We've asked our media lords what they're thankful for, and they actually responded. First up, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams:

We saw the weirdest thing the other night: Waiting for the 6 train at Grand Central, there was this middle-aged woman — we'd describe her as, um, secretarial — with her face shoved in a book. That book? James Frey's vomit-soaked rehab memoir A Million Little Pieces.

The New Yorker's Nick Paumgarten profiles Francis McInerney, a "top reviewer" at Amazon whose name can be found in the acknowledgements of The Da Vinci Code, a surprise NYT bestseller. McInerney has done over 800 reviews. (Alas, no James Frey; no Devil Wears Prada.) It appears to be a competitive hobby: "other reviewers sometimes create multiple e-mail accounts and repeatedly vote 'not helpful' on his reviews in an attempt to catch up with him. 'As soon as Amazon started ranking people, everything in human nature that�s associated with being competitive came out,' [McInerney] said."

Acknowledged [New Yorker]

Neal Pollack, apparently feeling a bit threatened by literary bad boy James Frey, throws down the gauntlet (then picks it back up and ceremoniously throws it down again): "You think your appetites are bigger than mine, James Frey? You think you're a bigger rock star and a better writer than I am? Well, motherfucker, I challenge you. I want a drink. I want fifty drinks. I want a tub of acid as deep as the moon. I want a tube of glue that tastes like a dumptruck of peyote. I want a boyfriend. I want a boyfriend. I want all that stupid old shit like letters and sodas, letters and sodas. I want to be the guy with the most cake.
I want your ass, Frey."
You're gonna Frey [Neal Pollack]

James Frey's (author of A Million Little Pieces) screensaver: "A page a day. Anything less is unacceptable you punk-ass-bitch-motherfucker. Anything less is unacceptable."
The sound bite and the fury [Salon]

An exchange between writer James "the new Dave Eggers" Frey and a "non-fan":

Writer James Frey (a.k.a., "the next Dave Eggers;" author of A Million Little Pieces) in an interview with Zulkey.com on jail and rehab: "Jail is really fucking boring, and occasionally, really fucking scary. It is about doing time and getting it over with and staying out of trouble. Rehab is about fixing and changing your life. It, however, can also be boring and scary."
The James Frey interview [Zulkey.com]

Literary "it" boy James Frey explains his comments about Dave Eggers' book ("[It] pissed me off...because a book that I thought was mediocre was being hailed as the best book written by the best writer of my generation...Fuck that. And fuck him...") in a recent Observer piece: "It was neither a misquote, nor am I particularly proud of it...The reporter was at my apartment, and he was standing in front of these stacks of books I have, and he was asking me about books. I didn't set out to bash Eggers. My honest view is I could give a shit about Eggers or any other writers."
The 13th step [Orlando Weekly Arts & Culture]

Dave Eggers is like, sooooo over. James Frey is the new literary it-boy. He sports a tattoo that says "F.T.B.S.I.T.T.T.D," which translates roughly to "Fuck the Bullshit It's Time to Throw Down." We love him already. Frey's already an expert in the soundbite department. On Eggers' book: "[It] pissed me off...because a book that I thought was mediocre was being hailed as the best book written by the best writer of my generation...Fuck that. And fuck him and fuck anybody that says that. I don't give a fuck what they think of me. I'm going to try to write the best book of my generation and I'm going to try to be the best writer." Frey's book, A Million Little Pieces, will be published by Nan Talese/Doubleday in April.
Meet the new staggering genius [Observer]