According to inside sources, a group of magazine publishers are planning the construction of a joint online newsstand. Such magazines include Time Inc. and Conde Nast, and the magazines will be created in different digital formats.
Though no official deals have been signed, it is rumored that Time, Conde Nast, Meredith, and Hearst will all be equity partners in the new company, which will run the online newsstand, and has been called the "iTunes for magazines."
The hope is that these publishing houses will be able to obtain some control over digital readers, since most of their print circulations are struggling in sales.
The point is that this new magazine company would make it easy to buy print and electronic copies of magazines like Sports Illustrated, Esquire, The New Yorker, and Better Home and Gardens from just one website. With this, you will be able to view the magazine on iPhones, BlackBerrys, ebook readers, and other platforms.
I am not very surprised that now magazine publishers are looking to expand to the digital marketplace; they're not dumb. While I think that this is a very interesting concept and definitely has promise of being successful, I don't like it. I know it sounds cliche and oldfashioned, but I truly enjoy flipping through the pages of my magazine, just like I prefer to turn the pages of my newspaper. I guess for people who are on the go, this will be a more convenient option, but I think I will always prefer to stop at a stand and buy a magazine to read on the train on my way to work.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Undercover Reporting
A London filmmaker decided to turn the tables on those preying journalists who live to victimize celebrities in order to get the scoop for tabloids.
Many a celebrity have been duped by such journalists, remember the Martin Bashir documentary on a naïve Michael Jackson? Well, Chris Atkins, a London based filmmaker, has decided to go undercover to document ‘dubious reporting methods’ of those on the hunt of stories for celebrity tabloids.
Atkins did this by arranging meetings with many Fleet Street papers, luring them with promises of containing revealing information about television stars’ visits to private medical clinics. His plan worked, many reporters excited about the prospect of obtaining headlines that included the names of celebrities and such words as facelift or Botox, agreed to meet and speak with Atkins.
With these stealthily filmed clips from the meetings, Atkins put together a Michael Moore-esque documentary, entitled “Star-suckers,” which targets society’s growing obsession with celebrities and fame, and what he believes to be its cynical manipulation by the big media companies. Atkins said, “Media companies are in dire straits, and the only thing they have left is celebrity. They have discovered that this is an incredibly potent tool for selling.”
None of the reporters agreed to buy any of Atkin’s ‘information,’ but Atkins was able to plant many fake stories in tabloids by calling them with tips. Also, British tabloids aren’t the only target of “Star-suckers,” the documentary also addresses crazed American parents who push their kids into the spotlight, plus other European TV personalities who go into politics and ‘Irish rock stars who front global anti-poverty campaigns.’
Atkins also pointed out that although fascination with celebrity has existed for a long time, it is becoming more and more sinister as technology and greedy media companies combine to turn out greater excess almost daily.
While I totally agree with Atkins and am glad that someone has put together some sort of documentation on this topic, I must admit that I am guilty of the celebrity fascination. I am much better now, I have been sober for 5 months now (from buying tabloid magazines that is (I actually don’t know how long it’s been, I’m joking)), but I was once nearly unable to leave the checkout aisle without buying one! But in all seriousness, this is an illness that has become an epidemic in our society, because it has come to excess. For example, my stepmom receives OK, Star, People, and Us Weekly in the mail, every week! That’s sick, and a waste of money, and I know she’s not the only one.
I am a bit worried, though; I have a road trip coming up and am not sure I’ll be able to resist the temptation of buying entertainment that will last for hours on the road!
Many a celebrity have been duped by such journalists, remember the Martin Bashir documentary on a naïve Michael Jackson? Well, Chris Atkins, a London based filmmaker, has decided to go undercover to document ‘dubious reporting methods’ of those on the hunt of stories for celebrity tabloids.
Atkins did this by arranging meetings with many Fleet Street papers, luring them with promises of containing revealing information about television stars’ visits to private medical clinics. His plan worked, many reporters excited about the prospect of obtaining headlines that included the names of celebrities and such words as facelift or Botox, agreed to meet and speak with Atkins.
With these stealthily filmed clips from the meetings, Atkins put together a Michael Moore-esque documentary, entitled “Star-suckers,” which targets society’s growing obsession with celebrities and fame, and what he believes to be its cynical manipulation by the big media companies. Atkins said, “Media companies are in dire straits, and the only thing they have left is celebrity. They have discovered that this is an incredibly potent tool for selling.”
None of the reporters agreed to buy any of Atkin’s ‘information,’ but Atkins was able to plant many fake stories in tabloids by calling them with tips. Also, British tabloids aren’t the only target of “Star-suckers,” the documentary also addresses crazed American parents who push their kids into the spotlight, plus other European TV personalities who go into politics and ‘Irish rock stars who front global anti-poverty campaigns.’
Atkins also pointed out that although fascination with celebrity has existed for a long time, it is becoming more and more sinister as technology and greedy media companies combine to turn out greater excess almost daily.
While I totally agree with Atkins and am glad that someone has put together some sort of documentation on this topic, I must admit that I am guilty of the celebrity fascination. I am much better now, I have been sober for 5 months now (from buying tabloid magazines that is (I actually don’t know how long it’s been, I’m joking)), but I was once nearly unable to leave the checkout aisle without buying one! But in all seriousness, this is an illness that has become an epidemic in our society, because it has come to excess. For example, my stepmom receives OK, Star, People, and Us Weekly in the mail, every week! That’s sick, and a waste of money, and I know she’s not the only one.
I am a bit worried, though; I have a road trip coming up and am not sure I’ll be able to resist the temptation of buying entertainment that will last for hours on the road!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Women in late night: Good for something, but not for writing
A recent article in The New York Times discussed the lack of women writers in late night television.
This may be considered somewhat surprising considering the dominant female presence in many other aspects of TV; more women watch television than men; in prime time and daytime, many females have had huge success as producers and writers; and in January, women will hold two of three seats as anchors of network evening newscasts. In spite of it all though, there have been very few women to break the barrier into late night writing rooms, even though women make up a larger percentage of the audiences than men do.
There are no female writers on the new “The Jay Leno Show,” or on “Late Show with David Letterman” or “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” yet Leno’s audience is more than 53%, Letterman’s 55%, and O’Brien’s also over half.
This fact was highlighted by Letterman’s confessions of having sexual relations with many of his staff members. Nell Scovell, a former female writer for Letterman, spoke about late night writing positions for females, based on her experiences, noting that the environment while working for Letterman was ‘hostile,’ including his relationships with female staff members. She said in an e-mail message, “Writing for late-night talk shows is a great entry-level TV job, and if you deny women that opportunity it reduces the chance for them to pursue careers in comedy.”
Steve Bodow, head writer for “The Daily Show,” said that their show hired two female writers in September, saying they had to ‘shake the trees a little’ to do so, but that they wanted to get their different perspective, which I agree with and am somewhat surprised that more shows have not wanted to incorporate as well.
An argument is that as long as the hosts remain male, so will the writers, because you are writing for that one person’s personality, which makes sense, but I think a female’s view would only add to the humor of these men.
I watch these shows occasionally, not regularly, and I think that the lack of female influence is apparent, although I still enjoy the shows and the humor, with or without female writers. It is sort of discouraging to me though, as comedic writing is something, quite possibly the thing, I want to do.
This may be considered somewhat surprising considering the dominant female presence in many other aspects of TV; more women watch television than men; in prime time and daytime, many females have had huge success as producers and writers; and in January, women will hold two of three seats as anchors of network evening newscasts. In spite of it all though, there have been very few women to break the barrier into late night writing rooms, even though women make up a larger percentage of the audiences than men do.
There are no female writers on the new “The Jay Leno Show,” or on “Late Show with David Letterman” or “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” yet Leno’s audience is more than 53%, Letterman’s 55%, and O’Brien’s also over half.
This fact was highlighted by Letterman’s confessions of having sexual relations with many of his staff members. Nell Scovell, a former female writer for Letterman, spoke about late night writing positions for females, based on her experiences, noting that the environment while working for Letterman was ‘hostile,’ including his relationships with female staff members. She said in an e-mail message, “Writing for late-night talk shows is a great entry-level TV job, and if you deny women that opportunity it reduces the chance for them to pursue careers in comedy.”
Steve Bodow, head writer for “The Daily Show,” said that their show hired two female writers in September, saying they had to ‘shake the trees a little’ to do so, but that they wanted to get their different perspective, which I agree with and am somewhat surprised that more shows have not wanted to incorporate as well.
An argument is that as long as the hosts remain male, so will the writers, because you are writing for that one person’s personality, which makes sense, but I think a female’s view would only add to the humor of these men.
I watch these shows occasionally, not regularly, and I think that the lack of female influence is apparent, although I still enjoy the shows and the humor, with or without female writers. It is sort of discouraging to me though, as comedic writing is something, quite possibly the thing, I want to do.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Berenstain Bears
The next stop for the beloved Berenstain Bears is the big screen. Shawn Levy, who is director of the Night at the Museum movies, has signed on to produce film version of the The Berenstain Bears books. Levy is planning on this being a comedy with both live action and computer animation.
These popular characters were first published by creators Jan and Stan Berenstain in 1962’s “The Big Honey Hunt,” and they have remained popular ever since. Levy says that to maintain the level of popularity that these books have is a formidable achievement, and they must have something special in their DNA to have endured this long. He is looking forward to begin working on the film.
Levy says he wants the film to stay true to the original story and to incorporate some details from the more popular books in the series. He also said he will be sure that the film is witty, but never sarcastic, comparing it to Will Ferrell’s Elf, a movie that had a sweet, sincere hero who conflicted with his more mocking environment. Ultimately, they want to stay true to the Berenstain’s origins as to not disappoint the generations of families who have enjoyed them. There are hopes that the screenplay will be completed by late next year.
I thought this was kind of cool; when I saw the picture of the Berenstain Bears on the website it immediately brought back memories from being a kid and reading those books, and even better, watching the movies. I vividly remember enjoying the books and cartoons thoroughly, and hopefully this film will continue the legacy and keep the bears pertinent to children today. I only hope that if the film does not live up to the books, it doesn’t damage what has proven to pass the test of time.
These popular characters were first published by creators Jan and Stan Berenstain in 1962’s “The Big Honey Hunt,” and they have remained popular ever since. Levy says that to maintain the level of popularity that these books have is a formidable achievement, and they must have something special in their DNA to have endured this long. He is looking forward to begin working on the film.
Levy says he wants the film to stay true to the original story and to incorporate some details from the more popular books in the series. He also said he will be sure that the film is witty, but never sarcastic, comparing it to Will Ferrell’s Elf, a movie that had a sweet, sincere hero who conflicted with his more mocking environment. Ultimately, they want to stay true to the Berenstain’s origins as to not disappoint the generations of families who have enjoyed them. There are hopes that the screenplay will be completed by late next year.
I thought this was kind of cool; when I saw the picture of the Berenstain Bears on the website it immediately brought back memories from being a kid and reading those books, and even better, watching the movies. I vividly remember enjoying the books and cartoons thoroughly, and hopefully this film will continue the legacy and keep the bears pertinent to children today. I only hope that if the film does not live up to the books, it doesn’t damage what has proven to pass the test of time.
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