Like we said, “tabloid headlines,” people. The actual, verbal smackdown wasn’t quite so dramatic, but it did send a roll of chuckles/gasps through the auditorium at the 92nd Street Y, where folks gathered last night for a panel talk with HuffPo bloggers. The catfight in question ensued when an audience member broke the news (someone so didn’t follow instructions to turn off all cellular devices) that Caroline Kennedy had removed herself from the New York Senate “race,” and asked for reactions from the panelists.

Erica Jong — somewhat predictably — immediately rose to Kennedy’s defense, asking us whether we could truly know how much she had sacrificed, raising a family under intense scrutiny and sheltering them, instead of perhaps, you know, forging a political career that might have prepared her for a seat in the Senate. After Jong howled that Kennedy naysayers were sexist, Ephron leaned into her mic to dryly reply (also: fairly predictably), “Oh come on. Not everything is sexist.” Just as fur began to fly on stage, panelist Paul Rieckhoff — who happens to be the founder and head of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America — gamely swept in to redirect the conversation. Yes, it took a former Army lieutenant to end a spat between two 60-something women.

The discussion on whole was one big Obama love-fest, with Arianna Huffington and her fellow panelists extolling his virtues and their hopes to a huge room of Democrats. “Preaching to the choir,” and all that, yes; but find a few other takeaway moments worth sharing after the jump.

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The writers and producers of the popular VH1 show, Best Week Ever, will spend next Tuesday evening dishing gossip, telling jokes, and screening clips from their upcoming season. A panel moderated by self-proclaimed everything expert John Hodgman will tackle such serious issues as Adnan Ghalib’s “unfortunate facial hair,” with comedian Paul F. Tompkins, who was recently named the host of BWE, presiding over the event at the 92Y Tribeca. We caught up with Tompkins to chat about his new role on the show and his favorite stories ever, which involve komodo dragons and Tylenol — but not necessarily in that order.  Read the full interview after the jump.

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If you’ve never heard of Wholphin before then you’re going to thank us for introducing you to this cinematic gem. The quarterly DVD magazine — now seven issues old — is the brainchild of Dave Eggers and Brent Hoff; it features short films, documentaries, animation, and instructional videos that have not, for whatever reason, found wide release.

If you live in New York, check out a screening of Wholphin No 7 and the Best of Wholphin Volume 1, at 92YTribeca this Saturday, November 29th.

After the jump, our IM interview with The Hoff about the origins of the magazine, the short film he’d love to track down, and his top secret scoop on Spike Jonze’s upcoming Where the Wild Things Are — which Eggers wrote.

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