My Summer Camp Nickname Was Gay-Gay

What was yours?

My summers at overnight camp were the best time of my childhood, and I got to re-live them over the weekend. I happily endured a plane seat designed for elves and a gelato-firm mattress in exchange for a few days of authentic female bonding with 80 fellow alums of the late, great Camp Wingfoot for Girls in Painesville, Ohio (pop. 19,563).

Will & Grace Was Gay, But Not Gay Marriage

Get your facts straight, Mr. Biden.

Now that we have the first gay president, what does that make the vice president? His bitch? In a word, yes, but not a terribly obedient one. By declaring his support for same-sex marriage last week on Meet the Press, Joltin’ Joe Biden tipped the president’s hand and forced him to move up his timetable.

Wendy Ruderman Talks About Why She’s Leaving the Daily News

"Morale couldn’t get any worse," says the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.

How bad are things at the Daily News? New York Times-bound Wendy Ruderman, a 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner, is urging her colleagues to jump ship. “I hate to say it, but if people at the Daily News aren’t looking, they should be,” says Ruderman, whose swan song is Thursday. “If they’re not, it’s kind of stupid … This place is rudderless.”

10 Rules of Gym Etiquette (Including: No Hoodies)

Guidelines that should be handed out with every fitness club membership.

I work out seven days a week at a monster gym that used to be a supermarket. Part of a national chain, it comes fully loaded: weight machines, free weights, treadmills, ellipticals, steppers, arc trainers, spinning, lap pool, sauna, snack bar. Only one problem: thoughtless slobs. Lots of them.

For Women in Their 20s, HBO’s Girls Is Reality-Check TV

The millennials take Manhattan: Sex and the City without the orgasms.

I love girls. I also love Girls. The two are not mutually exclusive, at least so far. Massively hyped before its April 15th launch, HBO’s estrogen-rich comedy had been dubbed Sex and the City for twentysomethings, and its creator Lena Dunham anointed the voice of her generation.

Blatstein Should Use Newspaper Theme for Inky Building Casino

One big gamble meets another.

Given that the future of the Inquirer, which yesterday won its 19th Pulitzer Prize, is a crapshoot, it is only fitting that the newspaper’s iconic building should house one. Literally. Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen. If local developer Bart Blatstein can swing a casino license—and that’s a big if—the 18-floor Tower of Truth will be part of a proposed casino-entertainment complex on North Broad Street.

How Bill Marimow Might Change the Inquirer Newsroom

A cocktail of stressed reporters and speculation awaits.

With Bill Marimow about to begin his third hitch at the Inquirer—his second as editor—the newsroom is abuzz with speculation about how his return will affect the masthead hierarchy. Full disclosure: I left the Inquirer after 30 years in 2009, during Marimow’s second term. To be diplomatic, it was not a pleasant departure.

Katie Couric’s Good Morning America Hosting Stint: Part Perky, Part Pukey

How will she do against Sarah Palin in the morning-TV war?

She laughed. She danced. She cracked wise. What’s not to love? If you’re a Katie Couric fan, nothing. But if you’re not, her guest-hosting stint on Good Morning America today was nothing more than a self-serving promotional reel designed to help GMA dethrone No. 1 Today. Regardless, Day 1 of Couric’s week-long visit came off without a hitch. Despite a six-year absence from the a.m. game, she seamlessly picked up where she had left off at Today, displaying the goofy humor and warmth that made her a star.

Mad Men’s Season Five Premiere Couldn’t Have Been More Boring

We waited a year and a half for that?

Was Mad Men worth the 525-day wait? Much as I love AMC’s hit drama, no, it definitely was not. In terms of sheer character exposition, Sunday’s Season-5 premiere, "A Little Kiss," performed its due diligence. We quickly learn that adman Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has indeed married his secretary, Megan (Jessica Pare), and that Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) has given birth, though paternity is still pending. In terms of plot, however, the bloated, two-hour episode served up precious few "Holy shit!" moments. Considering that its gestation period was almost as long as the 22 months endured by elephants, I expected more sizzle from Sopranos alum Matthew Weiner.