Christmas Leftovers:

We hear that Deval Patrick's peeps are busy signing up musicians with some Mass. ties for the incoming gov's Inaugural Ball at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Jan. 4. Names that have been bandied about include one-time Ray Charles Raelette, Patti Austin , jazz artist Walter Beasley and Herb Reed and The Platters. Word is that Boston singer/song writer Larry Woo Wedgeworth will perform the Victory Song that was used extensively during Deval's campaign.

Oak Bluffs summer rez Spike Lee is set to direct a biopic about the life of the late Godfather of Soul, James Brown . Brown reportedly was helping with the script before his death earlier this week. No word whether the flick will make reference to Mr. I-Feel-Good's famous Boston Garden performance the night after Martin Luther King's assassination.

Pop princess Mariah Carey hosted Niche Media's big Christmas bash at the oh-so-swish Hotel Jerome in Aspen the other night, alongside magazine bigwig Jason Binn. Niche is, of course, the company that brought you Boston Common magazine.

Finally, kudos to the boys at barstoolsports.com for coming up with a hilarious "Saturday Night Live" clip proving that the Weekend Update bunch broke the news of ex-President Gerald Ford 's death 10 years ago.