Albany is such a joke, the Post photoshopped everyone as scary clowns and the Times handed over its op-ed page to the funniest/scariest clown of all, Rudy Giuliani.

"After months of bitter struggle that included a threat to shut down The Boston Globe, the New York Times Company and the paper's largest union reached a tentative contract settlement on Tuesday night." [NYT]

After months of jostling between the New York Times and the largest union representing employees of the Boston Globe, the two sides reached a tentative settlement around 11Ppm last night, perhaps paving the way for the Globe to be sold.

The New York Times Co. has been tangling with Boston newspaper unions ever since it threatened to shut down the Boston Globe if the unions didn't agree to wage and benefit concessions. Now its union troubles are hitting closer to home. Last fall, Times Co. decided to shut down City and Suburban Delivery Systems, a Times subsidiary that was responsible for distributing the Times as well as other papers like the Wall Street Journal and New York Post. Closing C&S eliminated 550 full-time jobs, many of whom were union employees; the paper said it planned to rely on independent distribution companies instead, since they're "generally nonunion and pay drivers less." The decision has since stirred up quite a bit of controversy, not surprisingly, both with employees who took a buyout offer the Times and those who didn't. And now it's ended up in court. If you've ever wanted to pore over a ream of newspaper union agreements, you'll get your chance by clicking through and reading the complete lawsuit below.

• The bleak outlook for network news is getting bleaker: Both the CBS Evening News and ABC's World News suffered all-time ratings lows last week. [HuffPo]
• CBS chief Les Moonves's compensation was slashed by 76 percent last year. He still earned $13.6 million, though, so don't feel too bad for him. [Crain's]
• Depressing: Monday's breakup episode of TLC's Jon & Kate Plus 8 was the most-watched episode of the show ever with 10.6 million viewers. [THR]
• MySpace is closing four of its international offices and cutting two-thirds of its staff abroad advertising falls and Facebook and Twitter take over. [NYT]
• A woman in Massachusetts has filed a lawsuit against Elisabeth Hasselbeck for allegedly ripping off her self-published book on celiac disease. [BH]
• Bravo honcho Andy Cohen is going to be hosting a live show once a week called Watch What Happens. You can watch what happens on July 16. [LAT]

Did the New York Times want to keep reporter David Rohde's kidnapping in Afghanistan quiet because they feared for his safety, or because they didn't want to drive up his ransom price? Rohde himself has suggested the latter.

It looks as though Apple did a good job angering the New York Times with the news that Steve Jobs recently underwent a liver transplant. The paper's Tuesday edition dedicates two pieces to Apple's renowned penchant for shadiness.

In your maudlin Monday media column: Magazines fail at drug-smuggling, sad layoffs at Videogum and Boston Magazine, newspaper reporters in Canada may strike(!), the NYT pokes the WaPo, and an update on the Milwaukee journalist-cop affair scandal.

• New York Times reporter David Rohde, who was held hostage in Afghanistan for seven months, managed to escape on Friday night. The Taliban had reportedly been seeking $25-30 million in ransom; the newspaper, meanwhile, is rumored to have offered $5 million for his safe release. [NYT, AP, ABC, CQ]
• The negotiations in Boston continue: The Boston Globe and its largest union are close to an agreement on wage and benefit cuts. Or so they say. [BG]
• Ratings for The Fashion Show haven't been great (and Project Runway is fast approaching), but Bravo execs say they're pleased with the results. [NYT]
• Disney's The Proposal topped the box office this weekend, pulling in $34.1 million and knocking The Hangover into second place. [THR]

Boys, meet Yigal Azrouel. He will be seducing your wife now. The Israeli-born fashion designer has been linked to Katie Lee Joel—is this why she's divorcing hubby William?—and also, apparently, editors at W and the New York Times.

You simply cannot turn on your television these days without seeing New York Times editor Bill Keller expounding on something, or explaining something, or being made fun of. He is ubiquitous!

Many Hollywood stars have come to New York thinking they could conquer the New York stage and many of them have failed miserably. Now here comes Anne Hathaway in her "first major theatrical production," playing Viola in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

Wow. NY Times heir A.G. "The Future" Sulzberger is really having to earn his stripes. Last weekend he was dispatched to cover the Puerto Rican Day parade, and this weekend he covered the Jew/gay-haters from Westboro Baptist Church.

Yesterday we learned that New York Times reporter David Rohde, secretly held captive by the Taliban for months, had escaped when he merely "climbed over a wall." Now details of a more complex and daring escape have emerged.

The Times profiled the writers of HBO's latest foray into originally programming, Hung, today. It stars Thomas Jane as a gym teacher with a huge dick who becomes a gigolo. But how does the infamously stiff (heh) Times write it?

As mentioned earlier: New York Times reporter David Rohde managed to escape his Taliban captors to freedom last night by hopping over a wall. He was imprisoned for seven months. How wasn't this widely reported? Even by us? Simple:

After being held hostage by the Taliban for seven months in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Pulitzer-winning New York Times reporter David Rohde escaped from a compound to freedom. He apparently just "climbed over the wall" but still: badass happy ending! [NYT]

• It's been two years since Ben Silverman became co-chairman of NBC Entertainment. And what a two years it's been, huh? [LAT]
• The largest union at the Boston Globe will vote on a new contract on July 20, even though it's yet to iron out a deal with the New York Times Co. [BG]
• Reader's Digest's plan to remain relevant: It's going to become even more conservative and old-fashioned, and embrace religion and stuff. [NYT]
• How are some newspaper reporters dealing with unemployment? They're turning to careers as go-kart racers. Just as you suspected. [Fortune]

A controversy erupted Thursday afternoon when Politico reported that Olive Garden was pulling its Late Show advertising in the wake of the controversy over Letterman's Palin jokes. Olive Garden then denied this. Regardless, the "Fire Letterman" crowd wants more blood.

In your waterlogged Thursday media column: Bill Keller defends his Iran trip, Jon Stewart is cruelly eviscerated, the Weather Channel wants big ratings so it can then fail like other TV networks, and the internet reigns supreme.