It has been a rough year for Leslie Sloan Zelnick, publicist to the stars. In June, client Britney Spears gave pretty much the most embarrassing interview ever to Matt Lauer. Zelnick took a ton of heat for not having been present at the trainwreck. But, as we all know, when Britney Spears wants to make a total ass of herself, that is what Britney Spears will do. She fired Zelnick in late September.

Zelnick’s also had the dubious honor of serving as Lindsay Lohan’s publicist this year, which I can’t imagine is your typical 9-5, and it seems like, as the year draws to a close, Zelnick is thisclose to losing it completely. Star magazine is running a story this week about how, despite talk of Lindsay’s AA participation, her pad is still a who’s who of uppers. They went to Zelnick for comment. Her response? “It’s all bulls–t.”

Well, if Lindsay really does have all that coke, hopefully she’s willing to donate some to her publicist. Because if anyone deserves to get loaded this holiday season, it’s Leslie Sloan Zelnick.

• Jessica Coen is leaving Gawker for Vanity Fair, where she’ll be their “deputy online editor.” In my mind, the “deputy” part of this keeps conjuring up an image of a wide-eyed Coen staring up at Graydon Carter, who’s pinning a bronze star on her lapel and saying something along the lines of “Welcome aboard, pard’ner.”
• Here’s a Paris Hilton nip slip.
• Britney Spears either fired publicist Leslie Sloan Zelnick or she didn’t. As long as the kid’s still named Sutton Pierce, I don’t see what difference it makes.
• Was Lindsay Lohan paid to go out with Harry Morton? Or did she go out with Harry Morton voluntarily and then get paid to act like she was paid for it? Or did she pay Harry Morton to act like he was paying her to act like she was paid to go out with her and then pay him to act like he was paying her to go out with him but didn’t want anyone to know that he was being paid for it? Or did she marry her lawyer wearing a pink bikini on a yacht off the coast of Nassau just 18 days after the sudden death of her only son? It’s very difficult to keep all this straight.
• Did you guys see McSteamy last night?? HE WAS LITERALLY STEAMY!!! Oh, McSteamy, be mine forever?