By all accounts, Wednesday night’s big 12-12-12 Concert for Hurricane Sandy relief at Madison Square Garden was a big success. Among the performers were Billy Joel, who sang “New York State of Mind,” and Adam Sandler, who made up his own lyrics to Leonard Cohen’s “Halleluyah.” One line went, “Sandy, screw ya, we’ll get through ya, because we’re New Yawkers.” Sandler also managed to squeeze in humorous references to Donald Trump, the New York Knicks, Times Square porn, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, and Michael Bloomberg.

Joan Rivers spoke out in defense of the Australian DJs who made the prank call to the hospital treating Kate Middleton that may have precipitated the suicide by the nurse who transferred the call to the duchess’ ward.

Justin Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun revealed details of a foiled plot to murder and castrate the singer.

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Jason Reitman has lined up Seth Rogen and Jack Black to participate in a live-read of the script of “Ghostbusters,” which as directed by Reitman’s father Ivan Reitman back in 1984.

Adam Shulman held his wife Anne Hathaway’s hand as the couple landed in L.A. following Hathaway’s embarrassing wardrobe malfunction at the “Les Miserables” New York premiere.

A make-up artist traveling with Sarah Jessica Parker’s entourage in Oslo, Norway was arrested for shoplifting.

Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman’s daughter Olive makes her public debut in People magazine this week.

Judd Apatow, dressed in a suit and holding a “HaHa” balloon, graces the cover of the current issue of The Hollywood Reporter.

Lea Michele tweeted her ecstatic response to receiving a personalized gift from Barbra Streisand.

As might be expected, Barbara Walters used zero tact in interviewing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie about his being overweight.

The awards season will soon be upon us. Critics’ Choice Awards nominees include Daniel Day-Lewis (best actor), Alan Arkin (best supporting actor), Logan Lerman (best young actor), Steven Spielberg (best director), and Tony Kushner (best adapted screenplay). SAG Award nominees include Julianna Margulies (best actress in a TV drama series), Daniel Day-Lewis (best film actor), and Alan Arkin (best supporting film actor).

Scarlett Johansson talks about her return to Broadway in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” coming up in January.

Johan Huibers, a Dutch builder, has completed work on his full-scale, fully operational Noah’s Ark. The project took him 20 years. The wooden vessel is 427 feet long, 95 feet wide and 75 feet high.

The latest Jewish celeb sightings include: Lea Michelle on a holiday shopping spree with patients from Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles; Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis back in L.A. from Rome; Shia LaBoeuf with a new buzz cut; Paul Rudd at a special Variety screening of his new movie; and Howard Stern and his wife Beth Ostrosky Stern’s kitschy and catty Christmas card.

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