The Wrap has what appears to be a secondhand quote from NYT CFO James Follo about new layoffs: "I think we would expect that to be the case, yes." (It's like playing "telephone.") Bill Keller's December sigh of relief: Premature?

[Photo via Flickr]

• The New York Times Co. actually turned a profit in 2009. Glory be! [NYT]
• Did you read (or hear about) Playboy's new interview with John Mayer, the one in which he managed to make himself look like even more of an idiot? Mayer's been busy today apologizing for his comments, not surprisingly.
• American Idol's ratings were up big last night. It's the Ellen effect. [TVG]
• Get ready to see ads on magazine covers; it's so happening. [AdAge]
• Another symptom of the times: While Gourmet didn't survive the great magazine meltdown, Food Network Magazine continues to be a big hit. [NYP]
• Since MTV no longer has any connection to music whatsoever, it's changed its logo. The "music television" bit is gone. And the logo has put on weight. [BC]
• The next Spider Man installment—coming July 3, 2012, just in case you happen to have your calendar in front of you—will be in 3D. Naturally. [THR]
• Speaking of things in the far-off future, Tom Cruise has signed on to star in Mission Impossible IV (coming May '11!). And in what will undoubtedly come as the best news you'll hear all week, Celine Dion returns to Las Vegas in '11.

You might want to give some thought to taking up a new hobby or three: Scientists say there's "a possibility" that "the more bored you are, the more likely you are to die early." [AP]

Want to express your displeasure with the way Goldman Sachs steamrolled Washington and profited at the expense of American taxpayers during the financial meltdown? Head to the Embassy Suites in the financial district tonight: "Goldman employees have all the rooms [booked] because they don't want to commute home in the weather and come back early." [BI]

Bloomberg LP earned fabulous profits off its obsession with statistics. None, though, controls the day-to-day lives of the financial news drones like the "breaking news points" metrics scheme. Meet the most Stalinist production system in capitalist journalism.

In your blizzardy Wednesday media column: Luke Russert does it the Luke Russert way, the NYT has no iPad comment, a new journalism moneymaking scheme, and David Remnick acts so haughty you'd think he runs America's best magazine or something.

As if it wasn't annoying enough that Hallmark has turned Valentine's Day into a monumental holiday, Purina would like to remind you that the holiday isn't just for humans. It's also the day when you're supposed to show your dog some serious affection as well. And it has the research to back it up: According to a survey conducted by the pet food company, 26 percent of dog owners "say 'I love you' once a day to their dogs—the same percentage that says 'I love you' once a day to a spouse or significant other."

A few more photos of today's weather-related excitement after the jump.

Georgina Chapman is one-half of the duo behind the fashion label Marchesa. She's also married to movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, but it's not as if he had anything to do with the fashion house's success over the past few years. He didn't. It was simply the product of "passion and skill" on the part of Chapman and her partner, Keren Craig.

Your neighbors aren't just having sex in the elevator. They're doing it in the laundry room and gym, too, assuming you have either of those. Just be thankful that most buildings in the city don't have pools! [BrickU, previously]

Katie Holmes leaving a Starbucks yesterday morning and later taking Suri out to lunch ... Sandra Bullock shopping at FAO Schwarz and Henri Bendel ... Kate Bosworth leaving the Bowery Hotel ... Karolina Kurkova walking downtown with her fiance and son ... Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey shooting a commercial in Central Park ... Naomi Watts pushing her sons in a stroller ... Brooklyn Decker walking into the Late Show studios ... Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz arriving at JFK ... Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi smooching her boyfriend at LaGuardia ... and Keanu Reeves trying his best to avoid photographers outside the Bowery Hotel.

• Suzanne Sheik, the jewelry designer and mother of singer Duncan Sheik, has dropped the price of her 7,000-square-foot townhouse at 132 East 62nd Street. The five-story building, which Sheik bought from the estate of late socialite Phyllis Cerf Wagner for $8.5 million in 2007 and first listed for $17.5 million last year, is now priced at $15.5 million. [Cityfile, Stribling]
• Hedge funder Anand Desai and his wife, Erica, have paid $12 million for a 17th-floor, 5,000-square-foot condo at 15 Madison Square North. [NYO]
• Real estate developer Elizabeth Rad has put her four-bedroom loft at 166 Duane Street up for sale again. The 4,800-square-foot spread has been on and off the market since 2007, and is now listed for $8.4 million. [Cityfile, SE]
• Harold Ford and his wife, Emily Threlkeld, are looking to unload their yellow-hued pad in the Flatiron district. The one-bedroom loft at 105 Fifth Avenue is listed with Kathy Sloane for $1.4 million. [Gawker, BHS]

The two most annoying phrases you can use around the office, according to a new survey: "Thinking outside the box" and "Let's touch base." [Reuters]

Two of the most overly dramatic—and annoying—people on TV are celebrating birthdays today: CNBC's Jim Cramer is turning 55; Glenn Beck of Fox News turns 45. Good Morning America's new anchor, George Stephanopoulos, is 49. Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, is 59. Former Mets outfielder and failed financial guru Lenny Dykstra is 47. Actress Laura Dern is turning 43. Director Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways) is 49. R&B singer Roberta Flack is 73. Actress Elizabeth Banks is turning 36. Tween star Emma Roberts is turning 19. Robert Wagner is 80. Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz is turning 60. Golfer Greg Norman is 55. And NYC restaurant legend Elaine Kaufman turns 81 today.

[Photo via Flickr]

• The Jay Leno Show ends its run tonight. It was actually scheduled to conclude on Thursday, but NBC moved it up to tonight to take advantage of the lead-in from The Biggest Loser. Make of that what you will. [NYT]
• Ellen DeGeneres takes Paula Abdul's seat on American Idol tonight. [LAT]
• The second season of Jersey Shore will be set in one of the few places in America that's cheesier than the Jersey Shore: South Beach. [Movieline]
• Were CNN's ratings so lousy last week that it sent Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta back to Haiti in the hopes it would give the network a boost? Hey, it's a theory! (And from CNN's co-founder and former CEO, no less.) [HP]
• A Playboy shareholder has filed a class action lawsuit against the company, claiming Hugh Hefner's been sabotaging efforts to sell the company. [TMZ]
• Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit issue has been unveiled. It's the issue that keeps the lights turned on at SI, as you probably could have guessed. [MW]
• The White Stripes are kind of ticked off that the U.S. Air Force used one of its songs in a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. [NYT]
• A Sopranos-themed musical is not coming to Broadway. Reassuring! [NYM]

Two reasons why Fashion Week may not be quite as exciting when it begins on Thursday: 1. The snowpocalypse (which begins tonight and is expected to last through tomorrow night) will likely leave lots of slush in its wake and make navigating the city in heels extremely unpleasant; and 2. MTV's decision to clamp down on appearances by the cast of Jersey Shore may mean that you won't get to see Snooki sitting front row next to Anna Wintour, after all.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs had a little fun earlier today when he held up his palm for reporters and showed off a shopping list he'd scribbled on his hand. He isn't the only one. Judging by the photos on Flickr, the retro iPad may be poised to make a big comeback! [AFP, Politico, Flickr]

Wouldn't it be great if researchers proved once and for all that guzzling beer is good for you? You're in luck. They just did. [Reuters]