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The Washington Post's Magazine Reader columnist, Peter Carlson, has, like us, recently begun to appreciate the sublimely hard work of celebrity reporting:

Look at this week's Star. Not only does it have a piece on Jen and Vince's "Steamy Nights Together!" and a "World Exclusive! — Brad & Angelina to Wed!" — but it also has an interview with the grandmother of the Ethiopian baby that Angelina recently adopted.

"When Star learned that Angelina Jolie was adopting a child in Ethiopia," writes editor Joe Dolce, "we rushed two reporters to the scene. They immediately flew to the capital city of Addis Ababa and then made an arduous six-hour trek — by jeep over rough, rugged roads — to the tiny village of Awassa, where Angelina's baby was born."

Very impressive!

But no more impressive than Us, which ran a story on the adoption (and Brad & Angelina's subsequent weekend getaway in France) that credited no fewer than 12 reporters: one in Ethiopia, one in France, two in London, three in New York, four in Los Angeles and one in Chicago. Us also called in not just one but two handwriting experts to analyze an autograph that Aniston recently gave to a fan in Chicago, which showed that Jen is "very private" and that love is important to her.

This is the kind of no-stone-left-unturned reporting that ought to win awards.

So, naturally, Carlson today presents some, the Cheeseball Magazine Awards for excellence in covering Brad & Jen & Angelina & Vince.

Who won?

Well, both. Here are a few of our favorite Cheesies:

Best 180-Degree Reversal: After running a cover story on the alleged Aniston-Vaughn romance on July 11, Us reported this week that "there have been no signs of romance."

Best Advice to a Member of the Love Triangle: Star, for calling in "former supermodel" Janice Dickinson to offer sage advice to Aniston on how to win Brad back: "Have a showdown with Angelina Jolie. Hell, you and Angelina ought to have an affair! You'd be a hot couple!"

Most Prodigious Use of Exclamation Points!!: Star!! It's not even close!!!

Best Question: Us. Discussing how Brad's love for Angelina lured him into aiding her Third World refugee work, Us asked the question on everyone's mind: "Could Aniston's loss be the developing world's gain?"

On that last one, we're thinking the answer is no.

Current Affairs Covered Like Nobody's Business [WP]