Dan Abrams, founder of the mediaite.com website network, had a lot of exciting news to share on Monday. For starters, he says he will be announcing in the next few weeks a new site to go along with the eight that already make up his group including gossipcop.com and stylite.com.

In addition, as part of some recent staff changes and promotions, Matt Wilstein is mediaite.com’s new LA bureau chief, effective January 7. Wilstein comes to the operation after launching the comedy-and-politics blog Gotcha Media in November 2008. He will among other things oversee expanded coverage of late night talk shows, just in time for Jimmy Kimmel‘s move tonight to 11:35 p.m.

Other staff changes at Abrams Media include: the addition of a pair of full-time writers to geekosystem.com (Steven Romano, Glen Tickle); the hiring of writer Colette McIntyre at thejanedough.com, where Sarah Devlin has also been promoted to the overseeing of day-to-day operations; and the addition there of regular contributor Meredith Lepore, formerly EIC of thegrindstone.com.

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Exhibit A is today’s Hollywood Reporter item by Eriq Gardner titled “Fashion Photographer Sues Mediaite Over Photographs of Kate Moss’ Sister.” Exhibit B is a response to that article on Mediate from site owner Dan Abrams.

Under the headline “Getting Sued Sucks, But Dealing with a Shady, Hollywood Reporter ‘Journalist’ is Worse,” Abrams bemoans the fact that Gardner went ahead and published the story in the middle of seeking official comment. An email request came in to Abrams a half-hour before the story went live, but some subsequent, more detailed correspondence took place about a half-hour after publication. Writes Abrams:

The Hollywood Reporter story was riddled with errors because Gardner apparently wanted to get this story up quickly, rather than get the story right. Ah, the sweet revenge on the legal analyst.

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Resident Evil Reigns Supreme
Milla Jovovich and her Resident Evil franchise again took the top spot at the boxoffice over the weekend. The Sony horror pic Resident Evil: Extinction raked in an estimated $24 million while the Jessica Alba, Dane Cook romantic comedy Good Luck Chuck was only good enough for a second place finish with $14 million, reports Variety.

Washington, Scott Together Again
Variety is also reporting that Denzel Washington will reteam with longtime collaborator Tony Scott on a remake of The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3 for Columbia Pictures. The studio’s Spider-Man 4 scribe David Koepp wrote the screenplay for the redo which will find Washington in a role originally played by Walter Matthau in the 1974 film.

Changes at MSNBC Confirmed
THR’s Paul Gough reports on some major changes inside MSNBC including news about Dan Abrams and Joe Scarborough. The latter, who replaced Don Imus with a morning show, will get to keep the job and continue hosting Morning Joe.

- CHRIS GARDNER