This week, we’re mourning one person who bucked the PR handbook, curious about another who might’ve put a crack in his carefully-shaped image and scratching our heads over a third who may or may not have committed suicide.

Not necessarily who you think.

I sat across from a friendly HR Guy at Company XYZ, contemplating how to ask what class of hotels and grade of air travel I’d be allowed to book without sounding like an expense account whore.

I was up for an executive position with an American media company that’s gotten lots of attention for its global expansion. While the job was U.S.-based, it required international travel.

Lots of it. Up to 50 percent annually and mostly on my own, supporting two dozen foreign offices.

If I were casting a soap opera full of conflict, corporate politics, raging ego, blatant personal agendas and a fresh-faced innocent, I’d look no further than David Letterman, Sarah Palin, John Ziegler and Willow Palin.

Or do I mean Bristol?

But what should’ve been a minor-league, easily extinguished PR problem has escalated into a pretty nasty piece of business. With more arms and legs than the Gosselins.

An open letter to David Zaslav, President and CEO, Discovery Communications:

Dear Mr. Zaslav:

Time’s up.

We’ve all had our laughs by now.

Made the snarky comments and stupid puns.

Now it’s time for you to act like a grown-up, in the absence of other grown-ups.