As promised, Kate Major—the former Star celebrity reporter who left journalism behind to pursue love with Jon Gosselin (which didn't quite work)—has answered five questions for you, the bloodthirsty internet hordes. Below: regrets, journalism, heroes, and celebulove.

Good god. Remember that little outbreak of a mysterious intestinal illness at the New York Times that shut down the company cafeteria earlier this month? Well, they've run some tests, and...we don't know how to tell you this...it's... Norovirus. (*Checks Wikipedia.*) Dang that makes you throw up and poop!

The fallout from yesterday's shock Republican victory in Massachusetts dominates once more. Did you miss those dry, congressional infighting stories of a couple of weeks ago? Fear not! They're back.

• As rumored, the New York Times plans to begin charging readers to access stories on the NYT website. It will be a metered system (so only "frequent readers" will be affected), and it doesn't start until 2011. And faithful subscribers to the print edition won't be forced to pay anything extra. [NYT]
• What are the chances Conan lands at Fox? It could happen, but there are plenty of reasons why Fox might decide to back away from a deal. [WSJ]
• The news biz: Talks to bring Ted Koppel back to ABC News appear to have fallen through; Megyn Kelly is getting her own show on Fox News; and CNN has announced it's partnering with hipster mag Vice, oddly enough. [NYO]
• Condé Nast's Fairchild unit has a new chief. Gina Sanders, Lucky's publisher (and Si Newhouse's niece) will now be running the show. [WWD]
• The Sundance Film Festival kicks off in Park City, Utah tomorrow. And it's shaping up to be fest's "most important" year ever, supposedly. [NYT, WSJ]

In your progressive Wednesday media column: the typically effeminate French (whose asses we saved in WWII) think ladies can be in charge of things, the WaPo has never been to DC, Greg Mitchell's lament, and Vice meets CNN.

Paranoid xenophobe Glenn Beck is scared that moose-hunting ignoramus Sarah Palin will steal his show on flag-waving racist network Fox News, according to feckless celebuscavenger Rob Shuter. Here's hoping all parties involved fight and fight some more. [Popeater. Pic via]

It's official: the New York Times is going to start charging for its website at the beginning of 2011. The press release just went out. Key details below.

Fiddlesticks to you, Americans: Sarah Palin's In Touch cover only sold half as many issues as Brittany Murphy's cover. Famous ladies with babies—this was just like an Angelina Jolie cover! What do you people want? (Cleavage). [P6]

No one mentions the minor Republican victory in traditionally-Democrat Massachusetts, or reads too much into it. Ha! In opposite world! You can't move for Senator Scott Brown's smug face on the front pages today.

• Negotiations between Conan O'Brien and NBC didn't wrap up today, as expected. Conan is holding out for more severance for the employees who will lose their jobs. Or "posturing" as part of a "PR ploy," to use NBC's words. [NYT]
• Related: Conan has a big lineup planned for the rest of the week, which will be his last. And NBC's Jeff Zucker played defense with Charlie Rose last night.
• Larry King's celebrity telethon for Haiti last night raised $9 million. [Us]
• Speaking of Haiti, do there really need to be hundreds upon hundreds of reporters on the ground covering the disaster from every angle and also gobbling up very precious resources in the process? Good question. [TNR]
• Rumor has it the Times is going to begin charging for online content soon. The plan comes with some pros and cons, as you might expect. [AdAge, PC]
• Apple will probably unveil its tablet computer on Jan. 27. [WP, ZDNet]
• Related: HarperCollins is in talks to put its books on the tablet. [WSJ]
• It's been a full year since Glenn Beck started spewing on Fox News. [HP]
• Obits: Mystery writer Robert Parker died yesterday. Kate McGarrigle, the Canadian folk singer and mother of Rufus Wainwright, has died, too.

In your beefy Tuesday media column: Jim VandeHei doesn't even read his old newspaper because it is so stupid, the NYT's most badass old dude passes away, Reuters now non-poisonous, and a smackdown of Michael Kinsley.

Matt Taibbi translates David Brooks' "Why Haiti is Really Fucked up" column in the NYT last weekend: "Although it is true that Haiti was just like five minutes ago a victim of a random earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people, I'm going to skip right past the fake mourning period and point out that Haitians are a bunch of lazy niggers who can't keep their dongs in their pants and probably wouldn't be pancaked under fifty tons of rubble if they had spent a little more time over the years listening to the clarion call of white progress, and learning to use a freaking T-square, instead of singing and dancing and dabbling in not-entirely-Christian religions and making babies all the fucking time."
[True Slant]

Gabriel Sherman has a long piece in TNR today about the Washington Post, the primary purpose of which is to allow Post staffers to vent—about 'Salongate,' inexperienced business executives, entrenched editorial leadership that stunted ambitions, and, most notably, the fact that two WaPo staffers left the paper to start Politico, which is now kicking the WaPo's ass regularly on...Drudgebait:

Just when you think there can be no more analysis of healthcare reforms, an unexpectedly close Senate election comes up in Massachusetts and off we go again. Haiti and yesterday's attack in Kabul also dominate.

Hello, it is the most recent "Weekly Notes" memo from inspirational be-bowtied Bloomberg leader Matthew Winkler. Imagine him shouting the entire text at you, to get the full effect.

In your mawkish Monday media column: James Dobson coming to your sexxxy radio dial, a rumor of perfidy at McGraw-Hill, an editor passes away, and Larry King and Pete Wentz team up to save Haiti.

The practice of journalism is full of knotty ethical questions best left to experts. Luckily, we have one: Former Star reporter turned Jon Gosselin flame and celeb boxing ref Kate Major. We need your thorny media dilemmas, for her expertise!

At least two foreign reporters in China, including an AP television reporter, discovered that their GMail accounts have been hacked (by the government??). Oh, ChinaGuy69@aol.com was just not "professional" enough, right? You had to switch to Gmail. Fools. [NYT]

Haiti still dominates the front pages. As do slightly racy-looking images of President Obama stumping for Martha Coakley in Massachusetts. Either Obama is consistently about to make out with her, or picture editors find it amusing to imply it.

• Word has it Conan O'Brien and NBC have finally reached a deal. He'll leave with $25-30 million and could end up joining Fox eventually, although a deal is far from certain. As for NBC, fallout from the mess is expected to linger for a long time. And now Jimmy Fallon is the The Tonight Show's heir apparent.
• The networks are going to extraordinary lengths (and spending small fortunes) to cover the disaster in Haiti, not surprisingly. [THR]
• Things are looking up for financially challenged photog Annie Leibovitz. She's settled one of the lawsuits that was filed against her last year. [P6]
• The search is on for Simon Cowell's replacement on American Idol. [AP]
• Erica Hill is taking over for Russ Mitchell on CBS' Early Show. [NYT]
• A bunch of pink slips have landed at Universal Music. [LAT]
• These aren't fruitful times for aspiring novelists/screenwriters. [WSJ]
• Ricky Gervais hosts the Golden Globes on Sunday night. [MSNBC, NYM]