In May, we told you about a study that predicted one in eight Americans would stop paying for cable TV in 2010. And though that conjecture may have made the industry sweat, it was only theoretical. Now, though, Brian Stelter at Media Decoder is reporting that due to a persistently weak economy, the amount of Americans paying for TV service has dropped two quarters in a row.

Sandra Bullock’s marital woes are devastating to all of us, especially readers of gossip magazines. In fact, Us Weekly and People Magazine were rushing to get us all the facts of the case. Unfortunately, in their rush, they didn’t notice that they were using almost identical photos on the cover.

TMZ reported earlier today that, according to unnamed sources; “Jay Leno is going back to his 11:30 PM time slot, and it’s looking like Conan O’Brien is the odd man out.” While nothing has been officially announced, Bill Carter reports that NBC executives “did not deny a report posted by the website TMZ that NBC was considering making the switch and replacing Mr. O’Brien at “Tonight” with Mr. Leno.” Update – Carter now reports a possible line-up being bandied about at NBC…

Double X, the women-oriented website launched by Slate will be folded back into the larger site come the new year. It’s a shame — the marketplace is not exactly flooded with intelligent, newsy websites devoted to women — if not a total surprise.

Shortly after Lou Dobbs announced his decision to leave CNN, he received his very first going-away present: a “Worst Person in the World” bronze medal, courtesy of Keith Olbermann. What did he do to deserve the honor less than two hours after he announced his departure?

Yesterday afternoon the New York Times announced it would be cutting 100 newsroom jobs, about 8% total, by the end of the year. The layoff announcement reportedly took the newsroom by surprise it also apparently put the scare into NYT.com readers, who quickly turned the comments section into an online petition of sorts.

The New York Times Social Media Editor Jen Preston (@NYT_JenPreston) has come under fire in the past for not using her Twitter account to its greatest effect. But Preston took to twitter like an expert last night to engage in a discussion over the NYT.com’s controversial removal of a Media Decoder post.

Media Decoder reports that last week, ABC averaged an abysmal 1.1 rating among 18- to 49-year-old viewers for the third time this summer, putting it behind CBS, NBC, Fox, and even Univision.

There’s no doubt that a lot of ABC execs have been getting stern talkings-to from their superiors lately, but Steve McPherson, the president of ABC Entertainment Group, has to be sweating harder than most.