Earlier in the week, NBC announced it would hire Chelsea Clinton as a correspondent for its “Making a Difference” series, a decision that clearly did not go over well for some. On CNN’s Reliable Sources today, Howard Kurtz‘s panel tore into the “Nepotism Broadcasting Company” for depriving someone without connections of such a job, with one panelist particularly noting it was offensive to “young people who played by the rules.”

Tucker Carlson recently dominated a slow news week by saying he thought Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick should have been executed for his past dog fighting crimes, but the remark also earned him plenty of criticism – none more pointed than from NBA analyst Charles Barkley. Tonight, Carlson responded.

Tiki Barber has decided to get a little professional help for his dinged-up image, hiring 5WPR to “spin his relationship with blond former TV intern Traci Johnson,” according to the New York Post.

Hey interns! If you play your cards right, you too could one day date and live with a former TV host and NFL star.

Remember when news came out that Today show contributor Tiki Barber had separated from his pregnant wife and was now dating one of his former interns? For some reason the couple are speaking out about it to Entertainment Tonight.

Television punditry is a wicked game of power and prestige, but one’s sphere of influence has been historically difficult to measure. But not anymore! Thanks to the our friends at TVEyes, we now know exactly how many times one’s name gets mentioned on air. So who’s getting the most mentions this week? Well, using the mix of magic and math that is the Mediaite Power Grid Here are the top 25 TV pundits of the week.

The New York Post broke the news yesterday that NBC News (and Sports) contributor Tiki Barber was leaving his pregnant wife for a former NBC intern.

Now comes the real awkward part – having Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb of NBC’s Today show, fourth hour talk about the story.

Thanksgiving is a relatively new tradition for me. Being a Canadian, ours comes a month earlier — with the 10 cm sheet of ice that blankets the country from October to May — and we never had much of a tradition other than sawing ice blocks off for the igloo or wrestling bears to the [...]

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.