Told you we were headed down a slippery slope. When Janice Min began carrying out the Jann Wenner-ordered "Fake News" hatchet jobs that we've grown so fond of, we knew it was only a matter of time before the tabs fought back. Up first is Star, which retaliated this afternoon with the web story "US Magazine's Twisted Double Life!."

The beef centers around Us' June 11 cover story "Inside Shiloh's World: The secret home life of a daddy's girl and the surprising truth about Mom," which gave readers the idea that the Wenner weekly had uncovered untold scores of uber-exclusive details of what it's like to live with Brad and Angelina as your parents.

Except, argues Star: "US Weekly's revelations about Jolie-Pitt's "secret home life" aren't so secret after all. In fact, most of the article has been recycled from TV interviews and other magazines, including Reader's Digest, U.K.'s Elle and Glamour!"

Oooh, unsourced recycled reporting!

CONTINUED »

What's causing Us Weekly EIC Janice Min to stress out — more than she usually does each week when the other tabs getting stories so wrong?

Perhaps it's the departure of deputy editor Caroline Schaefer Del Col who, we hear, quit last week. A tabloid insider tells us she was one of Janice's "fav" editors. So where'd Caroline decamp for? Shape* Self, where she's features editor director. Or, as one source puts it, a "demoted position." Sign of the times, eh?

*Bad copy/pasting, bad!

Oh Janice, how long will you keep up the fight against the competition? When your file cabinet marked "BAUER MISTAKES" empties? (Odds: Likely.)

As you can see, Janice is back on the attack against In Touch and Life & Style, who, according to this layout, can think of nothing but how bad Jen wants Brad back. Not so, says Us' carefully selected rebuttals.

But really, Min, why do this on the same week that you're admitting the Janet Jackson "How I Kept It Off" cover – where Janet explains how she maintained her 60 pound weight loss, despite paparazzi photos showing otherwise – underwent a "cosmetic touchup"? It just screams of … oh, what's the word? Oh, right: "Hypocrite."

• Us Weekly chieftain Janice Min's contract may be up, but some say her big ticket contract is heading down.

• Facebook gets facelift, exciting new interactive features.

• Radio station 92.3 (K-Rock) abandons its "low-rated all-talk format," ushers in new era with Nirvana's "All Apologies."

• Meanwhile, in a proud moment for Sirius Satellite Radio, CEO Mel Karmazin declared ""we suck less" than rival XM.

• 'JT Leroy' creator Laua Albert may not have been an abused transsexual. But she still had a trying upper middle-class childhood, dammit!

• 'Business journals should be more like Page Six,' says Orange County Register's Scott Flanders, by which he presumably means "more anonymous sources, Christmas 'bonuses' and all-expense paid trips to New Orleans."

• NYT's Lola Ogunnaike gives up her lifelong dream of being on The View, instead joins CNN's American Morning.

This just in: For the third week in a row, and as we hoped for, Us Weekly is tackling the competition. We hear EIC Janice Min is running another attack on her fellow tabloids – sticking to Bauer again this week – pointing out just how bad they get it wrong when it comes to celebrity baby news.

It pains us to keep doing this, but really, should Us be the one to call out others on bungling baby news?

In the end, who cares? We'll see you here tomorrow with the recap.

By now, most of you have undoubtedly noticed Us Weekly's contraversial new feature, in which they rip on all the celeb weeklies (except Us, of course!) for publishing error-riddled, clumsily researched, faux articles, based on out of context photos, anonymous sources and decade-old quotations.

And now, EIC Janice Min explains the rationale behind Us' decision.

"The industry of celebrity magazines is the only thriving niche in magazines," said editor in chief Janice Min. "This sort of blatant abuse on the newsstands of selling covers really threatens the category. The whole idea of faking news is wrong."

And you know, she's right! Faking news is sooo wrong, except if you're The Onion, or Saturday Night Live.

Or, you know, a sleazy Wenner Media publication, williing to do anything (even claim to have integrity!) to outsell its competitors, who—we hear—are just a bunch of dirty little liars.

First off, kudos to Us Weekly, who managed to score actual celebrities for Thursday night's Hot Hollywood party in L.A. Remember when Star editorial director Bonnie Fuller tried lining up a few notables for her book party and forgot that her magazine might have insulted them and enraged their handlers?

But there's Lindsay Lohan, Ciara, Rose McGowan, Ashley Simpson, David Arquette, Ali Larter, Justin Chambers, and Lauren Conrad. (Okay, that last one doesn't count.)

Also making appearances? Ryan Seacrest and Carmen Electra, of course, otherwise known as the best friends of Us's online chief Ken Baker, who's holding the mic, next to Brandi Williams. Not that we're implying there's anything less than sanitary about this synergy of personal and business interests, of course. The way Ryan makes his entrance on the American Idol stage is certainly worthy of style recognition, as is the way Carmen moves those bottles of NV.

That photo over there? Of Reese Witherspoon? On page 22 of this week's Us Weekly? The one with Prince William on the cover?

Janice Min & Co. paid $2,000.00 for it.

The sale was closed a week ago today, on April 17. The $2k payment gives Us "non-exclusive rights to publish such Photos, including the right to promote and advertise the Photos in connection with promotion of the issue in which the Photos appear."

It's a standard arrangement, sure. But how'd we get all those details? Because the magazine has a little problem with leaking all that sensitive information via email.

CONTINUED »

Jann Wenner's circulation scheme to have Us Weekly hit its rate base comes at such an inopportune time. Well, inopportune time for him — he's got two ill fellas to juggle. For us? It's perfect timing to pounce on the tabloid while it's down.

So here's how it goes: Jann wants to bring Us' guaranteed circ to 1.85 million to stay competitive and/or bolster his ego. (You guess the more likely scenario.) Sadly, he doesn't have that many real readers. So he writes a cheque to Hachette Filipacchi for the 409,000 names from Premiere magazine, which just folded, paying about $2 per name to drop them on Us's roster. All this on the heels of a scramble to meet its previous 1.75 million rate base — a goal met by ramping up the number of "verified" copies, bringing the total to 1,751,709.

With Premiere's readers, he'll easily be able to hit his new target. So on to the next dilemma: Janice Min's contract negotiations, which we hear are still on-going.

Following Ken Baker's move to head up UsMagazine.com – a transition, some might say, that was not voluntary – the West Coast chief slot has remained open. Sure, Martha Flores has been running things as news director, but where's the top slavedriver?

Enter Melanie Bromley, who's taking the reigns as West Coast bureau chief. A five year Us veteran, she arrived from the Times of London (and, ahem, News of the World).

Her first assignment? Next week's Hot Hollywood event — which, in fonder days, used to be Baker's territory.

Janice's full email to staff, after the jump.

CONTINUED »

Jill Ishkanian is still taking messages at Us Weekly. Or at least her voicemail is.

Even though Ishkanian left the magazine in October 2005 – and now runs paparazzi agency Sunset Photo & News – the tabloid has left her cell phone activated and lets it collect voicemail messages, complete with Jill's outgoing message greeting callers.

CONTINUED »

• Twelve weeks and counting for Us Weekly EIC Janice Min and boss Jann Wenner to reach a new deal before her contract runs out.

• Bravo buys TelevisionWithoutPity, tries to keep on screwing the freelancers.

• Meanwhile, Bravo's Project Runway re-ups with Tim Gunn as host. Nice negotiating with those rumors of begin too busy, Gunn!"

• That Page Six plugs corporate cousin HarperCollins is news now relegated to a footnote.

• Fox TV and Hearst team up for web videos you won't watch, be able to find.

• Salon gossip aggregator Scott Lamb tires of checking RSS feeds. So does that mean the celebrity category is or isn't saturated?

• Mr. Magazine names Relish the "Launch of the Year." We name Mr. Magazine the "Needs to Give Up That Hack Name" of the decade.

CONTINUED »

Just how close are Us Weekly web chief Ken Baker and American Idol host-slash-E! News managing editor-slash-On Air radio show host? "Thisclose," in the parlance of print gossip copy.

It's no secret the twosome have a special relationship, made public to watchful insiders after Baker (working with Us paparazzi pals Flynet) helped Seacrest set up Teri Hatcher with a documented smoochfest. But ever since Baker took over Us' online operations, Seacrest's name and pictures have been popping up with the frequency of a Greg Lindsay byline.

Factor in Baker's being a regular on Seacrest's On Air radio show – which Ken refers to as "my radio show," a source says – and the synergy becomes quite apparent. (Also, it's Kick Us' Ass Around Day 'round these parts.)

Apparent except to, say, Us maestra Janice Min, who continues to turn a blind eye to her former No. 2's antics, an Us insider tells us. (Min hasn't replied to our request for comment.)

So where can we find Ryan's free publicity popping up on UsMagazine.com? There's the Tuesday item about Heather Mills, the Friday plug of Ryan on Us's web video program, and the Thursday item plugging Seacrest's radio show where news broke of Sacha Baron Cohen's coming child. As anyone with an Internet connection could find out, the frequency of the Seacrest sightings on Us' website have increased since Ken took the reigns.

CONTINUED »

First Lucy Spiller Bonnie Fuller, now Janice Min. LX.TV's SuChin Pak has another Drinks With segment with a top tabloid editor, and besides the usual TomKat name drops, we get dish on her personal life and her former boss, "an incredibly normal person." So all those stories about Bonnie Fuller ripping her minions to shreds? That's just her "actions can be perceived as non-sensitive" because "she's so focused."

Spin is cuter when it isn't coming from publicists, innit?

• Kate Moss' friends sing "Happy Birthday" to her in the lavatory, where she spent the majority of her bday "powdering her nose."

• Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minillo to stop living in sin??

• Today, Widdicombe has us racking our brains to figure out which "travel magazine expert on a popular daytime TV show" has been pulling a Paula Abdul, a.k.a. boozing it up at the press junkets.

• Dedicated actress Sienna Miller became a super-skinny boozehound…all in the name of nailing a role, of course.

• Bonnie Fuller to "inspire" Hunter College grads today while Janice Min hopes to corrupt upstanding Ivy League writers/editors over at the Columbia Specator.

• The Daily News promised Paris Hilton would perform at the Plumm; Page Six can't wait to gloat after Paris is a no-show.

With Anna Wintour taking Editor of the Year and More magazine winning Magazine of the Year at AdAge's A-List awards ceremony at the American Magazine Conference late last month, perhaps all that hype overshadowed one interesting development: Gone from any of AdAge's spots was Us Weekly, the tabloid that landed Bonnie Fuller the Editor of the Year award in 2004. Last year, Us Weekly was given the No. 3 spot (People took No. 1). And this year? While People remains on the list at No. 6, Us Weekly is noticeably absent — but one of its competitors is not. Coming in at No. 10 is In Touch, the surprise hit from Bauer that's exceeded circulation expections quarter after quarter. (Us is also AWOL from Ad Week's line up.)

Meanwhile, we're hearing word that Janice Min's supposed best-selling issue ever – Janet Jackson's "How I Got Thin" from June 5, when Min was actually on maternity leave – is having its revenue grab questioned. Initially pegged to have pulled in $1.4 million in sales, that number has dropped to $1.3m, and then again to $1.2m. And its circ numbers from that issue, yet to be audited, may be revealed to be relatively flat compared to other issues' numbers. Naturally, Wenner Media's talking heads will deny as much.

When we saw this week's Us Weekly (above left), it wasn't Britney Spears' 26 pound weight loss that grabbed our attention. Nor was it seeing a photo of Britney in something other than unflattering shorty jean shorts and a post-maternity top. Rather, it was the unsettling feeling that we'd seen this cover somewhere before. But where?

To be fair, Janet Jackson's cover was the mag's best-selling issue to date. And after last week's Whitney Houston newsstand sales bomb, it seems Jann Wenner has handed back the reigns to editor Janice Min. Though, to be sure, she was on maternity leave when the Janet cover hit.

(Click image for larger version in pop-up window)

Looks like the Us Weekly-Jessica Meisels feud may actually have come to pass. If you remember, on the heels of Kitson's lawsuit against the tabloid, we exclusively told you about another of West Coast executive editor Ken Baker's problems: an unpaid bill to power publicist Meisels, who was looking for a measly three-figure payment stemming from her work on Baker's Head to Hollywood charity event in June. Baker, we reported, refused to pay up.

Under threats of editorial blacklisting from Janice Min's Us if Meisels didn't but a kabosh on our story, the spinstress insisted to us that all bills were paid. (To be fair, both Us and Meisels have denied, from the beginning, that there was ever any bad blood between the two parties. Our reputable sources said otherwise.)

Further, at the end of last month Meisels claimed to us that her Elizabeth Hurley/Polaroid/Breast Cancer Awareness Month event was being covered by the tabloid. Would a magazine upset with a publicist agree to cover said publicist's event? Likely not.

But there's the coverage, above, in this week's Us Weekly (p. 115). Unless it's a carefully orchestrated ploy to convince us to give up on the story. Though with Ken Baker still in play, we can't entirely dismiss the possibility.

Earlier: Us Weekly & Jessica Meisels' Mended (If Ever Broken) Fences

Exclusive

Us Weekly West Coast executive editor – and, of late, our favorite punching bag – Ken Baker must be growing a bit nervous about his future tenure with Jann Wenner's tab. How else to explain his recent chats with the competition? We hear exclusively that Baker – who's Us contract is said to expire in the spring of '07 – has been making the inquiry rounds with People managing editor Larry Hackett. Baker phoned Hackett to let him know his services are available, should People need the West Coast help. Bragging about his ability to "rally the reporters" and get them to "break news on a regular basis," Baker spoke to Hackett as recently as August about a possible jump.

It wasn't until People staffers got wind of the conversations and confronted Hackett about fraternizing – and potentially hiring – Baker did the Time Inc. title chieftan back off from talks. (It's no secret People staffers don't look highly of Baker.) Hackett's excuse for taking Baker's calls? That he was merely conducting "investigative research" on the competition, using the Us editor to learn more about Janice Min's operations with no intention of actually hiring him. Which would make sense, theoretically, as this wouldn't be the first time Hackett has done it.

On Baker's end, meanwhile, a jump to People may not be what's he's actually after. He could be simply stirring up interest in his gossip brand name to ensure things go his way when it's time to renegotiate his contract in the spring. Or at least that's that excuse he can tell boss Janice when she reads this.

(Photo: Ken Baker, here with Christina Aguilera, at Us Weekly's Hot Hollywood party)

Exclusive

With all this recent furor over gossips and free gifts, it'd be wise to remember gossip columns aren't the only place where free merch and services are the currency of the chatter mill: the tabloids survive on swag too. But the two sides do take a surprisingly different approach to serial offenders: Whereas gossip columns fire their offenders, the tabs prefer to defend the rank and file.

As we've so often done these past few weeks, let's use Us Weekly as a case file. While it's no secret beauty products don't end up in their "Get [Insert Celeb's Name]'s Look!" spreads without editors getting a gift-wrapped goodie bag with those very eyeliners and eyebrow pencils, Us Weekly's west coast executive editor Ken Baker is notorious for taking free merch to a whole new level. And Wenner Media brass don't seem to care — how else to explain his continued employment?

When Baker needed a quick getaway in August, we hear he turned to the always-accomodating Joe Francis of Girls Gone Wild. Francis escorted Baker on his private jet to the titty maestro's $25 million Casa Aramara compound in Puerta Vallarta. Sure, Page Six editor Richard Johnson was on the receiving end of Francis' gratis mood when he needed a $50,000 bachelor party before his nuptials to Sessa von Richthofen, but Baker's blend of editorial pay-for-play received an entirely different level of attention: Francis delivered the Jennifer Aniston-Vince Vaughn engagement scoop to Baker, in exchange for lavish plugs and photos in the magazine.

Jen and Vince stayed at Francis' estate in June — at least according to Us Weekly's August 21 issue, which included a shot of the mansion with the caption, "While in Mexico,
Vaughn and Aniston stayed in Punta de Mita at Casa Aramara, the $25 million, 14-bedroom mansion owned by adult entertainment entrepreneur Joe Francis."

In the end, Baker could certainly rationalize (to editrix Janice Min, at least) that his Puerta Vallarta excursion was required in order to get the scoop. Or, on the other hand, you can blame Joe Francis for making up the engagement, sending Janice on the Today show, and forcing Aniston to rebuff the engagement claim to People magazine.