Today RadarOnline said Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner didn't hit on Jessica Simpson because he has a girlfriend. Last month, the National Enquirer—also owned by AMI!—outed him. Are they trying to have their gay-ke and eat it, too?

The Enquirer decided to spend the good will it earned from breaking an actual story — the John Edwards affair — on an incredibly shabby tale about an alleged Obama affair captured on video. They've already retracted the video part.

Every couple years, the rumor surface that Barack Obama had an affair with his hot campaign worker Vera Baker. It happened again—this time in the pages of the National Enquirer. Which is always right about politicians' sex scandals.

In your woofin' Wednesday media column: Arianna Huffington's allotment of celebrity seats at the White House Correspondents Dinner is the greatest issue facing journalism in America, the National Enquirer was stiffed, BusinessWeek is clueless, and an alt-weekly loses.

The National Enquirer didn't win a Pulitzer today for its reporting on John Edwards' baby mama drama. How's the tabloid coping with defeat? Just after the results were announced, we called Barry Levine, the Enquirer's executive editor, to find out.

Just friends or bust friends? America's most respected scandal sheet reports that our nemesis Martha Stewart is trying to horn her way in on Hillary Clinton's man—Bill Clinton, former prez! Martha, you cad, allegedly!

If you're a journalism Brahmin who's simply appalled at the prospect of the National Enquirer winning a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of John Edwards' atrocious moral life, look out—they're going after your young now!

Conservative opiner Ross Douthat says the weekly may even deserve a nod in the public service category, and that everyone else gets a big fail for not digging into the initial John Edwards rumors — including us.

The Pulitzer Prize Board has allowed the National Enquirer to enter its John Edwards coverage in two categories, according to the Huffington Post, reversing an administrator's earlier objections. "Tabloid trash" has never looked better. Update: Columbia gives a no comment.

The National Enquirer's reporting that John Edwards has proposed to wacky mistress and baby mama Rielle Hunter—and she said yes! In 2010 we are actually more confident this is true because it's in the National Enquirer. What a world.

• Lawmakers on Capitol Hill grilled Brian Roberts and Jeff Zucker today about Comcast's proposed takeover of NBC Universal. Meantime, Zucker's chances of keeping his job as NBC's CEO? Dimmer by the day. [Reuters, WSJ, LAT]
• Observer owner Jared Kushner is expanding: He's decided to partner with another company to launch a free newspaper in Vegas for some reason. [NYT]
• More on the deep job cuts at CBS News this week. [NYT, LAT]
• Howard Stern's contract with Sirius XM expires this year. Whether he ends up staying put—or finds a new home on radio or TV—is up in the air. [THR]
• EMI announced a massive annual loss and now needs more cash. [BBC]
• Another installment of Fast and Furious is on the way. Finally! [Variety]
• Does the National Enquirer deserve a Pulitzer Prize? Probably! [Gawker]

The National Enquirer has thrown its hat in the ring for a 2010 Pulitzer Prize, seeking official recognition from the media Brahmins for its ownership of the John Edwards sex scandal. Said Brahmins are harrumphing, and here's why they're wrong.

The CNN anchor tweeted a response to the National Enquirer story that said he and his boyfriend were adopting. Don't worry, he will still continue to be a daddy to countless others. His twitter stream is a wealth of information!

The National Enquirer says Cooper and his boyfriend will adopt a baby. Even crazier than that, the National Enquirer is talking about Cooper's boyfriend on the front page. Even your mom is gonna see that at the grocery store!

Hell yes, they're applying. As John Edwards vindicates their reporting on his infidelity and cover-up, Enquirer editor Barry Levine has applied for the Pulitzer. We, and others, are for it. Anything to give Frances Quinn's chub cheeks more play. [WaPo]

• As if this hasn't already been a crappy week for liberals thanks to the election results in Massachusetts, Air America announced today that it's shutting down effective immediately and filing for bankruptcy protection. [AP, WP]
• More on the conclusion of l'affaire Coco, what's in store for O'Brien (unclear), and what NBC can look forward to in the months ahead (lackluster ratings for Leno, mammoth losses, continued shame, etc). [NYT, TW, WSJ, NYT]
• CNN has been pulling out all the stops to cover the crisis in Haiti (not to mention invested in hundreds of tight t-shirts for Andy Cooper). And yet Fox News, which has sorta ignored the earthquake (and typically avoids covering stories involving poor black people) is still out in front in the ratings. [LAT]
• Kitty Kelley's tell-all about Oprah hits bookstores on Apr. 13. [AP]
• A Pulitzer for the National Enquirer? Stranger things have happened. [WP]
• HGTV and Food Network have returned to Cablevision customers. [NYT]
• Thanks to Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones, you'll be hearing "We Are the World" (Haiti 2010 edition) again in the near future. [Showbiz411]
• Madonna and Beyoncé have joined Team Clooney, FYI. [Reuters]
• So much for free content: Hulu may start charging its users to watch popular TV shows in the future; and YouTube is introducing pay-per-view videos.
• Is the Wall Street Journal really launching a travel agency? Yes. [E&P]
• Say goodbye (arrivederci?) to MTV's Jersey Shore. [NYM, Gawker, MTV]

It's not the first time this has been suggested. But, on the morning that John Edwards completely vindicates their reporting, and makes the outlets too squeamish to follow it up look silly, we'd like to re-state the case.

In your provocative Monday media column: debates over the National Enquirer's respectability and women's ability to be funny, a journalist is killed, and a new Vultureperson is hired.

• Rupert Murdoch is hoping to give the Times a run for its money. The mogul plans to put $15 million into the NYC edition of the Wall Street Journal. [NYO]
• ABC still hasn't said who's replacing Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, which has led to some "puzzlement and frustration" among staffers. [LAT]
• Why is Comcast planning to keep Jeff Zucker on as NBC Universal's CEO after it takes control of the company? There are no easy explanations, alas. [NYT]
• The Times may "prune" its collection of 70 blogs to cut expenses. [NYO]
• Sam Zell has stepped down as CEO of Tribune; he'll remain chairman. [NYT]
• The lineup for Sundance 2010 was announced today. [Vulture, NYT]
• Tiger Woods' spicy extracurricular activities would have come out two years ago if the National Enquirer hadn't cut a deal with the golfer. Allegedly. [NYP]

National Enquirer's story on Tiger Woods at center of cheating allegations: posted.