Sure, Campbell Robertson may be closing up the Boldface Names shop today with one of those semi-annual Michiko Kakutani parodies Ben Yagoda hates so much, but with all the Jared Paul Stern fodder going around, how could the Joyce Wadler protege ignore the schmegma of an era?

A fond farewell to Boldface as Robertson heads over to parts of the Grey Lady that Bill Keller doesn't treat like bastard children. As for those who will miss his regular cultural rounds:

The year's remaining Broadway openings, movie premieres, book parties, galas, benefits and concerts were, oddly, slated to take place on schedule despite the development.

Which means the Julia Roberts Broadway zingers will be relegated to the Arts section. And probably delivered by Campbell Robertson.

Gossip Column Rocked by Scandal! [Campbell Robertson, NYT]
Earlier: NYT Axes its Boldface Names

The Boldface column in the New York Times is a staple in the culturally elite circles of the city. Well, at least it was.

The Times has decided to shut down the daily column which ran in the regional section, and covered the going-ons in celeb studded theatre, movie premiers, and fund-raisers.

The Times created Boldface Names, a daily column that ran in the paper's metro section, in part as a response to the success of Page Six. But it struggled to define itself as a section that would feed the appetite for gossip created by the tabs while continuing to speak with the broadsheet's traditional voice.

Because the gossip is actually true, and reporters attend the events they are writing about, readers were not as interested in these articles as they were with the "scoops" and gossipy murmurs of its main competition, Page Six.

Campell Roberston, the column's editor, is said to be moving to the Arts section of the Times. Which is fine for him … but what about us?

Without Boldface Names to scan every morning to see how many names we actually recognize, we're not sure we still have a purpose to live. For the next week, we'll be OD-ing on New York's Party Lines photo column and scouring Last Night's Party to try to get a grip on what people we don't know and will probobly never meet have been up to.

Post scandal a buzz killer Times to unwind its gossip page [Steven Zeitchik, Variety]

As if the Daily News features of Jared Paul Stern, and Lloyd Grove throwing in his two sense in weren't enough, the gossip on gossip action was taken to the next level this weekend as Campbell Robertson thoroughly recounted the "scandal."

Though Stern's official statement reads

"Mr. Stern said it was a set-up and questioned both Burkle's motives and the Daily News' role in the proceedings. He looks forward to getting to the bottom of the matter.

'Mr. Stern has been the victim of a smear campaign, and expects to be fully exonerated and re-instated in his position,' said his lawyer Joseph Tacopina,"

dust has not yet settled on the rumors, allegations, and of course, gossip, that continued to swirl like Tenesee tornadoes all weekend.

On Saturday, in a New York Times cover story, Roberts revealed that Ron Burkle is not the only one involved in "finessing" his coverage in the column. Harvey Weinstein, Ron Perlman, and Joe Francis are all "friends of Page Six."

And because no eight-part story is complete without thorough background info on the players, the Times introduces us to the Page Sixers, and sheds light the dark, gritty details of a gossip columnist's life.

Of course, the most shocked of all is Alec Baldwin, who just can't believe (he's shocked!) Stern sunk so low — good thing we have Cheryl Tiegs to sum it all up in one word: "creepy." A full calendar of the stories runs along today's Times installment — New York's roses, the News and the Post, are dished about in the same fashion as the subjects' most poured over pages.

But you know what's really creepy? With so much drama in the NYT this weekend, we didn't even need to pick up Page Six for our weekend gossip fix.

Behind Gossip, There's Often a Relationship [Campbell Robertson, New York Times]
Post to Daily News: Drop Dead (& Back Atcha) [Richard Siklos, New York Times]
Earlier: Page Six's Jared Paul Stern stung by Daily News

• What do you get when you put Star Jones, Al Reynolds, and OK! magazine together? A tacky trio, desperate for an exclusive on their "anniversary", and a venue pathetic enough to hold the event for free. So far, no takers. [Lowdown]

• Paris Hilton and Stavros Niarchos have called off their romance, at least for the next few hours. After turning in to Kelly Osbourne's 21st birthday bash at the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas into $100,000 in fire and water damages (not to mention Paris' runaway monkey), the duo are taking some cool off time. [Star]

• You would've expected Barbara Bush to be BFFs with Tara Reid, but it's Chelsea Clinton that's filling that role. The duo hooked up while Tara was filming the since-axed Taradise and have been insuperable ever since. That's not pleasing presidential hopeful mama Hillary, who's demanded her daughter stop socializing with the misfit. [Radar]

• That was was no dream — it was an Arabian nightmare in Bahrain, when an unsuspecting woman went into the ladies room and discovered .. Michael Jackson! Or maybe it was LaToya, too close to call. [NYDN]

• Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey is definitely enjoying his life as a gay man, taking to Out 100's party with a one David August, who was (at least officially) not his date. [R&M]

• Tara Reid can behave? Who knew! Her 30th birthday bash was much calmer than it could've been, and you can blame her mom's omnipresent stare for the lack of nip slips. [The Scoop]

• If only you listened to what Diane Dimond has to say instead of intentionally ignoring her barbs, you might agree that Michael Jackson's molestation woes could've (should've?) ended in a mistrial. [Page Six]

• Joaquin Phoenix: Still crazy. At least this time Campbell Robertson got a feel. [Lowdown]

• NYT Boldface Names scribe Campbell Robertson takes a holiday from social hob nobbing to – gasp! – do some actual reporting. Please, don't expect any of that coming from this space anytime soon.

• With Hurricane Katrina's exposure of government misconduct, Brian Williams promises the media is going to get back to actually reporting hard news, though they'll have to look back a few decades to remember how to do that.

• From CNN to Details, to Esquire and to Maxim, Anderson Cooper now lands in the New York Times, but only because he cries on camera.

• Miami Herald columnist Jim DeFede, who illegally recorded politico Arthur Teele just before he killed himself in the newspaper's lobby, will not be charged with any crime.

• Yahoo is adopting its role of media company (Wall Street must be cheering) with the hiring of Kevin Sites to report on three dozen war zones over the next year.

• We hear mildly disgraced former amNew York editor Alex Storozynski has found new work as the city editor of the New York Sun.

• Penthouse raised $48 million in stocks in bonds with hopes of launching a pay TV network to compete with Playboy's. Whatever, more porn is always good news.

• New Disney chief Bob Iger is quietly lobbying Comcast to help close the gap on "windowing," or the interval between a film's theatrical release and its DVD and small screen appearances.