OLD NEWS: In just a few short weeks, Lindsay Lohan will be on the September covers of Maxim and Elle — and while the timing couldn't be better for Maxim, some argue Elle might not share the same fate. Maxim readers probably won't care that Lohan could be headed behind bars; in fact, that probably will only increase her appeal to its babe-hungry readers. But Elle readers seeking pages of fashion and style advice might be turned off by another Lohan arrest and pending court date, which will take place just days after the magazine hits newsstands.

Sources said Elle's interview and photo shoot took place prior to Lohan's stint in rehab, so it's likely the story doesn't include any discussion of her most recent run-in with the law. A spokeswoman for Elle said the magazine won't comment on the issue until it hits newsstands on Aug. 14. A Maxim spokesman confirmed the magazine went to press three weeks ago.

One thing is clear: the new Elle interview is sure to be dramatically different from the one that accompanied Lohan's appearance on the magazine's cover last September, in which she defended her dating habits. She did, however, briefly tell contributing writer Andrew Goldman that she wasn't doing cocaine. "There you have it. It's not true," she said then. Lohan later added, "My mother would take me out of the business." — Amy Wicks

SHORT STINT: Only a few months after being named beauty director at Cosmopolitan, Jenny Bailly will exit the magazine Friday "to freelance," a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday. Bailly was brought over from O, The Oprah Magazine, in December, and presented to beauty advertisers and others at a Hearst Tower cocktail party in April. She presided over a team of two and a big chunk of editorial pages. The spokeswoman said the magazine is expected to name a successor next week. Beauty is Cosmo's single largest advertising category, and partnerships like the magazine's beauty-pegged outdoor advertising with New York City's tourism marketing organization have driven home the point. — Irin Carmon

TO THE RESCUE: Retail advertising revenue for the The New York Times Co.'s News Media Group — which includes The Boston Globe — fell 9.4 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period a year ago, but help may be on the way. The company is hotly anticipating the opening of a mall in Natick, Mass., in September, which will include Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. And another mall will open before the end of the year in Foxborough, Mass.