Miracle On 53rd Street

This holiday season is just full of wonderful surprises. Today's Christmas cracker: Anti-Clinton hysteric and Bernie Kerik gun moll Judith Regan has been terminated by HarperCollins Publishers for her efforts to publish a book which was only slightly more sleazy than her usual HarperCollins fare, but also caused bad publicity for her employer, Rupert Murdoch:

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 15 -- Judith Regan, the firebrand editor who stirred up decade-old passions last month with her plan for a book and television interview with O. J. Simpson, was fired on Friday by HarperCollins, the publishing company that oversaw her book business.

HarperCollins announced the firing, "effective immediately," in a two-sentence news release that was issued about 7 p.m. Eastern time. The announcement was made by Jane Friedman, president and chief executive of HarperCollins, who has long had a strained relationship with Ms. Regan.

The statement said Ms. Regan's publishing unit and its staff would continue as part of the HarperCollins General Books Group, but it is unknown whether that group would remain in Los Angeles, where Ms. Regan moved it from New York earlier this year.

It is also unclear whether Ms. Regan has been terminated wholly from any employment with the News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch's giant media company, which owns HarperCollins. Over the years, Ms. Regan has gained a growing amount of sway within the corporation because of her ability to generate profits from books and other ventures.

(On The Daily Show this week, Regan was credited with announcing a new tome at the Iranian Holocaust conference, entitled "If We Did It, Here's How It Would Have Happened." Best laugh I've had in weeks.)

Anyway, I'm sure Regnery or WND Books or Crown Forum will be sure to hire Regan at a much discounted rate. I hear Ben Domench's job is still vacant. Or maybe Regan will use her free time to write a tell-all about the vile things that went on at the FNC under Roger Ailes (the other one).