Sometimes when we read the name of Pat O'Brien — the veteran tabloid TV host — we say it, aloud or in our heads, the same way Conan O'Brien's announcer introduces him every night. Other times, we just go "Peh Eh-breh-en." Like we are this morning, having found out the man got himself fired by daring to criticize the soulless establishments known as Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, which, up until this week, employed him.

That said, if you're looking for a nice fun trip down Bad Memories Lane, recall February of last year, when gossip columnists insisted O'Brien was being fired, but rather than oust him, The Insider re-upped his $4 million contract (though forced him to take a pay cut).

Pat O'Brien, the anchor-cum-correspondent (that's a demotion) for The Insider, has a history with oversharing. Mostly, it's been in the form of voicemails, like when he tells a woman that he wants to get crazy, get some coke, and do things to her that eventually appeared in Verne Troyer's sex tape. And now, the sometimes-recovering alcoholic ups the ante with a staffer email that takes shots at Lara Spencer, who's solo-hosting the show after effectively pushing him out.

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As Christopher Ciccone's publicity tour hits full stride this week — the book drops today — you've got the two-part Good Morning America interview, where he spends some time defending his sister's extramarital reputation, to concern yourself with. But there are two places where you might not hear about his scandalous accusations about husband Guy Ritchie's homophobia and his sister's obsession with Kabbalah.

We're hearing reports that neither Entertainment Tonight nor The Insider, both produced by CBS Television Studios, will be airing specials about Ciconne.

How come? Because Madonna's rep had them killed.

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Though insiders at, ahem, The Insider have been gabbing about it for the better part of the year, Lara Spencer's role as sole anchor of the tabloid show has been, nearly almost certainly definitely, been acknowledged by her employer CBS/Paramount. The two parties have inked a new deal, which has Spencer moving from NYC to LA for the fifth season's premiere, while one-time co-anchor Pat O'Brien, star of the most famous voicemail ever, who emerged from a second bout of alcohol rehab to play the role of special correspondent, alongside Victoria Recano and Steven Cojocaru, is officially pushed behind the scenes, where he can dial your voicemail box from the comfort of behind the curtain.

This is the first time either The Insider, or its parent Entertainment Tonight, have had a single host. (Both shows are exec produced by Linda Bell Blue.)

And when Spencer takes over as the show's solo lead, she'll also step onto a new set at the show's Los Angeles studio, which was crafted, supposedly, just for her.

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After his second stint in rehab, and Pat O'Brien is returning to co-host The Insider with Lara Spencer. The tabloid TV chatter classes grew worried when he finished he program, but then disappeared, albeit from grocery store sightings.

We're not quite sure how we missed this The Insider segment last week — oh wait, yes we are: We never watch that show. But it featured OK! magazine chief Sarah Ivens walking viewers through the very intricate process of producing a tabloid each week. How do they choose photos? (They look at them!) How do they choose who goes on the cover? (They default to Brangelina!)

So why, one might ask, is OK! popping up on The Insider? Because it's all part of their gossip-sharing arrangement: The CBS-produced tabloid show plugs OK!, and OK! hand delivers their scoops to them instead of the competition.

Writes in an inquiring mind: "I couldn't help but notice on yesterday's edition of The Insider that Thomas Roberts, former CNN anchor, [ALLEGED!] child abusee and [RUMORED!] Craig's List nude, is wearing a wedding band on his left hand." Did somebody have a commitment ceremony with a Manhunt.net date?

The Insider host is out of his second-in-three-years stint in rehab and has been spotted looking Nicole Richie kinds of frail and stocking up on junk food like Pringles and M&Ms, which will feed his sudden sugar addiction (being a recovering addict and all). As for his career, the tabloid show has yet to confirm that he's been asked to return. Might be in their best interest to get some mileage out of covering his story before allowing him back to work. [TMZ]

Leave it to The Insider to have the first report that their own host Pat O'Brien is … headed back to rehab! With fingers crossed that he won't be topping those coked-up voicemails, O'Brien returns, after three years on the loose, to join lovelies like Amy Winehouse, Kirsten Dunst, and Eva Mendes currently enjoying a cleansing retreat. We wish The Insider's ratings the best.

Heath Ledger's publicist Mara Buxbaum, along with Ina Treciokas, runs the New York office of public relations firm I/D PR. (On the West Coast, power publicist Kelly Bush leads the charges.) It's Buxbaum who sent out an email to other Hollywood rep firms, including PMK-HBH, 42 West, and BWR, calling on them to protest Entertainment Tonight and The Insider's decision to run video of Ledger at a 2006 SAG Awards party, which they paid $200k for, that showed another man snorting "something" off a table and Heath discussing his drug use.

To ET executive producer Linda Bell Blue and Paramount exec Brad Bessey, this email, which included both of their email addresses and a call to speak out, meant something else entirely: If they moved ahead with airing the video, they would effectively lose access to all of I/D PR's clients, as well as those of allied powerhouse agencies. Not that Buxbaum would go on record saying so.

So exactly who would the CBS-Paramount tabloid shows wave goodbye to? Here's a short list: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ellen Page, Mira Sorvino, James Marsden, Kevin Kline, Ethan Hawke (who Buxbaum just confirmed is about to be a daddy), Sarah Jessica Parker, Winona Ryder, Sean Penn, Diane Lane, America Ferrera, and Elijah Wood. Dozens – and dozens – more follow.

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The most recent pictures of Britney Spears' va-jay-jay? We're told they were snapped up "in the five-figure range" in a one day exclusive detail with CBS/Paramount's Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, and then continued to sell well on a non-exclusive arrangement thereafter. And while the blogs also bought 'em up, interestingly, the print tabloids did not. Something about editors being "too grossed out." Which begs the question: Even Mark Pasetsky?

There are blind items. And then there are blind items where you pretend to cover your eyes with your hands except it's obvious you're peeking out between your fingers. Guess which scenario we've got here?

Asks blogger Kenneth in the 212: "Which TV insider has been known to make his own headline news with these superhot nude pics of himself on the gay cruising site Manhunt.net?"

We'll let you visit that site for the NSFW photo hints, but in an entirely unrelated visit to memory lane, let's once again ogle new Insider correspondent Thomas Roberts' torso.

The Insider's email news alert was so breaking, they didn't have time for new hire Thomas Roberts to chip in with the copyediting.

We're hearing openly gay – which must be mentioned, of course – former CNN anchor Thomas Roberts, whose torso makes us swoon, has inked a contributor deal with CBS Paramount's The Insider and/or Entertainment Tonight.

What with E!'s Ryan Seacrest and Marc Malkin, plus Extra's Mark McGrath, tabloid TV is becoming a gay teen's haven.

Timeline.

January 11: Radar's Jeff Bercovici gets some bad information and claims Pat O'Brien is being canned as host of The Insider.

February 8: We hear from a well-placed snitch that O'Brien is not out of a job. In fact, he's being resigned with a new contract.

Today: Ben Widdicombe confirms O'Brien has re-upped, "for a chunk less change. Also, he's moving to New York!"

Just how is Paris Hilton coping with her detainment? Um, who cares.

Where our hearts lie is with the tabloid press, who, at the same time, have both a news hole (Paris isn't out partying!) and a news field day (Paris is in prison!). With the heiress checking herself into jail not even 48 hours ago, it's time to check in with our tabloid TV pals to see what they're working on.

Inside Edition: "Paris Hilton may be facing a serious threat at the Lynwood Correction Facility where she is currently serving her 45-day sentence for violating her probation. The women’s prison is rife with staph infection, with over 402 inmates diagnosed with the serious infection last year alone."

Oh good, we knew there'd be scraps!

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The video you'll be talking about for the next 3.67 days is, undoubtedly, footage of Knight Rider David Hasselhoff intoxicated and eating some sort of drunk food a hamburger while his daughter films it, advising him that he'll lose his The Producers gig if he drinks. It's hysterical, entertaining, or worth the 30 seconds of your life that it takes to consume.

But that's not even where the fun ends. Now the tabloid shows are feuding over the footage. Extra claims it's their exclusive, but will let you see it. Meanwhile, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider claim its theirs, and are being passive-aggressive about letting you watch it.

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• Hugh Grant left a British paparazzo "bruised, battered and covered in baked beans."

• Could it be? Is Britney Spears really tipping off the paparazzi before she heads out for her daily errands? But wouldn't that make her an opportunistic hussy promoting a comeback album, rather than a postpartum sufferer and devoted mother to two children we never see?

• And if rapper Eve described her leaked sex tape as "embarrassing," she must be utterly humiliated by this whole "driving drunk and crashing her gold Maserati" incident.

• Joe Francis may have racked up more time in the slammer by (allegedly!) fondling the boobies of an uninterested 18 year old girl.

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All those tabloid shows that insist on popping up around 7pm, just as you're settling in for a couple Law & Orders on TiVo before Lost comes on? Yeah, they're not doing so well. Ratings are dipping for all that syndicated fare, including daytime's Live With Regis & Kelly and Dr. Phil. (Oprah, of course, is doing alright.)

But then there are two shining exceptions to the rule, and their names aren't Inside Edition or Access Hollywood.

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Exclusive

In the wake of Anna Nicole Smith's death, do you know who's truly suffering? Staffers at The Insider, that's who.

We hear the entire stage crew staff – some 17 or 18 people – was just given the ax by exec producer Linda Bell Blue. (Cost cutting measure in resigning Pat O'Brien?)

So what's to happen to the show? An, ahem, insider tells us it might move to the set of Entertainment Tonight – a fellow Paramount/CBS Studios product, and Bell Blue's stomping ground – but nothing has been decided yet. The Post, meanwhile, reports the show is moving to New York.

As for Blue Bell? We're told "she cried" when news of Anna's death hit the wires. Our tattler suggests a few possible reasons for the tears:

1) Linda was genuinely sad about the death;
2) They were tears of joy, celebrating a huge return on an $800,000 investment in Anna. All that money for exclusive interviews with the deceased is just now realizing its value, as The Insider will have hoards of unseen footage of a breathing Anna;
3) Tears of guilt, because the $800k in payments to the former Playmate only helped feed her addictions;
4) She felt like she lost a sister: "Anna Nicole once told Linda Bell she thought they looked like sisters," says our source;

Oh, and one other reason Bell Blue might be devastated? She'll have to find a new celebrity to mop the floor with during sweeps.