It’s the weekend, which means it’s time to separate the chumps from the champs in Mediaite’s “Winners and Losers” — our scorecard of who rocked and who flopped in the week’s headlines.

You’ve no doubt heard the story by now: hackers recently got hold of a bunch of emails from some climate scientists and the University of Anglia. So now some have decided these emails are the smoking gun to some grand global warming conspiracy, cooked up just for sport. And the controversy broke just in time for the Copenhagen summit!

So who are the Winners and Losers of the Climategate scuttlebutt?

LOSER

Copenhagen Reps, put on the defense in the wake of the pseudo-scandal. No, Climategate probably won’t derail an international resolution at the U.N. climate change summit, but the controversy has certainly sullied the positive image of the event. Now world leaders and scientists are forced to defend the evidence of global warming instead of focusing on efforts to curb the trend.

WINNER

Producers and pundits, because the climate change conspiracy angle is super-talky and easily digested, which means it’s made for cable. And the timing couldn’t be better! As reporters await actual news from Copenhagen, which isn’t likely to break until the 11th hour, recycling the back-and-forth between climate contrarians and the ‘warmists‘ is a sensational ‘in’ to an otherwise dreary policy debate.

WINNER

Sarah Palin, who after snatching headlines last week for lending credence to the birther movement, is now scoring buzz for her stance on an equally popular right-wing conspiracy theory. Palin’s Washington Post climate change op-ed was a reported chart-topper, ranking 21st of the hundreds of opinions published by the paper this year and inciting numerous rebuttals.

LOSER

Sarah Palin, called out along with other deniers by Al Gore for persisting in an “era of unreality.” Fair call or not, her Washington Post op-ed was decidedly wrought with inaccuracies, both about hacked emails as proof of a climate change hoax and about the economic consequences of a carbon emission reduction policies.

WINNER

The Washington Post, for audaciously defending their decision to run the Palin piece. After all, despite being marred by disinformation, the editorial met all the WaPo op-ed selection criteria: “opinion” penned by someone who “stirs discussion” (i.e. page views). Which is why this week you can look forward Snooki Polizzi’s on Afghanistan combat strategy.

WINNER

Tiger Woods — Looks like global warming took some of the heat of the philandering golf great. At several points this week “Copenhagen” trumped “Tiger Woods latest” among hot Google Trends search topics. Yay, world!

(photo via)

It’s the weekend, which means it’s time to separate the chumps from the champs in Mediaite’s “Winners and Losers” — our scorecard of who rocked and who flopped in the week’s headlines.

I’d hoped something newsworthy — like an typhoon or solar flare or another boy-less balloon — might pop up midweek and eclipse the Tiger Woods saga as the world’s most-talked about story.

It didn’t. So, reluctantly, here are the winners and losers of the Tiger Woods car crash/cheating saga and subsequent media frenzy.

LOSER

Tiger, who went from bland but beloved megastar to disgraced moral failure as quick as one can mangle a Cadillac.

WINNER

TMZ — Celebrity scandals like this are the bread and butter of Harvey Levin‘s rumor mill. And with no qualms about undisclosed sourcing, the gossip site easily scooped the traditional media on the most sordid details. But unlike when Jacko died, old media outlets were quick to quote TMZ’s Tiger tidbits as reputable news. The AP and ESPN even recycled their exclusive crash photos. And with that, TMZ  slips further into the mainstream.

LOSER

Golf enthusiasts, who saw their world of perfectly pressed khakis and meticulously manicured greens tarnished by scandal and deceit. Because, as it turns out, the golf legend is not a saint. The Golf Channel is particularly heartbroken, lamenting the news as the “end of an era, the end of Tiger as heroic and untouchable. He is simply human now, like us.” Wow.

WINNER

The Florida Highway Patrol, which may be the only party to emerge from this mess with any dignity. Contrary to wild speculation about search warrants and domestic violence charges, troopers handled this case by the book — Tiger didn’t want to talk, so cops took ‘no’ for an answer, issued a $164 careless driving citation and closed the case. If only that were the end of public fascination.

LOSER

Harry Reid. Yes, the scandal is so pervasive, even the Senate Majority Leader is keeping tabs. According to CNN, Reid blew off reporters actually interested in Afghanistan, quipping “get the answers from Tiger Woods” as he darted out of a closed-door briefing. Maybe invoking the embattled athlete seemed like a good escape strategy, or maybe Reid was showing off his pop culture prowess? It was lame either way.

WINNER

The New York Post – The pun-happy paper continues to cash in with fun, albeit deceptive, tabloid covers. The best: Tuesday’s “EXCLUSIVE” entitled “Tiger and Me: Beautiful ‘other woman’ reveals the truth about relationship with sports’ biggest star.” (You see, the cover craftily implies an admission from rumored mistress Rachel Uchitel. Inside: a full denial.) The second best: Wednesday’s Mad Magazine-like photoshop job and accompanying cheater/’cheetah’ wordplay.

LOSER

Me, for perpetuating this stupid story.

So who were the winners and losers of Palinpalooza?

WINNER

Sarah Palin, who not only sold a ton of books and reemerged on the national stage (to the extent she ever disappeared) but also settled scores with old foes like Katie Couric (the pitiful “perky one”) and the mean McCain staffers who kept her hog-tied on the trail. Conspicuously absent: Levi Johnston.

LOSER

Sarah Palin, who has oh so much explaining to do after McCain aides struck back, calling her accounts fiction and leaking emails that seemingly discredit her entire narrative. Well, at least the parts about her Saturday Night Live appearance and that hilarious Sarkozy prank. Oh, and most Americans still think she’s unqualified to be president.

WINNER

Newsweek. Maybe it was “sexist” and “taken out of context” and maybe it wasn’t. Either way, featuring Sarah Palin in spandex on this week’s cover was a brilliant publicity ploy. The controversy even sparked a perfectly-Palin Facebook response about not judging a book by gender or the color of its skin. Wait, what?

LOSER

John McCain. For the most part, the former presidential hopeful is suprisingly silent about Going Rogue, ignoring accusations that his campaign was a total trainwreck. He even says he “enjoyed” the book! Secretly, though, he has to be kicking himself for plucking this ingrate out of obscurity and providing her a national perch from which to trash talk him.

WINNER

Oprah. Yes it was the dullest hour of daytime television ever, but it was an hour a whopping 8.7 million of us will never get back. Palin’s plug interview scored the Queen of Talk her highest ratings in 2 years, and all Oprah had to do was nod and pretend everything in the book was totally true. And Oprah wants to quit this gig?

LOSER

Joe Biden — you know, the guy who actually won the Vice Presidency. In was what clearly a second-choice booking, the veep appeared on The Daily Show Tuesday night for the first time since taking office. And he kept it relatively gaffe-free (aside from an ill-timed crack about evading New York City traffic). But amidst all the Palin hoopla, no one noticed.

WINNER

Cable news. Palinpalooza meant a mini-break from actual news and the networks pulled out all the stops! Fox got to show off their infamous crowd-inflation trick, swapping out book signing footage for old campaign B-roll and and MSNBC whipped out their favorite  photoshopped Palin pics. Both networks later apologized, but it sure was fun!

It’s the weekend, which means it’s time to separate the chumps from the champs in Mediaite’s Winners and Losers, our scorecard of who rocked and who flopped in the headlines.

This week, Sean Hannity gets bruised, Larry King gets tough and Levi Johnston gets naked: 

The Bronze Winner: Levi Johnston

The self-proclaimed “f*cking redneck” kept it classy this week. Wednesday the Wasilla teen was honored with a prestigious Fleshbot award for his highly anticipated Playgirl spread, which he insists is “art,” not porn. Yes, the full frontal nudie pics were done “tastefully” because Levi doesn’t want to be seen as “getting naked for money.” And staying above the fray, he says he won’t reveal the “damning” dirt he’s got on former future mother-in-law Sarah Palin (but she was smart not to trash him to Oprah, because he could always change his mind.) It’s the high road all the way for this kid!

The Bronze Loser: Sesame Street

For 40 years the program has indoctrinated America’s youth with leftist propoganda, and the conspiracy has gone largely undetected. Well, the jig is up, Sesame Street! But seriously, hyper-sensitive conservatives are outraged over a 2-year-old parody in which a puppet calls “Pox” News “trashy.” And that hurt Fox News’ whiddle feelings! So now, ridiculous as it is, PBS is forced address the viewer outrage. You’d think after 4 decades of catering to children, Sesame Street producers would know better than to pick fights with crybabies.

The Silver Winner: Lou Dobbs

With anti-immigration hysteria waning (and subsequently his ratings) it was no shock when the cable blowhard announced he was dumping his primetime show to pursue “other opportunities.” He may have gone out sans bang, but it looks like Dobbs jumped ship just in time! On his last night the network sunk to 5th place for the night in total primetime viewers. (Yes, that means trailing CNBC.) And in handing straight-arrow John King the 7pm slot, it’s clear CNN is hellbent on sticking with this losing, albeit noble, nonpartisan strategy. And if that’s the deal, Dobbs is better off pretty much anywhere!

The Silver Loser: Mike Huckabee

You may find yourself asking “Hucka-who?” But once upon a time, the folksy former governor was the conservative media darling and beloved prince of the values voters. But that was before pretty pretty Palin came along and ripped his gimmick. Now nobody hearts Huckabee, and boy is he bitter about it! He tells Politico the mean Republicans who called him a “populist” and “ignaramus” are “defensive and laudatory to” the former Alaska governor because she’s better looking! On the brightside, Huckabee does have a top-rated cable show. So what if he can’t even get Palin to appear?

The Gold Winner: Larry King

Larry King Live is a favorite PR pitstop among scandal-ridden celebs because they think he’s an easy interview. (Remember when he asked Chris Brown if he remembered hitting Rihanna?) Well no more! Larry shed his reputation for softball pitches this week, relentlessly grilling embattled beauty queen Carrie Prejean until she tried (and failed) to walk off the set! That’s right, Larry raked the former Miss California over the coals with questions about why she settled her lawsuit (but not what the lawsuit was about). And then “Inapropriate King” had the audacity to take a viewer phone call! This guy is brutal!

The Gold Loser: Sean Hannity

What a sucky week for Sean Hannity. First Jon Stewart busts the Fox host for passing off footage of a heavily-attended 9/12 protest as B-roll from Michelle Bachmann‘s smaller anti-health reform rally. Then, after Hannity smugly apologized for the “inadvertent mistake“ and thanked The Daily Show team for watching, Stewart hit him again, this time with an entire skit! The take away: seeing him apologize was not worth suffering through an entire hour of Hannity’s America. Snap!

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to separate the chumps from the champs in Mediaite’s Winners and Losers, our scorecard of who rocked and who flopped in the headines.

This week, a special off-year election edition, featuring Doug Hoffman, Mike Bloomberg, and more:

The Bronze Loser: Mike Bloomberg

As expected, New York’s richest citizen bought himself a third mayoral term. But somehow after spending $151.27 per vote (much of it his own money) to run against the little-known City Comptroller (who Obama barely supported by name) he STILL only managed a marginal victory. Then again, a win’s a win, and as the mayor-for-life pointed out to reporters, “The Yankees win, whether they win in four, five, six or seven, it’s Number 27 – that’s all that matters, okay?” (Funny, no one can compete with their spending either.)

The Bronze Winner: Tim Kaine

The DNC chairman proved a skilled spinster Wednesday morning, glossing over key gubernatorial defeats like a pro! Before Governor Kaine’s explanation, you might have thought incumbent John Corzine should have won New Jersey, what with his mounds of money and the backing of the Garden State democratic machine. But now you know neither Corzine nor Virginia democratic candidate Creigh Deeds ever had a shot at victory – not because they blew it, but because of historical trends. Well played!

The Silver Loser: CNN

Election coverage was the network’s bread and butter back in ’08. Remember the ‘magic wall’ and those awesome virtual holograms? Apparently you can only dazzle viewers with snazzy graphics for so long! “The Best Political Team on Television” was the least watched Tuesday night, finishing dead last among cable news outlets. And that includes HLN, which didn’t even cover the 09 election. Which begs the question, how’s that non-partisan thing working out?

The Silver Winner: Doug Hoffman

Long before the votes were tallied in the NY-23 congressional race, right-wing pundits had declared the Conservative party candidate the winner. And after he lost by a few points to Democrat Bill Owens? STILL the winner! Ok, Maybe not the winner-winner, but his loss was still a Republican victory. Or Something. Sarah Palin broke it down on Facebook: “The race for NY’s 23rd is not over. It’s just postponed until 2010.” Gotcha. So letting a democrat represent the district for the first time since the Civil War frees up Republicans to focus on the real race!

The Gold Loser: Barack Obama

If you believe the exit polls, GOP sweeps in New Jersey and Virginia were not be a referendum on Obama’s presidency. But they’re still kind of his fault! Because low turnout among young voters is certainly a referendum on Obama’s sexiness. Between an economy in free-fall, two wars, and healthcare reform, Obama forgot to keep politics fun and exciting for the kids! And with that, his “Vote or Die” youth coalition of 08 became the “Vote or Don’t Bother” youth disassociation of 09, propelling Republicans to victory.

The Gold Winner: John McCain

A year later, the former presidential hopeful is sure to have regrets about his failed candidacy. But John McCain can look back with pride, knowing he made at least smart decision last year. And that was refusing to let Sarah Palin speak on Election Night. This week the Daily Beast got hold of her undelivered speeches — concession AND victory — and they were as amusing/cringe-worthy as as we might have imagined.

It’s the weekend, which means it’s time to separate the chumps from the champs in Mediaite’s new “Winners and Losers” — our scorecard of who rocked and who flopped in the week’s headlines.

This week’s contenders include: President Bush, adding “motivational speaker” to his resume, Sarah Palin posting an online resume, and Jay Leno, who might be wise to start updating his resume. Our picks below:

The Bronze Loser: Jay Leno

NBC was fine to let the talk show host tank at 10 pm (The Jay Leno Show now trails cable shows we’ve never heard of). Afterall, the un-funny and un-watched chat format is still a better deal than producing pricey scripted programming. But now local stations are paying the price for the network’s cheapo strategy! The LA Times reports Leno’s crap ratings are dragging down NBC affiliates who rely on that big network “lead-in” to keep an audience. If things don’t turn around, Leno’s late-night legacy could be eclipsed by the dreaded “Leno Effect.”

The Bronze Winner: The New York Mets

Despite having a new $850 million dollar ballpark and the second highest payroll in baseball, the Mets managed to have a horrifically bad season. (Meanwhile, their two biggest rivals are a game away from facing off in the World Series.) But it turns out the Mets made at least one smart investment this year — with swindler Bernie Madoff! Yes, it looks like at least two of the team’s accounts actually made money atop the pyramid scheme — 48 million bucks to be exact! If they aren’t sued for the full amount by actual Madoff victims, they might consider investing in players who don’t suck.

The Silver Loser: Carrie Prejean

After being dumped for “contract violations,” the former Miss California turned anti-gay activist is suing the organizers of the Miss USA pageant, alleging they revealed “private facts” about her (which the pageant is taking to mean her boob job). But the pageant production company has turned around and demanded their boobs back, or at least the $5,200 they say they loaned her for breast augmentation surgery. Maybe Carrie legitimately thought her implants were still “private facts” after her bikini strut on national television. Maybe she still thought so after her pre-surgery topless photos surfaced. But after this counter-suit, it’s safe to say the jig’s up.

The Silver Winner: Jon Gosselin

Yes, things still suck for Jon Gosselin. TLC is suing the former reality dad blind after he put the breaks on their gravy train John and Kate Plus 8. Courts today forced him to repay $180,000 he took from his and his future ex-wife’s joint bank account. And a former babysitter now claims he’s been hacking into mom-of-8 Kate’s emails. But he still came out a winner this week, because thanks to Richard Heene, he’s no longer the most hated dad in America!

The Gold Loser: Sarah Palin

The former Alaskan governor is certainly a prolific Internet presence, but she sure isn’t the most savvy. She proved her lack of social media prowess this week, joining LinkedIn (the boring professional’s answer to Facebook) under the misnomer “governorsarahpalin.” And apparently she’s interested in “job inquiries” and “business deals.” What? (In her defense, she was shrewd enough to leave 4 of the 5 colleges she attended off her resume.) If internet persona is any indication a future online campaign strategy, best of luck in 2012!

The Gold Winner: George W. Bush

As part of his post-presidential legacy project, W. is hitting the speaking circuit later this month. No, not NATO or the UN, but right where he belongs: at $19 motivational seminars for regular folks! The “Get Motivated” events, described as a “motivational mega-show that packs more inspirational power than a stick of dynamite,” are the perfect venue for the former motivator-in chief. After all, he successfully motivated an entire generation of voters away from the Republican Party.