1. Precious director Lee Daniels has cast Minka Kelly as Jackie Kennedy in his new film, The Butler, about the life of a longtime White House butler. The impressive cast already includes Forest Whitaker as the butler, Eugene Allen, Oprah Winfrey as his wife, Matthew McConaughey as JFK, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, Alan Rickman (with American accent!) as Ronald Reagan, Jane Fonda as Nancy Reagan and Lenny Kravitz, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Nicole Kidman in as-yet unnamed roles. [via First Showing]

2.  Apparently the folks at Great Googa Mooga oversold 4,000 VIP tickets (which clocked in at $267 a pop) and given that they weren't able to provide the complete VIP experience to those extra buyers (most VIPs didn't realize they'd be fighting over fried chicken), they'll be issuing full refunds, which could cost them $1 million. [via Gothamist]

3. Though former American Idol contestants have gone on to find fame -- Adam Lambert and Carrie Underwood's new albums both debuted recently at #1 --  the Daily Beast tracked down 70 "American Idol finalists from the show's first ten seasons" and, as you've probably guessed, not everybody found a pot of gold. For example:

Sanjaya Malaker now tends bar in New York's East Village.
Camile Velasco worked at a Subway shop out in L.A. and then moved back to Hawaii.
A.J. Gil was homeless for awhile, but survived and found God.
Lee De Wyze was dropped by his record label after his debut album stiffed.
Jessica Sierra went into rehab, worked at Hooters and made a sex tape.

[via Daily Beast]

4. What do you think of Rihanna's new dreads? [via Celebuzz]

5. This Vanity Fair reader sent in a great (the best?) analysis of The Soprano's ending. [Gawker]

6. Read about a woman who gave keys to her cheating ex-husband's house and car to an art project. [via Animal]

7.  This is brilliant: a Ben & Jerry's pint combination lock. [via Laughing Squid]

8. A new blog matches up scenes from The Simpsons with famous scenes in film (above: Cape Fear). [via Movie Simpsons/Vulture]