This week, Forbes.com's presenile media columnist James Brady takes us to the Core Club for a casual schmoozefest in honor of Katie Couric, thrown by Hearst president Cathie Black and editorial director Ellen Levine. With a nose for news, Brady cruises the scene, gathering important information like Couric's new sleep schedule (she stays in bed until 8 AM nowadays — good to know).

I left [Couric] with her pals and roamed the room taking names: Phil Donahue and Marlo Thomas, Ms. Walters, Harvey Weinstein, Evelyn (Mrs. Leonard) Lauder, writer Jurate Kazickas, whose husband is one of the backers of America Media, Soledad O'Brien, Andy Lack, John Sykes. Sarah Ellison of The Wall Street Journal was there as well, but someone assured me, "She doesn't cover parties." Good, I do.

And cover parties he will! He does it so well, in fact, that he even got Couric to give him the money quote: she starts at CBS "the Monday after Labor Day." Stunning, no? It almost rivals that time he broke the news that "everybody loves Raymond."

Katie & Co. [Forbes.com]