Since Ron Burkle lost his chance to turn the Los Angeles Times into a publicity machine for his ego, he's now turning his attention to American Media Inc., the debt-laden publisher of Star, National Enquirer, Flex, and Muscle & Fitness. (Yeah, that list sort of trails off at the end.) It's also the stomping ground of David Pecker, whose ability to retain an executive title bewilders us. So the story goes, Burkle wants to merge AMI with Source Interlink Companies, a firm probably responsible for half the junk mail you receive, and one Burkle controls through his Yucaipa investment company. Combine all that with his not-so-secret investment in Radar and, if the deal goes through, he'll have a whole stable of tabloid magazines in dire financial straits.