Clooney vs. McDreamy in Steamy Hot-Off

SEXY, ALIVE Clooney • Sexy outrage: The New York Daily News's Jane Ridley works herself into a lather over People's selection of George Clooney as its Sexiest Man Alive over Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey. "It's the equivalent of giving the Halloween costume prize to the kid who showed up in a sheet, not the one who spent a month making his X-Men ensemble from two boxes of Kleenex, a broken salad-spinner, three coat hangers, a Band Aid and some glitter." Our thoughts exactly.

• Exit, Wright: A newspaper reports that Bob Wright, whose business card boasts the impressive title Vice Chairman and Executive Officer, GE Chairman and Chief Officer, NBC Universal, will be stepping aside so that NBC CEO Jeff Zucker can take over as chairman.

• Idiot box: Variety reports that the producers of Fox's Hell's Kitchen have optioned the "For Dummies" book series for television. The brand has already been eyed for a possible game show and magazine. Fun fact: One of the original writers of the "For Dummies" series was Andy Rathbone, inspiration for Mark "Rat" Ratner in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

• Short bus: Slate's Jack Shafer gets another column out of plunging buses.