Last week's Republican National Convention sparked passionate debate over the qualifications and treatment of Sarah Palin as well as John McCain's poaching the message of "change" from the Democrats the week prior. Possibly lost in the shuffle was the relatively small amount of airplay given to the 9/11 attacks, especially when compared to how central a theme they were throughout the previous RNC held here in New York. Even Rudy Giuliani didn't spend a great......

Photoshop skills are necessary in the bitter cable news wars. TV Newser noticed how Fox & Friends responded to a Saturday NY Times article about the Fox News Channel's ratings--specifically how CNN and MSNBC have been able to make gains on Fox's leadership position. Pointing out that Times editor Steve Reddicliffe might be bitter about not getting paid $750,000 to edit News Corp.-owned TV Guide anymore, Fox & Friends' Steve Doocy said, "[Steinberg] is essentially......

The headline for the above-the-fold NY Times story about presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, For McCain, Self-Confidence on Ethics Poses Its Own Risk, doesn't quite prepare readers for the juicy insinuations waiting for them in the second paragraph. The first sentence notes that during McCain's 2000 presidential campaign advisers were worried because... A female lobbyist had been turning up with him at fund-raisers, visiting his offices and accompanying him on a client’s corporate......

Photograph of Bill, Chelsea, and Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night by Carolyn Kaster/AP Yet another example of foot-in-mouth syndrome due to the hours of punditry on TV, followed by an apology and suspension! Yesterday, while referring to Chelsea Clinton's campaigning on behalf of her mother, MSNBC correspondent David Shuster commented, "Doesn't it seem as if Chelsea is sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?" Yes, he totally said that. Or,......

Actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his downtown Manhattan apartment by the police. Some reports say he died from an overdose. UPDATE 5:00PM :According to the NYPD spokesman, Ledger, who was living in an apartment at Broome street, "had an appointment for a massage...The housekeeper who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there, and found him dead at 3:26 p.m" with "pills strewn all around him." The housekeeper and masseuse tried......

When the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting announced in June that they were proposing new rules for videographers, filmmakers and photographers - everyone who's ever seen an image of New York responded. The new rules that were met with opposition are summed up at the MOFTB website, which will also direct you to the 11 pages of single-spaced rules. Those 11 pages are now going to have to be rethought, as the MOFTB......

Today, the fourth suspect in the alleged plot to blow up a jet fuel pipeline at JFK airport and the vicinity surrendered to authorities in Trinidad. Abdel Nur is being questioned and will appear in court in the next few days. Two other suspects, Abdul Kadir and Kareem Ibrahim, were arrested in Trinidad on Saturday, while Russell Defreitas, a former air cargo worker at JFK was arrested in Brooklyn. Surveillance camera footage of Defreitas was......

This morning, NBC News President Steve Capus appeared on the Today show to discuss the immediate ending of radio shock jock Don Imus's MSNBC simulcast. Per TVNewser, Capus said:There's no question that his program has had provocative conversation and interesting conversation, deep conversation with thought leaders and political leaders through the years. But it's also had the other element. At some point you have to say 'enough is enough.' This went so far over......

Fox News Channel blowhard Bill O'Reilly and fellow Foxie Geraldo Rivera were in a heated argument on last night's edition of The O'Reilly Factor. The tiff was about a drunk driving illegal alien in Virginia killing someone and devolved into yelling and actual finger pointing with Geraldo starting out by pointing out to Bill that he was wrong. Since we usually avoid cable "news" like the plague, we were tipped to this morning, saw a......

NYU College Republicans say they are happy with the reaction from their planned "Illegal Immigrant Hunt" at Washington Square Park. They wanted to start a controversy and discussion - and that they did, with hundreds of protesters and more members of the media than actual College Republicans playing the game (by one count, twelve showed up, one signed up). College Republicans president Sarah Chambers told the Washington Square News, "Sometimes, you have to be......

Judge Larry Seidlin wept when he gave custody of Anna Nicole Smith's body would go to her baby Danielynn Smith. Well, make that Danielynn's legal guardian, Richard Milstein. Five-month-old Danielynn was practically the only person who wasn't fighting for her mother's body, and the AP called it a "surprise middle course" decision. However, Newsday's Star Struck blog called Seidiln's sobbing "possibly the most embarrassing thing on television since 'The Magic Hour.'" E! Online has......

A look at some noteworthy programs this week: Identity (WNBC 4 Monday, 9:00 p.m., Tuesday-Friday 8:00 p.m.) Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller hosts this 21st century remix of What's My Line. Yet another of NBC-Universal's NBC 2.0 budget saving measures, which focus on cheap bad programming like this. Ten years ago NBC was promoting the quality shows they had; now it is this retread schlock. NBC would do better by putting MSNBC's Countdown with......

Let's take a look back at a week that raised this Zen koan: if Kevin Federline got into a wrestling ring with a wrestler, who would you root for? Austinist was in an entertainment state of mind as they covered the dickens out of the Austin Film Festival, depicted all the Big 12 football coaches as South Park characters, and interviewed Jose Gonzalez. Chicagoist talked about the passion as they bid adieu to Bell......

Last night, Keith Olbermann gave an eight minute speech from the World Trade Center. It's a passionate criticsim of President Bush; here's part of it:However, of all the things those of us who were here five years ago could have forecast -- of all the nightmares that unfolded before our eyes, and the others that unfolded only in our minds -- none of us could have predicted this. Five years later this space is......

To get our minds off whether or not the President served in the guard, here's a link to an amazing Dubya moment. It's from Keith Olbermann's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and his reaction is priceless. And because there's no visual, Gothamist thought we would just run one from that oldie but goodie of a physical gaffe: President Bush falling off a Segway. [via burnlab - thanks, Dave]......

Michael Musto, Village Voice...

There have been questions about whether reporters' deaths are getting too much attention, rather than focusing on the soldiers. Gothamist understands that point, it's important to focus on the men and women doing the job, but if you have watched or read a certain journalist on a regular basis, for many years, inevitably, you develop a relationship with him/her. And that's the case with David Bloom, whether we watched him report from the White House......