Saddam Hussein was hanged just after dawn, 56 days after his sentencing for mass murders during his rule in Iraq. The deposed former leader of Iraq had been convicted of murder, torture and forced deportation.

UPDATE: A cellphone video of the execution has been leaked: WARNING! Extremely graphic!

The execution took place during the year’s deadliest month for U.S. troops, with the toll reaching 108.

Hussein executed with ‘fear in his face’:

Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi dictator who spent his last years in captivity after his ruthless regime was toppled by the U.S.-led coalition in 2003, was hanged before dawn Saturday for crimes committed in a brutal crackdown during his reign. […]

“This dark page has been turned over,” [Iraq’s national security adviser, Mowaffak] Rubaie said. “Saddam is gone. Today Iraq is an Iraq for all the Iraqis, and all the Iraqis are looking forward. … The [Hussein] era has gone forever.” […]

“He was a broken man,” he said. “He was afraid. You could see fear in his face.” […]

On Al-Arabiya television, Rubaie said the execution took place at the 5th Division intelligence office in Qadhimiya. He said Hussein refused to wear a black hood over his head before execution and told him “don’t be afraid.”

White House deputy press secretary Scott Stanzel said President Bush was asleep when the execution took place and was not awakened. The president had been briefed by national security adviser Stephen Hadley before retiring and was aware the hanging was imminent, Stanzel said.

The White House issued a statement praising the Iraqi people for giving Hussein a fair trial. […]

The execution took place outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, Rubaie said, and no Americans were present.

Celebrations took place around Baghdad and Dearborn, Michigan, home to the largest concentration of Iraqis in the United States.

The execution was extensively filmed and photographed and those videos and photographs are expected to be released in the coming days, according to news reports. (How Much Should Be Shown of a Hanging? Network Executives Wonder and Wait.)

UPDATE: The Man Who Filmed Saddam’s Death: ‘I Saw Fear, He Was Afraid’

So will this lead to a national reconciliation and an end to sectarian violence in Iraq? Does this solve the quagmire 2,995 US troops have given their lives for thus far? And what comes next in Iraq?

RELATED HEADLINES: NYT: Dictator Who Ruled Iraq With Violence Is Hanged for Crimes Against Humanity, CNN: Hussein execution: World reaction

And then there’s this:

Donald Trump is upset because Rosie O’Donnell called the Trumpster out over the whole Miss USA Tara Conner scandal he is riding right on through to the premiere of The Apprentice: Los Angeles in January.

Here are some highlights of the heated (and totally unnecessary) exchange:

“Rosie’s a loser. She’s been a loser always,” the real estate mogul and host of NBC’s “The Apprentice” said Thursday in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “Her show failed, her magazine failed. Barbara Walters gave her new life, but she’ll fail at that also because she’s inherently a stone-cold loser.” […]

O’Donnell, an outspoken co-host on ABC’s “The View,” created by Walters, said Trump’s news conference annoyed her “on a multitude of levels” and that the twice-divorced Trump had no right to be “the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America,” amid roars of audience laughter. […]

The feud continued this week when O’Donnell posted this entry on her Web site: “so what happens/ when u say the emperor has no clothes/ the comb over goes ballistic/ via phone to mr king.” […]

And it didn’t stop there, of course:

Acknowledging the rancor between her and Trump, she writes, “i imagine it is interesting/as celeb feuds tend 2 b,” and launches into a biting commentary on how young women are exploited in these contests, and how “women were paraded around/judged valuable or not/by old white men/ it is always old white men.” […]

While not mentioning Trump by name, O’Donnell writes: “a young girl in nyc/meets a pimp/he cons her into a life of illusion/she works for him.” She later says that when the anonymous female goes out to party, “he freaks.” […]

“Rosie got mentally beaten up by me because she is a mental midget, a low life,” the real estate mogul told the New York Post. “I think she’s got a death wish.”

Well surely we can rely on one of these two celebrities to quell the anger and move on, right? Apparently not:

“It will never end on my behalf because I’ve exposed Rosie for what she is: A very dumb human being,” Trump told the AP. “She’s got no intelligence, but I’ve known that for a long time. Unfortunately, Rosie’s pulled the wool over the public.”

What a publicity whore. Geez!

James Brown, R&B singer and lifelong entertainer and the self-described “hardest working man in show business,” died early Christmas morning from congestive heart failure. He was 73.

Brown died early Monday at Atlanta’s Emory Crawford Long Hospital of congestive heart failure

James Brown, the ‘Godfather of Soul,’ dies at 73:

James Brown, the legendary R&B belter, a singer and songwriter who created a foundation for funk and provided the roots of rap, a man of many nicknames but a talent that can only be described as one of a kind, is dead.

Brown died early Monday at Atlanta’s Emory Crawford Long Hospital of congestive heart failure, his agent said. He was 73. […]

Brown — known variously as “the Godfather of Soul,” “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” “Soul Brother Number One” and “Mr. Dynamite” (and often introduced as all of the above) — was known for his elastic dance moves, razor-sharp musicianship and all-stops-out performances.

James Brown was the quintessential performer. And he never stopped performing either. As he lay in a hospital bed, he reportedly expressed his disappointment in not being able to perform two shows on New Years’ Eve in NYC.

And there’s no doubting Brown’s influence on most of the music that followed — in a multitude of genres — from R&B to funk to disco and hip hop:

He knew what he’d accomplished.

“Disco is James Brown, hip-hop is James Brown, rap is James Brown; you know what I’m saying? You hear all the rappers, 90 percent of their music is me,” he told the AP in 2003.

In honor of James Brown’s contributions to music, and being that he passed away on Christmas, I present you with the refrain to his song “Santa Clause, Go Straight to the Ghetto,” from his album Funky Christmas:

Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Santa Clause, go straight to the ghetto.
Tell him James Brown sent you. Ha!
Go straight to the ghetto.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

If you don’t get all the presents you want, then the terrorists have won!

That image was borrowed from an actual card sent out (sans the colored-in Christmas tree) to members of a pro gun rights group. Ah, the world we live in today.

At least you can rest assured that Santa has your back against terrorists this Christmas! The Grinch better watch out or he’ll be declared an enemy combatant! Heh.

But seriously, I wish you and yours the best this holiday season!

Jib Jab has released some year-end cartoony goodness. Enjoy:

Man, what a depressing year in terms of world events, huh? Here’s to Armageddeon in 2007! Wooo?

Peter Boyle, Father on ‘Raymond,’ Dies at 71:

Peter Boyle, who left the life of a monk to study acting and went on to become one of the most successful character actors of his time in films like “The Candidate,” “Young Frankenstein” and “Monster’s Ball,” then capped his career with a long stint as the meddlesome father on the hit sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” died Tuesday evening in Manhattan. He was 71.

From his wonderful role as a reluctant psychic on an unforgettable episode of “The X-Files” to his curmudgeonly father figure Frank Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, Peter Boyle brought a fantastic comedic presence to his roles that was largely unmatched. As Frank would say, “Holy crap!” Peter, you will be missed.