In your magic Monday media column: HuffPo hires some more, Elvis Mitchell loses another job, DC ladies discuss The New Yorker, MSNBC sloganizes, Brian Williams jokes, Katie Couric states the obvious, Adweek rhapsodizes, and Reader's Digest's CEO is out.

  • The great Huffington Post hiring spree (not to be confused with the great AOL freelancer layoff) continues! The latest unlikely HuffPo hires: Paul Raushenbush, formerly Associate Dean of Religious Life at Princeton University, becomes the new editor of HuffPo's religion vertical (sample current headline: "PHOTOS: Bunnies And Milliners March In The NYC Easter Parade"); and Tom Zeller, formerly an energy reporter at the NYT and founder of The Lede blog, becomes HuffPo's new senior reporter.

    The interesting part here: just what is HuffPo waving at these people who already have perfectly respectable jobs to get them to come over? Business Insider insinuates that HuffPo is showering reporters with riches, saying Zeller's offer was "all about the money," and was so big that the NYT didn't even try to counter it. We've heard from people on both sides that that's not quite true; they say HuffPo is offering raises in the 10-20% range, meaning the money is good, but not life-changing. Apparently some respectable people actually have a desire to work there? Stranger things have happened. [Want to share some HuffPo salary details? Email me.]
  • Elvis Mitchell, who was once the New York Times' extremely high-profile movie critic, has experienced a somewhat precipitous career decline. Now, he's been fired by Movieline after only three months on the job. Read the competing explanations here. Entertaining fun for all ages!
  • In the Washington Post, Dan Kois managed to get 2,700 words out of a feature story about a group of DC women who get together and talk about The New Yorker once a month. Sample dialogue:

  • Andrea shakes her head. "I met lots of Tamils working on the tea plantations."

  • "Oh God," Kelli says. "You sound so parochial. ‘The plantations'?"

  • "They're not slaves, Kelli. They've worked there for generations. They get paid."

  • "Come on."

  • Everyone: Read your New Yorker alone, in peace. If you must discuss your New Yorker in a group setting, first ensure that there is no reporter present. These rules are for the safety of everyone.
  • Oh look, there's yet another round of inspiring MSNBC "Lean Forward" ads. Still sticking with that slogan, eh? Well...good stick-to-it-iveness.
  • Brian Williams likes to tell jokes. Breaking.
  • Katie Couric's just about ready to announce she's not coming back to CBS News. Breaking.
  • Here is Adweek's annual "Hot List" of magazines that are "Hot." If you care about that sort of thing.
  • Reader's Digest CEO Mary Berner has been "pushed out" following last week's "complete upheaval" of the company's board. Alert the elderly.