Before Graydon Carter was the editor of Vanity Fair who jets to Bermuda while his magazine's staff is laid off, he was just a young Canadian with a penchant for ice-skating and an out-sized ego. So says a childhood friend!

The decade in cinema is ready to go out with a bang; with six weeks left in 2009, Paul Blart: Mall Cop is the 13th highest grossing film of the year; a fact which says everything and nothing.

Obama is minutes away from being interviewed by the very network that one of his operatives firebombed said was basically an arm of the Republican Party. Fox's Major Garrett tweets: "I will interview POTUS Wed am here in Beijing." [AP]

[An extreme detail of a wall on Avenue A becomes a piece of art all on its own. Image via 24Gotham's Flickr]

Forrester Research has a new study out that Rupert Murdoch should probably download: Of 4,000 people polled, 80 percent will not pay for online newspapers or magazines, and the rest are divided on how they want to pay.

The main problem with Sarah Palin's beef against Newsweek is this: Palin says "you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, gender, or color of skin," but books don't have skin, Sarah. Also, she trades on her looks incessantly.

OK, we get it—Sienna Miller walks her dog. Does that mean you have to take her picture doing it every god damn day? No! And this isn't the only snap we see ad infinitum. Make it stop!

• Taavo Somer and the team from Freemans are opening a "classic American diner" in the old Kelley & Ping space on the Bowery. [VV]
• Ryan Skeen and his team have been ousted from Allen & Delancey. [GS]
• Midtown Italian eatery Bice won't be forced to close, after all. [Crain's]
• Donatella Arpaia's revamped, Psilakis-less Mia Dona has reopened. [GS]
• Does Michael "Bao" Huynh have yet another spot in the works? [TONY]
• Rooftop lounge 230 Fifth will be handing out Snuggies to its patrons. [Eater]
• ABC News treated the Heene family (of Balloon Boy fame, yes) to a "fabulous sushi dinner" at Ocean Grill last night, just so you know. [TMZ]

Come join us in discussing tonight's television lineup in real time. Sort of like live-blogging or message boards, but with less effort. Share your thoughts and opinions on tonight's primetime lineup at the #tvparty tag page, and learn more after the jump.

John McCain must be shaking his head. The former Republican presidential candidate has reportedly been approached by multiple publishers to write a book about that insane running mate he picked, Sarah Palin. And they're offering crazy amounts of money.

Have you been wondering what "Lanny F." has been up to since he starred in the infomercial for the butt-odor-removing product Aspray? Fortunately for you, he has emailed us.

Photo: Flickr/rottenronin

Playgirl's spokesman made a crack about Anderson Cooper's sexuality; Kirstie Alley went ballistic on Conan O'Brien and Kevin Rose dissed Mike Arrington. The Twitterati had their claws fully extended.

Can you make a funnier cartoon than us in the new New Yorker online "Cartoon Kit?" Christ, I hope so. Submit yours in the comments, and win the admiration of your peers. That's what it's all about, we hear.

What are you watching tonight? Let us know in the comments.

Sometimes in the movie business you have to work hard for your publicity and sometimes you can just let the world know the buffet is open and start serving.

The instructor's song goes, "Yogi is my name, a healthy mind and body is my game. I live out in a farm and do yoga in a barn." Keep this man far away from your children.

[A covered man ogling barely dressed women at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. It's like the past, present, and the future having a sexy threeway before our very eyes. Image via Getty via Jezebel.]

• A big round of layoffs landed at the Associated Press today. [BI, NYT]
• Budget Travel isn't shutting down, contrary to rumors. But its owner is looking to sell the magazine or find new investors, however. [AdAge]
• Time.com's managing editor, Josh Tyrangiel, will become the editor of BusinessWeek when Bloomberg LP takes over next month. [BW, WWD]
• The NYPD raided four newspapers as part of a union corruption probe. [AP]
• Is Newsweek's new Sarah Palin cover sexist? Or just funny? [HP, Wrap]
• Because print media is booming and newspapers will be around forever, Mort Zuckerman's Daily News spent $150 million on a new printing plant. [NYT]
• A documentary about media reporters at the Times? Oh, yes, indeed. [NYO]
• Bonnie Fuller's new Web venture launched today. [HollywoodLife.com]
• TV: Oprah GBF Nate Berkus is getting his own daytime show; and Bob Saget will host an A&E reality series in which he'll "explore strange subcultures."
• Rupert Murdoch probably isn't very popular with the blind today. [Gawker]

The Way We Live Now: Reveling in our common poverty. This recession has a bright side. The races are united as poors. Prison's a free diploma. And our new job robbing offices takes our mind off the gnawing, omnipresent hunger.