2005 was a pretty boring year for magazines. A few folds, a few launches, a few EIC departees and scandals…nothing too mind-blowing. Or, maybe it was just that the shame shadows cast by the New York Times are large enough to cloud over an entire industry. TV News had its moments, as did blogs! It was tough competition, but the categories and their nominees for Best Media Moments are here:

(and don't forget the winners after the jump!)

• 'Twas the year for founding magazine EICs to abandon their babies, and we sure were sad to see them go. Sarah Gray Miller broke a few hearts when she left Budget Living's pockets empty. And of course there was Jane Pratt's confusing departure from Jane, which led Brandon Holley to say c'ya to ELLEgirl. It's hard enough to keep track, let alone choose our fave EIC flee.

• Ah, the scandals of journalism. If only there was a tabloid for media freaks to follow each other's wrong-doings. Nominees for 2005's biggest newsmedia mishaps go to Judith Miller for her NYT/Scooter Libby/Valerie Plame protection/revelation debacle. And recently, there was that whole NYT wiretap/PR disguised as service journalism fiasco. And of course, who could forget good old Graydon Carter's Deep Throat discovery? (Not to mention all the press leaks it inspired.)

• Sometimes, newscasters can get a little whacky, but that's why we love them. Television news needs its moment in the spotlight too, so we have nominated a couple in the category of TV travesties: Al Roker for his Hurricane Wilma wipe-out or Matt Lauer for holding his own when attacked with Tom Cruise's particular brand of cruisaziness. (Ok, we realize these are both Today Show incidents, but all the nerds already covered the real news.)

• When unoriginal mags launch, nobody wins. Yet, they just keep on launchin'. Our favorite new mags of the year? David will kill us all if we don't list Cookie, everyone's fave billionaire baby book. And then there was Weekend, another richie rich mag for people who have like seven houses and a cabin, and overcrowding the tabloid market from abroad is the very celeboring OK!. We hate them all, but which is truly the most unnecessary new mag of the year? After the jump, guys!

• The worst things to happen to media this year? Its a sad category, but someone's gotta do it. We don't what was more heartbreaking, the death of Peter Jennings or the death of Radar. And Judy behind bars was kind of a blow to the industry (yes, she can be nominated twice). Hmm, what else…? Oh, yeah, Peter Braunstein on the loose was pretty f'd up.

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