Gossip Folks: Tony Soprano, Dad of the Year; Bret Michaels, Still Alive; and More!

Earlier this week, I was having a drink with a fellow content producer after work and the Internet came up (imagine that). We got into talking about the daily arc of a "blog" and the different types of posts that make up the web we read: news aggregation and write-arounds, original reported pieces, op-ed style thinkpieces, whatever. Then there's the curious tradition of a morning link round-up. They're everywhere. I mean, all over. As we continued to consider their purpose, we wondered: Is it an SEO thing? Is it useful -- I mean, do people click these items? It's just comforting, we decided, for readers, writers and editors, to have a post up and ready first thing. Routine. I'm awake and ready to start the day, link posts signal.

"Can you imagine when we're 60-years-old and we can tell our kids about the internet?" my friend said. "About a time when we made a list of links to tell the world we were no longer sleeping." Think about it.

Also: I'm up. Let's make some blog.

• What would be better: having Tony Soprano as a father or having a dad who will forever be known as the man who played Tony Soprano? The answer is the latter, because it comes with all of the perks without the murder by strangulation or mommy issues. James Gandolfini took his kid to see the new Shrek movie and acted like a total boss, getting Mike Meyers and Cameron Diaz to meet his son. Was the heavy breathing just an affect, though? Still unsure. [Page Six]

• It's going to be a tough weekend if I have to eulogize Bret Michaels. Poison never meant shit to me, but it's just sad that Daily News is billing the dude as " 'Celebrity Apprentice' star Bret Michaels." He's in critical condition after suffering a brain hemorrhage, but let's just all hope he gets better quick, k? [Daily News]

• Robert Pattinson has big birthday plans, involving both Kirsten Stewart and Oprah Winfrey. That is, he's appearing on the talk show, along with his girl, to celebrate his 24th. What are the odds that both of them show up totally blazed? [Hollywood Life]

• Rappers throwing temper tantrums seems to be an under-reported phenomena. The recently freed, slightly diminutive MC T.I., though, wasn't going to just stand by while he was disrespected. No room in V.I.P.? On to the next one... (It would have been more appropriate to quote a T.I. song, but dude's really tough to understand. And not exactly lyrical.) But really, welcome home, Tip! [P6]