• Michelle Obama will receive a CFDA award — but CFDA president Steve Kolb isn't certain she'll attend. "We'll do whatever we can to get her here, but the award isn't about getting her to come." [AP]

• The other nominees include: Marc Jacobs, Narciso Rodriguez, and Kate and laura Mulleavy of Rodarte, for women's wear designer of the year; Italo Zucchelli of Calvin Klein and Michael Bastian and Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders are up for the men's wear award. Interestingly, the nominees for the Swarovski women's wear award, which celebrates emerging talents, include two designers who shot to acclaim after Michelle Obama wore their dresses: Jason Wu, and Thakoon Panichgul. (Alexander Wang, no lesser light, is the third nominee.) The Council of Fashion Designers of America will host its annual shindig at Lincoln Center — a change of venue from the traditional Bryant Park-adjacent Public Library — on June 15. [WWD]
• Model Tyson Beckford gave up texting, which he doesn't like to do, for Lent. Someone should maybe tell him how it works... [The Cut]
• Salma Hayek is reportedly set to debut a range of anti-aging cosmetics. [Daily Express]
• Naomi Campbell, meanwhile, is organizing a runway show benefit for victims of the Mumbai terror attacks; she'll walk in the show with Bollywood stars, and afterwards the clothes will be auctioned for charity. [WWD]
• So that's what Jil Sander was doing at the fabric fair in Paris: plotting new looks for Uniqlo! The Japanese fast-fashion giant — picture American Apparel without the cokey company culture and advertisements drenched in ballsweat — has taken on the long-unemployed designer as a kind of creative director with responsibility for all men's and women's apparel. She'll also do a special capsule collection, set to debut this fall, for sale at Uniqlo. [WWD]
• People say models look angry. I say anyone wearing a neutral expression always looks about 30% more sullen in a still photograph than they do live; anyone who's ever laid eyes on a photograph of themselves going about daily business without a posed smile has probably said the words, "But I look so angry!" Even though you weren't actually angry at the time. It's the same with models! If you want the camera to catch you looking vaguely sweet-faced, you have to kind of ham it up (slightly raise your eyebrows, widen your eyes, drop your bottom lip, purse your mouth like you're about to say something nice). And there's no fucking time for that kind of delicate facial maneuver on the runway. So you walk with a blank face and, yes, sometimes you look angry. Even though you are not. Is that all right with everyone? [The Cut]
• Scott Schuman's book, to be titled, The Sartorialist, will be released by Penguin this fall. To celebrate it, the Times of London is saying there'll be — what else? — a pop-up shop called Sartorialust selling accessories from pajamas to suspenders inside Barneys New York; Fashionista says the only confirmed store is Colette in Paris. Schuman would love, he says, to consult for a venerable menswear label and make it more modern; he's currently exploring some other kind of deal with Net-a-porter.com and the possibility of writing a style guidebook. [Times of London via Fashionista]
• Now that the fall collections are over, the Wall Street Journal is shuttering its excellent fashion blog, Heard On The Runway. I hope they don't somehow rate this a higher priority. [WSJ]
• In her CNN: Revealed documentary, screening this week, Carine Roitfeld goes through options for an upcoming cover featuring Scarlett Johansson (the editor was apparently disappointed the actress had dyed her hair brown before the shoot, since it made her look less recognizable). CNN just released a teaser video, which has footage of the potential cover shot. [Fashionologie]
• Juicy Couture on 5th Ave. certainly has some imaginative window dressers: their current offering features one mannequin on its hands and knees, in that awkward doesn't-quite-bend mannequinly way, wearing a saddle. Another stands over it, holding a riding crop, in case you didn't get it. Do they think this will sell sweats? [Racked]
• Singer Adele, whom Anna Wintour styled for the Grammys and had Annie Leibovitz photograph for Vogue's "Shape" issue, says she would have walked the red carpet in a "jumper" if Anna hadn't rang. "Anna! As if we're on that level! I hate fashion! I had to tell her I've got four bums..." She took Vogue editor Hamish Bowles, her Grammys date, out for In N Out after the ceremony. [Grazia]
• JC Penney, the Humane Society has announced, has gone fur free. By which the company means they currently have no fur items and no plans to sell any in future. It's as if McDonalds went "cruelty-free" by announcing that they are definitely never going to serve any foie gras. [HSUS]
• A Swedish company owns the rights to Gucci's iconic double-G logo, at least in Sweden, a patent court there has found. Fishy. [UPI]
• Various brands, including Lacoste and Coach, are planning price cuts for the coming seasons. They hope to prevent retailers from having to make steep discounts of their own, as happened last year, because seeing something expensive marked down by 70% makes customers question whether the item was ever worth its original price. Lowering the original price by 30% makes customers say, This is surprisingly cheap, let's buy it! Allegedly. [Forbes]
• Or will "vengeful populism" destroy our appetite for luxury goods altogether? [AdAge]
• Either way, Escada's losses are even greater than originally reported for the quarter. [WWD]
• American Apparel, which was saved from bankruptcy with an eleventh-hour financing agreement last week, reported a 29% increase in net profits last quarter. [WWD]
• Valentino says if you want to be his friend, you have to love his designs. [VF]

O'Neil trips right away, referring to Brown's attack on Rihanna as "their alleged smackdown," instead of, you know, "Brown's assault on Rihanna that left her visibly bloodied and bruised." He then attempts to discuss the ramifications the incident will have on both careers, noting that Rihanna "should be able to rebuild her career and even rise to new heights if she handles everything properly ahead." As the reader who tipped us to this piece notes, "What struck me about this article was the implication that both Rihanna and Chris Brown needed to save their careers, which I thought was f'ing absurd (in the case of Rihanna) because since when has being a victim of domestic violence qualified as being career suicide?"

The issue I take with the piece is O'Neil's notion that winning a Grammy will be the sign that Rihanna is back on track; he pays no attention to her personal struggles, the cycle of domestic violence, or how the incident will shape the rest of her career, except to put out the generic comparison to Tina Turner, who, in O'Neil's eyes, escaped the shadow of Ike Turner by...winning some Grammys. "Now, if she dumps Chris Brown and asserts herself like Tina Turner did," O'Neil asks, "can she bag the top Grammy win too?" The award, apparently, will wash away the difficulties Rihanna will face in her personal life. But only if she asserts herself! Otherwise, she's just a victim who deserves career failure, right? Blargh.

Brown will have a tougher time saving his career, O'Neil writes, noting that "Thuggish music artists such as Snoop Dog, 50 Cent and Notorious B.I.G. haven't won a Grammy," (because they're so thuggish?) "so Chris Brown needs to clean up his act in order to prevail. But even if he pulls off the cleanup, he's already given his career a bruiser that will probably never heal." And I've just given myself a headdesk bruiser that might not heal for a while, either. But perhaps if I win a Grammy, everything will be a-ok!

Can Rihanna And Chris Brown Save Their Careers? [LATimes]

For those of you who will be tuning in to the Grammy's tonight, feel free to use this thread to mock or praise red carpet arrivals and, later, performances and acceptance speeches during the show. And for the rest of you, the same rules as always apply: keep it light, and stay safe. Here's a little something to get you started:

Thank you for another lovely weekend- have a safe and happy Sunday night!

[Image via NatalieDee]

• Posh adorns the January 2009 cover of Harper's Bazaar, and inside she talks about high heels, her trademark smirk/smile, wearing tracksuits around the house, and her relationship with the ever-present paparazzi. “I don’t complain about paparazzi because I’ve put myself in that position, and so has David. But I always say to the boys, someone is going to take your picture because you’re handsome or you’re smart or because you’re so good at soccer. But every now and again, Romeo might pick up one of David’s cameras and say, ‘Victoria, Victoria, over here!’ And his attitude is sort of angry… I tell you, the paparazzi would not be sitting outside if they realized I was the most boring person in Hollywood." [Just Jared]
• The $26,000 a month Manhattan apartment where Heath Ledger died has been taken off the market temporarily, as some have been speculating it was too "ghoulish" to sell. [TMZ]

• Unlike Posh, Johnny Depp is not okay with the paparazzi. "I never wanted to be the guy people looked at. I don't think of myself as being a celebrity, it's too mortifying," the Depp says. [People]
• The Jolie-Pitts just had a mechanical bull delivered to their house in L.A. That is all. [TMZ]
• Do you love Jemaine and Britt? Well you're in luck, because here's the trailer for the second season of Flight of the Conchords which airs in January. [Stuff.Co.Nz]
• Longtime buddy Gabrielle Union says Beyoncé's more Southern belle than booty shakin' Sasha Fierce deep down. "Beyoncé is quiet and reserved, very Southern, sweet and polite. If someone told me that girl was gonna go on stage and do the kind of performances that she does, and be so fiery, and this quintessential and iconic entertainer, I'd be [in disbelief], like, 'Yeah, okay!" [People]
• The L Word is offing its most annoying character, two-timing writer girl Jenny, played by Mia Kirshner, during its 6th season premiere. "The episode, which airs January 18, begins with a splash as Jenny's body is discovered in a swimming pool. Accident, or murder - and whodunit? Viewers will have to wait for those answers." [AP]
• Rumors abound that professional jackass Steve- will be on Dancing with the Stars next season. He's even more bonkers than Cloris Leachman! [TMZ]
• Katy Perry believes she was "snubbed" because she did not get nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. Katy Perry also believes that she has "talent." [Perez]
• All My Sons, the Broadway play co-starring Katie Holmes, is closing later this month. But don't blame Mrs. Cruise: all of Broadway is floundering in this recession. [Jossip]
• Britney flipped the light switch on the Christmas tree at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles while flanked by L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Adam Carolla. That's some eclectic company! [People]
• An Arizona judge has issued a warrant for DMX's arrest. The rapper was supposed to appear in court today, but his reps say that he is in rehab at an undisclosed location. He's facing drug, identity theft and animal cruelty charges in the Phoenix area. [TMZ]

• Amy Winehouse is moving with the Osbournes. She's friends with Kelly, so Ozzy and Sharon are opening her guesthouse at their estate outside of London. Because, you know, the Osbournes are the perfect family to take in an addict. [Page Six]
  
• Jennifer Lopez wants her twins to be born on Valentine's Day, since she'll be able to make the deadline for the weekly magazine covers. Always so practical! [MSNBC]
  
• Sam Lutfi is hiding out somewhere in L.A. but did contact E! News to claim: "I'm not worried about what Lynne is saying" about cutting Britney's phone lines. "It's not true." He does admit he made Brit take pills: "I said these pills are working wonders — they are miracle pills." [MSNBC]
  
• Kevin Federline is attending the Marc Jacobs show tonight, let us repeat, KEVIN FEDERLINE is attending the Marc Jacobs show tonight. Meanwhile, Grandma Lynne Spears has weekend custody of the kids. [E!]

• As reported yesterday, Kirsten Dunst is in rehab, sources say she was "awful with her liquor." [Page Six]
• Uma Thurman is not pregnant, she just quit smoking, says her boyfriend Arky Busson. Stop staring at her tummy! Also, "Arky," LOL. [Page Six]
• Not-so-blind item! "Which former congressman was spotted taking an interest in a very young dancer at a gay club in Fort Lauderdale? You'd think by now he would have turned the page." [Gatecrasher]
• Heidi Fleiss was arrested in Nevada on DUI, driving without a license and possession of dangerous drugs without a prescription. From the looks of her mugshot, homegirl was waaaaaaaaaaasted. [TMZ]
• Fergie on stars who hide that they're knocked up: "It's so stupid. It can be obvious a girl is pregnant but they still deny it. It's as if they want the attention and press it causes. I wouldn't be part of all that nonsense." Never say never! [Mirror]
• If you've got £100 and you ask nicely, Pete Doherty will play your birthday party. That's either a great deal or slightly overpriced, can't decide which. [The Sun]
• Oprah ($260 mil), Tiger Woods ($100 mil) and Jay-Z ($83 mil) are at the top of the list of Forbes' "Top Earning African-Americans". Take a moment and think about what you would do with the mere $27 mil raked in by Lebron James, #10. [Concrete Loop]
• Andrea Peyser of the New York Post wrote a column calling Heath Ledger "reckless and greedy" and "selfish." She claimed: "There is nothing noble or beautiful about the so-called accidental death of Heath Ledger, a man with everything to live for - a beautiful daughter, a blossoming career, and a Victoria's Secret catalogue-full of willing babes. He threw it away, as gamely as if he had put a gun to his mouth and pulled the trigger." [Sydney Morning Herald]
• Kanye West is selling his Beverly Hills home for $8 million, less than a year after her bought it for $7.5 million. The price probably includes the black angel he had painted on the ceiling. [Wall Street Journal]
• Kanye might be performing at the Grammys, and if he does, it will be an "emotional tribute" to his mother. [People]
• Pepe Jeans is suing a charter airline for canceling Sienna Miller's fight from London to New York. She missed a photo shoot and the company had to hire a "replacement model." Like Sienna can be replaced! [Reuters]
• Leona Lewis, winner of the UK singing competition X Factor, says most of her friends from the old neighborhood have been shot, knifed or beaten. [Mirror]
• Kyle (Sex And The City, Twin Peaks) MacLachlan and his wife, Project Runway producer Desiree Gruber, are expecting their first child. Congrats! [Page Six]

• Apparently, Britney and her "friend" Sam Lutfi got in a fight last night: Photogs started snapping and she asked them to leave her alone. There's more, but let's just say that the cops were called to keep the paparazzi at bay and helicopters circled overhead. Clusterfuck. [TMZ, ONTD, Perez Hilton, Perez Hilton]
  
• Barbara Walters says she spoke with Lutfi, who told her that Britney has seen a shrink and has "mental issues which are treatable." Apparently Britney has mood swings and insomnia as well. [USA Today]
  
• No surprise here: sources interviewed in a profile of Britney in Blender paint a picture of a woman who has been used and lied to most of her life. Eric Foster White, who co-wrote six songs on her first album, says, "You have to understand that there's nobody in the equation who stood to benefit by giving it to her straight." [MSNBC]

• Oh, and Britney is allowed to have telephone contact with her kids, as per the hearing last week. Still no physical contact, though. [TMZ]
• Meanwhile, Zoey 101, the hit show of which Jamie Lynn Spears is the star, has returned for another season; the episodes were filmed before JLS became pregnant. This fourth season was always meant to be the last. [USA Today]
• Lindsay Lohan took at least one swig of vodka when she was out partying with Brody Jenner, Samantha Ronson and Stavros on Friday night. Rehab shmehab. [Page Six]
• By the by, since Brody Jenner has a girlfriend, a model named Cora Skinner, he denies hooking up with Lindsay and has issued a statement: "We were hanging out as friends and nothing happened," Jenner said. "We weren't 'all over' each other, and we definitely weren't making out. I am dating and really happy with Cora." OK, awesome, thanks. [Rush & Molloy]
• Filming of Michelle Williams' new movie, Blue Valentine, which also starts Ryan Gosling, has been put on hold while she mourns the death of Heath Ledger. [People]
• Nigella Lawson, who shares a £100 million fortune with her husband, Charles Saatchi, doesn't want to leave her children any money. She believes that kids should make their own loot: "I am determined that my children should have no financial security. It ruins people not having to earn money." She has a point but damn that's cold. [Telegraph]
• Vanessa Paradis bombed at a music awards show in France? Eh, who cares, she's got Johnny Depp. [Perez Hilton]
• Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson earned a perfect score on his citizenship test and the Scottish-born funnyman will be sworn in a few weeks from now. Congrats! [USA Today]
• Despite the writers' strike, the Grammys will happen! The WGA and the Recording Academy made an agreement; the ceremony will be February 10. Now if Amy Winehouse can just get her shit together... [Yahoo News]
• Blind item! "Which reality-show clogged network had to change its casting procedures after a racist internal policy was leaked? Producers had an informal ban on considering cast members who were 'too black.' They claimed it was because darker skin tones were hard to pick up on camera." [Gatecrasher]
• Oooh, actress Sean Young caused a boozy ruckus at the Directors Guild of America party? Sounds fun. [Page Six]
• Tracy Morgan: Seen shirtless and dancing on a banquette while asking a waitress if he could father her baby. You know, the usual. [Page Six]
• Kathy Griffin: double-banned from The View? Guess Barbara doesn't like being made fun of. [Page Six]
• A year after their breakup, Kylie Minogue had a rendez-vous with ex Olivier Martinez — and his dog. She's said his dog "was the love of my life" and was important to her recovery from cancer. Aw, happiness is a warm puppy. [Daily Mail]

• Matthew McConaughey's girlfriend, model Camilla Alves, is pregnant. These are the eloquent words the actor and surfer dude wrote: "My girlfriend Camila and I made a baby together. Its 3 months growin in her womb and all looks healthy and lively so far. We are stoked and wowed by this miracle of creation." There's more, but you get the point. Also: The kid's gonna be gorgeous. [Us Magazine]
  
• RIP Brad Renfro, star of flicks like The Client and Apt Pupil. The 25-year-old was found dead in his home yesterday. [TMZ, NY Times]
  
• Britney Spears was completely naked in a Betsey Johnson store over the weekend, says an employee at the boutique. "Then she disappeared in the dressing room with Adnan for 45 minutes. They were making weird noises. It was disgusting." Uh, maybe he was helping her try on clothes? [Page Six]

• Paris Hilton's ex, Stavros Niarchos, is pursuing Victoria's Secret model Izabel Goulart. I dunno why we need to know this. [Page Six]
• Melissa Rivers: Grabby at a gift suite. So annoying how celebs get so much free stuff. Wait, is she a celeb? [Page Six]
• Sean Penn, who wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle in the past, drafted a letter calling the publication an "increasingly lamebrain paper." The Chronicle printed his letter, hee hee! [Editor & Publisher]
• Uh oh, Amy Winehouse is having visa issues. She may not be able to go to the Grammys! Then again, the Grammys could be canceled because of the writers' strike. [Gatecrasher]
• Dr. Phil is looking for celebs to appear on his 1,000th episode; after the Britney debacle, stars are not so interested. Could the doc use some therapy? [Gatecrasher]
• And Britney's suicide note, which was mentioned in last week's midweek madness, is about her loneliness, how unfair life is and how she can't trust anyone, sigh. [The Sun]
• Blind item! "Which doe-eyed young TV star is attracting attention for his indiscreet way with cocaine? 'He will do it absolutely anywhere,' says a source. 'Don't tell anybody!'" [Gatecrasher]
• Was Gwyneth Paltrow in the hospital because of a troubled pregnancy? [Rush & Molloy]
• Theives broke into Sadie Frost's London home — while she was there. The burglars took a cash and laptop. And this isn't the first time her house has been robbed: It happened in 2006 as well. Someone call security! [Daily Mail]
• Says someone who works for Zoey 101, Jamie Lynn Spears' show: "Everyone on the set is shocked by Jamie Lynn's pregnancy. "They don't know who did it... It could be anyone on the show!" [Rush & Molloy]
• David Spade: Maybe knocked up a Playboy Playmate. What is with that guy getting hot chicks? [TMZ]
• Linsday Lohan tried to avoid the paparazzi by wearing a brunette wig on her way to traffic school. Didn't work. [TMZ]
• John Mayer is defending Jessica Simpson on his blog, asking people who claim she jinxed Dallas Cowboys star Tony Romo to back off. "That girl loves Texas more than you know," he wrote. "It's one of her most defining traits as a person. So please don't try and take that away from her." It's a decent thing for an ex to do; making it hard to hate on this guy, ugh. [People]
• Eva Longoria is also defending Jessica Simpson. She relates, because her husband is a sports star, you see? Groan. [LA Times]
• OMG Zac Efron hospitalized! Teen hearts aflutter! The 20-year-old High School Musical star had his appendix taken out yesterday and will be fine. He should be shirtless on the cover of a magazine again real soon. [People]
• Gwen Stefani moving to London? A source says she'll stay there fro a while so her hubby can launch his solo career. [Mirror]
• Avril Lavigne had been accused of plagiarism regarding her hit "Girlfriend" but as been exonerated, phew. Apparently the lyrics and theme (Hey, you, I don't like your girlfriend) are like, common or something? [People]
• The FCC was asked if ABC or Diane Keaton would face consequences for her F-Bomb on Good Morning America. Chairman Kevin Martin: "I don't know." [Reuters]
• Childhood photos of Katie Holmes reveal that Suri looks just like her, shocker. In any case, no one doubts who Suri's mother is — just her father, right? [Daily Mail]
• Robert Blake is appealing his wrongful death verdict in which he was ordered to pay the survivors of Bonny Lee Bakeley $30 million. Blake and his lawyer are saying that the jurors were "incompetent," and "guilty of misconduct." Please just let it end! [AP]