It was Winchell, after all, whose column had famously ushered in the three dots separating and somehow magically validating each hot news item ever so tenuously grounded in fact, and it was Winchell who'd more or less originated the idea of firing into the face of the credulous masses buckshot pellets of insinuating gossip ruining reputations, compromising celebrities, bestowing fame, making and breaking showbiz careers.