On the web

Bilingual news: This is one of the ugliest Christmas seasons in recent memoriesand that's the way some clothing retailers want it. Sales of Christmas sweaters purposely designed to be ugly are looking pretty good at this point, according to the companies that make them. "If you are trying to go truly ugly, it's all about the embellishmentsthe more garlands, bells, balls, lights and sequins you can attach to your sweater, the better," said Evan Mendelsohn, CEO of Tipsy Elves.

Culture: A total of 109 Chinese screenwriters have voiced support for novelist Chiung Yao, who is engaged in a plagiarism battle with television scriptwriter Yu Zheng. Taiwan-based novelist and screenwriter Chiung has pressed charges against Yu, claiming that the plot of the TV series The Palace: The Lost Daughter was almost completely copied without permission from her novel Plum Blossom Scar.

Buzzword: "Cinemad" refers to a commercial played before a movie. These days moviegoers get previews of coming attractions, which are cinemad, but entertaining enough to get a pass from audience members.