilots, Barker's assistant Chris Baker, and his bodyguard Charles Still. After escaping from the burning plane, Travis and AM were rushed to the hospital with severe third degree burns. Later investigations alleged that a faulty Goodyear tire was possibly the reason for the crash, and Travis — who revealed he'd always been scared of planes — is currently suing the owners and makers of the Learjet.

In some ways, the tragedy turned out to be a blessing in disguise for DJ AM. While he was being treated, doctors discovered a potentially fatal blood clot in his leg. His ex-girlfriend Mandy Moore was at his bedside during treatment, and the two have since rekindled their relationship. Since leaving the hospital DJ AM has worked the turntables onstage with Jay-Z and celebrated with a welcome home party with proceeds going to the victims of the crash. Travis and DJ AM are expected to perform onstage together for the first time since the crash on New Year's Eve in LA, and we hope that 2009 bodes well for them as they continue to recover.

Splash News Online, Source, and Film Magic

Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson stopped by The Today Show this morning to help promote The Spirit. Over the weekend the costars gave a press conference in NYC, where they jokingly pushed and teased each other while talking about what it was like to play villains together. Frank Miller, who wrote and directed the movie, called Scarlett "one of the greatest comedic talents of our time" and said working with her was like "working with a young Lucille Ball." Here's more:

• Scarlett, on why she chose the film: "I’m not really a comic book fan. That world always seemed kind of exclusive to me. What brought me to this project was Frank. I loved Sin City and 300 and I thought 'He must be a pretty interesting fellow.' I’d gotten a script and there really wasn’t any part for me, the Silken Floss character was kind of unwritten. . . we met and had this wonderful three-hour lunch meeting . . . at the end of it I'm like, 'I'm sad there's nothing for me to do.' And he's like, 'I'll think of something.' He decided to expand this character and I got super super lucky. That was really it for me."
• On working with Samuel: "As far as Sam and I, it’s funny that [Frank] said Lucille Ball . . . the kind of comedy that we’re in, I feel like Sam was kind of the Lucy and I was the Ricky."
• On being eye candy: "The character, she knows that's what she’s offering to the Octopus, and it's part of her appeal. She’s this giant brain who looks fantastic in a short skirt . . . These are her humble beginnings."

To see what Sam had to say about his character, the Octopus just read more

Lauren Conrad headed to Urban Outfitters over the weekend to do some shopping, keeping her BlackBerry in hand at all times as usual. She may not be one for big Christmas photo ops like her costars Heidi and Spencer, but maybe LC picked up a few holiday gifts. With this season of The Hills winding down, Lauren will get a chance to take a break and enjoy a few weeks off, though we're sure we'll still be seeing and hearing a lot from the girls after the finale airs.

Ramey