The Talented Ms. Ripley

I know I've been blogging silent of late (more tweeting than anything), but now I've got to brag from the rooftops like a proud mama. We decided to foster an adorable puppy, Ripley, this past weekend. We're pretty sure we're going to adopt her (if my allergies start to subside). In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of her utter cuteness with all of you.

Jersey Shore Left Us With More Than 10 Great Gems

Yes, yes, my first post of 2010 is about the Jersey Shore. God bless. It was either that, or F

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

oursquare though. Or my Kindle. I'm developing more obsessions in my old age.

I'm not sure I completely agree with New York's top 10 catch phrases. Where's the "stage five stalker", or the "gorilla central"? What else did they miss?

10. "I went on one ride, God bless me, it's fuckin summah!" —Pauly D (13 points but, more importantly, this was a Vulture reader write-in!)

8. It's a tie between:
"Unbelievable, huh, Snooks? It's so hard to find a good man these days. That's why I date women." —Pauly D (15 points)
"Have I got girls every day? Have they not been pretty? Some days no, some days yes." —Mike "the Situation" (15 points)

7. "I feel like this is beneath me. I'm a bartender. I do great things." —Angelina "Jolie" (17 points)

6. "My hair's windproof, waterproof, soccerproof, motorcycle proof. I'm not sure if my hair's bulletproof, I'm not willing to try that." —Pauly D (19 points)

5. "I would give her dick and bubble gum. I would send her a picture of my dick and a pack of bubble gum and say, 'Chew on this!'" —Ronnie "Sweetheart" (26 points)

4. "I told him to put me down because I'm not trashy. Unless I drink too much." —Nicole "Snooki" (28 points)

3. "I necessarily didn't want to bring back any zoo creatures whatsoever. These broads probably smelled the food at the house." —Mike "the Situation" (31 points)

2. "Gym, tanning, laundry. You know, that's how they, like, make the guidos." —Vinny (44 Points)

1. "You know what? You're excluded from dinner, then. You're excluded from Surf-and-Turf Night. You're excluded from Ravioli Night. You're excluded from Chicken-Cutlet Night." —Mike "the Situation" (60 points)

Read more: The Results Are In: Vulture Readers Select Their Top Ten Jersey Shore Catchphrases -- Vulture http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/01/the_results_are_in_vulture_rea.html#ixzz0dwHOIGEc

It Won't Save the Print Industry, but Not Too Shabby

I'm an unexpected convert to the Kindle. I love how easy it is to carry several books at once. I love how I can read one-handed on the subway. I love that I don't have to worry about losing bookmarks. I love the built-in dictionary to look up confounding words. And I love that if I forget my Kindle, it's synced with my iPhone, and I can pick up reading at the exact place I left off.

But the Kindle is far from it's ultimate ideal, and the Kindle's current state isn't fantastic for reading magazines or newspapers. I believe the print magazine industry is in for a big hurt, and all the dreams of locking out Google, and paywalls and tablet-versions aren't going to save it -- in whole. But Sport Illustrated's new demo does show how magazines can have a compelling digital life on a tablet, or Kindle-like device.

We'll Now Hear from the Esteemed State Senator from Staten Island

Diane Savino, the NY State Senator from Staten Island gave an impassioned speech earlier this week in support of the gay marriage bill that was brought to the senate floor, and ultimately failed. Worth 7 minutes of your time ... hope to hear more from her in the future.

Bizarre, Fascinating New Bob Dylan Christmas Video

I know we're not even postmortem on Thanksgiving yet, but just stumpled across this odd, amusing and catchy new video for "Must be Santa" from Bob Dylan's new Christmas album. What's up with his hair?

A Decade of Layoffs at AOL... Boo Running Man

Not so fun... This has been going on fairly consistently every Nov-Dec for almost 10 years. Thoughts go out to those effected today.

There is No Excuse for This Being Created

I'm a huge fan of the Etsy, but some people really must put their talent, or lack thereof, to better use. A blog called Regretsy, catalogues the most unfortunate items for sale on Etsy. The list of recent tragedies include a Lolita-like stuffed cat, Michael Jackson organic catnip toy (no, i have no idea why so many bad ideas are cat-related), and a crocheted "party sweater". Oh my.