Art auctions are doing alright, but the gallery market is still "fragile." [NYT]

Global warming may put-off another ice age. Good to see fire and ice playing nicely.

Chris Brown has words for Oprah, Susan Boyle's songs are beating Whitney and Russell Crowe wants to beat a gossip columnist. Oh, yes, it's your Friday morning Gossip Roundup.

Poor Google! The company's Chinese expansion hasn't been easy: they've been shamed for giving into government censors and continue to play second-fiddle to a state-supported competitor. And now they've lost their regional leader. What will become of the company?

There comes a time when our virtual idols, like Facebook, take on a God-like quality. Such is the case in two separate, but ultimately connected, incidents. One saved lives. The other destroyed one.

70 days after his death, Michael Jackson has finally been laid to rest. At once somber and extravagant, the event boasted sorrowful celebrities, a fleet of limousines, ushers dressed as cadets and even a conclusion of sorts.

Fox News personalities like Glenn Beck have been attacking Obama's "green jobs czar," Van Jones for being, like, totally radical. But, haha, Jones published a book with HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp., which owns Fox News. [News Hounds]

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has been on a rampage against newspapers he doesn't own who bring up his naughty relationship with an 18-year old alleged prostitute mistress. And now his tabloid war has taken an unholy, hell-baiting turn.

In 2001, security giant Diebold bought its elections division for $31 million. Today, it sold it to a competitor for $5 million. The company said elections had become a "distraction" and now a sad chapter in democracy has closed. Maybe.

Senator Ted Kennedy's posthumous memoir, True Compass, doesn't come out until September 14th, but it's already number two on Amazon's comprehensive book list. And, not surprisingly, it's number one in the memoir and political categories. It better be good! [Amazon]

Christian Poveda, who just completed a documentary on El Salvadoran gangs, was shot to death.

While we're on the subject of drugs, a new video apparently confirms Maia Campbell, who starred on LL Cool J's In The House and was recently arrested for prostitution, does plenty of them.

We already know that you cocaine will kill you dead, but at least we still have pot, right? Wrong! Well, that's according to the CDC, which tried, vainly, to link leafy greens to "foodborne" death.

President Obama announced that he will give a speech welcoming America's young students into the new school year. Conservatives, happy to fight about anything this man does, came out swinging against the President's "socialist" intentions. And they're winning!

Ah, watching Project Runway and posting comments about it: What activity could possibly be more interesting? Other than putting jodhpurs on a pregnant chicken, that is? (Oh Malvin, how we'll miss you).

A blogger threatened to straight cut some spammers; Perez Hilton bitchslapped E! and Joe Scarborough told off people who act like Joe Scarborough. The Twitterati went on a rampage.

[Brooklynites sizzle under the Manhattan Bridge yesterday afternoon. Image via Laverrue's Flickr]

It's not an international film festival without an international filmmakers' protest, and the first one of the season kicked off today, as a star-studded list put their e-John Hancocks to a statement protesting the Toronto's Fest's "Spotlight on Tel Aviv."

Here's how Oracle hypes its business software: Write an ad claiming it's exponentially better than the competition. Then, mold the facts to fit the hype. CEO Larry Ellison's done this for decades; today he got caught. Click through for evidence.

The nice white people at Fox & Friends just hate "potty mouth politics," so they asked Michelle Malkin to come on and talk about how we should all just disagree with dignity and civility.