TV BUZZ – Scuttlebutt that Tim Russert has had Arianna Huffington blacklisted from NBC over comments about him in her new book. There are several passages in Right is Wrong about Russert, calling him (among other things) “one of the temple guards of conventional wisdom” and a “conventional wisdom zombie.” Huffington was reportedly un-booked from two NBC shows, but she’s talking everywhere else about the tome. We love a good media scandal. Also, we just wanted to use the word scuttlebutt.

The Best Links:

1. Tim Russert Blackballing Arianna At NBC?
2. Is Tim Russert Keeping Arianna Off NBC?
3. Tim Russert Takes Offense, Bans Arianna Huffington From NBC News
4. NBC VP: “I know some people have issues with her as a guest, but it has nothing to do with the book.”

SPORTS BUZZ – The controversy around the recent Vogue cover continues unabated online. Critics see a reductive racial stereotype in the image of LeBron James holding Gisele Bundchen on this month’s cover shot - it’s LeBron as King Kong - and non-critics just go “huh”?

The Best Links:

1. One of Worst Selling Issues of All Time
2. Vogue Goes With That Whole King Kong Motif For Their Lebron James-Gisele Bundchen Cover
3. “Vogue Magazine Is Not Saying Somebody Should Give LeBron James a Banana”
4. OMG His Thighs Are SO FAT
5. Yikes! A Troubling Comparison
6. Parsing the Controversy
7. “My initial reaction was, maybe the photograph is trying to capture his personality.”
8. The %u2018Observer%u2019: Did We Mention Sloane Crosley Is Soooo Dreamy? — Daily Intel — New York News Blog — New York Magazine
9. Some People Are Very Upset, It Seems
10. Is Vogue Racist For Choosing This LeBron James /Gisele Bundchen Cover?
11. Is This Racism Or Just Bad Art Direction?
12. The Controversy Begins
13. Nice Headline: Critics Go Ape Over LeBron James Magazine Cover
14. It’s Always Man Plus Gisele These Days