The Entertation Index: December 15

apl.de.ap — Black Eyed Peas star apl.de.ap talked with the website Celebuzz about a number of things, including his youth and his favorite moments for the Peas from 2011. He also took some time to offer songstress Madonna — who will be headlining this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show — some advice: “Just be sure there are two people five billion times more famous than you in front of you doing all the heavy lifting, and then all you have to do is hang out in the background and enjoy things without anyone ever knowing who you are.”

Link: Black Eyed Peas Star apl.de.ap Talks Charity & Gives Madonna Super Bowl Advice (Celebuzz)

Christmas Songs — The website Mental Floss has put together an interesting list of “11 Christmas Songs That Never Really Took Off,” which includes Clarence Carter’s “Back Door Santa,” Twisted Sister’s “Heavy Metal Christmas” and Elton John’s “Ho Ho Ho! Who’d Be a Turkey at Christmas?” It’s worth a look for the festive season.

Link: 11 Christmas Songs That Never Really Took Off (Mental Floss)

Mara, Rooney — Actress Rooney Mara, who plays female lead Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, tells reporters that as she is nude several times in the film, Fincher took great steps to insure that her “merkin” — a piece designed to replicate a woman’s naked, er, down-low parts — was accurate. However, it must be pointed out that this story has nothing to do with anything you might hear about “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s massive opening this weekend.”

Link: The Girl with the Strawberry Merkin (Metro)

Madonna — see apl.de.ap

Matisyahu — The formerly bearded, formerly Hasidic Jewish reggae artist Matisyahu took to his website this week to reveal a clean-shaven face and an admission that he is “reclaiming himself” from the religion he once so devotedly followed. While those who enjoy Matisyahu’s music will no doubt continue to do so, this spells terrible news for those who only pretended to like Matisyahu because it made them look incredibly intellectual, quirky and indie. To those people, may we recommend Fleet Foxes?

Link: Hairy Hasidic Musician Matisyahu Is No Longer Two of Those Things (AV Club)

Spears, Britney — Keeping in tune of showing “celebrities doing things,” TMZ this week posted a shot of former pop princess Britney Spears thumbing through an issue of OK! Magazine which featured a story about herself and former short-term husband Jason Alexander. To be fair, though, the news about herself was a pleasant surprise; she normally only reads OK! Magazine because so many of the advertisements show pictures of liquor, is just one side of the industry, with commercials and trade show displays.

Link: Britney Spears Reads Up on Herself (TMZ)

Zoo, We Bought a — New Yorker film critic David Denby criticized Cameron Crowe’s new film We Bought a Zoo in a leaked email to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s producer Scott Rudin during his explanation of why the magazine chose to break the critics’ embargo of reviewing the latter film before it’s release — which led to Zoo’s star and director Matt Damon and Cameron Crowe both responding to the diss. As could be expected, Matt Damon’s retaliation was very eloquent and agreeable, while Crowe’s response had a fantastic soundtrack.

Link: Matt Damon, Cameron Crowe Respond to David Denby “Zoo” Insult (HuffPo)