As Lindsay at Videogum says, “no video thing gave me more pleasure in 2008 than Jeff Goldblum Drunk.”  It was an excellent meme, really aces.  Thankfully, she put together the best eight to watch because you’ll spend “the next half hour gathered ’round the laptop, clutching [y]our sides and wiping tears” watching “the entire Jeff Goldblum Drunk ouevre on YouTube. Twice.”  It really is that funny.  [Videogum]

Area Woman becomes Republican Vice Presidential Candidate. “The mother of five, who enjoys attending church potluck dinners with husband Todd, an unemployed commercial fisherman, reportedly “jumped at the chance” to become the second most powerful person in the country.”  One of these days I’m going to finalize my idea for an “Onion or Not” feature where you guys will have to guess if the story is from The Onion or from the real news.  [The Onion]

Boston Globe’s The Big Picture was probably my favorite blog to deput in 2008.  Amazingly simple, but incredibly well executed by Alan Taylor.  The large photos (900px wide) make it a site worth checking in on at a minimum of once per week.  Yesterday, Taylor unveiled his carefully curated year in photos.  It’s spread out over three parts, with Part 1 and Part 2 already posted.  The final installment will be revealed tomorrow.  I’m not sure I can single out a favorite photo.

Would you believe that it’s overshare?  No, of course you wouldn’t.  Because that’s a silly thing to choose as word of the year, but lo and behold.  Webster’s Dictionary has choosen overshare as the defining word of 2008.  There’s even a video press release. Emily Gould can now take a bow.  I know she didn’t invent the word, but I have a feeling the word wouldn’t have been nearly as important without her.  That’s saying something. Kudos bar to you Emily.

Because why not?  It’s freaking Dubai.  “Soheil Abedian, founder and president of Palazzo Versace, said he believed it is possible to design a refrigerated beach and make it sustainable. ‘We will suck the heat out of the sand to keep it cool enough to lie on,’ he said. ‘This is the kind of luxury that top people want…’”  And it’s the kind of thing top people should get.  [Times Online]

Nearly $350 billion dollars have been doled out from the $700 billion bailout fund by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson.  And yet, the economy continues to shit it’s pants.  Where did the money go to?  Good thing Congress demanded oversight for those taxpayer funds.  Mike Maddon of Salon investigates and it’s not pretty.  [Salon]

I’m making a move to do some Christmas shopping. Wish me luck.  I’ll be back, hopefully, within a few hours to resume stories.  Update: The mall – crazy ya’ll.  Holiday shopping is the suck.

Not sure how I missed this one, but this news hit a few days ago.  Hidden Track has the deets: “As we speculated two weeks ago, Rolling Stone’s sources tell the mag that Phish will headline two nights of Bonnaroo 2009 with Bruce Springsteen set to close the festival on Sunday night. What remains to be seen is whether the soon-to-be-reunited Dead join in on the fun. We can’t wait to see what Pitchfork and Stereogum would say about Phish and the Dead appearing at the ‘Roo. There goes the festie’s hipster cred.”  Except that Bonnaroo started as a jam-based festival and Trey has played five times over the years.

It’s been a good year for movies, if you don’t analyze the plots all that much.  I often wonder what movies would be like in real life, i.e. Tony Stark in Iron Man would just be killed once the terrorists realize a ransom won’t be paid.  But then that would make most movies like 30 minutes long.  I’m okay with that.  Coming back home, I watched The Dark Knight again and realized that even though it’s a gripping crime drama and held my attention for two-plus hours, the plot is absurd.  And that’s why those two movies make the list, along with Mama Mia!, Indiana Jones, Sex and the City, Hancock, and Wanted. I won’t include the final one on the list, since it makes for a good punchline.  [The Guardian]

Music history is littered with pop songs inspired by real people. Who could forget the first time they found out Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughtta Know” was inspired by Full House’s Uncle Joey Dave Coulier. It was disturbing and unbelievable. It was like finding out your Catholic priest was a pedophile. At once you stared in disbelief and felt like you needed to down a few drams of Scotch. Find out about other pop song backstories from music writer Dave Simpson. Metafilter also has a nice thread going with people contributing info about other songs. [Guardian and Metafilter]

It’s a giant list.  And I’ll give you one that I particularly like, as an American History-tard.  “Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation did not immediately free all American slaves, just those in the rebelling area (i.e. most of the South). Since that area did not recognize the power of the Federal government, few slaves were freed by the Proclamation.  Regions in the South that were under Union control when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued were not affected by it. These regions were: Tennessee, southern Louisiana, and parts of Virginia.”  Oh take that Abe Lincoln and your useless Enamcipation Proclamation!  I always thought that was a good conversation starter at parties and bars, which is why no one ever wanted to talk to me.  [List of Misconceptions]

There is a sort of perverse satisfication with throwing a shoe at the president and watching blood spurt out from his head.  Still, I’m not very good at this game, with my high score being 28 or so.  You think it’s easy? Hesitate and he drops right down again. He’s very agile, good reflexes, no easy target.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Academy Award-winning screenwriter Roger Avary pleaded Not Guilty at a Ventura California courthouse on Friday to manslaughter and other charges connected to a January 13th single car collision which resulted in the death of another passenger.  Avary’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit at the time of the crash; besides felony manslaughter, Avary faces two felony counts of causing bodily injury while intoxicated, charges that could bring 11 years behind bars.  [LA Times]