Gawker
-
alice hoffman
Look Who's Snarking Now: Novelist Uses Twitter to Trash Critic
Alice Hoffman has a new novel out. Roberta Silman gave Hoffman's book a lukewarm review in the Boston Globe. Alice Hoffman then went insane on Twitter, even publishing Silman's phone number and encouraging her fans to call and attack her.
More » 
32,399
96
Comment by noonecaresowen: I'm curious, Cajun, did you debate at all about re-posting Silman's phone number and email address? 15 Responses | Other threads
-
intellectuals
Dave Eggers Makes Futile Gesture
Do you fear that Print Is Dead? Allow America's most venerable human, Dave Eggers, to assure you—via email—that it is not: More »
7,149
Comment by subpar: Am I the only person aged 18-35 living in New York who does not enjoy reading anything Dave Eggers has... 13 Responses | Other threads
-
watch out
Toby Young Hit by Car
Vaguely annoying Brit writer and Top Chef judge Toby Young was hit by a car while riding his bike in London last week, but he's going to be okay. Here, his busted head. [Toby's blog]
7,498
Comment by katekate is squared: In his honor, I will spend my day trying to think of a stupid one-liner for this situation. 12 Responses | Other threads
-
families
Ayelet Waldman: Bad Mother, Good Husband-Banger
Ayelet Waldman is smugly married to Michael Chabon and wrote about how fucking her husband is more fun than dealing with her kids, which, let's hope so, right? She's written a book about her pain!
More »
30,120
Comment by Lulu82: She needs to drop this shit before it starts disturbing her kids. Can't she love them all equally, in different... 11 Responses | Other threads
-
media
George Gurley's Therapy Transcripts Coming to Prime Time
NBC is reportedly developing a sitcom called "George and Hilly" based on New York Observer writer George Gurley's columns about couples therapy with his fiancee. Here's what prime time viewers have to look forward to: More »
2,293
Comment by TheologicalSong: I've said it before and I'll say it again: though the relationship therapy columns specifically bring out George's callower side--they're... 7 Responses | Other threads
-
endings
Gabriel García Márquez Will Not Write You Another Book
Too bad if you didn't like that My Melancholy Whores book. It's most likely going to be legendary Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez's last. His agent says he doesn't expect another book. More »
3,581
Comment by lawyergay: To: Gabriel Garcia Marquez Re: Magical Realism When anything is possible, nothing is interesting. P.S. At this point, you'd be lucky to get... 10 Responses | Other threads
-
media
Print's Ten Worst Late Payment Offenders
Last week we asked you, the media freelancers, to tell us how long you're waiting to get paid. Scads responded! Deadbeat villains, prepare to be outed. More »
19,224
Comment by gershkuntzman: As the Gersh Kuntzman cited above, I can tell you that Gawker needs to do a little legwork before posting... 15 Responses | Other threads
-
-
videuhoh
The Sexual Hangups of Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly foolishly recorded an audio version of his crappy old novel, and now his sexiest quotes are all over the internet. "Cup your hands under your breasts and hold them for ten seconds." More »
25,868
Comment by Dave J.: "Ashley climaxed twice before the two got up from the couch and climbed the stairs to the master bedroom." Dream on,... 4 Responses | Other threads
-
fameballs
Julia Allison's Business Model: Become Oprah, Somehow
Huffpo-er Jeremy Abelson interviewed famous American Julia Allison about how her "brand" will "make money." Not to get too technical, but it involves having people pay her for...stuff, that she does. More » -
from the mailbag
Michael Chabon's Wife Had Way More Inaugural Fun Than You
Ayelet Waldman, the writer and the overadoring and slightly stalky wife of Michael Chabon, emailed a lengthy account of the couple's AAA-list adventure at Barack Obama's inauguration. To 5,000 less awesome people. More »
15,426
By Ryan TateComment by CassandraDavidson: From her wiki: The essay explores her conviction that a woman should consider her spousal relationship more important than her relationships... 4 Responses | Other threads
-
hit pieces
Matt Taibbi's Relentless Hounding of Tom Friedman Continues, Thankfully
In 2005, Matt Taibbi wrote a takedown of NYT mouthbreather Tom Friedman's unique idiocy that remains the greatest thing ever written about the mustachioed private-jet-frequent-flyer. Now Taibbi has a new piece; top ten anti-'stache material. More »
8,539
Comment by Iceland Spar: At the risk of instant alienation of everyone who reads this website - I actually like Tom Friedman. And From... 28 Responses | Other threads
-
celebrity science
Celebrity Vacations of Doom: Bonnie Fuller Explains
Oh hey, former celebrity magazine editor Bonnie Fuller is still writing some of the internet's columns most inexplicable columns, about celebrity issues. Today she answers the secret question: Why do celebs always die on vacation? More »
5,860
Comment by contradicto: Um. . . name one other celebrity (and I refuse to even consider Jett Travolta a real celebrity) who has... 13 Responses | Other threads
-
trendwatch
Benoit Denizet-Lewis Cannily Combines Sex, Addiction
Former Gawker hottie Benoit Denizet-Lewis is still riding the addiction train to literary success! The America Anonymous author and unveiler of Down Low culture is writing about his sex addiction, luckily for pervs like you: More »
11,151
Comment by FormerEnglishMajor: I read this and couldn't get over how much he was the "victim" of his bad childhood. We all have... 15 Responses | Other threads
-
rod blagojevich
Blago Drama Gives Newspapers Fleeting Feeling Of Importance
This ROD BLAGOJEVICH scandal is just awesome for newspapers. I mean, who would have thought the Tribune company would ever have a starring role in another political scandal even as a reporting entity, much less as some sort of "powerful" media outlet that inspired fear and hatred in elected officials? The Chicago Trib editorial page was what you were worried about, ROD BLAGOJEVICH, really? Well that suits the Chicago Trib editorial page just fine!: More »
1,078
Comment by Aaron Altman: Their competition had the better front page. 2 Responses | Other threads
-
Federal Writers Project
Elitist 'Writers' Demand Taxpayer Bailout
A laid-off journalist has proposed a fancy idea that would have the twin benefits of re-employing a lot of unemployed journalists, and producing a quality historical record of our time that could reside in the halls of our nation's finest libraries forever. So needless to say it will never happen, because the public hates journalists, and is functionally illiterate. But that doesn't make it a bad idea, now that the liberal elite is in control of the public purse strings! So is it time to bring back the Federal Writers Project? More »
2,637
Comment by BitchyMcGee: Why on Earth would this government want a record of this period of time that's meticulously recorded and analyzed. For... 4 Responses | Other threads
-
tina brown
Tina Brown Is The Media's Last Safety Net
Can Tina Brown and her newfangled "website" The Daily Beast singlehandedly provide refuge to all of New York's talented laid-off writers? Ha, no, of course not, not even a glimmer of a chance. She'll be lucky to get through the next two years without burning through tens of millions in start-up funds and flaming out like the Talk magazine of the internet. But there's no reason talented laid-off writers can't get a piece of that sweet monetary pie while it's here! The Observer notes that Tina's passing out freelance bylines to many deserving newly unemployed vets of dead publications like Radar and the New York Sun, like a blond Brit Santa with a media fetish. And the pay is not bad! Not by recession standards, at least: More » -
labor
Tyler Perry's How to Bust a Union and Bully Employees
Writer/actor/director/producer Tyler Perry knows what's best for his writers. And what's best for them, apparently, is to churn out sitcom scripts without union protection or representation. The Writers' Guild of America West has filed a complaint against Perry's production company for unfair labor practices, claiming four writers on his TBS sitcom, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, were shitcanned for trying to join the union. More »
1,871
Comment by Pope John Peeps II: Perry's lawyer, a suspiciously manly looking fat woman named Hyppolita Jackson, released a statement today: "Mah boy Tyler's a good... 4 Responses | Other threads
-
emily brill
Emily Brill Will Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH EMILY BRILL? We can scarcely contain our curiosity; "Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray" to Emily. The idle, wealthy daughter of a media mogul—supporting herself with only a trust fund and a blog—has transformed into New York's ultimate narrator. Only she seems able to capture in prose the throbbing, relentless pulse that underlies this great city. We have so many questions: What did she have for dinner? How long did she wait to get in that bar? And what year was that terrorist attack, again? Come on New Yorkers, let's rock: More »
4,170
Comment by crotchety: She must mean the WTC bombing in 1993. Oh, God. You're making me defend Emily Brill. I did the same for... 9 Responses | Other threads
-
doug dechert
Bitter Old Man Threatens To Punch Choire Sicha
Doug Dechert, a "sometime PR flack" and sometime-writer who's about 50 years old, threatened to assault former Gawker editor and current Radar writer Choire Sicha Wednesday night. Specifically, Dechert said “I’m going to punch that little prick [Choire] in his fucking face." Dechert—who was once on the receiving end of an email defenestration and a shove from Ian Spiegalman—made the threat at a book party for chaste author Dawn Eden. Which Choire Sicha did not attend. Here are the specifics, from NY Press writer Matt Harvey, who was there: More »
2,926
Comment by the supergoddess: Oh Dechart, no no, bad idea buddy. I would back slowly away from the Great and Might Sicha if I... 7 Responses | Other threads
-
Tucker Max
Field Guide: Tucker Max
Why the hell have we written so much about Tucker Max? Because you want to read it! What started out as nothing more than a one-off request to have a look at a bad movie script has blossomed into full-blown miniseries chronicling the many dimensions of our bro Tucker's internet-famous personality. But why did anyone care about this rather pedestrian guy in the first place? Schadenfreude is involved, we suspect. We've taken the time to delve into the psychology of this pressing issue below, in the Gawker Field Guide To Tucker Max. Complete with photos from Tucker's incredible life!
More »
21,744
Comment by toastycakes: He dresses like my grandmother when she goes to Walmart. Did he work out a cross-promotion with the dingy grey... more » | Other threads
-
toby young
Toby Young Warns Of Writer-Less Hamptons
Toby Young, the British exile and former Vanity Fair writer whose mildly amusing book How To Lose Friends and Alienate People is now being turned into a (doubtless middling) movie, is concerned about how hard it is for even famous writers to make any serious money in America these days. Except for Toby Young himself, of course, who is getting paid to write cute little missives back to the UK about how hard it is for even famous writers to make any serious money in America these days. "I'm currently in the Hamptons," he starts off: More »
3,080
Comment by NeoZorba: An odd bookmarker, if not telling... and yet he smiles! more » | Other threads
-
bob costas
Costas Cannot Escape The Ghost Of Will Leitch
Bob Costas has more than 20 years of experience as a sportscaster. He's done the Olympics six times. But he's most famous on the internet for inviting wild-eyed sportswriter Buzz Bissinger on his talk show in April to rant and project bits of spittle towards absurdly civil former Deadspin editor Will Leitch. Now Costas—one of the most refined and experienced personalities in all of sports broadcasting—is forced to talk about Leitch and Bissinger in every single interview he does. It's his legacy! More »
15,799
Comment by WadeCounty: Idea for a new show - Hire random dudes (preferably above 6'3) to walk up to Costas and just keep... more » | Other threads
-
sloane crosley
OMG Sloane Crosley Totally Loves Us
Sloane Crosley, author, popular publicist, self-effacing autobiographer, HBO series subject, gossip monster assembler, big ass chronicler, partygoer, and etiquette specialist has a new video interview out, and damned if she's not commenting on us and the rest of the "snarky urban jungle." Whoa, you write about somebody 27 times and all of a sudden it's like they can't stop talking about you. It's okay though—she thinks all this vicious online gossip is a net positive(!), a view that I tried to get across to Keith Gessen at his party, without success. Perhaps he will be persuaded by listening to his pal Sloane! Watch Crosley explain why she tolerates Gawker and its commenters, but Village Voice readers made her cry, below: More »
5,394
Comment by The Warrior-Poet: @gladys_kravitz: Whoa, that is disconcerting. Sometimes folks do glance around as they gather their thoughts while conversing, but she looks... more » | Other threads
-
graydon carter
Graydon Carter: "I'm Such A Pussy."
The last time Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter ever met with Gonzo god Hunter S. Thompson, the drug-vacuuming writer was sitting in a hotel one morning with "a tumbler of scotch, a bowl of cocaine, and some cereal." He asked Graydon what he would like. So did the patrician editor hoover up some massive lines or what? Well, he prefaces his answer by telling Charlie Rose, "I'm such a pussy." Sigh. Click to watch the tale of Gonzo vs. Non-Gonzo in action
3,386
Comment by Hey_mikey: Miss Manners states it clearly: Gentle reader, when busting out the blow for your boys and your boo, it is... more » | Other threads
-
blackberry
The BlackBerry Continues To Destroy The Workplace
An interesting philosophical question: Should employees get paid overtime for checking their BlackBerries outside work hours? Money-grubbing writers at ABC News say "Yes." Money-grubbing executives at ABC say "No." We say: throw away your BlackBerry and it becomes a moot point. More »
3,914
Comment by SpeakerCity: Plaintiffs' attorneys are going to begin to troll for these lawsuits. They have excellent wage-and-hour class action potential. more » | Other threads
-
matt taibbi
Rudy Giuliani has "the vestigial stoop of a once-chubby kid who grew up hiding tittie pictures from nuns"
HuffPo gets to the bottom of Erica Jong nemesis Matt Taibbi's philosophy of journalism: Q: "You spend a lot of time describing the physical features of the people you attack — is there a particular logic, or reasoning behind this?" A: "Um... it's funny?" [HuffPo]
1,098
Comment by transgenic_mouse: Damn, I thought I was alone in my Taibbi-crush. Does anyone have any biographical info on him? His Wikipedia entry's... more » | Other threads
-
augusten burroughs
Augusten Burroughs Solves Your Writer's Block Forever
Running With Scissors author Augusten Burroughs gives an on-camera interview in which he reveals his secret writing process to the world. He works in bed! Gets up, showers, gets dressed, walks the dog, makes the bed, then gets back in bed. Weird. More importantly, he shares his simple and foolproof solution to overcoming writer's block. Hint: "It's like dropping a couple of Alka-Seltzer tablets into water. Fizz!...If you want to find out how powerful the storm is, fly the plane into the eye of the storm!" Okay! The revelatory video is below: More » -
journalismism
Sportswriting Ain't What It Used To Be
Veteran sportswriter Pat Jordan, who worked for Sports Illustrated back in the good old days when every athlete would grovel and tap dance for a chance to appear in that magazine, has a long piece in Slate today detailing exactly why his job was way better back then than it is now. To sum it up: athletes today know they can control the media, whereas back then they were basically underpaid rubes grateful for any press coverage that might land them some endorsements to enhance their meager salaries. Jordan also notes that Jose Canseco is a jerk, old-timey players weren't afraid to ogle girls in front of a reporter, and Deadspin.com is the future of sports journalism. Suck on that, Buzz Bissinger!: More »
6,980
Comment by growler: Any baseball fan who hasn't read Jordan's "A False Spring" needs to rectify that mistake. A fantastic book. more » | Other threads
-
creative underclass
Why Does Gawker Hate You, Keith Gessen?
N+1 founder and sad young literary man Keith Gessen sat down for a Big Think interview last week. He touched on everything from "Dating as a Historical Phenomenon" to "Is political writing political activism?" But the only bit I was curious enough to watch was his response to the question, "Why does Gawker hate you?" According to Gessen, it's because Gawker types once read a lot of books, then we gave up on the value system of books, but we're wrong and we will lose! I don't know, man; I just think it's annoying how much you talk about Harvard. The full clip of this latest volley in New York's most frivolous cultural clash, below: More »
4,984
Comment by TripMcCane: @TripMcCane: It's She Belongs To Me, Not Love Minus Zero. I guess I got confused by the whole n +... more » | Other threads
-
bright ideas
"Seeking A Candidate? Vote For A Journalist"
The headline of this post is also the actual headline of a story in the New York Sun today. We didn't even change it, because it was already funny! The peppy little broadsheet reasons that since London just elected an ex-journalist as mayor, hey, why not here? And the neocon paper rounds up the very cream of the city's third-tier columnist crop to explain why such a feat be might hard for a member of the embittered, self-important writing class to pull off: because columnists "have too much integrity." More »
436
Comment by tempest: What - aren't there enough spin doctors in politics already?! more » | Other threads
-
shut up, brooklyn
Gawker Stalker For The Ultra-Literary Set
Even if the Brooklyn Literary Scene is dead, or as Colson Whitehead put it, annoying and irrelevant, there still are a lot of writers kicking it in the borough of churches. In today's New York Observer, Fort Greene's own Doree Shafrir made an extensive list of the Brooklyn literarati, including neighborhood listings. Not to sound like an asshole, but even I didn't know about some of the writers and editors on the list. The Observer's non-college educated readership will be totally lost. More »
3,919
By rebeccaComment by famousauthor: Why no Greenpoint? Don't famous bloggers live there? Or is it true, as Thomas Wolfe wrote, that only... more » | Other threads
-
writers
One Minor Flaw In Chris Hitchens' Sexiness
If you've been harboring fantasies of sleeping with portly British provocateur Christopher Hitchens, hold on just a minute: he snores. It's hardly his biggest personal flaw (educated guess), but he does manage to crank out thousands of words on his snoring affliction for Men's Vogue, as part of his ongoing quest to pre-empt any and all criticisms of himself so that he can continue to talk bad about whatever he likes in peace. Here, his long-suffering (educated guess, again) wife describes the experience of a Hitchens family slumber: More » -
socialites
Derek Blasberg, Barbara Bush, And Hockey
Page Six's item earlier this week about first daughter Barbara Bush's attendance at a New York Rangers game, and the accompanying wholly unsubstantiated speculation that maybe she's dating a Rangers player, prompted a sports blogger to engage in some journalism (take that, Washington Post!). He dug deep in the photo archives and uncovered the haunting connection between Barbara Bush and the hockey team: Style.com writer, socialite, and Fifth Column Of The Gaydom Derek Blasberg! More »
2,193
Comment by famousauthor: Derek Blasberg is the love child of George Herbert Walker Bush, so it's just a family thing. No incest... more » | Other threads
-
media
Stuff Happening To Magazines, Say Magazine People Again And Again
Be forwarned, youngsters: the magazine industry has no room for you any more. Also, it can't find you! You're all out there working on the blogs and not learning how to do real journalism. Which makes you suck! "These people don't leave their fucking laptops," says elderly writer Gay Talese. "It used to be, you would go outside." My, how things change for the Gay. The Observer's attempt to capture the magazine freelancing zeitgeist in article form is written by former Gawker blogger Doree Shafrir, a fact which does not seem to register with the irony-proof older generation quoted therein. So the aspirational young magazine crowd either succeeds quickly or withers away into bitterness at the closed doors of the industry, while old veterans of top-tier magazines grow increasingly out of touch and bemoan every little change since their golden days. Isn't this how things have always been? More »
1,554
Comment by Malegirdle: @TallulahSkankhead: yes, doree is solid, but the blind quotes were ridiculous. why? these were observations, generalities, very weird. probably... more » | Other threads
-
anne rice
Vampire Woman Worships Undead God
Anne Rice, the author of all those books about Vampires (including the one that they turned into that Tom Cruise/ Brad Pitt movie with the twin themes of latent homosexuality and glorification of the dark side), has opened up to the world about her bizarre and stunning deity worship [WP]. The famed creator of monstrosities publicly proclaims her allegiance today to a strange "God Man" who supposedly performed impossible miracles in days long past. Now, the Dracula-loving storyteller has "consecrated" herself to this mythical "Jesus"—who can die and revive himself at will—and nothing will change her mind about his magical powers. The bloodsucking aficionado will not abandon her hallucinatory reasoning for anyone! More »
3,062
Comment by Medda: I seem to be suspended between several thoughts on this subject. There was the part about a choice between ridicule... more » | Other threads
-
politics
How Much are Writers Donating to Campaign 08?
And to whom? For example, Bright Lights, Big City novelist Jay McInerney donated $2,300 to Giuliani. (Oh, Jay. You're still cute, though). Vampire-novelist Ann Rice? $4,600 to Hillary Clinton. The list, compiled by Nick Antosca, after the jump. (In case you're wondering which candidate, say, Jonathan Safran Foer, Judy Blume, or Dave Eggers is supporting financially. Hint: Dean Koontz is supporting some crazies). More » -
the late shift
Writers Do Matter! (Sorta)
Ever since the late night talk shows returned to the air, Leno has been beating Letterman in the ratings, as he has for a good dozen years. This despite Leno still working without his writers (a terrible, uncomfortable sight), all of whom are still on strike. Letterman's production company's deal with the WGA gave him back his staff, but hasn't awarded him a ratings edge—until Monday! "In the overnight ratings, measuring the country's 65 largest cities, Mr. Letterman had a 4 rating on Monday to Mr. Leno's 3.8. (Each point is worth 787,659 households.)." Of course, Leno still won the first half-hour. But once they brought the guests out, Letterman had America's favorite Oscar-whoring not-funny-anymore superstar Tom Hanks! Leno had Ron Paul. Enough to win an unscientific online poll, yes, but not to beat Forrest Gump in Nielsen households. So writers finally have some proof that their contributions are important! Specifically, their contribution of a sad picket line that SAG members and bleeding-heart superstars will hopefully continue to refuse to cross. [NYT]
791
By PareeneComment by DorothyMantooth: @Carol Gardens: Ahh. Thanks! I agree. @TheDismalScience: Yeah, I don't think either one of us is ever gonna persuade the other... more » | Other threads
-
wga
On Strike? Write Video Games
As the Writers Guild of America strike continues to eke its way toward a very unhappy holidays, Variety has put together a little list of things striking writers can do in their spare time.... no they didn't include playing through BioShock. They did include writing video games though. [Kotaku] -
solidarity
Should striking WGA members really be writing on the internet over at HuffPo—in other words providing free content for new media? We say no, mostly because the majority of the striking writers blogging over there are so God-awful boring compared to the drama on the streets of Hollywood. [HuffPo]
writers
New York, 10:38 AM
Fri Jul 10
45 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip Your Editors:
tips@gawker.com
Tipline: 646-214-8138
Editor-in-Chief:
Gabriel Snyder | Email
Contributing Editors:
Valleywag:
Ryan Tate | Email
Media:
Hamilton Nolan | Email
Politics:
Alex Pareene | Email
Investigations:
John Cook | Email
Entertainment:
Richard Lawson | Email
Weekends:
Foster Kamer | Email
Video Editor:
Richard Blakeley | Email
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
