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Latenight Tries to Stage Comeback (Variety)
With latenight ratings continuing to plunge, the betting in network circles is that several hosts will be back on the air by Jan. 7, if not sooner. Nothing's been officially decided, and nobody will comment. But with the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers so broken up, people familiar with the situation said several hosts are nearing the conclusion that it's time to return.

Iowa Editor Throws Softballs at Debates (WaPo)
Dana Milbank: Carolyn Washburn, the editor of the Des Moines Register who moderated the presidential debates in Iowa, stunned the political world when she announced, at the beginning of the Republican debate on Wednesday, that she did not want to talk about Iraq and immigration, at least not in any "concentrated" way. She continued that policy Thursday with the Democrats, asking not a single question about Iraq.

Google Launches Site to Rival Wikipedia (Times of London)
Google is launching a rival to Wikipedia, the world's most popular online reference work. The new user-generated Google Web site, dubbed "knol," will be free to read and will invite "people who know a particular subject to write an authoritative article about it," Udi Manber, a Google engineer, said on an official company blog.

Will Google Force Time Warner to Take AOL Public? (Silicon Alley Insider)
Now that another round of surgical layoffs is done, the new buzz in Dulles is whether AOL investor Google will exercise its right to force Time Warner to take AOL public or buy its AOL stock back (with the choice between the two being Time Warner's).

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