THE CAUSE OF DEATH... PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU'D EXPECT: Amy Winehouse has died, aged 27. What a waste of talent.

COOPER NIELSON WATCH: In recognition of the Friends with Benefits v. No Strings Attached box office showdown this season, New York magazine reviews past showdowns involving rival studios making the same movie at the same time, including dueling asteroid, volcano, bug, magician, Truman Capote, Steve Prefontaine and, yes, dance! films.

IN MERCY'S NAME, THREE DAYS ARE ALL I NEED:  From the ALOTT5MA Casterbation (shouldn't it be Casturbation?) Desk comes word of a possible Les Misérables film musical with Russell Crowe as Javert and Hugh Jackman as Valjean, directed by Tom Hooper. Paul Bettany, too, wants to be Javert.

THE CANVAS CAN DO MIRACLES, JUST YOU WAIT AND SEE: This Friday's playlist theme—songs about being in or on the water.

WABI SABI: Ten fascinating words that cannot be directly translated into English.

added: Fifteen more from Mental Floss.

A GREAT BIG BROTHERHOOD OF MAN: Deadline is reporting that the first Glee cast member to make the jump back to Broadway won't be Matthew Morrison (whiteboy rapping has a very limited need on Broadway) or Lea Michele (who has yet to be cast as Fanny Brice, despite her two-year audition for the part), but Darren Criss, who will perform a short three-week engagement in How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying between Daniel Radcliffe's departure in January and a more permanent replacement for J. Pierpont Finch. Criss is allegedly doing this with the blessing of the Glee producers, and, yeah, that'll sell tickets during the traditionally down period of January.

WELL, THEY HAVE BOTH PLAYED PRESIDENTS: Innocent, Scott Turow's sequel to Presumed Innocent, will get the TV movie treatment, with Bill Pullman (who's apparently doing some very interesting work on Torchwood: Miracle Day, but I don't get Starz) replacing Harrison Ford as Rusty Sabich. I had some problems with the story logic in Innocent, and one of the major relationships in the book gave me the oogies, but Sabich's character is a fascinating one, and I'm interested to see what Pullman does here.