Hello, and welcome to the final edition of That's Really Week for 2008. Next time you visit this space, we'll all be one year older and--though we're not making any promises here on our own behalf--one year wiser. But before that ball drops, let's ring in one more week of '08 news.

First off, it was a blue Christmas for fans of Eartha Kitt this week. Ironically, just as her distinctive, seductive voice was heard worldwide--crooning the perennial and much-loved Christmas classic "Santa Baby" on radios from the North Pole to the South--the self-described "sex kitten" and former TV Catwoman was purring her final purr. Eartha died on Christmas Day from colon cancer at age 81, making this the saddest Christmas celebrity death since James Brown passed away on Christmas 2006. Eartha will be very missed, but we will always remember her fondly--especially when we hear "Santa Baby" during all the holidays seasons to come.

Another legend rumored to have possibly fatal health issues this week was the long-suffering Michael Jackson. Such rumors began when Jacko biographer Ian Halperin claimed that the King Of Pop is supposedly suffering from alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency, emphysema, and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding. Ian told British paper The Sun: "He needs a lung transplant, but may be too weak to go through with it. He also has emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which his doctors have had a lot of trouble stopping. It's the bleeding that's the most problematic part. It could kill him. He can barely speak. The vision in his left eye is 95 percent gone." Michael's brother Jermaine was cryptically quoted in the same article as saying: "He's not doing so well right now. This isn't a good time."

While this was quite depressing news considering how vivacious and vital Michael was in his Thriller prime, Jacko rep Dr. Tohme Tohme (yes, that's his actual name) quickly denied the author's story, issuing a statement Monday that the "wild allegations concerning Mr. Jackson's health are a total fabrication. Concerning this author's allegations, we would hope in the future that legitimate media will not continue to be exploited by such an obvious attempt to promote this unauthorized 'biography.'"

Michael's doctor further insisted that his client is in fact so robust that he's prepping for a career comeback, not major life-saving surgery: "Mr. Jackson is in fine health, and finalizing negotiations with a major entertainment company and television network for both a world tour and a series of specials and appearances." But considering that earlier, Jermaine-circulated rumors of a Jackson 5 reunion with Michael turned out to be untrue, we're not sure if we believe this last part of some oddly named doctor's story.

Speaking of reunions, Robert Plant ruined every rock fan's Christmas by once again publicly stating that that chances of a full Led Zeppelin reunion tour are slim to none. What a Scrooge! But rockers, rejoice: It was also reported this week that the Darkness are considering getting back together in 2009. Sure, it's not quite the same...but it'll have to do for now.

Back to the subject of health scares, Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell--who underwent open-heart surgery in 1998, and is the founder of the non-profit organization Heart Healthy Kids--revealed this week that his 6-year-old son, Baylee, was hospitalized recently. Baylee was diagnosed with a rare affliction called Kawasaki disease, which causes inflammation of the arteries. While Kawasaki disease sufferers are at risk for potentially life-threatening coronary artery aneurysms, with early treatment such risks are greatly reduced, so hopefully little Baylee will fully and rapidly recover."We want to thank everyone who prayed for us as well as all of the emails and phone calls," the Littrells told well-wishers and fans in a statement this week. "We are humbled by the love and compassion that people have for our son all over the world, thank you!"

In other, very different, much happier news having to do with kids being threatened, the Recording Industry Association of America announced this week that it will abandon its policy of suing music fans for sharing songs protected by copyright. Since 2003, the RIAA has filed suit against roughly 35,000 people for swapping songs online--sometimes seeking up to $1 million in damages for just seven illegal downloads (or $150,000 per song) under the Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999. In most cases the targeted defendants did not have the means to hire a lawyer to fight the RIAA, so they had to settle out of court.

With the RIAA's anti-piracy lawsuit campaign suspended, that doesn't mean kids are free to illegally download willy-nilly; the RIAA will still work with Internet service providers to put the kibosh on file-sharing. But as RIAA Chairman and Chief Executive Mitch Bainwol stated this week: "[The RIAA is] at a point where there's a sense of comfort that we can replace one form of deterrent with another form of deterrent. Filing lawsuits as a strategy to deal with a big problem was not our first choice five years ago. It's much easier to send notices than it is to file lawsuits."

"I think it's a good thing that they've ended this campaign of going after people," declared attorney Brian Toder, who once represented single mom Jammie Thomas in a landmark $222,000 copyright lawsuit filed by the RIAA. "But they need to change how people spend money on records. People like to share music. The Internet makes it so easy. They have to do something to change this business model of theirs."

Finally, speaking of court payouts, this week Britney Spears' father, Jamie Spears, was awarded $51,000 in backpay for being his daughter's hard-working conservator over the past year. This decision retroactively increased his monthly salary from $10,000 to $16,000. Sure, that might sound like a pretty hefty raise--especially in these economically troubled times of widespread layoffs and downsizing--but just think of how difficult a job it must be to oversee the life and career of a high-maintenance client like Britney. And given how well she's rebounded professionally with Circus, it seems like Jamie has certainly earned his keep.

And so, this concludes another week--and another year--in music news. Have a very rockin' New Year's Eve, and rest assured we're making a New Year's resolution to keep bringing you more headspinning headlines in 2009.

THIS WEEK'S TOP 10 STORIES:

1) Eartha Kitt's Nine Lives Run Out - The legendary "Santa Baby" sex kitten dies on Christmas Day.

2) Is Michael Jackson Feeling "Bad"? - A biographer claims Jacko needs a lung transplant.

3) Off The Record - The Recording Industry Association of America is no longer going to sue illegal downloaders.

4) Britney's Dad Gets A Raise - Jamie Spears will now earn $75 an hour for minding his daughter's affairs.

5) Brian Littrell Gets To The Heart Of The Matter - The Backstreet Boy, a sufferer of heart problems himself, reveals that his young son is also having health issues.

6) Robert Plant's Song Remains The Same - He continues to insist he will not join the Led Zeppelin tour.

7) Auction Is A Smashing Success - A smashed Kurt Cobain guitar fetches $100,000.

8) Star Wars: The Musical - The ewoks are headed to Broadway, baby.

9) What's The 411? A Lawsuit! - Mary J. Blige's producer is accused of plagiarism.

10) The Darkness Finally Seeing The Light? - The hair-metal revivalists are considering reuniting for a 2009 festival appearance.