I really can’t believe Brian. The man’s not even with us anymore, and here he goes leaking the big news. I’ve been in meetings for the last two weeks about this very topic, and yes, the rumor is true: AOL is rebranding itself to TMZ. Kind of brilliant when you think about it. I’m sure many will call it another typical case of bandwagon riding, but think about what TMZ does for AOL: a) sheds the stodgy image, b) improves its infamously dubious reputation, c) gets it cool with the infinitely valuable youth demo, d) shows Yahoo that no one does Lohan coverage like AOL TMZ does Lohan coverage.

It comes as a part of an entirely new branding campaign that various sectors of the business are currently ironing out. AOL-to-TMZ is only the start; various brands and subsidiaries will take the names of their most successful sub-brands. For example, in keeping with this new vertical-oriented branding initiative users can expect Weblogs, Inc. to be rechristened Engadget & Friends, Inc.; AOL Games will be redubbed The Joystiq Network, but not before The Joystiq Network is itself redubbed The Fanboy Network. Bring on the new, I say!

Update: Ok, it’s on Digg — and why not? It’s obvious that everything on Digg is completely true, and everyone voting on Digg stories is of above average intelligence.