Forbes has come out with its annual list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” and, as is to be expected, several recognizable names in media made the cut. According to Forbes, the women on the list were selected “not just for being on top” but also for “being smack in the middle of Richter-registering events.” (Quite literally in some instances, if yesterday’s east coast earthquake is taken into account.)

Despite what many may think about the political leanings of those that work in the media, accepted journalistic standards are to try to adopt a neutral stance in sharing the news and keep political leanings ambiguous. So, when lists of campaign donors are published and it is revealed that media figures have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for politicians, things get a little complicated.

I recently stumbled on a little antique market and, there, a 1977 issue of New York magazine. In this particular issue: Seattle Slew’s chances in the Triple Crown (good), the opening of Studio 54 (bananas), and a shocking review of Annie Hall. But check out the inspirational cover story for our friends in the media industry. For if you’re struggling every day to publish magazines and newspapers that, unfortunately, probably won’t be along much longer (or websites that, unfortunately, will) – at least you’re not making $23,200 a year.*

The year 2009 had many media bright spots, break-out stars, dominating networks and game-changing technologies. The Mediaite 50 collects the finest, most exemplary innovators and influencers of the year, defining a media moment in time and setting the agenda as we move forward. See the full list after the jump:

Who’s prettier, more conniving and more ambitious: the characters from the CW’s Gossip Girl or the media elite? Both live in worlds of ambition, access, even backstabbing, and some might say it’s all one big popularity contest. But it’s not just beauty and a knack for spreading news quickly that unite our favorite teen-soap and the media figures whose every move we track. Spotted: Our favorite Gossip Girl characters and their real-life media counterparts.

Last week, Jake Tapper‘s potential facial hair (and high profile interviews) made him a big gain on the Power Grid — all the way up to the #2 spot. Then, he spoke out about the government’s campaign against Fox News and he came out ahead. Plus: Erin Andrews and Ann Coulter!

Mediaite first reported that layoffs at Vogue would be announced yesterday. Peter Kafka at All Things D later reported that at least six have been laid off (we had heard that seven were let go). Today we are hearing that another title will be letting staffers go, though its unclear at this point which magazine will be making the cuts.

It has been widely reported that nearly every surviving title at Condé Nast has been tasked with cutting 25% of their overall budgets. We also know that the Editors-in-Chief at each title have been given the leeway to make the cuts as they see fit, on their own schedule. The timing of these cuts has been closely guarded until now, and it remains unclear when cuts will come for each title.

UPDATE – All Things D reports that at least six have been laid off.

Things almost seemed normal again at New York’s just-concluded Fashion Week. Yes, some of the fabrics on the runways might have been cheaper, and bottles of water were handed out at shows instead glasses of Veuve. But as in years past, Vogue editor Anna Wintour still reigned supreme as she sat front-row at the most [...]

Slate’s Jack Shafer comparing the fate of Conde Nast to that of that other overreaching, reality-ignoring American powerhouse, General Motors. Next up: Graydon Carter and Anna Wintour fly to Washington in their private jets to beg for a bailout!

Though the Power Grid is often a lesson in maintaining influence over time (see: Anna Wintour), due to its automated algorithm, movement in the ranks can often be traced directly to a piece of news or media event. And it’s not the movement that is interesting in and of itself, but the reasons behind it.

This week, Erin Andrews is a perfect example.

the shuttering of Gourmet remains to many the biggest shock of today’s Condé Nast layoffs. The fate of its equally well-known editor Ruth Reichl is unknown right now, though considering the company plans to keep both the publishing and television arm of Gourmet active chances are they will find a place for her. That said, what does Reichl’s precarious position say about the fate of Condé’s other high profile editors?

With all the recent talk of McKinsey and the demise of Condé Nast, it is with some nostalgia (and perhaps some little schadenfreude) that we recall a time when a ride in the Condé elevators was enough of a life- (and closet!) changing experience that the Times felt the need to devote an entire column to it.

Mediaite experienced some déjà vu this morning when the press release for the brand new Atlantic 50 landed in our inbox. The ’50,’ we were informed “follows hundreds of leading opinion-makers and commentators to provide an essential framework to the day’s best analysis and most daring and important arguments.” Sound familiar? To us, too!

The money’s not coming into Condé Nast like it used to, and the company’s days of lavish spending have to end. Will Graydon Carter, who reportedly makes over $2 million a year, be able to survive at the company in his current incarnation?

Somewhere between Fashion’s Night Out on Thursday night, the eve of Fashion Week, and Jay-Z‘s “Answer the Call” September 11th memorial concert on Friday at Madison Square Garden, we learned a little something about Anna Wintour: Rappers love her.

In a global effort to “promote retail, restore consumer confidence, and celebrate fashion,” Miss Wintour and company organized last night’s Fashion’s Night Out in New York City and other fashion capitals around the world. But a muted response (and lackluster retail forecast) begs the question: If Anna Wintour can’t save the economy…then who the hell can?

Today in The Daily Beast, Tina Brown remarks on the somewhat remarkable image recovery Anna Wintour has undergone since the release of the documentary The September Issue. As a former, high profile, controversial, Conde Nast editrix, Brown probably knows a little from whereof she speaks.

After a strong showing in The September Issue, Vogue‘s Anna Wintour tops Forbes‘ “2009′s Most Powerful Fashion Magazine Editors” list. But more interesting than the number one spot are the multimedia moves Wintour and her fellow editors made to retain relevance, not to mention Forbes‘ overlap with our own Power Grid rankings.

The September Issue, released in theaters this past weekend, follows Anna Wintour and her Vogue flock through nine months worth of planning, shooting, and laying out for Vogue’s 2007 September issue — fashion’s annual bible. 2007′s issue marked the publication’s largest issue in history, a stark contrast from this year’s September issue, which now sits on newsstands looking as skinny as its creators. But what appeared on the surface to be a movie about the world of high fashion quickly developed into much more.

In her column today, Maureen Dowd writes about cowardly Internet bullies — all those bloggers out there who say the meanest stuff, and are seldom called to task for it. “On the Internet,” she writes, “it’s often less about being constructive and more about being cowardly.” Granted, Dowd puts her name on everything she writes. But the whole ‘cowardly not constructive thing’ — not so much.

Earlier this year it was 60 Minutes‘ Morley Safer, but last night it was David Letterman who got to ask questions to Vogue editrix Anna Wintour. Before we get to the interview, our most pressing question has to be: Why would Wintour, who seldom appears on television, agree to sit down with Letterman? Could she be turning the tide of some negative publicity?

Three years ago Maureen Dowd wrote a much talked about, much passed around column defending Anna Wintour and Meryl Streep‘s portrayal of her in the just-released Devil Wears Prada. The column was sharp, incisive, full of wit, and relevant. In short: Dowd at her best. In short, everything this past Sunday’s column about Wintour’s portrayal in the upcoming documentary was not.

There is something vaguely inspiring about Anna Wintour‘s utter refusal to trim her lifestyle in the face of a industry-wide recession that is promising to spell the end to magazines as we know them. Let others eat cake in the Condé Nast cafeteria and agonize to their heart’s content about the McKinsey evaluators, if you need Anna, she will be at the Ritz, thank-you very much.

The Great McKinsey-Condé Nast consultation continues. This week finds the intrepid consultants making a visit to Anna Wintour‘s office. And what they’ve apparently gleaned thus far is that Vogue is a great representation of everything that is wrong at Condé. Also, Anna Wintour may or may not have known about “the Web” before now.