Because he wants the Democrats to hold on to the New York Senate seat, Harold Ford is... bashing the incumbent, on national TV, and claiming the seat is in great danger of going to a Republican.

New York Times Co. shares are up more than 8% today on heavy trading. The reason: a rumor going around that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim might want to take the company private. Wowza. If you know more, email us. UPDATE:

In your ethical Monday media column: a movie review in need of some full disclosure, a trade magazine goes wacko, CBS is too good for Anderson Cooper, and Playboy looks grim(mer).

Companies are supposed to mail out tax forms to freelancers by the end of January. But we hear that Conde Nast had some trouble with that.

In today's Daily Beast, a former Hillary Clinton supporter who jumped ship when the Democrats nominated Barack Obama says she was right, and the Obama presidency is a failure. We speak, of course, of Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild.

Fancy magazines are dying, and no amount of fancy magazine ads will save them! Journalism scientists can now confidently predict what will replace them: Magazine websites, which—scientifically speaking—suck.

In possibly the most pointless ad campaign in history, Time Inc, Conde Nast, Hearst, Wenner Media and Meredith will place ads in magazines that argue, to those already reading magazines, that magazines offer a better experience than the internet. [WSJ]

Since this is my last weekend on the site until I return, begging for a job as James Del's assistant, I've invited some friends along. Elizabeth Spiers is the founding editor of Gawker. Mallory Keaton doesn't like her.

Since this is my last weekend on the site until I return, begging for a job as James Del's assistant, I've invited some friends to jam with me. Jessica Roy is an young writer finishing her BA at NYU. Jessica?

Since this is my last weekend on the site until I return, begging for a job as James Del's assistant, I've invited some friends to jam with me. Joe Coscarelli is a young writer with Things To Say. Joe?

Since this is my last weekend on the site until I return, begging for a job as James Del's assistant, I've invited some friends to play with me. Matt Ealer is the proprietor of Rendit Dot Tumblr Dot Com. Matt?

Sally Quinn, who doesn't even know that her entire career has been a massive embarrassment to everyone involved, has no regrets about the frankly insane column she penned that cost her her coveted spot in the Washington Post styles section.

Once the floodgate to CNN anchor Jeffrey Toobin's sex life opens, the revelations don't stop. On Sunday we figured out the "vile" fetish the Daily News dared not name was probably anal. Now, news on the kiss-and-teller's identity: Judith Regan?

Rupert Murdoch—the dashing, daring, fearsome and fearless press baron, the mogul among moguls—will celebrate his 79th birthday next month. As he approaches his final years at the helm of his empire, he finds it crumbling around him.

Governor Paterson's few remaining allies are calling on him to not run for reelection. He also just had his first resignation. Update: And now no one knows where he is! Update2: They maybe found him!

In your niveous Thursday media column: an Atlanta editor is a character, Dave Eggers pontificates, Jann Wenner is a joiner, ProPublica is unstoppable, and a sad poor end to a gay publishing empire.

And now comes the coup de grace to the woeful tale of Sally Quinn, the Washington Post's most execrable rich lady columnist: she is being stashed in the back closet of the "internet," lest she embarrass the paper further.

The Washington Post is reportedly considering doing away with Sally Quinn's godawful self-absorbed rich lady column from hell, which is an embarrassment to the entire institution. Do it, Marcus Brauchli! Be a hero today! And fire her editor, while you're at it. [Washington City Paper]

In your wearying Wednesday media column: the Washington Post is somewhat unpopular, the NYT is just coasting, Steve Coll's secret reading list, and a late freelancer payment tidbit.

Meredith Bryan observes in the NYO today that—hello!—niceness is back! On the internet, and in New York in general. Goodbye to cynicism! This interesting and somewhat true phenomenon will destroy us all, if we let it.