MEDIA
• The paparazzi are so over chasing Britney Spears. [NYDN]
• In an era where newspapers are trying to slash their budgets, journalists aren’t hitting the road with presidential candidates. [NYT]
• The New York Times got duped by a phony YouTube clip involving Rick Astley and his 1987 song, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” [FishbowlNY/Mediabistro]
LAW
• Bear Stearns general counsel Michael Solender unloaded his stock options last December, as did several other top execs. [Law.com]
• The Department of Homeland Security’s new fingerprint tester was met with mixed reactions at JFK. “This felt like, What else do you want from me? Pretty soon it’ll be a full naked body scan, with my irises and my DNA profile.” [NYT]
• Meanwhile, New York police can now can strip-search someone and look inside his body cavities without a warrant if they have reason to think concealed evidence is inside. [NYT]
FINANCE
• The banks that had agreed to finance the $19.5 billion sale of Clear Channel Communications to two private-equity firms are now getting cold feet. [NYT]
• Although Wall Street might report $460 billion in credit losses, which is four times what has already been disclosed, analysts says there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Although it’s a very dim, faint light. [Bloomberg]
• John McCain says “it is not the duty of government to bail out and reward those who act irresponsibly, whether they are big banks or small borrowers.” Er, too late, old man. [DealBook/NYT]
