1. Remember that really bizarre Steve Jobs action figure? Well, in the wake of “immense pressure” from Apple’s lawyers and the Jobs family, Chinese manufacturers have decided not to sell the lifelike figurine. The company, which had planned to start shipping the dolls in February, has promised to fully refund all pre-orders. [LAT]

2. Despite a lack of scathing material from Ricky Gervais, the ratings for this year’s Golden Globes are almost as good as they were last year, and easily beat the numbers for both the American Music Awards and the Emmys. Does this mean we’re going to be seeing him host for a fourth time? [via MTV News]

3. You’ve already seen the underwhelming trailer for Lilyhammer, Netflix’s first foray into original programming; today brings us the trailer for Battleground, Hulu’s new mockumentary about a group of campaign workers in Wisconsin. [via Slashfilm]

4. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced the official nominees for this year’s BAFTA Awards, aka the UK’s version of the Oscars; are you as pleasantly surprised as we are to see that Drive is up for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress? [via Vulture]

5. Bay Area punk label Lookout! Records — which has been home to bands like Green Day, Operation Ivy, and Rancid — has officially shut down following years of financial troubles. [via Rolling Stone]

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The Internet has been abuzz with news of the new (unofficial) Steve Jobs action figure due out in February, which is unnervingly life-like, and thus incredibly creepy. Plus, it may just be us, but we think action figure status should be reserved for superheroes and action stars, or even other characters from film and television — we think it’s pretty weird when they’re made for actual people. Of course, some celebrity action figures (we’re using the term loosely) are weirder than others, and we’ve collected several of the most bizarre for your perusal — whether their strangeness comes from concept, execution, or the fact that people bought a talking Ann Coulter doll, all of them kind of blow our minds. Click through to see (and, in some cases, buy!) our picks for the weirdest celebrity action figures out there, and let us know if we’ve missed your prized plaything in the comments.

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Chances are you’ve seen at least one of Norman Seeff’s photographs of the 1970′s and ’80s most iconic personalities. The former doctor from South Africa left a career in medicine to pursue his art and landed in New York City in the early ’70s. He was introduced to the Big Apple’s biggest creative collaborators and shot portraits for the likes of Patti Smith and Andy Warhol to name a few. As his photography expanded he began to attract the names of musicians, artists, and visionaries worldwide, and his now famous images remain some of the most memorable celebrity snapshots ever taken. Click through for a candid look at an enthusiastic John Travolta right before he became a star in Saturday Night Fever, a married Cher and Gregg Allman, a young Steve Jobs, and more. Read More »

Though the media’s frantic reeling from the loss of Steve Jobs has abated a bit, the discussions on his influence over technology, business and the world at large have not, and probably will not for years to come. To further the discussion, GQ has put together a great infographic — or as they call it, their “Virtual Shrine to Steve Jobs, in Mega-Chart Form” — that shows off Jobs’s many spheres of influence in Apple-style simplicity. Looks like he was headed towards world domination to us — but we knew that already. As befits a infographical ode to a technology legend, the full version is fancy and interactive, so be sure to check it out here.

1. Nicki Minaj announced via Twitter last night that her second album — Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded — will drop on Valentine’s Day of next year. Given the title, it’s a bit unclear whether the project is a reissue, or will feature new material. [via MTV]

2. Aaron Sorkin is apparently “strongly considering” Sony’s offer to write the Steve Jobs biopic that’s currently in the works. “Right now I’m just in the thinking-about-it stages,” he says. “It’s a really big movie and it’s going to be a great movie no matter who writes it.” [via Slashfilm]

3. Jimmy Fallon has apologized to Michele Bachmann via Twitter after his house band, The Roots, played “Lyin’ Ass Bitch” as her intro music on his show. “I’m honored that @michelebachmann was on our show yesterday and I’m so sorry about the intro mess,” he says. “I really hope she comes back.” [via The Daily Beast]

4. A leaked version of Lady Gaga’s cover of “White Christmas” — which will feature on her forthcoming EP A Very Gaga Holiday — has landed online. Give it a listen here.

5. Here are some rather exciting photos from the set of Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated sci-fi flick Prometheus, which ties in with the Alien universe. The highly-anticipated blockbuster, which hits theaters this summer, has an ensemble cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, and Patrick Wilson.

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Mapping thirty years of Apple products ranging from 1983′s Apple IIe to this year’s iPhone 4S, Pop Chart Lab has released The Insanely Great History of Apple infographic print. Sorted according to type and graphing the connections between form and function, it’s clear to see that Apple has created some stellar — and dare we say, sexy — products over the years. Bask in the rainbow-licious glow of Apple’s full-size history over here. We think the print still holds up at a distance from a design perspective (must be that lovely retro wave), but if you need more personal time with it, pick up a print on PCL’s website before this limited edition run sells out.

Today is Guy Fawkes Day, the 406th anniversary of British folk hero Guy Fawkes and his cohorts’ foiled Gunpowder Plot to blow up part of the British Houses of Parliament and assassinate King James I. Guy Fawkes is one of those figures that the public can’t seem to decide about — was a he a hero for fighting what he deemed to be tyranny or a villain for trying to kill a bunch of people? Perhaps he’s a little bit of both, which only adds to his appeal as a folk hero. To celebrate the holiday, we’ve collected a list of Fawkes other cultural icons, from pop stars to presidents, that have split the public opinion on whether they’re heroes or villains. Be sure to let us know which you think are which in the comments.

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Steve Jobs’ sister Mona Simpson recited her brother’s eulogy during the Apple CEO’s funeral held several weeks ago. The touching words were published in The New York Times this weekend. Composing a speech worthy of a visionary like Jobs seems like an impossible task, but Simpson’s able words tell the story of a man who had a passionate hunger for knowledge, was dedicated to his family and loved ones, and never stopped following his own path. ” … What I learned from his illness, was how much was still left after so much had been taken away,” Simpson writes. It’s an intimate look into the late Pixar exec’s life and final days that paints an inspiring portrait of the “absolutist” and “romantic.”

We’ve gathered several other impassioned and inspirational eulogies past the break. Some will make you laugh before crying, while others are a tad confusing, but hopefully these words move you as much as they did us.

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1. That 6-minute prologue from The Dark Knight Rises that we told you about last week will only be screening before Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol on the higher resolution (and much rarer) 70mm IMAX screens, not digital IMAX ones. If you’re confused as to what this means, ask one of your film geek friends. [via Collider]

2. Word it that Sony is courting Aaron Sorkin to write its forthcoming Steve Jobs movie based on Walter Isaacson’s new biography. Sounds like a good match to us. [via LAT]

3. Netflix — which after price hikes and various PR snafus lost 800,000 US subscribers in the last quarter — is planning to expand its streaming service into Ireland and Great Britain in early 2012. [via Slashfilm]

4. Here are some photos of some of the outdoor sets in Sydney where Baz Luhrman is shooting the new Great Gatsby movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. Cute!

5. Stealing a strategy from the Disney playbook, Warner Bros. plans to stop shipping Harry Potter DVDs and Blu-rays to stores at the end of the year in an effort to increase demand and boost sales. [via THR]

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1. This year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will feature a new balloon designed by Tim Burton; according to the character’s crazy origin story, he was created “from the leftover balloons used in children’s parties at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London” and is “forbidden from playing with other children because of his jagged teeth and crazy-quilt stitching.” [via ArtsBeat]

2. Sarah Silverman is putting together a comedy fundraiser in Ricky Perry’s home state of Texas that will be titled, “Live From N*****head: Stripping The Paint Off Of Good Ol’ Fashioned Racism,” and plans on donating all proceeds to the NAACP. [via EW]

3. Michael Bay has signed on to executive produce Outsiders, an hour-long drama for The CW that follows a “quirky [male] sociology professor” who teams up with a young female detective to “solve crimes involving youths and subcultures in Los Angeles.” And, we’re guessing, things that go boom. [via Vulture]

4. Hot on the heels of last night’s Season 4 finale, MTV already has your first look at Season 5 of Jersey Shore, which sees the cast returning to Seaside Heights and their beloved club, Karma. [via Perez]

5. If you can’t wait for it to hit shelves, here are some details from Walter Isaacson’s highly-anticipated Steve Jobs biography, including the fact that Jobs initially refused potentially life-saving surgery on his pancreatic cancer because he felt it was too invasive. [via Huffington Post]

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