With no Golden Globes story line as compelling as last year's tension over whether or not the Hollywood Foreign Press Association would pit Heath Ledger's mumble-mouthed rancher against Jake Gyllenhaal's dreamy-eyed-yet-mercurial cowpoke (or, more accurately, "sheep-poke") bottom, we suppose we'll have to settle for the one you're going to be reading about all day: the double nominations of Clint Eastwood in the directing category (for both of his World War II movies) and Leonardo DiCaprio's dual Best Actor nods for The Departed and Blood Diamond. For those so inclined, squeezing one's eyes shut and imagining the steamy Leo-on-Leo action of DiCaprio's Boston cop and South African smuggler wrestling over the gilded Globe statue while grunting in passable Southie and Afrikaner accents might fill the erotic void left by the celebrated gay cowboys. In other multiple nominations news, Helen Mirren was recognized for playing both Elizabeth I in a TV miniseries and Elizabeth II in The Queen, an achievement that we genuinely hope you won't use to concoct transgressive, cross-generational fantasies that sully the monarchy. Leave the queens alone, sicky.

· Hot on the heels of the launch of NBC Universal's online humor site DotComedy (it's still around a week later, apparently—so far, so good), AOL and HBO announce plans to erect This Just In in January, a novel idea centered around the unprecedented use of blogging technology to explore current events in comedic fashion. [Variety]
The Academy announces the Oscar documentary shortlist, which includes Dixie Chicks film Shut Up and Sing and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Among the snubbed: Wordplay, Who Killed the Electric Car?, and This Film Is Not Yet Rated. [THR]
Warner Bros. suddenly moves up the release of Clint Eastwood's other World War II drama, Letters from Iwo Jima, to late December to put it into awards contention, hoping to snag some of the nominations that may elude his floptastic DreamWorks effort, Flags of our Fathers. [Variety]
· 27.2 million viewers tune in to watch Emmitt Smith stiff-arm Mario Lopez on the way to the Dancing with the Stars championship, while temporary Lost timeslot-filler Daybreak's premiere was "trounced" by Criminal Minds. [THR]
Fox decides that since it might look bad to cancel all of their new shows, they might as well pick up additional episodes of Til Death and Standoff in hopes that they might eventually draw some viewers once American Idol and 24 return. [Variety]

PrivacyWatch celebrity sightings are submitted by our readers, which we try to post several times per week. (Spaced out at utterly random intervals—the better to keep you all on your toes.) So send those suckers in, and send them often. Submit yours to tips[AT]defamer.com (please put "sighting" or "PrivacyWatch" in the subject line) and let the world know about the time you spotted an alleged McChoking victim speeding down the 101.

A Defamer operative was on high alert during Sunday night's closing presentation of The Cherry Orchard at the Mark Taper Forum, a celebrity-target-rich environment begging for some low-grade eavesdropping:

· A friend of polo player Adam Lindemann on Lindemann's impending divorce (in that "how will this play at the yacht club?" vein) : "It is a shame...They have three beautiful daughters who will be the new Miller sisters. Everyone really likes them boththey are very popular on the social circuitand we are all hoping for the best." [Page Six]
· Clint Eastwood on dear old mom: "Mumsy and I talk every night on the telephone...Last night, I took her to dinner at my golf club...I built it three years ago because it was so difficult to get tee times at the Pebble Beach Club." [Page Six]
· Old Homestead steakhouse owner suspects that Daniel Bouloud dropped his $50 DB burger because his $41 Old Homestead burger was better. "If there ever was a burger war, I think I kicked ass." Bouloud's spokeswoman: "Having the most expensive burger isn't necessarily something to be proud of." [Page Six]
· We're shocked, shocked to learn that Liza Minelli and David Gest's gargantuan anniversary party has been cancelled because Liza's back in rehab. Irish bad boy Colin Farrell on being a dad: "It's true, yes, I'm going to be a dad. I haven't even told my family yet. It's so cool. I'm fucking chuffed and over the moon" [NY Daily News]
· Jerry Seinfeld's ex, Shoshanna Lonstein, had her bachelorette party in Vegas this weekend. The Word reports that it included a "cameo appearance by Ed McMahon" (which is vaguely disturbing). [The Word]