● Rumor has it that Kanye West is staging his next short film (think: that 30-minute "Runaway" cut) in the Middle East, where he will utilize local talent and production crews "to create an 'authentic' depiction of the culture." Or, as a source familiar with 'Ye's plans put it, the anti-Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. [NYO]

● David Choe, the graffiti artist who did up the times suggestive Facebook HQ walls, is worth an estimated $200 million in stock options now that the company has gone public. How about them apples? [NYT]

● All that texting has paid off! Justin Bieber finally got that studio visit and a skate sesh with "Big Bro" he's been waiting for, despite Lil Wayne's earlier insistences otherwise. [Rap-Up]

● Nicki Minaj's "Diva Demands" actually sound quite contained: not much more than some dried fruit and nuts, Dasani water bottles, and cake batter scented candles. Oh, and some spicy chicken, "no thighs" allowed. [Us]

● Punk-rocking, conceptual artist Mike Kelley is dead at 57, appearantly at his own hand. [ArtInfo]

● Time Warner Cable has launched a "Ryan Gosling On Demand" channel -- all Gosling, all the time! -- just in time for Valentine's day. [LAWeekly]