The media learning curve: Dec. 19-26

Let's make it quick: We've got people holding a spot for us at the local AMC theatre for that feel-good holidcay flick with Tom Cruise and the Nazis ... it beats "Marley And Me" ... and we smell rain coming.

This week, we learned at the Media Learning Center:

== Jeanne Zelasko has every reason to believe that she can work on her Juan Pierre home-run call (linked here)

== As fate would have it, NBC's Bob Costas gets his shorts in a bunch when players on teams try to decide their own destiny (linked here)

== NBC jumped on that Chargers-Broncos game for Sunday pretty fast -- it's a 5:15 kickoff now (linked here)

== Detroit News columnist Rob Parker will not be appearing at the Laugh Factory anytime soon (linked here).

== The Associated Press' male athlete of the year, and its sports event of the year, are liked by a tight Speedo (linked here).

== Sexy women have a better chance of making it into sportscasting ... or do they? (linked here).

== In a related story, is ESPN sexing up "The Sports Reporters"? (linked here)

== In an unrelated story, ESPN's Pam Ward will spend her Sunday in Shreveport, La. (linked here).

== In another unrelated story, ESPN's Mike Tirico is ready for his closeup (linked here)

== Matt Vasgersian managed to use the word "turd" in a proper context (linked here)

== For the first time in 22 years, the NFL is considering other syndicated radio companies instead of Westwood One to handle its games in the future (linked here).

== NBC's Johnny Miller got in hot water for a joke about Italian-Americans during the U.S. Open, but ESPN's Chris Berman gets a free pass? (linked here).

== LeBron James and Ice Cube got an ABC "Friday Night Lights-Meets-Entourage" pilot in the works (linked here and linked here)

==More about the MLB Network launch from CNBC's Darren Rovell (linked here)

==More weird stuff about Fox NFL analyst Brian Baldinger's mangled digit (linked here)