As we reported earlier, Politico has published part 2 of their yearlong expose´ of White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' comedic chops. Using state-of-the-art word count technology, they have determined that Gibbs is about half as funny as he used to be. I asked Gibbs for his reaction to Politico's report, and to criticisms of Tuesday's Sarah Palin "handgate" gag. Here's what he had to say. (more...)

No one's laughing now, Robert Gibbs! Or at least they're laughing a lot less. Patrick Gavin over at Politico has been counting the number of "(Laughter)" that show up in the official transcripts of White House press room briefings and in the last six months (when they last counted) they have dropped by almost half. So, should we chalk it up, as Gavin suggests, to the honeymoon being over and a "tough second half of 2009" or is it something more sinister? (more...)

"Before stepping into the boxing ring for a friendly match with Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the one thing you need to know is that he will, in fact, punch you in the face."

webcast Today on Mediaite Office Hours we're coming to you live as usual from Livestream.com’s studio at 3pmET. We'll be joined by Time magazine's Michael Scherer, Deadspin.com editor A.J. Daulerio, Politico's Patrick Gavin...and you! (more...)

President Obama had an outburst last night! Sort of. Alas, it was less Kanye-style than actually about Kanye West -- the President was quoted on Twitter referring to him as a "jackass" -- but it's still a headline dominator this morning. Also, it was supposed to be off the record. However, thanks to the beauty of Twitter we all get to enjoy the unedited Obama. Here's what happened. (more...)

video Today is the kickoff for Fashion Week — and for the Daily Beast's brand-new style section, Sexy Beast. The good news: It's already sexier than an oiled up Englishman in a Speedo. (more...)

Where were you a year ago today? If you are a political journalist — or media hanger-on — chances are you were living out of a suitcase at the 2008 Presidential Conventions, with the Dems nominating Barack Obama in Denver and the GOP nominating John McCain in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Remember those heady days? (more...)

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs seems like a nice enough guy. He has a sense of humor about his work, he maintains a friendly banter with reporters, and he was even the goalie of the North Carolina State Wolfpack soccer team. But Gibbs largely gets a free pass from the media for his many blunders. Just this past week, his attempts to brush off Sarah Palin's comments on health care backfired, and he gave Iranian election protesters a major slap in the face when he referred to Ahmadinejad as "the elected leader" of Iran. Both times, there was a bit of hubbub that quickly blew over. (more...)

It's that time of the week again - Mediaite Office Hours! We lined up another great show for you: Guests included host of the new MSNBC show Way Too Early, Willie Geist, Politico reporter (and fellow former mediabistro'er) Patrick Gavin and our own Dan Abrams, plus Mediaite columnist Tommy Christopher. Thanks to everyone who called in, commented, watched and listened. (more...)