The Aughts

As the face of media evolves, it's important to honor the figures who helped define, shape and set the standards in their industries. These are some of the most prominent members of the media who passed away over the past 10 years.  Take a look back with some snippets from their respective New York Times obituaries.

In September 2005, Gossip Cop's Michael Lewittes had a seemingly random encounter with David Letterman and his assistant, Stephanie Birkitt. Four years later -- in the midst of Letterman's affair/extortion super story -- the serendipitous encounter seems less like a charming coincidence and more like a priceless insider's anecdote. (more...)

The "Horrible Emmys" puns will be beaten to death before the night is through, but even before the broadcast begins tonight on CBS it's a pretty good bet what the high point of this weekend's obligatory awards show will be.  Yesterday, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello breathlessly reported on EW.com that "Sources confirm...exclusively that host Neil Patrick Harris will headline a Dr. Horrible-themed production number about midway through Sunday’s ceremony."

Well, duh.  Dr. Horrible's eponymous NPH is hosting the show.  Plus, his singing was pretty much the most bearable part of this year's Tony Awards (which he also hosted). But wait, there's more! (more...)

VIDEO Neil Patrick Harris is a magician, literally. He does magic tricks (video below). He's on the board of theMagic Castle the infamous LA magic club. And he hosted the World Magic Awards last year. He also likes scavenger hunts! But Harris' career has also been magical. In the past five years, Harris has both come out publicly and played a rough-around-the-edges lech on CBS' How I Met Your Mother. And during his transformation from Doogie Howser to gay grown-up, Harris has magically remained somebody that straight men kind identify with and women can fall for. (more...)