Over at FishbowlDC, our learned cousin is lamenting Howie Kurtz's vacation plans - because whenever Howie Kurtz goes on vacation, inevitably some huge media story is about to break. "Thus it was with some trepidation," says cousin FBDC, "that we noticed the announcement last week that he'd be on vacation." Of course, we all know the story Kurtz is away for. Though, of course, Kurtz being Kurtz, it would take more than a vacation to keep him from weighing in appropriately on Peter Jennings:

Jennings, who died Sunday from lung cancer, was a man of contradictions: A high-school dropout who got his education around the globe as a foreign correspondent. A Canadian who came to love America and tearfully got his citizenship after 9/11. A fiercely disciplined journalist whose personal life encompassed four marriages. A hugely successful anchor who joked about how awful he had been during his first tour of duty in that coveted chair, when he was in his twenties.

FishbowlDC backs up his "Vacation Curse" theory with hard data: the Jayson Blair scandal broke while he was getting married in California in 2003. Deep Throat broke in May, during Kurtz's last so-called vacation. The upshot? Watch Kurtz's schedule - because when it's time off for him, prepare to get busy.

The Vacation Curse [FishbowlDC]
That Soothing Voice [WaPo]

Related:

TVNewser, of course, continues to have stellar coverage of Peter Jennings.