CULTURE

New York City's Times Square has been prepped for the big New Year's celebration. The numeral 2 has been rolled and will soon replace the 1 currently on the 2011 sign. The big ball has been anointed with 32,256 Luxeon LEDs created by Philips. The celebration begins at 4 p.m. on December 31.

Jersey Shore star Jwoww is putting her knowledge of tanning to good use with a new swimsuit line called Perfect Tan Bikinis.

All Rob Kardashian wants for Christmas this year is his family and their wacky traditions. Kardashian dished on his plans for the holidays, which will include lots of time with women, namely his sisters, Kourtney, Khloé and Kim (on her route to recovery from her divorce) rather than a girlfriend.

Echoes of Silence, The Weeknd's final mixtape installment in the 2011 trilogy, was released at midnight on Thursday. The album is the third release this year from the 21-year-old Ethiopian-Canadian R&B singer Abel Tesfaye. The Echoes of Silence album can be downloaded from The Weeknd's website for free here.

People just can't get enough of Christopher Nolan's Batman movie and since the release of the latest The Dark Knight Rises trailer fans have been left eagerly wanting more. Bane, a masked villain played by Tom Hardy, can be seen in the movie looking rather powerful and prepared to bring the fight to Batman. However, his voice is a little bit hard to understand because of the mask and there have been manly complaints.

Miley Cyrus is in Costa Rica on vacation with her boyfriend Liam Hemsworth, but already the former Disney star is caught up in drama.

Airbus is on course to end 2011 with well over 1,600 orders.

Kate Middleton showed off a teeny tiny waist at a Charity Event on Wednesday night.

Don’t miss out on a sunny vacation in the Caribbean because you’re afraid it’s too dangerous; find out which islands are the safest and which are the most dangerous.

Kate Middleton to Wear Five Outfits for Christmas; Her Best Looks Till Date [PHOTOS]

Vince Camuto is a man with a mission.. and a lot of gorgeous stilettos.

Designer Sarah Burton has mentioned that she is glad to be creative director at Alexander McQueen's store in Beijing.

Are you ready for more Trapped in the Closet?

The son of Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas was sentenced on Wednesday to an additional 4 and a half years in prison for taking drugs while jailed on separate offenses of possessing and dealing narcotics.

A New York court has dismissed a lawsuit by a man dubbed the Flying Rabbi against TV network ABC and late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live over its use of the man's image in a parody involving basketball star LeBron James.

A federal judge on Wednesday upheld an order to extradite to Mexico a former producer for the TV show Survivor to face charges he killed his wife while on holiday in the resort town of Cancun.

China slammed Hollywood actor and Batman star Christian Bale Wednesday for creating news after he was roughed up by security guards as he attempted to visit a blind legal activist whose detention has sparked a domestic and international outcry.

When director David Fincher decided to make a film of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Hollywood was abuzz with who might play the starring role of abused, vengeance-seeking computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.

The three finalists of TV contest The X Factor went back to their roots on Wednesday, each performing their first audition songs as they battled for votes and a $5 million recording contract.

Greg Heffley had better take his vitamins and do some push-ups, because he's about to go up against a formidable foe indeed -- a zombie who bears an eerie likeness to him.

Lord of the Rings movie fans were given an early holiday treat this week with the release of a trailer for prequel The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, whetting their appetites a year before the film hits theaters.

The legal troubles keep mounting for the Real Housewives crew.

Coming off the success of Midnight in Paris, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American and UK rights to Woody Allen's next picture, Nero Fiddled, the company said Wednesday.

With Tilda Swinton having racked up Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for her role in We Need to Talk About Kevin, distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories has pushed up the New York City release date for the psychological thriller.

Actress Heather Donahue, star of The Blair Witch Project, is coming out with a book that details how she left Hollywood to follow a very different passion: growing marijuana. Growgirl: How My Life After The Blair Witch Project Went to Pot will be released on Jan. 5 by Penguin Group imprint Gotham Books.

Alec Baldwin, the famous 30 Rock star, has said he's lost his appetite for running in the 2013 New York City mayoral race. Baldwin revealed the news on his biweekly podcast at WNYC. The actor had previously claimed he was going to quit his role as Jack Donaghy on NBC's hit comedy show 30 Rock in order to attend Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Cameron Douglas, son of Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas, has been sentenced to 4 ½ more years in prison for drug crimes, according to the New York Post.

Al-Jazeera's good year just got a whole lot better.

If you've always wanted to go to the Caribbean, but thought you could never afford it- it's time to rethink with these great budget-friendly accommodations.