CBS's annual holiday party for the press is always the most inclusive of these affairs. The company's minister of propaganda Gil Schwartz makes sure there's plenty of Grey Goose to guzzle, along with trays circulating the room filled with pigs-in-a-blanket and other circa 60s finger food. Like NBC's media soiree last week, this year's CBS shindig was a decidely somber affair compared to years past. It didn't help that last Thursday (as at NBC), stories were circulating that layoffs were in the works at the network (rumors now confirmed.) Yeah, there was a crowd, but it was nowhere near as packed as usual -- the weather was vicious cold with sleet, which certainly kept numbers down. Notably absent was CBS supremo Les Moonves. He's usually a voluble fixture at these events, holding court, enjoying off-the-record sparring with the assembled. Maybe Moonves was held back by bad weather, or maybe it was the ongoing writers strike, CBS's depressed stock price or this catty story by Graef Crystal that moved on Bloomberg (if that link is dead, you can read Nikki Finke's piece about it here) on December 12 noting his hefty compensation package. Something didn't put him in the mood to deal with a bunch of soused impolite questions from a pack of ink-stained wretches.

Still, you have to give CBS and NBC credit for going ahead with their respective parties this year. ABC canceled its holiday festivities for the media that covers the media and Fox, as usual, never planned anything. Don't those guys know that if you give the folks who cover you adult beverages and a buffet, they're more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt?