Reader’s Digest just published a piece titled the “100 Most Trusted People in America” and Tom Hanks took the top spot. This is not surprising. Hanks is perhaps the most boring dude alive. You know those dreams you have where nothing significant happens and you wake up knowing you had a dream so you feel like you should tell someone about it but it’s so vague you end up not saying anything? That’s what hanging out with Hanks is like.

Anyway, Sandra Bullock was number two in the poll. Which uh, see above.

Other highlights:

• Jay Leno was more trusted than David Letterman (were people drunk when they voted?)
• Robin Roberts was the most trusted woman on TV
• Other highly trusted media people include Diane Sawyer, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Barbara Walters, Anderson Cooper, Oprah Winfrey, George Stephanopoulos, Scott Pelley, Kelly Ripa, Steve Harvey and Savannah Guthrie.
• Judge Judy is more trusted than Matt Lauer.

It may be tough for journos to break into book-writing, but for Denene Millner, landing her first book deal in 1997 was “a total fluke.”

The journo wrote a feature story for the New York Daily News about how the relationship book The Rules wouldn’t work for black women and, by 3:00 p.m. that day, Millner had landed a book deal for that very subject. Since then, she’s penned 21 titles, including Steve Harvey‘s bestseller, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.

“It opened doors for me for other projects, because when other celebrities are considering who should write their book, they’re going to see my representation and my reputation as a writer,” Millner told Mediabistro about the runaway hit. “You know, New York Times-bestselling writer and top-selling book of 2009 is a hell of a calling card. In some other ghostwriting projects, my name hasn’t even been on the spine or the title page, but I try my best to negotiate that so that somebody knows I wrote it besides my family. It opens a lot of doors for more work, which is kind of awesome. It’s all any writer can ask.”

For more, read So What Do You Do, Denene Millner, Co-Author of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man?

New York Live and its predecessor LX New York have made more changes on the WNBC schedule than a game of three card monte. The latest switcheroo may be a surprise to many. As we reported in March, WNBC announced that New York Live would be canceled in time for fall programming. True to their word, Steve Harvey takes the 3 p.m. slot with the debut of his new syndicated talk show September 4.

And that would be the end of the line for New York Live.

Quietly, however, in just the last few weeks, the show has apparently been given another life. New York Live is making the move to 12:30 p.m., immediately after the noon newscast.

Some changes are coming to the program, though. Most notably, the time has been trimmed to just 30 minutes. Lead host Jane Hanson will not be part of the shorter entertainment/lifestyle broadcast.

“It just didn’t work for me for a number of different reasons,” Hanson tells FishbowlNY. “One of them is financially. There wasn’t the same kind of pay involved… I just could not afford to take that job.”

In the end, it wasn’t a tough decision to walk away, but Hanson still has fond memories of New York Live.

“We were really gaining momentum too. We had great [fan] response… we interacted the audience in unusual ways because we always had that chat at the bottom of the page,” Hanson says. “That part I’ll miss.”

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It’s been a tumultous run for New York Live. The lifestyle and fashion-heavy show is being canceled in the fall, a WNBC spokeswoman confirms to FishbowlNY.

New York Live, originally called LX New York, debuted to much criticism in September 2009 when it replaced news at 5 p.m.  

But audiences never fully latched on.

By February 2010, Jane Hanson, a Channel 4 veteran anchor and recent cast off, was brought on board for stability to the sinking ship with co-anchor Sara Gore. Jacque Reid was added as a third host in September 2011.

But the die was cast in May 2011, when the LX TV-produced program opted for the name change from LX New York. Four months later, WNBC did an about-face–reinstating news at 5 p.m. and moving New York Live to 3 p.m.  

The spokeswoman says no decision has been made “as to what programming will take that time slot,” but the Daily News speculates that syndicated talk shows hosted by Jeff Probst and Steve Harvey are both likely candidates to grab the 3 p.m. time slot.

WNBC and its digital outfit New York Nonstop, held the 2nd annual Nonstop Day of Giving Telethon last month. Partnered with WOR and WBLS, WNBC raised close to $195,000 to benefit City Harvest, an organization dedicated to feeding hungry men, women, and children in New York City. The money raised will allow City Harvest to rescue and deliver more than 720,000 pounds of food to those in need.

“Working with such influential media partners has greatly helped us to raise awareness about City Harvest’s mission,” says Michael Jack, WNBC general manager and president. “The continued success of the Nonstop Day of Giving allows us to further advance the cause of ending hunger, an issue facing more New Yorkers than ever before.”

Ahead of the holiday season, on December 15, famed DJ Egypt of WBLS and Governor David Paterson of WOR, each had special guests on their shows, which were based from the NBC Experience Store at 30 Rock.

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This isn’t only the time of the year for family and friends to gather. It is also the time to think about the less fortunate.

New York Nonstop is hosting today’s 2nd Annual Nonstop Day of Giving. New York Nonstop, the digital arm of WNBC, is partnering with City Harvest, WBLS, and WOR for the day-long charity telethon that runs until 8 p.m.

This year, the station joined forces with City Harvest, the world’s first food rescue organization feeding the hungry of New York City, as well as new media partner, radio station WBLS, along with returning media partner WOR radio.  Both radio stations will be broadcasting at times throughout the day from the MSNBC.com Digital Café at the NBC Experience store in Rockefeller Plaza.  WNBC will also feature live highlights direct from Rockefeller Center with celebrities, local dignitaries, and key business people who will talk about their charities and the importance of giving.

Proceeds from the Nonstop Giving telethon will benefit City Harvest, a nonprofit organization dedicated to feeding New York City’s hungry men, women, and children for more than 25 years.  Those interested in making a donation can call 1-800-826-9888.  

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