Ohmigod, in an NYC sports-related tabloid scandal even bigger than the Pedro Martinez cockfighting video—made better by the distinct possibility of being totally false—a New York Knick has been accused of being gay (for dudes!):

The New York Times Co. is striking back (in letter form) against Michael Hirschorn's excellent Atlantic essay on the paper's gloomy immediate future. Below, a factual look at the NYT Co.'s financial future:

Bernie Madoff was a winner today, successfully convincing a judge to let him remain free pending trial. Who lost? The dozens of reporters who turned Bernie's block into "a full-blown media circus" as they waited for him to emerge from his toasty $7 million penthouse. He never showed, of course, although a reporter for the Times did spot pro-Bernie posters on a signpost on the corner of 64th Street and Lexington Avenue, which read "Keep Bernie Madoff Free" and "No Jail and No House Arrest for Bernie Madoff." And so now you know what Bernie's sons have been doing in recent days, too! [NYT]

Monday is a great day for a media column! Today: The good news is more international reporting; the bad news is black people (and bloggers!) are still fighting the power, in the US of A:

Tina Brown, author of a best-selling book on Princess Diana and editor-in-chief of a neat blogsite that is like HuffPo but without the faux-populism "anyone can blog" shtick, is really sweating this new media environment.

Did you know that the New York Times has a crew of "digital renegades" who are reinventing journalism through interactive graphics and databases? It's true! Too bad they're not working on fixing the newspaper's business.

NBC is launching a female-focused quasi-marketing agency featuring the following people: Maria Bartiromo, Meredith Vieira, and Tori Spelling. Raise your hand if you don't see the problems with this. (Hand down, Tori).

Two months ago, New York magazine staffers were emailing friends seeking ideas about New things for the "All New" issue. Now that issue is here! It's just as totally contrived as you would expect.

• NBC's Lauren Zalaznick is forming a "panel" to help marketers target women. Just a few who have joined the program: Maria Bartiromo, Meredith Vieira, Candace Bushnell, Shelly Lazarus, and Tori Spelling. [AdAge]
• Hearst's Cathie Black is expected to sign a new 3-year contract. [NYP]
• The FT has let 80 people go. [Guardian]
• The first Madoff-related book, Catastrophe: The Story of Bernard L. Madoff, The Man Who Swindled the World, will be out in March. [NYP]
• ABC is thinking about bringing back Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. [TVW]
• Magazines like O, Glamour, W, Marie Claire and Teen Vogue all posted sharp declines in sales during the last few months of 2008. [WWD]
• The networks that went home winners at the Golden Globes. [Variety, NYT]

Repellent-to-a-humorous-degree Post columnist Andrea Peyser is an example of someone who, ironically, arrived at populism by way of xenophobia and overall distaste for mankind. Today she properly directs her venom at Graydon Carter's stupid school.

Succession politics plays out like palace intrigue at the New York Times and questions about how much longer executive editor Bill Keller plans to stay in his job are already stirring. Keller says, "Bullshit."

Your Friday media column is here! Today, possible newspaper death, sort-of magazine rebirth, news anchor lateral movement, and more chomping action:

Finally, as promised, the New York Times has brought opinions 'Online,' to the internet, with its new 'web log' thing, "Room for Debate." Lets' explore!

Two months ago, the Today show's Hoda Kotb swore "I don't drink really that much!" Really? This compilation is an intervention. Hoda, you may drink more than the entire cast of Fox & Friends.

This could either be the most annoying thing on television or it could be the most annoying and hilarious thing on television: Al Sharpton is your Colmes-for-a-Day!

SCANDAL: George Washington doppelganger Graydon Carter is reportedly wooing his West Village neighborhood critics by giving them reservations at his Waverly Inn and putting their pictures in his Vanity Fair. Yes, and?

Last month Cityfile unveiled, oh, a hundred or so domain names of famous New Yorkers' names that it had bought, just because it could. Conde Nast immediately marshaled its team of high-powered attorney warriors!

Joe Cuello is MTV's VP of "Creative Music Integration." He chooses what music goes into their fine reality shows. He "Makes The Hills Rock"(!). Why would someone send the nice man a box of poop?

Your daily media column is here. Today, the Great Magazine Die-Off continues, your annual "Gawker sucks now" story, Les Payne's pain, and more!

It appears that Sarah Palin's post-campaign career activities will consist exclusively of bitching about the media. In a new interview she takes on Katie Couric, Tina Fey, Caroline Kennedy, and all you jerks watching at home: