1. Cat Power is planning to record an album of new material without her regular backing band. [via NME]
2. Kristen Wiig‘s “Gilly” character will host a two-hour SNL Christmas special that will air on December 17. No word yet on if she’ll be expanding her vocab. [via WaPo]
3. ’80s heartthrob Andrew McCarthy is set to direct a 9 1/2 Weeks-inspired episode of Gossip Girl this spring. [via People]
4. John Malkovich and Anne Hathaway are in talks to play the villains in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4. Malkovich would be playing the Vulture; Hathaway the Vulturess. [via Vulture]
5. Is social media savvy putting the Obama White House at risk of becoming a reality show? [via NYT]

Bonus link: The Biggest Disappointments of the ’00s