03 Oct Dan Abrams’ Websites Today

From Mediaite: The latest hot topic in the 2012 presidential race is the “2007 Obama video.” So what’s the deal? Reports Mediaite, “It’s a familiar story. A tape of President Barack Obama from his pre-presidential days that was never thoroughly examined surfaces. It is billed as a game-changing development that promises to upend how most people think about Obama. When the tape airs, though, it does not quite live up to the hype. That story was repeated on Tuesday night as a video of Obama addressing a crowd at Hampton University in 2007 was teased into a froth on Twitter and the Drudge report, landed with a thud on Hannity and was promptly disavowed by the Romney campaign and forgotten by Drudge. So, was this episode just a misfire in the broader effort to make the case against the president or is there something else motivating conservatives which led to this misadventure?” Read more here.

From Gossip Cop: With the final season of Jersey Shore set to premiere tomorrow, has series star The Situation found himself in trouble again?  US Weekly claims that Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino isn’t sober anymore. Writes Gossip Cop, “According to a so-called ‘witness,’Sorrentino – who went to rehab earlier this year for a prescription pill addiction – was seen ‘downing so many cocktails, he could barely stand’ at the London hotel in West Hollywood on September 26. Us Weekly goes on to speculate that The Situation’s falling off the wagon could be related to the end of Jersey Shore …But has the MTV star really broken eight months of sobriety? Absolutely NOT, his rep tells Gossip Cop. The rep explains, ‘There was a pitcher of sangria in the cabana at the [hotel’s] pool and a group of about 12 people,’ but The Situation ‘did not drink it.'” Read the story here.

From Geekosystem: Is the realm of print media slowly dying as technology threatens its territory? Or can the former be salvaged by a marriage with the latter? EW is trying to find out, reports Geekosystem: “What our magazines clearly need are more odd stunts that splice the technology of today with the archaic print model. That’s obviously what Entertainment Weekly thought when theyembedded a functional smartphone into their October 5th issue. The magazine includes an ad that shows live tweets from the @CW_network Twitter as well as clips of two shows from the network, The Arrow and Emily Owens, M.D. Turns out this digital tomfoolery required the base mechanics of an Android smartphone.” Read more details about the smartphone here.

From Styleite: What will Chanel’s Spring 2013 collection bring the fashion world? Writes Styleite, “For Spring 2013, Chanel offered wide-brimmed sun hats crafted from clear vinyl, fitting, perhaps to shade yourself from the rays streaming down on a runway crafted from faux solar-panels. We’re dubious as to the UV protection offered by the material — but then we’re also dubious about the functionality of Chanel’s luxury skis, and that doesn’t stop us from coveting them. One thing that definitely did serve its purpose, however, were the 12 wind turbines that the house had set up in the atrium of the Grand Palais, the latest in a long line of grandiose installations that have run the gamut from clusters of amethyst stalagmites to a gilden lion the size of a small house (or, we suppose, a palatial NYC apartment).” Read moreincluding celebrity attendance (and see pictures!) here.

From SportsGrid: Well, the regular Major League Baseball season ends today, and the Red Sox haven’t exactly had their best season ever. Reports  Sportsgrid, “You know not much has gone right for the Red Sox this year – the last-place 69-92 record with a game left to play, the reported strong anti-Bobby-Valentine sentiments among many players, the insane megatrade with the Dodgers that signaled the team was pretty much ready to blow it up and start over – the Red Sox have been something of a circus this year. And what’s a circus without a great closing act? Not much of a circus at all. So Valentine, kind, giving man that he is, provided a fitting coda to this season – and probably, despite what he has or hasn’t been told, his Red Sox tenure (unless the Red Sox completely lose their minds and bring him back next year) – in one fell swoop yesterday:” By crashing his bicycle while reading a text. Read more about the mess here.

From The Mary Sue: Female Avengers fans, listen up: Will the Black Widow return? Writes The Mary Sue, “[I]f there’s any Marvel movie being made right now that the Widow belongs in, it’s Captain America: The Winder Soldier, and according to Deadline, that’s probably what’s going to happen. Winter Soldier is a clear reference to the fate of Bucky Barnes, introduced as Steve Rogers’ best friend and killed during the events of Captain America: The First Avenger. In comics, Bucky’s death was eventually revealed to have been merely a disappearance. He was recovered by Russian soldiers and scientists, having lost all memory of his identity, crafted into a supersoldier in ways similar to both Black Widow and Captain America’s backstories, and given the codename Winter Soldier.” Read more about how she fits in the picture here.

From The Jane Dough: Calm down, everyone: Ann Coulter’s not posing nude. Reports The Jane Dough, “Some would jump at the opportunity to appear in Playboy (or unsuccessfully try to convince Hugh Hefner they’re up to the challenge), but conservative commentator Ann Coulter has never had any interest in becoming a centerfold for the magazine. The bestselling author told Joy Behar on a Tuesday episode of Current’s ‘Say Anything!’ that she has been approached by the pub before but declined to pop up on its glossy pages. After noting that Jenny McCarthy is going to pose forPlayboy once again, Behar asked Coulter whether she would ever consider doing the same. ‘No…They asked me to once and I said no, I would never do it. I am a Republican, Joy.'” Read more about their conversation here.

From The Braiser: Can you imagine judging a food television show like Top Chef and eating all that delicious food without gaining a ton of weight? Probably not possible, and TC judge Padma’s owning up to it, writes The Braiser: “Padma Lakshmi bravely revealed how much weight she put on while filming Season 10, and we’re fairly certain that 13 pounds of Top Chef fare translates to 13 pounds of good TV. She told YumSugar that “not gaining too much weight” was among her most difficult challenges hosting this season: ‘Honestly, I think I ate more on this season of Top Chef than any time before and I’m not sure why that is… I think I must have gained 13 pounds.’ Alright, Colicchio, your move.” Read more about it here.