I knew it was going to be quite the scene at Michael’s today when a little birdie told me that there was going to be a lunch for Liz Smith celebrating the grand dame of gossip’s upcoming birthday at Table One. Suffice to say I wasn’t disappointed. None other than Shirley MacLaine stopped by to say hello to Liz (more on why later), and I got to chat with the legendary actress about her guest-starring stint on Downton Abbey. While the entire restaurant swiveled in our general direction, I jumped up from my seat to ask about her experience on PBS’ smash hit and she couldn’t have been more gracious.

“I loved doing the show,” she told me. “Everyone was so welcoming and great about everything. I was amazed that no matter what the weather — because it rained a lot when we were shooting — they all went on as if the sun was shining. They were wonderfully professional.” Her character, Martha Levinson, appeared in only two episodes but left quite an impact on viewers — particularly when Martha sparred with Violet, the Dowager Countess played by the legendary Maggie Smith. “That was one of my favorite days on the set,” Ms. MacLaine told me of the scene where she and Ms. Smith sat for hours in a church pew waiting for the ill-fated wedding of Lady Edith to begin. “We spent eight hours talking about life, and we never ran out of things to say.” I bet. Before she dashed out the door — she only stayed long enough to say her hellos — I asked whether she’d be returning to the series and she said, “Yes. We start shooting soon. I’m looking forward to it.” So are we.

Liz Smith with her party pals and her armadillo cake

Now, back to Liz’s lunch (described as a “southern confab”), which Hearst’s Deb Shriver put together with scribe Julia Reed and ‘Mayor’ Joe Armstrong. Deb was putting the finishing touches on the table, which included a bouquet of yellow roses arranged in Joe’s Texas bronzed boot and a specially designed menu (fried chicken, collard greens and corn bread) featuring a photo of Liz at a year old. Liz and Joe have a long friendship that dates back to 1968 when Joe first arrived in New York and met the fellow Texan. They forged an unbreakable bond. “I didn’t know one person when I came here and found out she was raised a block from where my mama grew up in Fort Worth. She was the only person I met who I thought didn’t talk with an accent.” The two have been great pals ever since.

Shirley MacLaine stops by Michael’s

Southern belle Deb, who has written two fabulous books on New Orleans including the gorgeous Stealing Magnolias: Tales from a New Orleans Courtyard, surprised Liz with one of the most unusual birthday cakes ever served at Michael’s or anywhere else for that matter, and had a Brooklyn baker recreate the Steel Magnolias armadillo red velvet cake. Ms. MacLaine, as you might recall, was one of the stars of the 1989 film, and she arrived with the film’s screenwriter Robert Harling to jazz up the festivities. They departed before Michael’s staff paraded through the dining room with the life-size armadillo on a platter, raising  more than a few eyebrows. Clearly thrilled by the gesture, Liz was served the head of the baked beast while the rest of the guests dug into the ‘carcass.’ Mmm… yummy.

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Social media can be a boon and a bane to companies and consumers alike. It’s undoubtedly true that brands and consumers can have a constructive dialogue on Twitter and Facebook. Case in point: A WSJ subscriber misses an issue and tweets his displeasure to head honcho Rupert Murdoch himself. Not only did he get a reply, but some quality customer service as well!

Unfortunately, trolls abound in the online world and can drown out those offering constructive criticism. How can you tell the haters from those that are worth responding to? And how can you manage your time when it comes to responding to criticism? In the latest Mediabistro feature, social media experts weigh in on how to handle negative feedback in a way that’s best for you and your audience.

One big piece of advice: don’t just delete.

“How you handle a negative comment says much more about you than the comment itself,” said Shama Kabani, CEO of The Marketing Zen Group. “Removing a comment can lead to others accusing you of censorship and, at worst, can lead to a PR disaster.”

For more, read 7 Tips for Responding to Negative Social Media Feedback. [Mediabistro AvantGuild subscription required]

The massive layoffs at Time Inc. that we’ve been hearing about start today. According to Bloomberg News, about 500 people will find themselves out of a job when it’s all said and done. That represents a six percent reduction of the company’s workforce. While 500 is less than originally estimated, it’s still awful news.

“With the significant and ongoing changes in our industry, we must continue to transform our company into one that is leaner, more nimble and more innately multi-platform,” wrote Laura Lang, Time Inc.’s CEO, in a memo. “To make this change, we need to operate as smartly and efficiently as possible to create room for critical investments and new initiatives. These reductions are part of this important transformation process.”

For Lang’s complete note, head over to Jim Romenesko’s site.

“I thought it was going to [last] like a year or two,” Fran Healy, host of MSG’s Halls of Fame, tells FishbowlNY.

Instead, the 30-minute sports interview program is still going strong at 25 years. As the title indicates, Healy does a one-on-one with athletes who have been enshrined in their sports’ Halls of Fame. Occasionally, Healy will interview those “sure fire” Hall candidates (such as Greg Maddux) while still playing.

A one-time Yankee player and longtime broadcaster, Healy’s early guests on the show have a bust in Cooperstown. Before long, Healy branched out to cover NBA, NFL, and NHL greats.

Last month, it came full circle for Healy. He sat down with Ann Meyers-Drysdale, the widow of Don Drysdale, who was his first interviewee in 1988.

“I believe they’re the only husband-wife in their respective Halls of Fame,” Healy says.

Healy estimated that he conducted between 300 and 500 interviews for Halls.

“I never tallied it up, how about that one?” Healy laughs.

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It’s official: New York’s Country station is now WNSH/NASH FM 94.7. The temporary WRXP call letters now belong to a station in Minnesota.

The newly acquired Cumulus station made the historic move to Country last week. Now, the nationwide search begins for an air staff and a combination program director/air personality.

Ed Salamon knows all about programming Country in New York. During the latter half of the 1970s Salamon was in charge at WHN, the most successful Country station New York has ever heard.

The timing was right for a Country return, and also for Salamon to write a book detailing his memories from the WHN days. While he puts the finishing touches on the book, due out next month, it’s a perfect opportunity to pick Salamon’s brain about NASH.

• Related: FishbowlNY, Country is back in NYC

Salamon, who lives in Nashville, took advantage of the Web site’s streaming live feature. Waiting another month or two before NASH starts to use live jocks, Salamon cautions anyone from being critical as this isn’t the final product.

“I can’t be listening and commenting on it, because it’s going to be something different,” Salamon says.

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Avid listeners to Classical station WQXR don’t need a formal introduction to Midge Woolsey. She started as a weekend host under The New York Times ownership. Later, she moved to weeknights, and since 2009 Woolsey has been on the middays.

That is all about to end.

After 20 years, Woolsey is singing a Brahms lullaby, as she holds fort on her final broadcast Thursday.

“Anyone would consider it an honor to be a part of what’s gone on, and what is going on at WQXR,” Woolsey tells FishbowlNY. “I can’t think of a better place to be doing the job that I’ve been doing. There is no better place.”

For the veteran broadcaster, she’ll miss everything attached to ‘QXR.

“It’s the whole package. It’s the connection that we make everyday with the listeners,” Woolsey says.

Those loyal fans have been writing well wishes to Woolsey on their Web site. Perhaps from the strong bond that classical music aficionadoes have with their station, many comments were equally passionate about the longtime host.

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Dr. Oz — America’s favorite wacky medical professional — is rumored to be launching a magazine. The New York Post reports that Oz is partnering with Hearst to debut a glossy later this year.

While both sides refused to comment on the plans, a source told the Post that a contract was “about 90 percent there.”

According to Oz, if you subscribe to the title and — at least once a month — rub the cover on your buttocks, you will lower your cholesterol.*

* — This, like various other Oz statements, has not been verified by factual evidence.

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SocialTimes: Google is launching a paywall for some YouTube channels. As long as they don’t make us pay to watch “Word Up,” we’re good.

FishbowlDC: Joe Scarborough will defend his sweater collection to the death.

TVNewser: People were surprised 60 Minutes’ puff interview with President Obama and Hillary Clinton was puffy.

It’s still early, but we think Vogue has published the most intolerable article of 2013. “American Pastoral: Miranda Brooks and Bastien Halard’s Brooklyn Home” is horrible in every way possible; thrusting privileged quaintness at readers like a hammer bludgeoning a skull. Let’s go ahead and count up all the times we wanted to vomit while reading the piece, shall we?

“Did you feed the bunnies?” Miranda Brooks asks her husband, Bastien Halard, as she ladles cauliflower soup into an antique ironstone china bowl.

This is the first goddamn sentence. If you can’t stomach this, just close this tab and forget you ever heard of this article. Go on, save yourself. It’s better this way. Still here? Grab some Pepto, because this is about to get downright nasty.

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