Strike End Near? Both the New York Times and Deadline Hollywood Daily said Saturday that there could be an agreement next week between the big studios and striking writers. Not only would that end a strike that began Nov. 5, DHD notes it would clear the way for a ''real Oscars,'' an Academy Awards ceremony with all the stars and glitz.

The Golden Globes were reduced to a news conference after the writers union refused to allow union writers to work on the show, and stars would not cross planned picket lines by writers. There have been fears the Oscars would suffer the same fate.

The Associated Press reported last week that the Oscars were working on a contingency plan that would have ''history, film clips and out-of-the-ordinary concepts'' if a strike continued. But it was not a prospect that the movie industry relished.

A top Oscar exec told AP there were plans for ''the show we would love to do and a show that we would prefer not to do.''

Strike or no strike, the Grammy Awards are OK on Feb. 10 thanks to an agreement with the writers. ''Professional musicians face many of the same issues that we do concerning fair compensation for the use of their work in new media,'' the union said in a statement about the agreement.

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Damon's Dazzler. While it isn't quite in the league with the Saturday Night Live ''box'' song by Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg, a new ditty by Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon has gotten seven-digit viewing on YouTube.

Unveiled in the late-night show hosted by Silverman's boyfriend, Jimmy Kimmel, the music video has Silverman confessing to, well, repeated intimate acts with Damon, the frequent object of jokes on Kimmel's show. (The song's title begins with ''I'm, ends with ''Matt Damon'' and has the act in between.)

Made in October in Miami, it was a way for Damon to pay back Kimmel for all the ribbing.

''He had so much fun,'' a rep for Damon told People.com. ''It was his turn to get Jimmy. I don't think he thought twice about it. He just said, 'I'll do it.' ''

Of course, Damon has demonstrated a sense of humor in the past, whether through his turns in the Ocean's movies or guest-starring on Will & Grace.

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Speaking of Video. Beacon Journal pop music writer Malcolm X Abram and I have done our third video podcast about the current season of American Idol. You can find it on YouTube and on my blog via http://www.ohio.com.

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Bad Time for Spears. ''No, not that one!'' adds gossip site TMZ while reporting that comedian Aries Spears was arrested in New York on Friday night on a charge of ''forcible touching.''

A woman claimed that Spears had fondled her at the Comix Comedy Club in Manhattan, where Spears had earlier performed, says the site. He was arrested just before 1 a.m. and taken to the station and booked. He received a desk appearance ticket and was released on his own recognizance.

The charge is a misdemeanor, TMZ says. Nasty sounding, but still a misdemeanor.

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More Bad News for Lily. Britain's Sun newspaper says singer Lily Allen has been dumped by her boyfriend, Ed Simons of the Chemical Brothers.

Making it worse: Not long ago, Allen miscarried.

''The couple's five-month relationship hit the rocks as they battled their grief,'' the Sun says. But even an expensive holiday together didn't make things better.

''They tried to make things work but couldn't,'' one of Allen's friends told the Sun. ''The miscarriage was a horrible experience for both of them.''

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Do All Animals Look Alike? Maybe at the Washington Post. Regrettheerror.com had this recent correction from the newspaper: ''A Jan. 27 Style & Arts article about photographer Jill Greenberg incorrectly described a primate named Mala as a chimp. Mala is a baboon. Also, Greenberg's photo in the February issue of GQ is of a lamb, not a llama.'' (The Post had said llama.)

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Trivia Time is taking a break this week so the prize elves can catch up with the goodies for the last couple of winners.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://www.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.