Kate Middleton and Prince William are suing Closer, the French magazine that published topless photos of Middleton.

Not to be a "yes-saying" critic, but an emphatic yes to Dwight Garner on the need for incisive cultural criticism.

The latest issue of the Italian gossipy mag Oggi features a cover story on Amanda Knox and her acquittal on stab-murder charges last Monday, plus a free set of knives and a pizza cutter. Clever.

In your pokey Thursday media column: the latest Katie Couric rumors, The Daily's quite unprofitable, MTV's CEO resigns, more Bill Keller columnizing, and some WaPo departures.

On tonight's Report, Stephen Colbert saluted Cosmopolitan for its recent—and surprising—expansion into the Mongolian market. Then, Colbert offered up some sardonic wisdom for the publishing industry—just break into the few markets that don't know you're dying! Watch inside.

Today, Vintage books unveiled 18 redesigned covers for some of Vladimir Nabokov's works. Maybe if they make the art work all nice, people will forget that there's big words and difficult ideas inside. Still, they're pretty cool.

In your alluring Tuesday media column: An emerging catalogue of WaPo Styles fuckery, Russia has this whole "journalism" thing nailed, nothing about The Onion is funny except the actual words, and "Twenty ten" means you're gay.

In your desperate Thursday media column: America's toddler journalist has a lesson for Wolf Blitzer, college football wants to muzzle bloggers, newspapers burn, and ESPN magazine is mad cheap!

In your early Friday media column: Laurel Touby is officially chillin like a villain, the Boston Globe gets another contract vote, Nikki Finke is mysterious, and CNN's creative accounting of what it means to be "number one."

In your traditional Tuesday media column: Dan Abrams insists he's clean, the Great Magazine Die-Off continues, newspapers are not doing well, TV on the good trains, and more!

Computer illiterate masturbators of the world, take heed: your 2009 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl is Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend Bar Refaeli. Allegedly.

Terminated Radar employee David Cho posted a glimpse of what direction RadarOnline.com would have gone if it wasn't about to be taken over by former National Enquirer editor David Perel. Hopefully this will get Mitch Albom started on his next book project, The Five Blog Layouts You Meet In Heaven, although we can't help feeling the full version looks sort of familiar...

People is coming out with a 96-page "tribute" "book" "honoring" the recently dead Paul Newman. It will sell for $12, and none of the proceeds will go to charity, despite the fact that Newman dedicated the latter part of his life to working for charitable causes. But, to use the line that Jossip unfortunately beat us to this morning, it's "sort of okay, because this year, the print industry basically is a charity." Yep. [Folio]

Round up the usual suspects! Playboy.com has decided on the hottest female bloggers. Boing Boing co-editor Xeni Jardin and her ex-lover, sexblogger (and Fleshbot contributor) Violet Blue, are both on the list. (All posts referencing Blue were recently deleted by Jardin from Boing Boing—awkward!) Oh, wait, it's a poll, and the winner will be asked to pose for Playboy.com. (Nude? They didn't say.) So far, videoblogger Brigitte Dale is in the lead with 27% of the vote, while Rocketboom and Sometimes Daily's Amanda Congdon has only 5%. The rest of the bloggers named after the jump.

The new issue of W is a fine example of a shameless girl-on-girl magazine cover: to this day, one of the surest ways to guarantee sales on the news stand, regardless how vapid the interior editorial content may be. Whether you loathe it (exploitation!) or love it (exploitation is hot!), it's a design trope almost as common as the between-the-legs A-frame photo. Below, five more famous examples from the recent past. The only way to fight the enemy is to know the enemy.

Ziff Davis Media, the publisher of PC Magazine and other tech magazines and websites, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy late yesterday. Its revenue from print has nosedived since the end of the tech boom, and it hasn't been able to make up for it yet online—like most other publishers. "We feel like we're in a position poised for wonderful growth," said ZD CEO Jason Young, being disingenuous to a heroic degree. "We just need to solve this issue." The issue being your whole business! Some perspective: Print revenue for ZD fell from $215 million in 2001 to $40 million in 07. Now they owe creditors about $200 million more than they have. In PR terms this known as a "restructuring." In real terms, a long and painful death. [AP, Paid Content]

Me: What did you do last night, Nikola Tamindzic?
Nikola: Went to another Useless magazine party at soon-to-close Passerby.
Me: Another magazine?
Nikola: No, another magazine.
Me: What magazine?
Nikola: Useless magazine.
Me: I know that. They're all useless.
Nikola: Don't be a tool. I took pictures of the Highlights including some guy spewing fish guts.
Me: Oooo, was that Goofus or Gallant?
Nikola: [shaking head] Useless.