I've had this problem before, and found that looking at what other people have dont may not be entirely fulfilling since someone else already done it.
If you need some inspiration, start with small decisions.
First go through your fonts and select some typestyles you want to use.
If they are not commonly used, remember they will need to be GIFs.
Next, make a decision on whether you want a Horizonal Navigation Bar (like MacNN) or a Vertical Navigation Bar. (You could try a Diagonal Nav Bar, but I only saw this done successfully once.)
Next, find your graphics. What do you want to use? Which images look awesome, which do not?
Once you have these 3 elements, the rest will start to visually lay out.