Sports blogs might be losing their edge! Back in the good old days they were all bile-spewing, rumormongering perverts who cared about nothing but posting pictures of NFL players cavorting drunkenly with Buzz Bissinger (pictured, ranting). But as time went on, they actually started making money and gaining credibility and—wouldn't you know it—now they're paying more attention to making sure stuff is true! At least that's the theme of the weekend's sort of obvious-day LAT trend piece. The reality is that this entire "These kids are finally maturing, thanks to us" angle is primarily designed to make old school sportswriters feel better about themselves as blogs steal their lunch money.

"Many former journalists...also cited better pay, steadier hours, and a more attractive career path, as reasons to seek PR jobs." Sure, but don't forget about the downside: more Satan. [PRWeek, my former home]

The NYT values their super-smart readers! Or do they? "I got this back from the Times after I complained about a mistake in Alex Witchel's article on [the television show] "Mad Men,'" in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine, says a reader. "Looks like somebody hit "Reply To All" once too often! Both [writer] Witchel & [research editor] Alani called me a know-it-all."

Media companies are all facing a fundamental quandary: They have to throw lavish, expensive events to impress advertisers, even as they slash editorial budgets in ways that upset longtime employees. Well, it's only a problem if the corporate suits are worried about perception issues, which they may not be. But you have to admit that it does look bad when People editor Peter Castro (pictured, at left) and other execs are partying it up in the Bahamas "getting a massage, being given a wii fit, jamming with some old dudes, being on vacation" at a fancy sales meeting while the company faces a hiring freeze. Hey, that's capitalism! Angry email from an insider, after the jump.

"If the mainstream media suffers from attention deficit disorder, then the new media has obsessive compulsive disorder." [Omni-present blog impresario Arianna Huffington, paraphrased, via Brian Stelter]

Sloane Crosley, super-book publicist and author of the best-selling essay collection I Was Told There'd Be Cake, has sold the TV rights for her book to HBO "for series development." We're interested in how HBO will develop the story about a young Crosley quitting her job as assistant for an evil boss... on 9/11. Also: who will play her?! [NY Observer]

Mad Men is to advertising execs what Goodfellas was to every two-bit parking meter robber in Queens with a cousin in the mob: a vision of how edgy they might have been, in a different time. [NYT]

"Coverage of the war in Afghanistan has increased slightly this year, with 46 minutes of total coverage year-to-date compared with 83 minutes for all of 2007. NBC has spent 25 minutes covering Afghanistan, partly because the anchor Brian Williams visited the country earlier in the month. Through Wednesday, when an ABC correspondent was in the middle of a prolonged visit to the country, ABC had spent 13 minutes covering Afghanistan. CBS has spent eight minutes covering Afghanistan so far this year." That is from Brian Stelter's remarkable story in the New York Times which is actually entirely about Lara Logan's appearance on The Daily Show. So. No one cares about the war(s) anymore! Until a hot lady shames us in a sexy accent.

Four years ago, the US government had a bright idea: "Let's launch a propaganda-spouting TV news network in the Arab world," the government said. "We'll spend $350 million on it, but we'll staff it with incompetent people, ensure the programming is dull and clumsy, and hopefully create a counterproductive and ill-conceived boondoggle that will go down in history as one of the stupidest 'hearts and minds' campaigns of the new century!" And that's exactly what they did. Except it didn't turn out quite that well.

An interesting philosophical question: Should employees get paid overtime for checking their BlackBerries outside work hours? Money-grubbing writers at ABC News say "Yes." Money-grubbing executives at ABC say "No." We say: throw away your BlackBerry and it becomes a moot point.

Celebrities: they're in ads! That's because celebrities tend to sell stuff to people, according to the New York Times, which broke this story wide open with an epic piece in yesterday's paper. There are three clear points that you, the educated consumer, must understand: Companies are run by starry-eyed celebrity hound white guys who will pay any price to hang out with a cool rapper or have their umbrella endorsed by Rihanna; many celebrities are themselves sheep, convinced that their endorsement deal is a meaningful attempt by a corporation to plumb the depths of their soul (it's really not! surprisingly); and finally, all of this is the fault of dirty gossip websites just like this one!

Wow, media baroness Arianna Huffington really knows how to lay on the cloak and dagger stuff. You'll recall how the recent death of NBC newsman Tim Russert, followed by the Huffington Post publisher saying very little about him, reminded everyone that Russert and Huffington had a big, 15-year feud involving a scandalous takedown of Huffington written for Vanity Fair by Russert's wife. Everyone was also reminded of allegations by Republican strategist Ed Rollins (denied by Huffington) that she once hired a private investigator to tail Russert's wife and also once launched a surveillance team of close to 12 "security operatives" to find the illegal nanny of her husband's opponent in his senate campaign. Well, now Huffington's given a wide-ranging interview to the Chicago Tribune titled "Snoop Patrol" that only makes her sound like even more of a shadow lurker.

So the guy who posted early news Tim Russert's death to Wikipedia? He's been fired by the NBC News Web contractor that employed him, because the network had been trying to notify Russert's family before breaking the news. In fact, according to the Times, the network waited roughly an hour before putting word of the Meet The Press host's passing on-air and was "flabbergasted" to see it on Wikipedia. The "junior-level employee" who posted the information did not know the news was being kept quiet. But it's still hard to have any sympathy — he or she worked for a contractor that does newsgathering and publishing on behalf of a broadcast journalism organization. The employee had no business spending time writing for any site that didn't belong to NBC News. [Times]

Well, if you played or payed attention to last night's installment of OMT, you knew this was coming. What are the most awesome movies of the 1970s that take place in, came out in, or just make you think of the summer? I'll get the world's first-ever summer blockbuster out of the way with its amazing original theatrical trailer.

While Amy Winehouse is in the hospital with emphysema, her Brother in Crack Pete Doherty is cleaning up. Well, at least he's taking a bath. As part of his "Come to Gig" series on YouTube the drug-filled rocker brings you into his dark, scary, mildewy world as he prepares for a show. Video of a man in trouble after the jump.

Some of the lovely paparazzi from TMZ and X17 were on the beach in Malibu Saturday, trying to get shots of a shirtless Matthew McConaughey, when a group of civic-minded surf dudes took a break from the tasty waves to kick some ass. "The 29-year-old photojournalist told sheriff's deputies that a large group of surfers near Paradise Cove in Malibu approached him and other paparazzi about 2 p.m. and demanded they stop taking pictures and filming. 'They formed a semicircle in front of his camera and they said he [McConaughey] didn't want him to film,' said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore. 'They got into an argument, and he indicated that he received injuries. . . . [They] took the video camera and threw it in the water.'" Awesome surfer quotes and video link after the jump.

All sorts of freaky worlds collide every year at Coney Island's annual Mermaid Parade. And photographer Eric M. Townsend was kind enough to provide us with some color from the Parade's afterparty last night at Childs Restaurant on the Boardwalk. More photo fun after the jump.

Bill Gates, the nerdy and controversial co-founder of virus-y software monolith Microsoft is handing over the reins of his monster corporation. His last official workday will be June 27th. "Three people will essentially fill the void left behind when Bill Gates retires from the company he and friend Paul Allen co-founded in 1975. Since Gate's began his transition from leading Microsoft to heading his personally-bankrolled charity, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, his job as chief software architect has been handled by Ray Ozzie. Craig Mundie inherited Gate's chief research and strategy officer duties, while former Harvard classmate Steve Ballmer became chief executive officer at the Seattle-based software colossus." But will become of poor wittle Microsoft when daddy leaves?

In a lucky move for NBC and fans of Meet the Press, veteran newsman Tom Brokaw is stepping up to replace Tim Russert as the show's moderator-at least through the election-starting next Sunday. "The news was announced on the program today, a little over a week after the death of Tim Russert. A lot has been said in recent days about what Meet the Press means to NBC News and to the nation,' said NBC News President Steve Capus in a press release. 'To have someone of Tom's stature step up and dedicate himself to ensuring its ongoing success is not only a testament to his loyalty to Tim, but his enduring commitment to NBC News and our viewers.'"

In honor of the first official summer weekend, let's share our favorite summertime flicks from the golden 80s. You know, movies that came out in, take place in, or just make you harken back to the sultry days of the summers of your youth. I'll get us started with the endearing tale of four best friends wandering through an idyllic American landscape to view a rotting corpse.