Hanukkah party in the first of Obama White House, a Jewish student choir will sing in sweet harmony, the two young children of a soldier deployed in Iraq will light a 19th-century silver menorah from Prague and President Obama and his wife, Michelle, will greet more than 500 guests in a celebration that is expected to spill from the State Room to the East Room.

But to the dismay of some administration officials, the plans for next week’s party — one of the hottest holiday events for the nation’s Jewish elite — have been overtaken by feverish debate over the size of the guest list, the language on the invitations and what this says about Mr. Obama’s relationship with Jews. President George W. Bush, who began the tradition of White House Hanukkah parties, invited 600 people to his last party, administration officials say. But rumors spread wildly, first in the Israeli press and then locally, that President Bush had invited 800 people and that the Obamas were planning to invite only 400. The invitations have also caused some consternation because they make no mention of Hanukkah, inviting guests to “a holiday reception” on Dec. 16. In an opinion article published by JTA, the Jewish news agency, Tevi Troy, a former Bush administration liaison to Jewish groups, warned that the Obama White House had given Jewish Americans “a number of reasons to fear that it takes its votes for granted.” Mr. Troy cited as examples the administration’s call for a freeze on Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the decision to honor Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, who has been accused by some Democratic lawmakers of anti-Israel bias. Mr. Troy said the reduced guest list created “a nagging sense that there may be a studied callousness at work here.” His commentary, published on Nov. 23, and an article a week earlier in The Jerusalem Post, touched off a flurry of news articles, blog postings and kitchen table discussions. This week, the Israeli newspaper Yediot Achronot published photographs of President Bush lighting a menorah and Mr. Obama standing with Santa Claus alongside an article headlined, “Obama Downsizes Hanukkah in the White House.”

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, who is overseeing the process of making the White House kitchen kosher for the party, said he was besieged with questions about the issue on a recent trip to Israel. “I usually get asked when I came and how long I’m staying; this time, all anyone wanted to know was whether I was getting invited to the White House Hanukkah party,” said Rabbi Shemtov, who heads the Washington office of the American Friends of Lubavitch, which lobbies for the Lubavitch movement. Rabbi Shemtov, who has attended Hanukkah parties at the White House, said he raised an eyebrow when he received his invitation, but noted that the Bush administration once sent invitations out with Christmas trees on them. “This is all one big overblown latke,” the rabbi said. “I feel that we need to save our communal kvetching in reserve for when it’s more called for and really matters,” he continued.

Bryant is the leading vote-getter for the NBA All-Star Game and Tracy McGrady is on track to join him in the Western Conference backcourt despite not playing yet this season. Bryant had more than 692,000 votes in the first set of returns announced Thursday, about 20,000 more than East leader Dwqane Wade. Also on track to start for the West in the Feb. 14 game are NBA leading scorer Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki at forward and Amare Stoudemire at center. McGrady is nearing a return from microfracture knee surgery. LeBron James and Kevin Garnett lead at the East forward position. Dwight Howard has a huge advantage over Shaquille O'Neal, and his Orlando Magic teammate Vince Carter is second among guards.

Miley Cyrus timbaland may have recently dubbed "a female Justin Timberlake," but would it be more apt to refer to the 17-year-old pop star as a "female Bret Michaels," instead? Both the tween queen and the Poison frontman share an affinity for acid wash and douchey cowboy hats. And according to People, the pair now have one more thing in common – and no, it’s not hair extensions. Cyrus is recording a cover of Poison hit "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," People reports. "'Every Rose' is one of her all-time favourite songs and she is really excited about cutting it," the Disney star's mom, Tish Cyrus, told the magazine. According to Ma Cyrus, Poison was Miley's first concert -- which lends some credence to our crack-pot theory that the raspy-voiced Hannah Montana star is actually a 45-year-old Baltic hooker masquerading as a teenager. She's already logged some time in studio recording the track, where Michaels himself joined her, People reports.

She has withdrawn her hit THE CLIMB from Grammy Awards consideration - after the tune was mistakenly submitted for the Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media category. The teen star's hit picked up a nomination last week but honest executives at her record label have pulled the track, which appeared in Hannah Montana: The Movie, because it was not eligible for contention. The tune, penned by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe, was not written specifically for the film. Karen O and the Kids’ version of All is Love, written for Where the Wild Things Are, has replaced Cyrus' nomination. Karen O and her band the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are also up for Best Alternative Music Album for It's Blitz!

Judge ruled Thursday that Jon Gosselin must stop making media appearances and endorsements the TLC network claim violate his contract — like a Las Vegas pool party with bikini-clad women the celebrity dad recently hosted . Montgomery County Circuit Judge Michael D. Mason granted TLC a preliminary injunction, pending the outcome of an April 19 trial. Gosselin's lawyer Mark Heller said he was confident Gosselin would eventually win the case and suggested TLC, owned by Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications, should be anxious to settle so they can resume the reality show "Jon & Kate Plus 8." The show ended recently amid the legal dispute and the Gosselins' pending divorce. "Jon Gosselin holds the key to the 'Jon & Kate Plus 8' brand," Heller said. Gosselin's lawyers claim the contract allows certain media appearances. The judge said they could ask him to modify his order, but that wasn't his reading of the contract. TLC Chief Operating Officer Edward Sabin testified that Gosselin has made many media appearances and endorsements that aren't permitted in the contract. He also complained that Gosselin drank alcohol and hung out with women in public, which was at odds with the wholesome image of the show. He said public statements Gosselin made about the show and the network were embarrassing. In particular, Sabin mentioned a pool party that Gosselin hosted at the MGM Grand Hotel in Los Vegas. TLC told Gosselin not to do it. "What we wanted to avoid was exactly what happened," Sabin said. "The next day in the tabloids were photos of Mr. Gosselin surrounded by bikini-clad women." The Gosselins earned $22,500 per episode under their latest contract, a figure previously revealed by Jon Gosselin on Larry King Live — another media appearance TLC said violated the contract. When the show started, the family earned just $2,000 an episode. Gosselin has filed a countersuit claiming TLC's contract violated Pennsylvania child labor laws. His lawyers said he should be free to earn money as a media personality, especially now that the show is over. TLC is trying "to preclude him from going out and trying to support his eight children," Heller said. Heller didn't directly participate in the legal proceedings Thursday, though he was present and was the subject of much of Sabin's testimony. Sabin said relations with Gosselin worsened after Heller began representing him. Gosselin was not in court, and his lawyers presented no evidence. Sabin said once Gosselin started behaving unpredictably, the network decided to shift the focus to Kate Gosselin as the single mother of eight. At that point, according to Sabin, Heller demanded TLC release Gosselin from the provisions of the contract that bar other media appearances. If TLC wouldn't do that, Heller said Gosselin would go to the media and the courts to block the filming of his children. Sabin said he didn't believe the concern Gosselin has expressed about the effect of the filming on the children. But faced with a parent's objections, TLC decided to stop the show.

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama was even more fascinating than her presidential husband in 2009, according to Barbara Walters. Walters named the first lady the year's most fascinating person, in her one-hour special "Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People," which aired last night on ABC. "First lady Michelle Obama is shaping up to be more than the sum of her parts," Walters said. The 2009 list, which was topped by President Obama last year, also includes Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, Sarah Palin, Kate Gosselin and Michael Jackson's three children. In the television event, the First Lady gave Walters a tour of the White House, and spoke candidly about her "whirlwind" year. "I mean, if you think about this year, I had to get these two beautiful girls settled into a new city, into a new home, into a new school," Obama shared. "We got a dog. I visited eight countries with my husband. I planted a garden. I've started a mentoring program. It has been everything. And now, here we are at our first Christmas in the White House."