TMZ... What does it really mean?

As most of you know, TMZ is one of the most popular entertainment news blogs, aside from Perez Hilton. What you may not know is that the acronym stands for "thirty-mile zone," which was a term used in the '60s. With the growth of location shoots during that time, studios established a "thirty-mile zone" to monitor rules for filming in Hollywood. But since 2005, TMZ has stood for one of the most reliable, timely sources of entertainment news.

Two of the biggest entertainment stories, then exclusiveto TMZ, put the site on the map: Mel Gibson's DUI and arrest and Michael Richards' trip to the Laugh Factory in addition to breaking the news of Britney and Kevin's breakup.

Although it is impossible for any news source, especially tabloid news, to be completely objective, TMZ does a decent job at conveying the facts with little exaggeration and opinion inserted. The voice is less clear and opinionated compared to many blogs, although the writing is still very basic and often inserts clever puns or comments to stir up controversy, such as the latest Lohan post.

TMZ is frequently cited by credible news sources, such as national network and local newsgathering organizations. TIME magazine named TMZ one of coolest web sites out there in 2006 and Newsweek named it the "Breakout Blog of 2007."