An opinion column published today on the San Diego area Poway Patch is not so much ahead of the game as right on top of the new mandate from Arianna Huffington to get more clicks. FishbowlLA can attest to the fact that even several months now after the Arnold Schwarzenegger scandal, news items named “Maria” continue to fly off the hit stats sheet.

In defense of Poway pundit Colleen O’Connor, a former college history professor and co-editor of a book about Eleanor Roosevelt, the idea of Maria Shriver running for Dianne Feinstein‘s seat in 2012 is intriguing grist for the Brentwood mill. In the column, O’Connor urges readers to “stay with me here” before listing a baker’s dozen of Maria trump cards, including:

- A Rolodex of Kennedy supporters (Dems) and Schwarzenegger supporters (Reps).

- Roman Catholic in a state which is home to the famous “Reagan Democrats”—aka, Catholics who are the swing bloc voters in most elections.

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In the wake of last week’s item by Andrew Malcolm about First Lady Michelle Obama allegedly being snubbed by the President of South Africa during a visit there, Mail & Guardian website editor Chris Roper (pictured) did a little digging. What he unearthed does not reflect well on Malcolm.

Roper notes that Malcolm sourced a June 21 report in the Telegraph by Aislinn Laing, who basically made something out of absolutely nothing. He also takes issue with the “Top of the Ticket” lede:

The peevishness of the opening paragraph said it all. “Well, who wants to meet the President of South Africa anyway?” It’s breathtaking in its childishness, and insulting.

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The last time James Frey appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show it was to receive a public spanking for passing off his largely fictional tome A Million Little Pieces as a memoir. That was 2006, and Frey has had some time to recover.

He also has a new book to plug, The Final Testament of the Holy Bible, an admittedly fictional novel about a re-imagined Jesus Christ living in modern times. Frey seems to have embraced controversy as his ticket back to the best seller list — his version of Christ is a bed-hopping, bisexual troublemaker.

So why is Oprah having the disgraced author back on her show? An unnamed source tells the New York Post:

Oprah apologized to James a couple of years ago, and he appreciated it. So he agreed to go back on her show and talk about everything that’s happened over the last five years.

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Here are a couple of stats that may shock you: the John Tesh Radio Show is heard on hundreds of radio stations across North America each week, including 95.9 FM in Los Angeles; and together with Tesh.com, this mixture of homegrown music and life advice employs a staff of 300 people.

Ahead of a concert performance Friday in Marion, Ohio, the former Entertainment Tonight golden boy shared some intriguing media observations with Columbus Dispatch reporter Kevin Joy (the source of that astounding employee stat). Tesh finds TMZ hysterical, recalls how PBS mocked his plan to rent the Red Rocks Ampitheatre in 1994, and says Oprah was born to do what she does:

Both worked at Nashville TV stations in the 1970s – Tesh at an NBC affiliate (where Wheel of Fortune mainstay Pat Sajak was the weatherman) and a young Oprah Winfrey at another local station. “Oprah was famous for going to a garden party and ad-libbing,” Tesh said. “She could literally interview people for a half hour about nothing, and it was entertaining. She had her own show before she had her own show.”

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There’s not much left to laugh at when it comes to Charlie Sheen. Per tonight’s latest “Sheen’s Korner” Internet broadcast, the actor is still – albeit in a more scripted, Teleprompter form – desperately trying to channel the spirit of Hunter S. Thompson.

In lieu of accompanying illustrations from gonzo artist Ralph Steadman, Sheen fans can instead look forward to an upcoming graphic novel from Bluewater Productions. Other media stars given this treatment by the Vancouver, WA company include the much saner quartet of Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Barbara Walters, and Meredith Vieira, for the title Female Force: Women in Media.

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We don’t believe in Oprah but we’re afraid of her. Bill Maher‘s a brave, brave man.

Even though graphic designer Calvin Lee (pictured) tells Forbes there’s no way he can presently afford Audi’s new A8, which starts at around $79,000, he was hand-picked by the auto manufacturer to test drive the car. Crazy? Absolutely.

Because Lee has managed to build up an unusually high measure of loyalty via his Twitter account @MayhemStudios, he is suddenly awash in complimentary product testing opportunities. Along with Audi, the hit parade includes Virgin America, Toyota and Hewlett-Packard.

Lee sounds as dumbfounded as Forbes reporter Victoria Barret:

“I’m not really sure why this all happened… It all feels a bit surreal, and I’m not sure where to take it,” he says. Lee is 41-years-old. He isn’t married and doesn’t have kids.

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Reporter Brandon Voss of The Advocate scored a saucy slice of celeb-on-celeb action this weekend. In a December 11th declaration that is already being heavily re-discussed by gossip and media pundits, actress Carrie Fisher had this to say about John Travolta:

My feeling about John has always been that we know [he's gay] and we don’t care. Look, I’m sorry that he’s uncomfortable with it, and that’s all I can say. It only draws more attention to it when you make that kind of legal fuss. Just leave it be.

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Warner Bros. has released an online teaser for the last film in the Harry Potter series. The studio is doing it’s best to capitalize on the final book, breaking Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two feature length films, to be released on Nov. 19, 2010 and July 15, 2011. JK Rowling told Oprah Winfrey that she might have more Harry Potter books in her, but when questioned by Scholastic Magazine, actors Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe said they’re done with the series. Radcliffe observed that “ten years is enough,” and Watson said, “No, I wouldn’t return, it feels so complete what we’ve done.”

So enjoy the final, drawn out chapter, cause these kids have had enough:

In the triumph of the human spirit story of the decade, the beaten but not out Jay Leno is leaving the 10:00 time slot for the original Tonight Show spot after the local news.

What a nail biter. Tear jerker. Heart warmer.

On a serious note: here are some pictures of the dismantling of Conan O’Brien‘s Tonight Show set. And here‘s a weird factually incorrect anecdote from Leno about Super Bowl spot with David Letterman and Oprah.

CORRECTION: We originally said Jay moves back tomorrow. It’s just his last show at 10pm today. He moves back next month.

Previously on FBLA: