RECORD LOWS ON WALL STREET Murdoch (Photo: Getty Images)

• Murdoch, Australians talk funny: Devastated WSJ newsroom employees lighten the mood by answering phones with "News Corporation" in a mock Murdoch accent—then likely return to tears when they recognize this as their greatest act of defiance. Dow Jones & Co. Inc. director Dieter von Holtzbrinck, on the other hand, has quit in protest.

• Not-quite-skinny dip: Britney Spears cools off in her underwear at the beach, proving she's finally learned the virtue of panties.

• Cheney dodges Plame : A federal judge dismisses Valerie Plame's lawsuit claiming the snarling veep leaked her spy identity.

• Beckham bash: Will Smith and Tom Cruise will host a 600-person invitation-only welcome party for the Beckhams at an art museum in downtown L.A. Sunday night. No press. Soccer players?

• Sandbox in a box: Barack Obama clarifies that his support of age-appropriate sex instruction for five-year-olds is intended to fend off predators.

• Magic books: Scholastic sues the companies responsible for the premature release of as many as 1,200 copies of the new Harry Potter installment. The NYT gets an early look not by requesting a review copy but reportedly by strolling into a bookstore.

• James Blunt's 'Beautiful' Rip-off?
• 7/18/07: Never Forget

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