Rachelle's Reading List, Thursday, Feb. 10th, 2011

by Rachelle Hruska · February 10, 2011

People are really bugging me today in media land. Fox News is still making stuff up, obvi, but now grown rich men that are trying to be hip online media publishers are all like:

"Hey! look at this cool new story I broke about a topless senator," and "Oh! Look! Nikki Finke in the flesh!" As if there were no other news stories to spend money on trying to break. I can't tell if they are all just really out of it, or it's me that is losing it somewhere between the NYFW (Fashion Week) and SMWNYC (Social Media Week) mayhem. Thank god Assange exists. Someone's gotta do some work around here....

- 1. Egypt: A turning point in the Revolution? [Atlantic]

-Mubarak to step down. [NBC via Soup] -He could leave with, like $2-$3 billion (jerk). [Today] -After Mubarak, Egypt's revolution will be far from over. [Atlantic] -See the lists of demands from protesters in Egypt's Tahrir Sq. [GlobalVoices]

2. German stock exchange operator Deutsche Bourse is looking to buy the NY Stock Exchange. The WSJ says if the deal goes through, it will symbolize the end of New York's reign as the world's financial nucleus. Journalist Jason Zweig writes that the deal "leaves no doubt that for stock exchanges, the future isn't in exchanging stocks, but in being the clearinghouse for market data." [WSJ]

3. The Gawker "break." Gawker broke a (quote) big (quote) story last night about a married Congressman that sent sexy pictures to his Craigslist babe. Well, whoop-dee-do. Seriously. Great work. I don't know what's sadder, Rep. Christopher Lee's "trolling" Craiglist, or Maureen O'Connor's trolling his trolling in order to score a pat on the back from dissipating Daddy Denton. Wait?! You mean to tell me there are still some sexually repressed politicians out there on the loose!? Get.Out. The only interesting thing about the entire story was that Lee stepped down from office within three hours of the posting. Everyone has forgotten about this story by mid morning today, Denton's still lost the plot, and his redesign still sucks. Exhibit:

A: "Turns out Gawker's new URLs aren't even click able in Twitter." [Matt Langer]

B: "Gawker really isn't seeing a huge traffic bump today based on story." [Soup]

C: "Gawker's latest scalp didn't come with eyeballs: site meter shows slight traffic bump. [@gabrielsnyder]

4. Speaking of non-news "breaks." The Daily had its first real "break" today. A photo of the elusive Nikki Finke aka the "most powerful woman in Hollywood." Apparently Murdoch outbid Denton (who offered $1k for the photo). This "news item" was honestly what I woke up to streaming across my Twitter feed. Really? REALLY!? [TD]

5. Twitter is having "low level acquisition" talks with Facebook and Google. And, it's thinking big. By "big" think to the tune of $100 billion. [BI]

6. Time Out NY's "Most Stylish New Yorkers" issue is on stands now. And, our friend Malcolm Harris made the list! [@malsirrah]

7. Today on Reddit: What is the most useless fact you know? Did you know, for instance that more people are killed by vending machines than by sharks? Evolution fail. [Reddit]

8. Michelle Obama wore a $34.95 H&M dress on the Today Show yesterday. She was haggling Matt about his tater tot habits among other things, in a dress that the every day woman could afford. [WaPo]

9. Fox News Insider confirms: "Stuff is just made up!" "Indeed, a former Fox News employee who recently agreed to talk with Media Matters confirmed what critics have been saying for years about Murdoch’s cable channel. Namely, that Fox News is run as a purely partisan operation, virtually every news story is actively spun by the staff, its primary goal is to prop up Republicans and knock down Democrats, and that staffers at Fox News routinely operate without the slightest regard for fairness or fact checking" [Media Matters via Cajunboy]

10. Owen Thomas finally finds someone that has gotten to the bottom of the hashbang conundrum (URLs with "#!" in them). [isolani via OwenThomas]

11. The 10 most awkward TV couples. [Flavorwire]

12. Oh man, there's a great interview in this month's Vanity Fair Hollywood Issue on Lauren Becall. The entire piece is online and you won't regret spending time being transported back to the old Hollywood Golden Days: [VF]

13. Banksy Shenanigans not welcome at Oscars. Banksy's "Exit Through the Gift Shop" is nominated for best documentary. But, who will accept if the elusive artist wins? [Carpetbagger]

14. Danish architect Bjarke Ingels's great pyramid party is taking over Hell's Kitchen. The official property is being called "West 57th" and will have 600 rental apartments, each with a bay window and/or a balcony. wow. [Curbed]

15. Ready, Set...Go! Fashion Week is off! How to get through the early morning shows and late night parties? T magazine turned to long distance runner Delilah DiCrescenzo for tips! [TMag]

16. I really am getting into these Claus Porto Soaps. Available in 20+ fragrances the come in this delectable packaging that makes them look like Macaroons. [VieSociety]

17. The Providence Journal says a Rhode Island minister has been arrested for providing medical marijuana to his congregants after authorities found a shot gun and 180 pot plants stashed in his church! [PatsPapers]

18. Ok. Someone please teach Ben Lerer how to use twitter effectively. Srsly. [@benjlerer]

19. The Stinginess of the Rich. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that large donations to charitable organizations plummeted in 2010 to the lowest level seen since it began tracking. The 50 most generous donors in America gave a mere 20% of what they gave in '08. [MotherJones]

20. The iPad2 hasn't even been released yet, but there are already rumors that the iPad3 is coming in this Fall?! [TechCrunch]

21.Things James Franco can't do, part I and II. This is hilarious. On list: bear a child and sneeze with his eyes open:[The Daily]

22. Check out what Google looked like back in August of 1999. [Flavorpill] And then, go and check out what AOL looked like in 1996. [SimplyJess] Classic.

23. Here are 8 alternatives to college. Start a business, travel the world, write a book. Almost anything you can do with your time is a better idea heh. [John Carney]

24. The most famous girl in the history of the Internet: Have you seen this woman? She is this famous stock photo celebrity, seen all over the internet in various campaigns. But, no one could figure out her identity. Until they took to the Tumblr community, offered $25, and got their answer within minutes. Meet Hannah Steller: [Ninety9]

25. The popular New Yorker article this week on Scientology, summarized for you. [Blackbook]

26. The chosen fashion Tumblrs (there are 24 of them) are getting hooked.up. Check out their digs for the week. Suites at the Gramercy Park Hotel. How chic. [WhatIWore]

27. Author Chuck Palahniuk has already seen his novels Fight Club and Choke become feature films (the first gathering considerably more interest). Now, a third novel of his, Snuff is about to hit the screen with a cast including Daryl Hannah, Thora Birch and Tom Sizemore. [Moviefone]

28. Should you buy the Verizon iPhone 4? Let this flow chart be your guide: [JoshMohrer]

29. Have you always wanted to see what a runway show is like? Today, Racked has put together this great guide on "How to Sneak into a Runway Show: A Gate:Crasher's Guide." My advice? Skip the shows. The after parties are where the real fun is to be had and more worth your trouble. [Racked]

30. Finally, check out these Kate Spade digital Valentines....they rock! [KateSpade]