CHANNING TATUM: Acting Hiatus, He Really Wants to Direct

People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” is taking a step away from the spotlight. Channing Tatum has announced a hiatus from acting. He tells Entertainment Weekly (quote) “By the end of next year, we’re going to shut things down and write the first thing that we’re going to direct. We’re going to be like, alright, no more acting parts for a minute.” Among the movies he may write and direct is a sequel to Magic Mike.

Celebs with birthdays today: Janine Turner, Steven Wright, Tom Hulce

#HappyBirthday to Steven Wright. The deadpan comic turns  today.

GRAMMY NOMINATIONS: Fun, Jay-Z, Frank Ocean Snag Six Each (audio)

Though the televised Grammy Nominations Concert Live! focused on a few big names, the nominations were actually spread around pretty evenly, with six each for Fun, Jay-Z, Frank Ocean, Mumford and Sons and Kanye West.

Five-time nominees include rockers The Black Keys -- although singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach was also nominated for Producer of the Year -- and R&B crooner Miguel.

As for the show itself, perennial host LL Cool J and co-host Taylor Swift -- herself a nominee in the Record of the Year category -- took the stage in Nashville. And country was front and center, as the show kicked off with a tribute to the late Johnny Cash keyed by The Band Perry and Dierks Bentley, and featured showcases for Luke Bryan and presenters like Little Big Town.

Maroon 5 carried the pop torch with an energetic medley of "One More Night," "Daylight" and "Moves Like Jagger." Fun did a symphonic rendition of "We Are Young" with help from Janelle Monae. Ne-Yo provided the requisite sensitive moment with the sincere opening of "Let Me Love You," which took a minute or two to hit its beat-heavy stride, and then Maroon 5 brought things home with a second performance to close out the show.

The 55th annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 10th.

Record of the Year
Black Keys: "Lonely Boy"
Kelly Clarkson: "Stronger"
Fun: "We Are Young"
Gotye: "Somebody I Used to Know"
Taylor Swift: "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"
Frank Ocean: "Thinking Of You"

Song of the Year (songwriters' award)
Ed Sheeran: "The A Team"
Miguel: "Adorn"
Carly Rae Jepsen: "Call Me Maybe"
Fun: "We Are Young"
Kelly Clarkson: "Stronger"

Best Pop Album
Kelly Clarkson: Stronger
Florence and the Machine: Ceremonials
Fun: Some Nights
Maroon 5:Overexposed
Pink: The Truth About Love

Best Pop Solo Performance
Adele: "Set Fire to the Rain"
Kelly Clarkson: "Stronger"
Carly Rae Jepsen: "Call Me Maybe"
Katy Perry: "Wide Awake"
Rihanna: "Where Have You Been"
 
Best Pop Duo or Group Performance
Florence and the Machine: "Shake It Out"
Gotye featuring Kimbra: "Somebody I Used to Know"
Fun: "We Are Young"
LMFAO: "Sexy and I Know It"
Maroon 5: "Payphone"
 
Best New Artist
Alabama Shakes
Fun
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean

HOLIDAYS: Weird Food

Food companies have really gotten into the spirit of the holiday season and are offering all kinds of seasonally inspired foodstuff. It's not just peppermint flavored coffee and eggnog anymore ... check out these weird holiday food offerings:

• Red Velvet Chocolate Flavored Holiday Milk: You can find this festively red beverage at Target – Oh, and it also comes in Chocolate Mint.
   
• Pringles Holiday Flavors: Potato chips in Pumpkin Spice, White Chocolate Peppermint and Cinnamon and Sugar. 
   
• Jell-O Gingerbread Pudding: It also comes in peppermint.
   
• Edy's Hot Cocoa Ice Cream: It's a frozen hot chocolate ... in ice cream form.
   
• Jones Holiday Sodas: The specialty soda company has seasonal flavors in Candy Cane, Pear Tree, Gingerbread and Sugar Plum. (hlntv)

Boyfriends think we’re hard to shop for, but trying to choose a gift for your man can be excruciating.

Here are a couple of gift ideas for your guy that will love:

• Think outside the booze box – If your man loves liquor, don’t just get him a bottle of hooch. Check out things like scotch tastings or a DIY beer kit for more fun.
   
• Fashion splurge – Most guys don’t spend a lot of extra cash on their clothes so spoil him with a cashmere sweater or an expensive cologne.
   
• Kidnap him – Sometimes it’s better not to ask him what he wants. Just tell him to pack a bag and be ready by a certain time and you do the rest! (Yahoo)

WACKY OR TACKY?

CB2, Crate and Barrel’s sister store, made a huge holiday faux pas by selling a coin purse called “The Lucky Beggar Wallet” on its website.

The small, zippered change holder, which is in the shape of to-go coffee cup that you’d get at a New York diner, seems harmless enough, but people have really taken offense to the name that goes along with the shape. So much so that the company has taken it off the site and offered an apology for displaying bad judgment by selling the item. (Yahoo)
 

HOLLYWOOD'S MOST OVERPAID ACTORS FOR 2012

In order to turn a profit, a movie has to earn twice its production budget in ticket sales. That's not an easy task when you factor in the cost of hiring A-list celebs. Most of the time, an in-demand actor pays off handsomely with huge box office sales, but there is always the exception.

Forbes has done the research to determine which actors of 2012 aren't pulling their weight at work. Here are the most overpaid actors of the year:

1. Eddie Murphy tops the list with a string of flops for his last few movies. For every dollar he earned he only pulled in about $2.30 for the studios.
    
2. Katherine Heigl comes in a close second earning only $3.40 for every dollar paid. Her last movie, One for the Money, only earned 37 million at the box office. There will probably be a pay cut coming.
    
3. Reese Witherspoon surprisingly comes in 3rd on the list. Her last film, How Do You Know, had a $120 million budget – but only earned $50 million at the box office.

THE POINTY-TOED PUMP IS BACK

Pointy pumps are back … with a vengeance. The classic heel goes in and out of fashion, but always looks great and is always uncomfortable. The return of the pointy pumps means toe-crunching, hobbling and blisters – oh my! BUT, they look fab with any holiday outfit, and you know it. (The Frisky)

TRENDING NOW

Kate’s pregnancy, Duck Dynasty and Austin Mahone are trending on Twitter and Google.

• Kate Middleton: Two Australian radio DJs apologized on Wednesday for impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles in a prank call that got a London hospital to tell them all about Kate Middleton's condition.
• Cece Frey: She got mixed reviews for her performance on Wednesday's X-Factor.
• Duck Dynasty: Wednesday’s episode, "I'm Dreaming of a Redneck Christmas," was trending high on Twitter. Last week, the series broke records with an audience of 4.9 million viewers.
• John Boehner: President Barack Obama and the House Speaker spoke by phone on Wednesday about the fiscal cliff.
• Rita Ora: The British pop star who was accused on being with "nearly 20 dudes" by ex Rob Kardashian. She says they were never really dating.
• Austin Mahone: The new Bieber? The 16-year-old San Antonio, Texas-native has become something of a YouTube sensation.

TOP CELEBRITY TWEETS

Conan’s new iPhone and Simon Cowell’s judging top celebrity tweets.

• Conan O'Brien: "Wow. Was just sent the iPhone 7. The seats are very comfortable."
• Simon Cowell: "I have no idea what Demi Lovato is talking about Emblem3 were amazing [on Wednesday]."
• Adam Levine: "Simon Cowell kinda reminds me of Bennett from Commando. Which instantly makes him more bad ass."
• Hugh Hefner: "I'm saddened by the news of the death of jazz giant Dave Brubeck. He was a friend who appeared in the first Playboy Jazz Festival in 1959."
• Lisa Lampanelli: "I can't believe there's a street in Arizona named Broomrape Lane. If I wanna be on a pro-rape street I’ll go to Mike Tyson’s house.'
• Piers Morgan: "35 people are murdered by guns every day in America -- same number as get murdered by guns in Britain every year."
• Dane Cook: "A good friend just came out proclaiming he's gay. I told him I knew for years. Now he’s pissed I didn’t tell him sooner. #HowsThisMyFault."

WORKING WORLD: Use the Holidays to Find a Job

Even though everybody is counting down the days until Christmas and New Years – and have pretty much put their work life on autopilot – there are actually opportunities for career advancement out there for the taking.

Here’s a rundown of some ways to find a new and better job through the holidays:

• Holiday Greetings – Sending holiday cards to possible employers is an easy way to stay on their radar.
   
• Networking Around the Christmas Tree – Holiday parties and industry events are great opportunities to network. These are relaxed settings, so bring your holiday cheer – and leave your resume at home.
   
• Send Gifts – Sending memorable, employment-related gifts to industry contacts is a great way to stay engaged through the holidays. (Forbes)

NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE QUIZ

The I.R.S. estimates that about 8000 people work at this job in the United States. What is it?
ANSWER: Professional Santa. The median income for a Kris Kringle is about $8,000.