Just because the year 2006 is horking out its death rattle, that doesn't mean we're going to stop dissecting it while the annum yet still lives. We've burned through a lot of hideously graven images over the last 12 months, and it seems quite appropriate to dwell on a few favorites; they're all courtesy of house lensman Nikola Tamindzic. After the jump, we present our top ten favorite Gawker photos and photo collections of 2006, indisputably ranked and annotated. Enjoy, if you somehow haven't already snuck away for the long weekend.

Pretty much everyone worth a shit has left town for the week, so what you're left with is me: the walking, blogging, tobacco-chewing publishing-industry-mistake known as "Rob the Bouncer." I write a legendary blog called Clublife, which will be on something of a hiatus this week while I'm busy running Gawker into the ground.

Balk here. Quick note on our schedule next week: As is the case with all Jew-run media enterprises, Gawker will be closed on Monday to celebrate the miracle of baby Jesus' birth. We'll be here for the rest of the week, except for me: I'll be taking an ill-deserved but medically-necessary vacation for the duration of the year. My replacement during that time will be the incredibly capable Rob the Bouncer of Clublife fame. I expect that you'll treat him with the same respect and reverence that I am accorded on a - oh, whatever, just try not to be dicks; he has no clue what he's in for yet and we don't want to scare him off too early. I will see you kids on the other side of the New Year, and if you'll indulge an old man a moment's sincerity, I wish you all happy, safe, and healthy holidays. I will be in a constant state of inebriation myself (oh, how I've missed being able to drink in the mornings), but I'll be thinking about you the whole time. Best, etc.

Our sponsors are sitting shirtless on the bed atop a pile of hundred dollar bills. Care to join in? More info here.

Earlier: Who Are The Ad Wizards Who Came Up With This One?

That picture of the guillotine can mean only one thing: We've overthrown the ancien r gime, and the Committee of Public Safety will soon unleash its reign of terror. Joyeuse Thermidor! Actually, no, we're just axing a few commenters. Up for the chop today:

Last night, Chelsea Clinton was observed in a state of extreme inebriation at a bar on 2nd Ave and 2nd Street called, cleverly enough, "2nd on 2nd." This is a Karaoke bar. Time was after midnight, but before 1:00 am. She was being propped up against a wall by two friends, without whom she would have slumped to the floor. Her hair was "up." She was eventually escorted out of the bar by her friends, a guy and a girl. Seriously, how often does anyone see Chelsea Clinton anywhere (ed: quite, actually), much less wasted? Turned out to be a double dipper, because Tom Green was there as well. He sung a few songs on Karaoke. None of us can remember which. He was wearing a beard.

By now you've probably read enough about the Judith Regan firing to make you wish that O.J. were actually innocent. But there's been one important issue we've yet to see addressed: How did the blogs cover the coverage of the firing? Let's take a quick look back to this morning:

As part of our commenting initiatives, we periodically reiterate for novice and senile readers the way our glorious commenting perestroika works. "How," you ask, "can I become a member of exclusive, rarefied star chamber known as the Gawker commenting community?"

Hello gorgeous! That's right — the t-shirt that launched a thousand scolding emails has been discounted thanks to the Gawker Pre-Holiday 20.69% Off Sale! A mere $15.86 gets you one of the few remaining "Hot Piece of Twat" masterworks shown here. The Gawker Shop has solid inventory on multifarious other designs as well, so shop now, and shop thoroughly, as your gift-giving shipping window dwindles ever smaller with each passing day.

We were disturbed to learn, via a Dealbook profile of Dead Horse Media (Gawker founding editor Elizabeth Spiers' burgeoning online empire), that "Spiers registered some other interesting Web domains, including Size0.com and the provocatively named GawkerKiller.com, and has even started posting content to some of them". Could it be? Did Elizabeth really plan to damage our livelihoods? Or persons? Reached for comment, Ms. Spiers chuckled.

Thanks to this week's sponsors, whose e-mails are always spell-checked and coherent. Interested in joining their ranks? More info here.

Time once more for commenter ultraviolence, marinating us all in the precious bodily fluids of the executed. So many choices, but we tried to do the most harm to those doing the same. Today's victims:

Some of you may have noticed a few recent bumps and hiccups in reader services, namely pokey approval of new commenters and RSS feeds that cloned themselves indiscriminately. We're assured by the hot mamas on our tech staff that all knobs have been properly adjusted and all tubes have been thoroughly degaussed, so no such further problems should manifest. If you're still seeing odd behavior or feeling the clammy touch of invisible demons, send your experiences, your browser/RSS reader (and version), and OS (and version) to tips@gawker.com.

Not to get all self-referential, but we couldn't help noticing an article in Sunday's Week in Review that blamed the coarsening of standards in American public life on a combination of Anna Nicole Smith, Michael Richards, O.J. Simpson, Britney's vag, and, uh, us:

We're pretty sure this video will take you on an awesome nostalgia trip, trekking down good old memory lane in the direction of your own College Daze. Well, if you went to an incredibly lame college. With Neel Shah.

As part of our commenting initiatives, we periodically reiterate for novice and senile readers the way our glorious commenting perestroika works. "How," you ask, "can I become a member of exclusive, rarefied star chamber known as the Gawker commenting community?"

Thanks to this week's sponsors, we can continue to bring you breaking reports about Jackson Pollis's nipples for another week. Interested in joining their valiant ranks? More info here. After the jump, we continue to sing their praises, and tell you how you can win a $150 gift card to the Levi's Store merely by sending an email. Sponsored by: Levi's Jeans The Original Definitive Jeans Brand. Find your Levi's Style Online: www.levisstore.com.

And no other items you can easily live without! As we round the bend into the holidays, the Gawker Shop remains open for bidness at all hours. Feast your eyes and dollars on the few remaining "George Clooney Stalked Me" t-shirts, available only in men's medium and discounted to $15 per. Best-selling models "It's Like, Yeah, Motherfucker, I'm Fine" and "It's Not Whoring If You Do It For Free" are in full effect, stock-wise, and available at larger sizes. And refined aesthetes may choose the new basic logo tee, sporting only the classic Gawker symbol known and feared throughout the globe. Purchase immediately to insure timely arrival of gifts at your festive domicile.

The fat feathered gobbler isn't the only one on the block today. In the spirit of holiday sacrifice, we'll decapitate a few turkeys of our own, just to get you properly blooded up. Bring your own cranberry sauce. And don't worry, everyone gets a piece — but we get to carve.