Lindsay Lohan will be on the covers of both Elle and Maxim's September issues. Also, October's Prison Bitch Review. [WWD]

Is Maxim editor Jimmy Jellinek's job on the block? [WWD]

Felix Dennis offloads Maxim, Stuff and Blender on Steven Rattner's Quadrangle group to the tune of about $250 million. [NYP]

Kent Brownridge rumored to have won the Dennis Publishing auction, which means he's now the proud owner of Maxim. It also means he beat out Ron Burkle. [AdAge]

The story of any company's demise is a mess of allegations, innuendo, slights, and wrongs: Employees treated badly, employers indignant, clients left holding the bag. The story behind the swift downfall of Drew Kerr's publicity firm, Four Corners, is no different. To pull out every last cliche, it's a cautionary tale of one man's twisted vision—a tale of how ego and greed should not be mistaken for ambition. Yes! So, how did Kerr's firm, which handled accounts like Radar and Maxim, go to hell so fast?

We heard whispers today that Drew Kerr was shutting down his PR firm, Four Corners, which reps such magazines as Radar, Maxim, and Blender. Really? No more "anonymous" blog posting about his clients? Say it isn't so! Well, actually, he did say it isn't so. But we don't believe him.

• In an interview with the Guardian, Conrad Black calls his fraud trial "bullshit" and announces that he's at war with the U.S. government. The paper also has an excerpt from Black's forthcoming biography of Richard Nixon, which praises the former president's "surpassing dignity." Read into that what you will. [Guardian]
  

• Post calls out News' circulation figures: The "paper's overreliance on bulk sales is propping up a single-copy sales disaster." Expect some lame News response involving the phrase "New York area" tomorrow. [NYP]
  

• Conrad Black's fraud trial starts today. [Chicago Tribune]
  

After nearly a year of refusing to comment on "rumors" that it had anything to do with abominations such as Maxim, Stuff and Blender, Dennis Publishing has confirmed the worst-kept secret in publishing: The company does indeed publish those titles, and, as such, is partially responsible for the complete collapse of literacy and standards over the last fifteen years. It is not clear why the company decided to issue its statement and apology at this time—although they are looking to unload all this shit as soon as possible.

Page Six today suggests that Graydon Carter might want to watch his ass, as Maxim "has been quietly dipping into Vanity Fair's talent stable." They provide as examples "sometime VF contributor George Gurley," who interviews Val Kilmer in the current issue, and Christopher Hitchens, who has "a wide-ranging diatribe against 'Zero Tolerance,'" in the issue. We picked up a copy, and, well, let's just say that Graydo probably isn't pissing his pants in fear. Apart from being a less-focused version of Hitchens' 2004 piece on the same subject for Vanity Fair, it also contains the unforgettable note that:

We have no idea who the photo editor over at Maxim is, but we just want to say "Keep up the great work!"

Nice interview with Maxim EIC Jimmy Jellinek where he differentiates the "increasingly upscale"Maxim man from a reader of GQ:

Restaurant blog Eater reports that Jeffrey Chodorow's midtown eatery English Is Italian may be getting quite the makeover:

Following the brave and sacrificial firing of several staffers in early August and senior editor Eric Gillin's departure for the fratless waters of Esquire, Maxim EIC Jimmy Jellinek presents his hungry staff with fresh meat:

Per little Jossie: Maxim senior editor and Black Table founding co-editor (you decide which is more important) Eric Gillin has handed in his resignation. Also leaving is ME Laura Silverman, who's not returning to New York after going abroad to launch Maxim India and finding inner peace while downward dogging in a Rishikesh ashram. The resignations follow the August "bloodbath," wherein editor Jimmy Jellinek bravely sacrificed several editoral lambs so that the magazine could do something "huge and historic."

• Apparently Maxim really is looking to go upscale; "subtle transformation" to be completed by October with debut of Chris Wilson's monthly art appreciation column, "Paintings That Will Get Their Pants Off." [FBNY]
• Fox News broadcasts hostage video of kidnapped Fox News journalists, immediately criticizes Fox News for undermining war effort. [Fox News]
• Jon Friedman "ashamed to be a journalist." Rest of profession ashamed about exact same thing. [Marketwatch]

In some sort of legal twisting of the pot-kettle issue, Maxim, the men's magazine that reads like a Tampa strip joint, is suing actual Tampa strip joint Maxxim Mens Club and Steakhouse. Dennis Publishing has filed suit against the adult venue for trademark infringement, trademark dilution and unfair competition. Best of all, the publishing house claims that by associating the Maxim name with a venue that allows women to remove their clothes for money, Dennis' reputation is harmed.

After firing four Maxim staffers on Friday, EIC Jimmy "William Wallace" Jellinek reflected on his day while sipping his sanctimony juice, then sent out the following email to his staff:

For visual learners still struggling to understand the Friday bloodbath at Maxim, in which four staffers were laid off.