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J.Diddy Sprung, Plame Source Was Libby (NYT)
New York Times reporter Judith Miller was released from a Virginia detention center after she and her lawyers reached an agreement with a federal prosecutor in which she would testify before a grand jury. WaPo: I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, chief of staff for Vice President Cheney, assured her in a telephone call last week that a waiver he gave prosecutors authorizing them to question reporters about their conversations with him was not coerced. E&P: Statements by Sulzberger, Keller, and Miller on her release. AP via Yahoo: Miller to testify today. LAT: Miller's agreement to cooperate suggests that Fitzgerald may be in a position to wrap up his investigation.

Judge Orders Release of More Abu Ghraib Pics (WaPo)
A judge ordered the release of dozens more pictures of prisoners being abused at Abu Ghraib, rejecting government arguments that the images would provoke terrorists and incite violence against U.S. troops.

We Like to Watch (Reuters)
The all-time high television viewing level posted for the 2004-05 television season was up nearly 3 percent from the previous year and 12.5 percent from a decade ago, according to Nielsen.

Punk'd?: OK! Pays $3M for Demi/Ashton Wedding Pics (Lowdown)
The notoriously deep-pocketed Brit glossy is reportedly forking over that eye-popping sum for intimate photographs of the kabbala-style ceremony and an exclusive interview with the newlyweds.

Mansueto Taps Berentson as New Inc. Editor (NYP)
Jane Berentson had most recently been executive editor at Real Simple. From 2002 to 2004 she had been the executive editor of Inc., working under John Koten. [Middle of column.]

Cronkite Endorses Single-Anchor Format for CBS (LAT)
"I just hope they're careful with it," former anchor Walter Cronkite said. "I hope they're not bent on changing the format because they want to be more entertaining. We've got to be on guard constantly to eschew entertainment in the news. That's not our function."

So Maybe Good Journalism Does Pay... (NYDN)
Peter Jennings left a fortune worth more than $50 million to his wife and two children. The ABC News anchor's will was filed Wednesday in Manhattan Surrogate's Court.

Murdoch Buys Into Indonesian TV Network (IHT)
Star TV will buy 20 percent of the national network ANTV, giving it a firmer foothold in Asia's third most populous country at a time when the Indonesian television advertising market is booming.

Here's Looking at You, Kid (NYT)
TCM, formally Turner Classic Movies, long a favorite of older viewers drawn to its movies from the golden age of Hollywood, is now trying to appeal to younger film fans.

Esquire Writer Wikis His Wiki Article (CNET)
When writer A.J. Jacobs decided to do an article about the freely distributable and freely editable online encyclopedia Wikipedia, he posted a crummy, error-laden draft of the story to the site.

Who Will Sub for Mommy Fey on SNL? (USAT)
Creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels says Tina Fey's absence is open-ended. "She knows that she should come back when she feels up to it. I don't have any idea when that will be."

Stewart Skewers Mag Editors, Industry at MPA Panel (Folio:)
Daily Show host Jon Stewart poked fun at Time's Jim Kelly, Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter and others in front of 1,000-plus executives at Lincoln Center in New York. FishbowlNY: This was no roast, it was a vivisection, a live vivisection (redundant, we know, but it still sounds right).

Vice Squad Cleans Up (BusinessWeek)
Jon Fine: Vice magazine, which reliably regards the world with unbridled ridicule, is often so far and away the funniest print publication in the world that it's sort of embarrassing to compare anything else with it.

Wedding Mags Are Hot, Why Not One for Divorce? (Guardian)
A new glossy magazine about divorce has been launched in Germany, entitled Rosenkrieg, or War of the Roses. The title includes articles from lawyers, psychologists, therapists and accountants on all facets of a permanent separation.

Frank's Rich (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: Clearly, Frank Rich accomplishes a columnist's primary mission: he inspires passionate feelings of loyalty and loathing from readers.

Cooper's Intensity (Yale Daily News)
"In my view, to artificially remove yourself from a story is as big of a mistake as to artificially insert yourself in a story," says Anderson Cooper. "I don't believe in doing that. I don't believe in making yourself part of a story, but at the same time, I don't believe in pretending that I'm not there."

Sites of Mass Description (Economist)
New "tagging" websites make it easier to share content, find items of interest, and form online communities.

Paris Producers Proposition Pervy Pops (MSNBC)
Jeanette Walls: Expect the hubbies in the new season of The Simple Life to be a bit randy. The show's producers are looking for dads who are likely to make a play for Paris or Nicole.

—David S. Hirschman

IN YESTERDAY'S MB BLOGS:

Today, GMA Compete For Compassion -- But Are They Getting Too Involved? [TVNewser]
"TV Morning Shows in Compassion Competition" is David Bauder's AP headline. He sums up "Humanity Plaza" and "GMA Gets It Done," and says: "While few can argue the cause's worthiness, the efforts raise questions about the extent broadcast news divisions should get involved.

Flip Cup [FishbowlDC]
We've heard of Situation Room drinking games, but we didn't really think we'd see people doing them on air.

Judith Miller Released [FishbowlNY]
Incarcerated NYT reporter Judith Miller was released from prison today after reaching an agreement with federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to testify before the grand jury -- 85 days after her stubborn refusal to do so sent her to jail.

Behind Geffen's froth hides the real question about SKG [FishbowlLA]
Lost in the myriad coverage of news that NBC Universal won't pay a billion dollars for DreamWorks is any discussion of how a triumvirate of arguably the most powerful Hollywood guys of their generation could have failed so utterly to build a successful conglomerate.

J-Franz Trails After Vidal; Ben Marcus Could've Guessed! [GalleyCat]
Last February, Gore Vidal popped up in the New York Times Book Review with an appreciation of James Purdy, which included a lengthy plot synopsis of the 1967 novel Eustace Chisholm and the Works--occasioned by the republication of that book (and a few other Purdy works) by Carroll & Graf. This week, as the judge for the Mercantile Library's Clifton Fadiman Medal, given annually "to recognize a work of fiction by a living American author who deserves recognition and a wider readership," Jonathan Franzen selected Eustace Chisholm.*

Just When We Thought The Last Thing We Needed Was More Bloggery [UnBeige]
Our bff 4eva Steve Heller slipped mention of the School for Visual Arts MFA program's upcoming blog, CRIT, when he moderated the blog panel at the AIGA, and he wasn't lying. The site launched a couple days ago and we've been watching.

Help Desk: 9.29.05 [mbToolbox]
Q: I'd like to write an article about weight loss, but I'm not a medical professional and I'm not sure how to make it unique. Do you have any ideas?