Once again, Vanity Fair leaves geeks at the kids' power table

Preeminent among the magazine world's kingmaking power lists is Vanity Fair's New Establishment, which appears in the October issue — on newsstands in L.A. and New York today, but not in the Bay Area for another six days. Silicon Valley gets similar short shrift: The names who make it there are predictable bigs like Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison, or Hollywood-crossover types like Jeff Skoll, eBay's first employee turned movie producer. Walt Mossberg, now employed by New Establishment perennial Rupert Murdoch, also squeaked in. The consolation prize Vanity Fair offers: Its "Next Establishment" list, reserved for the likes of Twitter's Ev Williams. It's a marvelous piece of New York media trickery — flatter the geeks by making them feel included, but corral them into a side room so the real power brokers aren't offended by comparison. True, the "Next Establishment" suggests that these are people who might matter in the future. But in saying that, Vanity Fair's editors are also sending the message that right here, right now, its "Next" nominees are nobodies. On this year's list: More »

MTV Holiday Party To Show What Happens When People Stop Being Polite And Start Getting Down

Our solicitation for details on media holiday parties has produced some great responses, keep 'em coming. A particularly choice tip offers the scoop on MTV Networks' bash:

As with every year for the past decade-ish (except for 2001, when having a good time was outlawed), MTV Networks' holiday party will be happening this Thursday at Hammerstein Ballroom. 7pm - 4am, nonstop free booze.

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Media Bubble: Mika Salmi Works at MTV