A shaken world held its breath today as news surfaced that Winona Ryder was whisked to a London hospital after "falling ill" on a flight from LA. Nothing to see here, her publicist said this afternoon — unless you count the British Airways crew requesting a priority landing at Heathrow when an unnamed female passenger "required medical attention." That's our Winona!Ryder rep Nancy Buxbaum later explained that the actress was admitted only as a "precautionary measure," assuring the AP that there was no emergency and that Ryder was discharged in short order. The airline wasn't much more help, issuing only a statement that its crew radioed ahead to land as soon as possible to get the sick Oscar-nominee to a doctor:

A man as famous as Brad Pitt is accustomed to enjoying a comfortable buffer between himself and any Jane Q. Psychotic with a Skype account. So when Oprah Winfrey ambushed him on today's broadcast with—delight of delights!—highly specific questions regarding his various Brangelina tribal markings from a flesh-curious fan on internet video phone, it's not entirely surprising that his reaction involved sweaty palms, fidgety body language, and lateral pupil vibration. Watch him squirm as he politely defers at first, then finally cuts Creepalina off as she launches into her description of the part of his body she probably thinks would make the best handbag. [Oprah]

BREAKING: Six of seven CA Supreme Court agreed today to review the legal challenges to Prop 8 brought by married same-sex couples. Until they rule, all further same-sex marriages are suspended, and the status of those already wed remains to be determined. What are the chances they'll overturn the challenge? Slim, but they have done so in the past: "In 1966, the California Supreme Court struck down an initiative that would have permitted racial discrimination in housing. Voters had approved the measure, a repeal of a fair housing law, by a 2-to-1 margin." Hang in there, D.L. Hughley—we realize how confusing all of this can be! [LAT]

We consider ourselves connoisseurs of beleaguered (but enthusiastic!) NBC chief Ben Silverman, so we were a little surprised when we heard that Kim Masters had published a rumor roundup on The Daily Beast today that included three whole paragraphs tracking speculation that Silverman might be gay. Had our gaydar been scrambled by distinctly unfabulous shows like My Own Worst Enemy and Project Lipstick, we wondered? Then we read the article, in which Masters (citing Defamer as her primary source) appears to lay out her entire same-sex case by mistaking some of our "funny ha-has" for actual, industry-pervading rumors:

Cheer Leaders: In giving visitors the rare curatorial opportunity to program two week of holiday-TV classics, The Paley Center has unearthed some seasonal gems from the deepest reaches of pop-culture oblivion. And we mean deepest — why settle for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer when you can enjoy rare treats including A Rugrats Kwanzaa Special, Lamb Chop’s Special Chanukah and Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol? Voters can select up to five choices from a list comprising 50 years of holiday specials, with the option to write in any favorites the museum might have overlooked. Which, of course, always brings us back to A Solid Gold Christmas. Vote early, vote often; winners will screen Dec. 10-24. [Paley Center]

Anne Hathaway has been teasing us for a while now about her mysterious new companion Adam Shulman, dropping anonymous hints about her "sexy" rebound from Raffaello Follieri before being snapped by the fledgling actor's side on a recent New Orleans sojourn. And today, an "insider" has another, less romantic theory as to why Shulman puts up with Hathaway foraging crumbs from his dinner plate: He's using her.Or so says a source who tattled to Page Six: "Adam is known as an opportunist. When he was at Brown [University], he went after all the heiresses. It's like Anne is addicted to losers." Hold it — can you be more specific? Because we've heard Hathaway isn't what you'd call a cheap date, and nobody actually dates for love in this town anyway, do they? Then again, he got this far without having to vaccinate any poor kids or build someone a house, so maybe he is all about the shortcuts.

Behold the splendor that is Mark "The Cobrasnake" Hunter, splayed in nothing but skivvies and white loafers across the fabled Endeavor conference table. (40-foot long Corian, white laminated glass, stainless steel, hand-carved by an ancient order of Unicorn Panda craftsmen—you know the one.)And how did the ubiquitous hipster documentarian penetrate the inner sanctum of Hollywood's Wormhole to the White House™? We're not entirely sure, but we know partner Tom Strickler signed off on it, and even answered some interview questions left for him on a whiteboard. (Cobrasnake: "What is the best advice you can offer someone starting in the mail room at Endeavor?" Strickler: "Work work work work work work.") There's also some great shots of life behind the scenes at the Hollywood power-brokerage—everything from 189-line telephones to bedraggled assistants to Strickler and his team of hardworking baby-devourers themselves. Ari Emanuel, however, is nowhere to be found. Nice work, Cobrasnake! Now put some pants on. More photos:

Long-distance love affairs conducted only in the press are difficult to maintain — even moreso when one of the parties is carrying around a little bitty secret. So it is, then, that the relationship between CNN newsman Anderson Cooper and Real Housewives of Atlanta breakout NeNe Leakes appears to have culminated after weeks of Ellen-assisted flirting. At first, Leakes seemed flattered by Cooper's ardor, but in her current interview with People magazine, she appears to know exactly what she's up against:

Because no nursery is complete without a stack of aspirational tabloid fodder, the influence-gatherers at Forbes have revived their gloriously obscene annual survey of "Hollywood's Hottest Tots." And this year, after much plotting and Scientological back-room lobbying on her behalf, we're thrilled to see 2007's first runner-up Suri Cruise finally usurp Shiloh Jolie-Pitt in a bloody, Gerbers-smeared skirmish for top-toddler supremacy. And, "in a sinking economy," the editors note competition is only going to get tougher from here:

· The island escapees have reconvened in Century City. · Left-behind leaders Juliet and Sawyer are clearly going to "do it." This will set up a love square that will only reach its last inevitable permutation when a jealous Smoke Monster catches Sawyer and Jack snuggling after a Season 6 CPR session turns unexpectedly amorous.· Jeremy Davies's bid to change his season-long "skinny tie" costume to a form-fitting tank top and cutoff jeans has still been rejected by producers. · The exclusion of original cast members Emilie de Ravin (Claire) and Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) can mean only one thing: a sassy, Private Practice-like spinoff! · In the tradition of "What's in the hatch?" and "Who are the Oceanic Six?", Season 5 will tease out its overarching mystery, "Just how much chest hair does Jack have right now anyway?" for as long as is humanly possible.

Flavor Savers. While we can say with some confidence that we got the mustache beat covered, BestWeekEver.tv is doing some wonderful work in the realm of celebrity beard sciences. Today they bestow their First Annual Milk NYC Premiere Beard Awards. Each was later presented with its own Golden Beardie— a trophy which, legend has it, was modeled after Mimi Rogers's naked, neglected body. Heads up: Valentino has a naked face, but will not fail to surprise and delight. [BWE]

ABCNews.com was way ahead of the Prop 8 curve, promoting early debate on what would evolve into the hot button topic of the day with such non-award-winning reportage from the front lines of the sexual-orientation culture wars as "Stars' Gay Marriage Possible Career Suicide," and "H'wood's Bisexual Double Standard: Hot for Girls, Gross for Guys." Today, they once again enter the emotional fray, with a sensitively argued think-piece entitled "Prop 8 Sparks Gay-Black Divide: Wanda Sykes Comes Out Amid Black Homophobia and Interracial Division Between Gays." It begins:"When comedian Wanda Sykes disclosed during a rally in Las Vegas this week that she has been in a same-sex marriage since October, no one cheered louder than those who face the double indemnity of being black and gay." "Double indemnity?" Yes, growing up black and gay is a lot like a life insurance clause payable upon accidental death. Thanks for your keen, not-at-all-exploitative insights into this sensitive issue, Susan Donaldson James. Why aren't we surprised you also happen to be the writer of "Stars' Gay Marriage Possible Career Suicide?" Bonus STFU Link: D.L. Hughley explains to Dan Savage how he isn't "particularly homophobic, but when I read the bill, I found it confusing." Kind of like how we find his fame confusing, and the fact that CNN has given him a show confusing.

Whoa: The opening night film at the Sundance Film Festival is typically regarded as pedestrian fare, so we had little hope for this year's selection. Then, this morning, programmers announced the 2009 pick: Mary and Max, a claymation movie starring Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman, narrated by Dame Edna. We could only be more excited if Hoffman's wrinkly avatar somehow resembles Omar from The Wire. [Sundance]

Except for the simmering, hate-fucky annoyance that Matt Lauer dishes out to Ann Curry on a daily basis, Today had always existed in a G-rated realm of sexuality until this past fall, when the gloves — and the blouses — came off. First, Marcia Brady revealed touching tales of family-bred syphilis, then the bastard son of Jay Thomas doffed his shirt to reveal some silky lingerie. Today, though, Lauer had to contend with a producer who blew his throw to commercial with a rather distracting, extreme close-up of French First Lady Carla Bruni's rack. It was while watching this show that Barack Obama turned to Michelle and said, "You're only doing GMA from now on." [Today]

· The O.C. and Gossip Girl creator Josh Schwartz has been hired to write X-Men: First Class, featuring a "younger set of mutants." Pyro's gonna go totally psycho on Rogue and burn all her dress designs! [Variety] · McCain-stumping cultural barnacle Patricia Heaton continues to work, this time in ABC sitcom The Middle, about which we could give a shit. [THR] · Disney and Imax have paired for a five-movie deal that begins with Robert Zemeckis's motion-capture A Christmas Carol, and probably ends with 10,000 amazingly lifelike chihuahua-asses shaking in your face. [Variety] After the jump: What modern Asian monster classic is about to be improved immeasurably by Hollywood? We know you want to know!· Korean toxic-sludge monster movie The Host gets a Hollywood remake, produced by Gore Verbinski and with commercials director Fredrik Bond behind the camera. It's a production that should provide a nice marketing tie-in for Burger King's planned sandwich launch, the BK Tapeworm Broiler. [Variety] · The Chronicles of Narnia and Prince Caspian writing duo Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have been hired to write First Avenger: Captain America. This is really happening, guys! You can officially start getting really jazzed now! [THR]

Twilight is likely critic-proof, but that's not stopping Summit Entertainment from enforcing a punishable-by-death review embargo until 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Which would explain why today — two days after its chaotic premiere, the morning after the first press screenings, and in a period of seemingly open rebellion against those oppressive studio strictures — not a single official review has yet emerged anywhere online. (UPDATE: In the last hour, embargo-exempt Variety begged to differ!) Unless you count a couple of critics who've backdoored their ways into saying it's pretty much the hormonal goth trifle you'd imagine.Michael Phillips first teased readers with his "non-review" late Tuesday, which seemed review-y enough to us:

Miley Cyrus kicked off her "I Wasn't Killed By a Drunk Driver, Regardless of What My Hacked YouTube Page Sez! :D" tour with a stop at Ellen DeGeneres's show, which won't air until tomorrow. Ellen has become somewhat of a tween superstar guidance counselor in recent weeks, having lent Taylor Swift a shoulder to cry on as the country star recounted her brutal, half-minute Jonas brother tele-dumping. Cyrus, however, proved a tougher nut to crack, offering nothing but a series of guttural grunts and snorts in response to DeGeneres's line of underwear-model-boyfriend questioning. So embarrassed is she by the prospect of revealing the true nature of her relationship with the recipient of her obscene, catwalk-side tongue-gestures, Cyrus eventually tumbles sideways inside her chair—a bout of forced-coyness rendered all the more unsettling by her raspy giggles of fake embarrassment. *Shudder.* [Ellen]

Now that a sober, nicely-weaved Britney Spears has had time to peruse her own Wikipedia entry, she's finally coming to grips with the things she barely remembers doing in a misty haze of Red Bull, Benzos, and Hot Pocket chicken fajitas. "What the hell was I thinking?" she once asked, and now, in a new clip from Britney: For the Record, she applies that question to her short-lived marriage to Kevin Federline. Sadly, in news that will surely dash hopes of a reconciliation, she admits that both Federline and his kick game were ridiculous. "I think I married for all the wrong reasons," she says. "I just did it because...for just, like, the idea of everything." Let this be a lesson: even though the fantasy of two souls exchanging vows in customized Juicy Couture "pimp" sweatpants is compelling, it's no reason to be hasty. Clip after the jump!

Soloist Silenced Even Longer: Paramount announced Tuesday that it's pushing back The Soloist yet again, this time to April 24. The studio surprised even its former DreamWorks partners last month by drop-kicking the Robert Downey Jr./Jamie Foxx drama into 2009, culminating in an unceremonious dump-and-run in March and its withdrawal from the opening-night slot at last month's AFI Fest. The move is yet another slap in the face to the 'Works, whose loss of an '08 Oscar contender is only compounded by The Soloist's new, utterly insurmountable April competition Vanilla Gorilla. Insult, meet injury. [Variety]

People's annual crowning of the Sexiest Man Alive is a treasured tradition as ancient as the celebrity publication itself—a jubilant coronation followed by a week of Sexy Man festivities, capped by the delicious spit-roasting of the Sexiest Suckling Alive.Strict term-limits kept the hands of editors tied this year, preventing them from bestowing yet another win upon double-title-holding SMA all-stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The search therefore extended beyond U.S. borders—something they were reluctant to do after the debacle that was Sean Connery's 1989 win—and eventually landed upon debonair star of stage and screen Hugh Jackman, who was quickly certified following an exhaustive, 150-point mechanical and appearance Sexy Man inspection. Jackman just happens to star in Baz Luhrmann's blockbuster romance Australia, set to open momentarily around the globe, but a People rep assured us the timing is purely serendipitous, and the actor "would have still been our choice even if he was high-kicking it eight times a week in Paul!: The Paul Lynde Musical on Broadway." As our gift to you, we've created this keepsake Hugh Jackman: People's Sexiest Man Alive 2008 poster, suitable for framing.