In Sunday's column by Washington Post ombudsman Andrew Alexander, the increase in typos and other copy editing errors stood trial. Apparently, angry letters have started coming more frequently, wondering, for example, "If they don't care about basics like grammar and spelling, how much do they care about factual accuracy?" Alexander served up the standard Old Media 2010 answer: our staffs have shrunk! But he also had a bizarre new scapegoat, namely, search engine optimization. Huh? (more...)

Technically speaking we could also title this 'Our Most Popular Posts Ever!' or alternately 'Our Most Popular Posts Of The 2nd Half Of 2009' since Mediaite actually didn't come into existence until July of this year. Regardless, either or any way you slice it these were our most popular posts in 2009 reposted here with their original excerpts and links. Before you dive in a few fun things that aren't reflected here: Glenn Beck (how that is possible, all things considered, is a really a traffic mystery) (Glenn Beck's vagina: less of a mystery); Megan Fox (boobs and otherwise); Twilight; and Tiger Woods(!). Go figure. With that said, we had a great year here at Mediaite (all six months of it!) And we're looking forward to the one ahead. So, happy New Year to you and may we present our most popular posts (again). (more...)

A List of lists On this Thanksgiving, Mediaite turns 143 days old. We'll be checking in today between turkey courses, and throughout the rest of the long weekend, but we also wanted to look back on the 143 days since we were first born on that early July morning. And what better way to look at our history than to break down some of the things we're thankful for! (more...)

Harry Potter fans may roll their eyes, but a Mormon housewife’s vampire romance rivals the popularity of the wizard world. Ever since publishing house Little, Brown took a chance on Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, America has been bitten by vamp-lust. (more...)

With this weekend's release of New Moon -- and Bella, Jacob and Edward again invading the magazine racks -- we invite you to look back on the Twilight magazine covers of months past. Now, the field is much more crowded. Feel free to recommend your new favorite Twilight covers in the comments.You won't believe this: it has only been one year since the live action stars of teen vampire sensation Twilight infiltrated popular culture. And part of the reason they seem like such fixtures of celebrity already -- apart from their impossible good looks, effortless cool and high-powered marketing machine -- is their presence in print and command of their image. Flattering pictures may not be hard to come by when you're young and playing magical characters, but from this charming Vanity Fair spread to the endless tabloid fabrications, the kids always come out looking all right. (more...)

This week in Hollywood, it’s difficult — nay, impossible — to ignore the impact of the teenage girl demographic. Yes, I am talking about that little Twilight movie. And by "little movie," of course I mean that ridiculously huge, impossible to ignore, will-make-over-$100-million-in-its-first-weekend-at-the-US-box-office movie that opens in theaters today. The Twilight Saga: New Moon opens in theaters almost exactly one year from the date when the first little Twilight movie entered our lives. You know, the one based on a ‘children’s book’ by Stephenie Meyer (in fact it was named one of Publishers Weekly’s best children’s books of 2005), about a teenage girl who moves to a new town and just happens to fall in love with a vampire (happens all the time), the one that single-handedly turned a tiny indie studio, Summit Entertainment Group — previously best known for partnering with Disney/Touchstone on the "Step Up" franchise — into a force to be reckoned with, and pretty much the envy of all of Hollywood. Aside from the once-a-decade type of phenomenon that is the recently released Paranormal Activity ($15K budget; $100 million-plus box office), has there been a more profitable, franchise-creating film in recent years than that first little Twilight movie? I think upon a glance at the box office returns it's safe to say the answer is no. Let's consider the numbers. (more...)

When rumors surfaced that editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey was putting Janet Jackson on the cover of the October issue of Harper's Bazaar following the tragic death of her brother, many wondered whether the magazine had finally sold out. After 100 plus years of putting the epitome of chic on it's cover, it seemed as though the glossy was giving in, selling itself short, and ultimately, without much disguise, doing what they knew would sell. (more...)

So it's Hallowe'en, and I just realized that here at Mediaite we have a disproportionate number of horror-filled posts, about monsters and vampires and zombies and Glenn Beck. And no, this isn't just an excuse to post a picture of Megan Fox, how dare you imply such a thing! If were were going to dangle Megan Fox-bait like that, don't you think we would have posted pictures from our "About 800 Pairs of Megan Fox’s Boobs" post? Sheesh, what do you take us for? (Here's the link, if you missed it.) But really, in our modest four little months of coverage (and by "little" I mean "how many Drudge links, exactly?"), we really have been hot on the monsters-and-aliens-and-zombies-and-scary-things beat. So, without further ado, I will go ahead and prove it with a quick n' handy list of them for your Hallowe'en Pageview-Inflating Pleasure! Er, I mean, get your 'Ween on! Oh, forget it. Here we go! (more...)

Yesterday, we got extremely excited for the next entry in The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and to celebrate we took a look back at the all-time greatest Twilight magazine covers so far. The "so far" was important because the second wave publicity storm is just beginning, as we all anxiously await forthcoming issues of Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and doubtlessly many more. (more...)

slideshow Vampires are having a moment. True Blood is a much-needed hit for HBO, with its latest episodes passing the 5-million viewers mark; Twilight is already churning out the third movie of its franchise, Eclipse, with newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard upping the star power of the cast. Kevin Williamson's Vampire Diaries looks like Dawson's Creek with coffins; there's even a tongue-in-cheek how-to book, How To Catch & Keep A Vampire, coming out. Even erstwhile media mess Lindsay Lohan is joining in the fun, baring fangs (and desperation) on Twitpic. Will the fascination ever cease? (more...)

Knowing what the big stories coming out of Comic-Con are is the most natural thing in the world to me.  I am into geeky things, and stopped apologizing for it even before the geekstream became the mainstream.  I've even been to a Con or two in my day (though I've not yet made it to the big one, and haven't worn a Doctor Who-related garment since I was 10).  Generally speaking, there isn't much of a leap between space nerd and comic lover, or zombie junkie, or sci fi freak. If you like Buffy or Serenity, it's a good bet that you'll carry a flame for Battlestar or Iron Man or even Eureka.  This is why those of your friends that like any of those things keep trying to get to watch one of them: they know that any geeky thing can be a gateway drug to all others. (more...)