MEDIA
• Matt Drudge cracked open The New Republic’s Iraq fabulist controversy once again. Did the mag’s Baghdad diarist really make up details about mass graves and troops ridiculing a disfigured female soldier? Franklin Foer complains that Drudge’s docs could only have come from the Army. [Slate, NYO]
• Chris Jones, the managing editor of Portfolio.com, announced his departure from the mag after giving notice over a month ago. High-level rumors also indicate Joanne Lipman may soon be relieved from command — but only for the Website. [WWD]
• The Judith Miller movie is now filming in Memphis, and let’s just say that Kate Beckinsale is way too hot to be a reporter. On the other hand, the Valerie Plame CIA character, played by Vera Farmiga, looks just about right. [WP]
FINANCE
• Warren Buffett is rooting against the Red Sox. Now that’s the spirit! [DealBreaker]
• Third-quarter losses at Merrill Lynch came in so steep that Stan O’Neal may have trouble keeping his job. Possible replacements include Greg Fleming, Ahmass Fakahany, and John Thain. Meanwhile, Merrill looks ready to leave its longtime headquarters downtown for a new skyscraper across from Penn Station. [NYP, NYP, NYT]
• Steve Schwarzman found yet another way to squeeze every dollar he can out of Blackstone: The firm pays him upwards of $1 million a year to reimburse costs for his own private jet. [DealBook/NYT]
LAW
• Peter Barta, the former Legal Aid Society lawyer and Peeping Tom, pleaded guilty to hiding a camera in a clock to spy on undressing female employees. [AP via Law.com]
• Which firm has the best law library? More important, which boasts the hottest librarians? [Above the Law]
• The new best way to get out of work: Print a fake jury summons online for a mere $25. [AP via Law.com]
FASHION
• Slip into something more comfortable … in public. Lingerie-style fashion slinks back in vogue. [NYT]
• London robbers strike again, this time at Sonya Rykiel. C’mon people, fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice…[Fashion Week Daily]
• The Hussein Chalayan show can now finally be seen at the ShowStudio blog. [Fashionista]
