What’s life like, world travelers? It’s the first official Word for the ‘09 and the war in Gaza and NFL playoffs are going strong, Arizona Gov. Bill Richardson vacates his nomination for a spot on Obama’s cabinet amid questions over shady dealings and Capital Hill deads Roland Burris’ quest to take the President-elect’s Senate seat. Add to that Hustler magazine owner Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis writing a letter to Congress to request a $5 billion bailout for the porn industry and you have another five days to soak up.

R.I.P. to Oscar Grant, who lost his life too soon to yet another senseless bout of police brutality. Prayers that justice will be served. Shout out to the sounding boards for already shining in ’09.

This all brings me to…the Last Word for the week ending Jan. 9, 2009

1.  Mariah Carey Celebrates New Year $1 Million Ways; Gets Made Up for Art

Ah, the New Year. That time where we make resolutions to lose weight, quit whatever vice we have, pay our debts and make more money. And the stars are no different. Look at Mariah Carey, who got a jump-start on everybody as she got royally paid recently.

The Sun reports that Carey collected $1 million for putting in a hard night’s work performing four songs at a private New Year’s Eve party for the son of Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi.

Not only did partygoers bring in the ‘09 with Mimi, but also Jay-Z and Timbaland made cameos to make it a celebration to remember at the Nikki Beach Club on Caribbean island St Barts. Even Beyoncé showed up for the occasion, but she reportedly did not take the stage with Jigga.

And if that isn’t enough, Mariah made such an impression on Jason Mecier that the mosaic portrait artist put his talent to use by creating a portrait of Mrs. Cannon from various make-up products like lipstick, nail varnish bottles and eyeliner. That makes perfect sense, considering we have never seen Mariah Carey without make-up. Do we even want to?

2. Voletta Wallace Shares Notorious Memories of Angela Bassett, Gravy and Lil’ Kim

With a week to go before the highly anticipated Biggie Smalls biopic Notorious hits the big screen, fans are counting down the days to see if the movie does justice to the legend of Christopher Wallace. For the rapper’s mother, Voletta Wallace, there was only one person she wanted to play her in the film.

“…If there was anyone who was going to play Voletta Wallace, I wanted Angela Bassett,” she told Essence.com. “I read the script and sent it out to her on tape to get my accent down pat. She was very gracious and humble, and I was honored to have her.”

While Ms. Wallace adored Bassett, the real test came with the actor who would play her son, Jamal “Gravy” Woodard. The concern instantly became a moot point upon her first meeting with the entertainer.

“When he walked into the room, his whole demeanor was Christopher and I knew. I was in the corner and he never saw me and I said, ‘That’s my son there,’” said Wallace who didn’t need to see anybody else for the role. “There were days I had goose bumps just watching him. I was always close to my son and now I’m close with Jamal for the respect that he had for my son. Believe me, to fill Christopher’s shoes wasn’t easy. That’s a size 13.”

Judging by the previews and commercials, Notorious looks to be an interesting peek inside the world of B.I.G. And while reports have surfaced of Lil’ Kim’s criticism of the project, Ms. Wallace expressed a desire to chat with the rapstress about the relationship she shared with Biggie.

“I would love to speak to Lil’ Kim, because I need to ask more about this love relationship because I really didn’t like the way he treated her and I’m praying that that’s not it,” said Wallace. “Only she can answer those questions. She’s a sweet girl and I didn’t think she deserved to be treated the way he treated her, if that’s the case.”

Judge for yourself how B.I.G. treated Lil’ Kim when Notorious hits theaters Jan. 16.

3. Amy Winehouse, fashion designer?

Let’s see. You’ve put out two critically acclaimed albums, notched five Grammys and spent 2008 keeping drug dealers and tabloid photographers and writers gainfully employed. What’s the next thing to conquer? Fashion, of course.

And Amy Winehouse knows it. Media sources report the embattled songstress is in negotiations with Fred Perry to design clothes for the clothing brand. Winehouse, who is known to wear Fred Perry shirts, seems to be serious about this as she has a few designs already sketched and ready to show.

The singer made her feelings known recently as she reportedly told anyone who would listen about her fashion dreams in a hotel bar in St Lucia. While no information on when the line will launch is available, bets will placed on whether or not Winehouse even remembers having the conversation about a potential clothing line when the time comes. Hey, if it keeps her in rehab, let’s all buy a shirt!

4. Tyrese Invites Fans Into His “Love Circle”

With this summer's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen coming into theaters, it looks to be a nice 2009 for one Tyrese Gibson, who returns to the big screen with the warring Autobots and Decepticons. And why not add to the imminent success by lending a helping hand to music and movie fans that have been in his corner?

WENN reports the entertainer is adding to his string of accomplishments with a new telephone hotline. The new venture will allow fans to call 818-287-8968 to register to receive words of wisdom from Gibson.

“It's a free number. I'm not making any money off of it,” admitted the former model, who called the new hotline the “love circle.” “When I have advice and information and anything that's going on in my life, I'm able to call this number and verbally leave a message, which goes directly into my fans' in-box on their cell phones.”

Although he doesn’t know what his next message will be, Gibson shared that what he says “always comes from a real place as he is quick to point out that the love circle is his way of  “telling the fans thank you for the years of supporting me and all my career moves.”

“I can't cut a check and pay everybody's bills, but I can give people knowledge and information that I have that's contributed to my success,” the model/actor/musician stated. It’s a crapshoot though whether or not you will be receiving messages from Tyrese or Black Ty on any given day.

5. Beyoncé Enlists YouTube for Obsessed Research

Playing an embattled and drug addicted singing icon in Cadillac Records may have caught fans off guard, but Beyoncé shows no signs of playing it safe as she portrays a the wife of a man who is stalked by a woman he works with in the upcoming film Obsessed.

If the film’s trailer is any indication, then we’ll be seeing another side of Bey when she takes on the stalk to protect what she has. To tap into her inner hulk, Mrs. Carter prepped by watching videos of women battling one another on YouTube.

“We did look at girl fights on YouTube,” the film’s director Steve Shill told WENN. “There’s a lot of hair pulling, shouting, and rolling around on the ground. We didn’t really want to do that.” I’m sure men everywhere will disagree with that decision. Obsessed hits theaters this April.

6. Aubrey O’Day Gears Up for Rumored Playboy Close-Up

Not one to rest on her laurels, former Danity Kane member Aubrey O’Day is already striking while the iron is hot with a rumored appearance in Playboy magazine.

According to reports, the singer allegedly received $500,000 for doing a naked photo shoot for the publication. The offer to pose, which came from Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, seemed to be too good to refuse, a source told the New York Daily News.

“Aubrey's making about $500,000 to drop trou. For that kind of money, she was like ‘Why not?’” the source said about the diva, who created a buzz for her au natural self after posing sexy for Complex magazine. As it stands now, neither Playboy nor reps for O’Day are confirming the shoot, which may feature several lion cubs. The cubs will be nicknamed D Woods, Aundrea, Shannon, and Dawn.

In Other Words…

*  Make way for India.Arie. The Grammy-winning singer is gearing up for the release of her new upcoming album, Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics. The follow-up to Arie’s 2006 opus Testimony: Vol. 1, Life and Relationship will feature the Musiq Soulchild-assisted “Chocolate High” as well as “Therapy” with Gramps Morgan. Both singles are available now on iTunes. Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics is slated to hit stores Feb. 10.

* This year’s NAACP Image Awards looks to be wide open for Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys. The women are nominated for outstanding female music artist and for best music video as well as supporting film actress. Bey could take the film award home for her work in Cadillac Records while Keys and Hudson are in contention for their respective work in The Secret Life of Bees. Best picture nominees include Cadillac Records and The Secret Life of Bees as well as Miracle at St. Anna, Seven Pounds and Tyler Perry's the Family That Preys.

* With a bunch of films to his credit, you would think that Spike Lee is swimming in dough. But to hear the filmmaker tell it, he’s in shallow water compared to other entertainers. “It's not rich rich,” he told Britain's Observer. “Rich is Spielberg. Lucas. Gates. Steve Jobs. Jay-Z. Bruce Springsteen. I'm not complaining. But that's money. Will Smith. Oprah Winfrey – that's a ton of money. Compared to them, I'm on welfare.”

* Will Chris Brown and Rihanna jump the broom? Things seem to point in that direction as the rumor mills is in full swing over pictures of Ri-Ri sporting a big diamond ring on her wedding finger. Rihanna was also seen with said accessory at Elton John’s New Year’s Eve party at the O2 Arena in London. Needless to say the rock commanded its own attention among the party people.