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Bloggers 'Go Dark' in Support of Striking TV Writers (TV Week)
Although the Writers Guild of America's pre-strike media campaign was criticized as sluggish, the guild's headline-grabbing series of protests last week have managed to attract the sympathy of some viewers. Seventeen entertainment blogs — among them Televisionary, Give Me My Remote, and The TVAddict — will go dark Tuesday, replacing their sites with WGA solidarity statements. AP via USAT: Writers take kids to picket lines. CSM: The strike, now in week two, reverberates through the broader Los Angeles economy. LAT: Hollywood producers tell writers it's not their fault. FBLA: 24 Producer Predicts Long Strike

Post Music Critic Apologizes for 'Crack Addict' Email Remarks to Barry Aide (WaPo)
A Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the Washington Post has apologized to D.C. Council member Marion Barry for sending an intemperate email to his spokesman. "It's the stupidest thing I've done in 30 years in journalism," music critic Tim Page said yesterday. "I hope people won't judge me on this one explosion."

CBS Faces Strike on a Second Front (Hollywood Reporter via Reuters)
With a strike authorization vote looming later this week, CBS News is taking its case directly to nearly 500 writers, graphic artists, editors, and producers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington. A letter sent to Writers Guild of America, East members Monday outlined the company's position and said it was fair considering "the economic environment."

China Defends Databases on Foreign Journalists (Reuters)
Chinese Olympic officials defended on Tuesday the collection of information on journalists, saying such databases would be used to help the media at Beijing 2008, not to create blacklists or hinder reporting. The comments came a day after state media said authorities were building a database of information on about 30,000 foreign journalists accredited to cover Beijing 2008.

Jolie Writes for Economist Annual (Guardian)
The high-minded economic and political weekly has secured a sprinkling of stardust for The World in 2008, which is published tomorrow and contains predictions for next year. Angelina Jolie's piece on accountability for the atrocities in Darfur sits alongside contributions from several presidents, an exiled god-king, the head of the United Nations, and other political heavyweights.

Hillary's Strategy for 'Crushing Media' (TNR)
Michael Crowley: The Clinton machine, say reporters and pro-Hillary Democrats, is emulating nothing less than the model of the Bush White House, which has treated the press with thinly veiled contempt and minimal cooperation. "The Bush administration changed the rules," as one scribe puts it — and the Clintonites like the way they look.

FCC Chair: If We Don't Act to Help Newspapers, They Will Die (NYT)
FCC chairman Kevin Martin: A company that owns a newspaper in one of the 20 largest cities in the country should be permitted to purchase a broadcast TV or radio station in the same market. But a newspaper should be prohibited from buying one of the top four TV stations in its community. In addition, each part of the combined entity would need to maintain its editorial independence.

Sam Donaldson Mistakenly Identified on DC Madam's Phone List (Radar)
Rob Capriccioso, a Washington, D.C., blogger and sometime (now former) Radar freelancer, reported on his own blog, bigheaddc.com, this morning that Sam Donaldson's phone number appears on the D.C. Madam's supposed client list. What he didn't report is that Deborah Jean Palfry told him, repeatedly, in no uncertain terms, that her single telephone call to Donaldson had nothing to do with prostitution.

Warner TV to Launch Web Site to Draw Mothers (LAT)
In another step toward retooling its traditional business, Warner Bros. Television today plans to adopt some moms. Warner Bros. is introducing a community-oriented Web site, MomLogic.com. The venture is a grab for a bigger piece of the rapidly growing online advertising pie as TV loses viewers.

Slowing Economy Posing Test for Disney (NYT)
For the first time under Robert Iger's watch, Disney is sailing into some choppy waters. Two of the company's four growth engines — theme parks and consumer products — turn on the health of the economy, which indicators suggest is slowing. And striking television and movie writers threaten advertising income at ABC, which Disney owns.

Re-Launched MSNBC.Com Goes For Wider View (B&C)
MSNBC yesterday launched its redesigned msnbc.com Web site. Surfers will be able to customize the site to reorder the stories any way they like, says the news channel, including tabs that allow them to access up to 15 stories in each section. Those stories will also have more videos, photos, and slide shows.

Lifetime Net Relaunches Site With New Community Focus (Mediaweek)
Lifetime Networks is attempting to morph its Web site into a women's portal/community site through a comprehensive relaunch. To kickstart the transformation, LifeTimeTV.com has shifted to become myLifetime.com, which will ultimately mix advanced social networking functionality with broad interest women's-aimed content licensed from partners such as Hearst, About, and Glam Media.

Publishers: Why Count Only People Who Pay? (AdAge)
Newspapers' paying readership fell again in the industry's latest circulation reports last week, but publishers took the opportunity to make their boldest pitch yet for counting everyone who sees their news stories — whether by buying a copy or borrowing one, picking up a print copy or finding the paper online.

Online Comedy Business Booming (Variety)
In the months since Dane Cook first mounted his groundbreaking MySpace marketing campaign and Saturday Night Live's "Lazy Sunday" skit helped vault YouTube to a billion-dollar Google buyout, online comedy sites have become as common as bad party jokes. Besides MySpace, YouTube, and the online presence of established TV networks like Comedy Central and TBS, there are dozens of others.

Quilting Mag Guy Leaves His Readers In Stitches (WaPo)
Peter Carlson: Mark Lipinski is an impishly funny 50-year-old gay guy from New Jersey, a former producer for such daytime TV gabfests as Ricki Lake, Sally Jessy Raphael, and The View. He's now putting out a magazine that has caused much glee and some outrage in the wild, wacky world of quilting. "The other quilting magazines are a tea party," he says. "Mine is a cocktail party."