The New York Times has travel writing issues; specifically, the accepting of junkets by their writers, and then having to fire them to the public in Clark Hoyt's ombudsman column. It's come to a peak. Special appearance by Mike Albo!

The hacks of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association have taken a pause from endless junketeering to release their list of the year's most excellent movies and TV shows. Up in the Air and Avatar continue their inexorable awards march.

Here's the raw data:

It's almost too easy. Picture the nation's reporters in these dying days of media, toiling away in crumbling newsrooms where no sunlight has penetrated since before basic cable. Suddenly in their email box, comes an invitation: Free...Vegas...Bachelor Party...

In the crowded media landscape, it's not easy to create buzz for a new film. It takes years of careful positioning, delicate marketing skills, a well-cultivated grassroots network...Or you can just buy a bunch of bloggers trips to London.