My darling Kristina joins Britney Spears in celebrating her birthday today. I stopped by the Billboard offices to celebrate with staffers and share in cake. Above, with Donna, Tina and Christa.
Funny, albeit somewhat bittersweet moment when a former co-worker called me over to the postal bin, held up an envelope and said, "You've got mail!"
Special Feature: Coming each Friday in December... a list to mark the year gone by! Yee-haw, cool cats.
The top best Smoking Nun pictures of 2009.
Commentary from a Gawker reader who calls himself Solomon Grundy. I couldn't have said it better myself. The original post explains how among 75 L.A. Times' reporters laid off, only 11 have found fulltime jobs. Most of which blow.
"Among my friends who lost their well-paid media gigs (which is quite a few), I don't know anybody who moved laterally to a similar job. Some started doing something altogether different, a few got into the 
commercial end (such as business copy writing), and most collect unemployment if they're lucky and freelance for much less money at much shittier pubs. Almost everybody who used to do serious journalism is now 'working on a book,' but I classify that as an unpaid hobby.
simultaneously thankful and stressed about losing those jobs. The only people whose careers are moving slightly upwards are my young, inexperienced friends and former interns who until recently were basically working for free. I wonder how much longer before these talented, idealistic friends take a hard look at their career prospects and jump ship.
straight out of Mary Tyler Moore or Bridget Jones. It seems that for most folks in the industry it's going to revert to being a lower lower middle class gig. Glancing at other countries where journalism has lower prestige and compensation suggests that all the magazines are going to suck such balls that no one should ever speak of them, and the smaller newspapers 
(which in the future we will call local news feeds) will be rehashed press releases and newswire feeds written by mediocre shlubs, with a tiny elite of pubs doing great work.
Ah, Meryl, we love you, we do. The world's finest living actress appears on the January cover of Vanity Fair, looking lovely at 60. What a great honor for both the mag and the lady.
Wow, can you believe it? A millionaire athlete who thinks he's above moral law. Who ever heard of such a thing? You see, after you earn your first $10 million from endorsements, Tiger, you sort of give up your privilege to privacy. Now you're just a big wienie for going into hiding.
beaming at me, hawking Nike golf gear, Gillette razors, American Express, TAH Heuer watches and Gatorade... Whore, indeed.
In the south, folks are special. And lucky. Whereas in the rest of the world, we just die, people in the Bible Belt clearly move on to higher ground. Here, I am quoting actual obituaries from the Lynchburg News & Daily Advance (names are changed to offer solace to the departed):
Shelly Rose Brown was received into the loving arms of Jesus on Friday. Over her lifetime, she used her musical talents for the glory of God in many churches, including Our Saviour Lutheran Church. She was introduced to her forever love on a blind date. Shelly was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She taught her family to love and honor God in all they do.
Teresa Grool passed from labor to reward Wednesday. Affectionately known as “Dee Jay Peachez,” she was baptized at an early age and joined the Piney Grove Baptist Church in Amherst. Grool leaves to cherish her memory, her mother, a brother and a host of many relatives and friends who join in this loss.
Maria Ducell Fells was called home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Tuesday. Her love for animals prompted her to work as chief nurse for many years at Woodworth Animal Hospital in Waynesboro. She was especially fond of her beloved pet and companion, Q.T.
Osburn Lucerne Whitman was called to eternal rest on Monday, at Centra-Health Hospice of the Hills. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister and two brothers. He leaves to cherish his memory his loving wife of 48 years. 
John Devine “Big John” Pennington peacefully slept on to Jesus from his home, surrounded by his loving family on Monday. Surviving him are his wife and two daughters. Memorial donations may be made to the Virginia Rush Soccer Club Scholarship Fund.
Carol Edwina Thompson, 84, of Madison Heights, went to be with the Lord Thursday. Arrangements will be announced tomorrow. Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory is assisting the family.
Dan and Evelyn await departure.
The trek back seemed to include as many stops as the New York subway: Charlottesville, Culpeper, Burke, Manassas, Alexandria, L’Enfant Plaza and D.C., where we stopped to switch engines. In Alex, we paralleled that darling little Metro, which serves as a “subway” (tee hee) for the Washington area.
Below, Charlottesville.
Culpeper.
Manassas.
The D.C. Metro, so quaint. It even operates after dark for a little while!
I hoofed around D.C.’s Union Station during the half-hour stopover to admire the beautiful, historic structure, complete with holiday décor.
Um, not a real train.
Onward, with enough stops to make my teeth crack: New Carrollton, BWI, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Trenton, Newark and finally, New York. Then, I rolled my 500-pound suitcase to the subway and worked my way to Brooklyn Heights. Home, at last.
