December 22 – It took three e-mails from Chris Rock to convince director Spike Lee that the New York Knicks were appointing Isaiah Thomas as the team’s new manager. “Get out of here”, Lee responded at first, and Rock finally told him to check ESPN, which aired the story. So basketball fan Lee dashed over to the press conference at Madison Square Garden to congratulate Thomas in person.

We’d say Renee Zellweger has lost a lot, but not quite all, of the weight she put on for her role in the Bridget Jones sequel. The usually buff actress looked rather voluptuous at The Late Show with David Letterman, where she was promoting her newest film Cold Mountain, in theaters Christmas day.

Later that afternoon, tourists lunching at Planet Hollywood on Times Square got an eyeful of Ian McKellen who hosted a private screening of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The screening was the culmination of an essay contest for New York City school students. McKellen said it was fitting that 13-year-old winner Vivian Truong of Brooklyn attends the Mark Twain school.