Just as the NBA season is about to crank up, the Kobe Bryant press machine is ramping up as well. The Lakers Guard is currently on the cover of the October issue of L’Uomo Vogue. Touted as one of today’s most Contemporary Icons, Kobe’s cover features the NBA All-Star in a tux in a very close up intimate shot.

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Ebony Magazine’s being sold? That’s what Newsweek is reporting. Apparently due to the economic shift and recession, publishing empires are being hit hard. Advertising dollars are drying up and sponsorships are almost nonexistent.

Newsweek reports:

It’s been a year of excruciating decisions for publishing companies—layoffs, pullbacks, closures. Now it appears Johnson Publishing’s chairman and CEO, Linda Johnson Rice, has reached what must have been an agonizing decision: Johnson Publishing is seeking a buyer or investor for its flagship publication, Ebony, in an effort aimed at securing the survival of the nation’s oldest magazine devoted to African-American life. It’s unclear whether the company’s other properties, including Jet, would be part of a possible sale.

Ebony has long been synonymous with African-American fashion and lifestyle. As the premier and longest-running African-American magazine in the country, founded by the legendary John H. Johnson, it’s sad to think the publication will find new owners.

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Listen, the section’s called “Hot Gossip” for a reason. We can neither confirm nor deny that precious Rudy is about to expose the Cosby family jewels in the pages of Playboy, but it’s our journalistic obligation to let you know that MediaTakeOut says the rumor is out there.

From where we’re sitting the idea kinda makes sense. Stuck in low-budget movie that can’t be paying much, the still-very cute Keshia Knight-Pulliam could probably bag between $400K-800K for dropping the panties for a magazine spread. (Reportedly, Lindsay Lohan was just offered about $1 million from Hugh Hefner’s camp.)

Don’t get us wrong, a part of HHB would hate to see the 80s baby go this route. She’s almost like a lil’ sister, right? But in this recession, can you really blame her for considering the role?

Now that the topic’s on the table, how much would somebody have to pay you to take some naked pictures for a national magazine?

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Say it isn’t so. It seems that Vibe magazine had an opportunity to stay afloat but it flat-out refused.

According to Reuters, Vibe was offered a bailout by Fred Mwangaguhunga, who runs Mediatakeout.com, before they went belly-up. “We came to Vibe and offered it a deal where they’d sell our ads and in return, they’d get a stake in the ads they sold,” Mwangagunhunga said.

Apparently, the partnership could have given Vibe “$1 million a month, but they didn’t want it,” he said.

For what it’s worth, Quincy Jones did announce that he was going to buy his magazine back. But unless Vibe gets with the digital times and shifts the way the magazine is produced, it might not last a comeback either.

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Think the recession’s hitting your pockets hard? You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

Forbes’ annual list of the top money makers in rap, Hip-Hop Cash Kings, has just been released, and while the likes of Hove and Diddy are still making more money than we’ll ever see, their $750 belts are definitely tightening.

Last year, the top 20 on the list made $500 million; this year that number dropped a whopping 40% to $300 million. (The Dow Jones Industrial average “only” fell 30% in the same June 1, 2008-to-June 1, 2009 time frame.)

Jay-Z is this year’s top dog, pulling in an estimated $35 million over the last 12 months. Jigga scored $82 million on ’08’s tally, mostly of the strength of his Live Nation deal. 50 Cent, last’ year’s head man, dropped to fourth place with $20 million, down from the staggering $150 million a year back.

“The timing of Jay’s deal couldn’t have been more perfect,” says singer/producer Akon, tied fourth on this year’s list. “Those numbers aren’t going to be flying around anymore.”

The top five are rounded out with Diddy’s $35 million windfall and Kanye West’s $25 million take.

The list was put together by adding the artists’ album sales, digital downloads, touring profits, endorsements and other entertainment revenue.

Here’s the bottom line on Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash Kings list:

1. Jay-Z- $35 million
2. Diddy- $30 million
3. Kanye West- $25 million
4. Akon- $20 million
5. 50 Cent- $20 million
6. Lil Wayne $18 million
7. Timbaland- $17 million
8. Pharrell Williams- $16 million
9. T-Pain- $15 million
10. Eminem- $14 million
11. Dr. Dre- $13 million
12. Snoop Dogg- $11 million
13. Ludacris- $10 million
14. Swizz Beatz/T.I./Will.i.am/Common- $8 million
15. Andre 3000/Big Boi- $7 million
16. FloRida/Rick Ross/Young Jeezy/The Game- $6 million

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Weekly, which is owned by controversial co-founders of The Source, David Mays and Ray Benzino, is releasing a commemorative Michael Jackson issue today. It sent out a press release boasting about said issue and its interviews with the likes of Motown exec Suzanne de Passe and music producer Teddy Riley. All of that is fine. It’s just the language in which the self-promotion’s carried out that’s a bit eye-opening.

“Hip Hop Weekly’s memorable tribute edition arrives on newsstands just one week after the sudden closing of Vibe magazine,” reads the press release, “signaling the end of an era of monthly-formatted magazines once widely embraced by a generation of youth and young adults.”

Doesn’t something about that comment come off like a cheap shot?

And what’s with “the end of an era of monthly-formatted magazines” remark? As far as we know, XXL is still alive and kickin’ a new issue out every 30 days.

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