The Times introduces a bold new advertising initiative, clearly designed to lure the urban community into purchasing single archives at $3.95 a pop.

• Does Mariah Carey insist on being a size 6 at all costs? One bloggy type notes that for a recent fashion shoot, a magazine staff had to replace all the size 12 labels in items before presenting the outfits to her highness. [Andrea Harner]
• In an article about gay men, we find the following lede to be particularly poignant: "The conversation over tossed salad, dinner rolls and iced tea was about dating." Oh, we bet it was. [NYT]
• Now that Diddy has dropped the "P" to his name, will other celebrities follow suit? Aris suits Ms. Hilton rather nicely, we think. [Radar]
• Moby blogs about the murder in front of his Teany cafe; maintains innocence. [Moby]
• Did you know there was a strike still going on regarding the projectionists at the IFC Center? Neither did we, but apparently it's over. [Reeler]
• "Men's Vogue is designed to be bought by the wives of the men targeted by Men's Vogue." [Bitchless Blog]
• We've been to more media parties of this ilk than we'd care to count. [Gaping Void]

• Mariah Carey considers suing Eminem for defamation of character after the rapper plays voice messages allegedly from Carey during his concert. As if one man alone could be responsible for that woman's character issues. [Page Six]
• Former Libertine Pete Doherty was busted, again, on Friday for possession of crack cocaine and heroin. His on-and-off again fiancée Kate Moss is being urged by friends, again, to leave the addict. We see this ending rather badly, again. [R&M]
• Because the sun simply doesn't shine without a negative report on Martha Stewart, the indentured servants at her Bedford estate are complaining about low morale. Perhaps it's because they know that in a matter of months, they'll be replaced by Stewart's genetically engineered slavebots. [Page Six]
• At Pamela Anderson's recent Comedy Central roast, the jokes still seemed to steer towards Tom Cruise — probably because Scientology jokes are still a few days away from being as tired as bimbo jokes. [Scoop]

We hate to assault you with such life-shaking, faith-challenging news so early in the morning, but sometimes we have to put our emotions aside and focus on our responsibility to the truth. And so we urgently announce that the man formerly known as Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, Puffy and P. Diddy has made it official: From this moment onward, he will now be known as simply "Diddy."

Poor 50 Cent. After the rapper's show last night at Madison Square Garden (which capped off a fun-filled day of book signing), members of his posse, G-Unit, were pulled over at 41st Street and Eighth Avenue for running a red light. Sticking true to the stereotypes, the cops found more than traffic violations:

We're sorry for the late notice, but you've still got a few minutes left to haul ass to the Virgin Megastore in Union Square, where 50 Cent will be signing copies of his new autobiography, From Pieces to Weight. (Be sure to say hi to Lloyd Grove for us; he'll surely be on the scene as his new beat seems to encompass all things "Fitty.") Because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we're sure Mr. Cent will take kindly to those of you wearing bulletproof vests and Kevlar top hats.

Contrary to popular belief, we are not mind-readers. As such, we really can't explain why monthly email book review Boldtype would have its spirtuality issue guest-edited by Wu-Tang Clan guru the RZA. Perhaps the Church Lady was unavailable.

Yvonne Force Villareal and Sandra Hamburg are the socialites du jour, say the trend-hounds at Sunday Styles. The duo's "heavy, sexy, disco-inspired, French existential gigolo" style is showcased on their new CD, Mothers Inc:

Friday evening, MTV reported that The Source magazine's co-founder Benzino (or Raymond Scott, as his parents like to call him) had resigned as Chief Brand Manager, citing problems with the publication being "too politically correct." And what timing!

On Monday, our heavily SPF'd brother alerted us to the following news about hip-hop channel BET:

We're happy to report that Touré, he of the demurely unbuttoned shirts and suggestive hints of eyeliner, is not CNN's homosexual talking head. He's straight, everyone, and, just to prove it, he got married! To a girl! Sorry, boys, but you'll have to find another lover to whisper sweet, pop-cultured nothings:

G-Unit Excited About Possible Tour With 50 Cent, Eminem [MTV News]

· This week's winner of our creative music promotion award is Mr. 50 Cent, whose homies shot up the homies of another rapper named The Game while 50 Cent gave a radio interview dissing The Game. Follow that? No? Doesn't matter. [NYT]
· The saga of Evelyn the Food Whore continues and grows ever more detailed. We're not sure if she exists but if she does: Evelyn, email us. We want to talk. [Craigslist]
· Sure, you were once an intern (or maybe you still are one now, sucka) — but did Annie Liebovitz pour hot coffee on your Balenciaga bag when you fucked up at the fax machine? Thought not. Point: Olsens. [MTV]
· Still not sure how to react to the Gates? A handy guide. [Mister Snitch]
· Jada Smith pisses off oversensitive Harvard kids by not catering to three-fingered misfit clowns; whiny students continue to deserve a solid ass-kicking. [The Crimson]

The residents of quaintly moneyed Connecticut 'burb Farmington have their conservative panties in a bunch over tonight's big party being hosted by Farmington resident and bullet-addled rapper 50 Cent. The local folks don't see a lot of 50, but they know he's around:

...Political rapper John Eff Kennedy for Bomb the Hamptons. Kennedy is best known for, um, nothing, but he definitely deserves some last-minute recognition. A sampling of his angry lyrical talent:

A cryptic event from today's AP day schedule:

We usually leave this stuff to our D.C.-based sister, but we couldn't pass up telling you that Kid Rock has been dropped from playing at the Bush inauguration.

Rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard (n e Russell Jones) may be gone, but his memory lives on. The New Yorker introduces us to a different Russell Jones, a 44 year-old Park Slope man who's been receiving missplaced calls for O.D.B. since 1996:

Because executive-producing a film about pedophilia simply isn't enough, Roc-A-Fella co-founder Damon Dash is has created the Debonair Dash teddy bear. Available on eBay, the Debonair Dash bear is the perfect holiday present:

The Times is reporting that rapper Jay-Z will likely head Vivendi Universal's Def-Jam records division.