Gawker: architectural digest

Conde Nast Layoff Week Continues

Hamilton Nolan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:39:09 EDT

In your woebegone Wednesday media column: Rumors of more Conde Nast layoffs at Architectural Digest and the research department, ideas for BusinessWeek's future, Ross Douthat is insecure, and the Weather Channel grows ever more awesome.

It's hump day in Conde Nast layoff week. A tipster tells us that seven people were let go from Conde Nast's market research department today. "These were people assigned to analyze data related to magazines. Since there are fewer of those, these layoffs could be expected." Makes sense. Another tipster tells us that Architectural Digest is having layoffs right now—at least five so far, including editors, they say. [UPDATE: We hear two editors, two fact checkers, and a copy editor, so far]. If you know more, email us.

Among the names that Jon Friedman floats as possible new editors for BusinessWeek: Joanne Lipman, who oversaw the precipitous fall of Portfolio. Hmm. Why not Howell Raines? Or Stephen Glass? Or a housecat? Let's be creative!

NYT conservative columnist Ross Douthat, speaking at an n+1 panel: "I am someone opposed to gay marriage who is deeply uncomfortable arguing the issue in public." Pussy.

The Weather Channel is going to be showing weather-related movies, now! The announced lineup so far includes The Perfect Storm, March of the Penguins, and Misery (remember the snowstorm??!!). Just one more reason to watch The Weather Channel.

Canceled Krucoff Auction Scandalmongering

Chris Mohney — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 18:25:34 EDT

You think it's over? It's only over when Andrew Krucoff (and his swarm of parasitical pro bono attorneys) say it's over. To recap, friendly Gawker ghost Krucoff won an eBay auction for lunch with Architectural Digest's Katherine Scully. The auction was arranged to benefit a charity called Alpha Workshops, which trains people with HIV in the "decorative arts." However, after winning the auction and paying up, Krucoff was notified by Paypal — days later — that the lunch was no longer available, and his money was refunded. No further explanation has been forthcoming. But given the suspicion that the auction might have been scotched due to Krucoff's tempestuous history with AD owner Conde Nast, the man is in no mood to take a form rejection lying down. Instead, there is hushed, urgent, accusatory whispering about restraint of trade, legal recourse, and loss of work — in other words, can we polish up a teapot for this tempest? The faceless folk at eBay assure that "appropriate action" has been taken after the auction cancellation, and Alpha Workshops appears to have dropped out of the eBay auction business. Let's hope that if the charity wouldn't take Krucoff's money, they at least took Conde Nast's to kill the deal.

Earlier: No Conde Cafeteria Klatsch for Krucoff

No Conde Cafeteria Klatsch for Krucoff

Chris Mohney — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 13:20:24 EDT

We were very much looking forward to friend-of-the-family Andrew Krucoff's lunch with Architectural Digest's Katherine Scully. The occasion was duly won, bought, and paid for via charity auction, but as the man himself reports, manifest shenanigans rule the day:

Charity starts at home? Not according to Architectural Digest when an unwanted house guest shows up with madi-money and a smile like a flying buttress.
Obviously certain people at Conde Nast still hold a grudge against me. I have my guesses, most likely Gary Brownell and Jill Bright, the heads of IT and HR respectively who I've never met. Despite what I was told back then, I doubt Si Newhouse or Chuck Townsend were ever briefed about the "leaked email" nonsense. At least I hope they have better things to do.

Anyway, Conde brass recently green-lighted Jess Coen for Vanity Fair and she's been driving the Conde Nast-car in a demolition derby for the past two years. So the issue is not Gawker, it's me. That hurts. Maurie Perl, prepare some talking points. Kit Seelye and my mom will be calling you.

Fortunately, "krupiter" still has recourse to eBay's negative feedback ratings.

Earlier: Return Of The Wandering Jew?

The Levin house in Architectural Digest

Gawker — Sun, 09 Feb 2003 11:13:11 EST

"This was not a story about Jerry and Barb Levin," says Architectural Digest Editor Paige Rense on the March story that features the home of the newly and somewhat acrimoniously separated couple. "It is a story about a beautiful home that was decorated by Barbara Levin, who is a former interior designer. I would have done the story no matter who she was married to." [Ed. note—*cough* bullshit *cough*]
Magazine editor's bête noire: news trumps story in the works [NYT]