04/12/07
425
5

By abalk2

Comment by UncleArthur: Shorter Ana Marie: "I know ho's. Ho's is friends of mine. The Rutgers basketball team is no ho's." more » | Other threads

  • dana vachon

    Mergers and Acquisitions: A Book Party

    The author needed to meet some very important person from the world of publishing, and his tightly-wound editor let him know it by waving frantically and then physically dragging him over to the corner of the bar. Dana Vachon had been born wealthy and healthy and handsome and he was right to view himself as entirely blessed, especially considering that his first novel, Mergers & Acquisitions had already gone to a second printing that very day. No one wore costumes on the night of his book party at Felix, that Eurotrash magnet on West Broadway, but there was no need for costumes to have a masque ball. Everyone knew their role and played it. More »
    04/11/07
    8,442
    22

    By abalk2

    Comment by Trackback: The NYO scoops, Gawker confirms: Alex Balk is leaving Gawker, where he has served as editor since July 2006, to... more » | Other threads

  • dana vachon

    'Mergers and Acquisitions': The Great Debate

    As those who (for some reason) care may recall, no one over here can agree about anything regarding Dana Vachon's debut novel, Mergers & Acquisitions. Crap? Genius? Sign 'o the times? Horseman of apocalypse? Honestly, it's been tearing our office apart. Because the book party is tonight—more on that tomorrow!—we made Alex and Emily get together to work it all out. This sort of thing will be mainly of interest to those who first have an interest in books (cutting out most of you!) and, second, those who have read the book or are interested in so doing. (There go most the rest!) There are a few minor SPOILERS, so keep that in mind if, but other than that it's like listening in on a book club. And we all know how fascinating that is! More »
    04/10/07
    7,853
    37

    By abalk2

    Comment by Trackback: Photos by ETP Last night was the book party for Dana Vachon, a struggling young... more » | Other threads

  • sponsors

    Our Advertisers Eat No Sparrows, Contest

    Thanks to our advertisers, who respect the sanctity of nature. Interested in joining their ranks? More info is here. Also! How exciting. This week you can enter to win a copy of the hot new novel everyone (here) is talking about: Mergers and Acquisitions! Anyway: "Are you a character in Mergers and Acquisitions? Enter to win a free copy and find out for yourself!" More info at www.jsspenser.com. To enter, just send an email to contests@gawker.com with the subject line Mergers Contest before Tuesday, April 10th. An email will be picked at random to win. By emailing your entry, you agree to our Contest Rules. More »
    04/06/07
    302
    1

    By Emily Gould
  • gawker

    From The Editors: We Are Clueless, Pure

    You might have seen in Variety that Dana Vachon's Mergers & Acquisitions has been acquired by a film production company "in a deal worth high six figures." (Related: Our Emily Gould is in the bathroom right now, bringing up an amount of vomit in the high six liters.) You might also have noticed, as we did when we rolled out of bed this morning, that Mergers & Acquisitions, a book that we have been prattling about regularly, is being advertised on Gawker today. We have also found out you might also see some sort of sponsored contest here for it tomorrow. You might have some questions about advertising and editorial on Gawker. So might we! More »
    04/05/07
    3,496
    28

    By abalk2
  • julia allison

    Julia Allison Wrestles With Zinczenko Relationship

    It wasn't just Henry the Intern looking foxy at Arianna Huffington's party on Friday night. Men's Vogue fella Hud Morgan was there, too, in a blue blazer, a french cuffed gingham shirt, Nantucket red trousers and a pair of velvet monogrammed slippers. (Sockless, of course.) Mr. Morgan said the shoes "had soles that cost more than your entire closet" but later recanted, because of course he got them for free. (And: was this a "Kennedy clambake in Hyannisport"? one attendee wondered. We just wonder if he can't mate up with similarly-fashioned Dana Vachon. Think of the mix-and-match outfits they could create! It's like preppy Grranimals.) In any event, Mr. Morgan, for some reason, decided to steal former AM NY dating columnist Julia Allison's cellphone. More »
    04/04/07
    8,653
    29

    By Choire

    Comment by Trackback: The Other Woman Is Perfect Where Her Rival Fails by Molly Lambert “We look hot.” “So hot.” “Luv u... more » | Other threads

  • dana vachon

    Tuesday In the Park With Dana

    What sort of woman reads Dana Vachon's Mergers & Acquisitions? Meet Jessica, a web editor at Conde Nast. Jessica was recently spotted by Bill Cunningham on her "lunch break" in Bryant Park with the season's two must-have accessories: this $34 H&M print, and Mergers, the rollicking debut novel that's sure to be seen in parks and on subways throughout the summer. "Normally I don't read books with big words," says Jessica, "but I can't resist a Lit Boy with a non-ethnic nose and a background in banking!" Now that's some fine print indeed! More »
    04/02/07
    1,962
    10

    By abalk2

    Comment by Jessica: @lovelyday: It's more like a PSA for piss-poor posture. Also, just try cramming a salad and Vachon's ego on one... more » | Other threads

  • dana vachon

    Dana Vachon Backlash To The Backlash To The Backlash Begins

    And now, a word from those of us who are actually threatened by the size of Dana Vachon's $650,000 advance. Or who, at least, think that publishers dole out such advances to highly marketable youngsters at the expense of real novels by real writers— who don't at all feel that Vachon is "the best pure writer to have emerged from the blogosphere" (we've actually read his entire book!), and who don't know him personally and also don't often find "affable Westchester goofiness" adorable in anyone. So! Today's Observer semi-takedown: predictable, yes, but right in at least one important respect. By underlining greasy eminence Jay McInerney's blurbing of both Indecision and Mergers & Acquisitions and dubbing Vachon this year's Lit Boy, Lizzy Ratner makes the point that writing a Bright Lights homage has basically become a literary genre unto itself. What is it about these Lit Boys' books that make them so irritating yet so compelling? Well, maybe Julia Allison, who said that the book made her want to fuck Dana Vachon, is onto something. YES, I JUST SAID THAT. More »
    03/28/07
    6,109
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    By Emily Gould

    Comment by Trackback: THE GOOD SON Vachon Dana Vachon isn't just an It Boy author with a six-figure book deal and a gorgeous... more » | Other threads

  • dana vachon

    Dana Vachon Backlash Begins In Gritty, Blue-Collar Paper

    Those of us who are not actually threatened by the size of Dana Vachon's advance, who feel that he's the best pure writer to have emerged from the blogosphere, and who know him personally and find his affable Westchester goofiness adorable, have had a hard run of it lately. All the press about the Mergers & Acquisitions author makes him seem like such a douchebag. It would be kind of a miracle if it didn't: the Times "A Night Out With" feature and any appearance in New York magazine pretty much instantly confer douchebag status. More »
    03/28/07
    8,567
    22

    By abalk2

    Comment by sron: if you guys knew his family background you'd know he's untouchable and has a huge 'safety net.' he can eat,... more » | Other threads

  • dana vachon

    A Morning In With Dana Vachon

    Debut novelist Dana Vachon is all over the news of late, with a mention of his new book in today's roundup of Wall Street-themed titles in the Times Biz section, that New York mag bit about how he knows that the people who will buy his book will do so because it's trendy ("I know my audience. They don't read a book a week. My audience is people who are going to go out and buy this book because they've heard they have to read it") and of course, yesterday's A Night Out With column, which found Vachon recreating a scene from his novel at Le Bilboquet with the people who his characters are based on. More »
    03/26/07
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    By Emily Gould

    Comment by Trackback: Drama rocked the tabloid news website Gawker last week when half the editorial staff abruptly resigned. more » | Other threads

  • media

    Media Bubble: Play It As It Lays

  • There's a lot of backbiting and infighting at the Los Angeles Times, which is completely unusual behavior at a major newspaper. [NYT] More »
    • 03/26/07
    1,048
    0

    By abalk2
  • remainders

    Remainders: Amanda Congdon Puts Her Boobs Back To Work

  • Ex-Rocketboomer Amanda Congdon's got a new job—as a shill for DuPont. [AdAge] More »
    03/19/07
    5,433
    7

    By Doree Shafrir

    Comment by rogadelic: I'll bet Amanda's cong-congs made out of DuPont Teflon...the ne plus ultra of versatility and durability. more » | Other threads

  • media

    Media Bubble: Giving You The Bird

    Someone sent us this picture of what they describe as a "wild bird" outside the Conde Nast building this morning, which is apparently freaking people out as much or more than the homeless woman who was peeing in the lobby of 4 Times Square on Friday. The bird will be served in the cafeteria around noon. Anna Wintour's gonna put a napkin over her head and eat it ortolan-style. And now, the news. More »
    03/15/07
    4,933
    29

    By abalk2

    Comment by jewsaleh: I doubt anyone is reading this anymore, but I think I just saw that same bird on Henry St. in... more » | Other threads

  • finance

    What Everybody Ought To Know About Yesterday's Market Plunge

    Wow, so some messed up stuff happened with the Dow yesterday, huh? A 416 point plunge! Drudge whipped out the siren and everything! And we all know what the Dow's decline means, right? Actually, wait a second, no we don't! We are pig ignorant when it comes to stocks and stuff. We are, in fact, as financially savvy as the New York Post seems to think its readers are ("Don't worry, play Scratch N' Win!"). Fortunately, we know people who do understand these things and are willing to explain them to us. We spoke to Dana Vachon, former J.P. Morgan Investment Banking Analyst and author of the forthcoming Mergers and Acquisitions (pre-order today!). More »
    02/28/07
    8,098
    17

    By abalk2

    Comment by Valerie Flame: Thank you. more » | Other threads

  • radar

    Reviewing 'Radar'

    So we finally read Radar's sixth issue—or Volume 3, Issue 1, depending on how you're scoring—over the weekend, and, well, we kind of liked it. Okay, sure, the cover is absolutely ridiculous. Colin Farrell? In 2007? Was Kevin Costner unavailable for Photoshopping? And the accompanying story itself was completely predictable and would not have been out of place in a number of other magazines (lets say, for example, Spy). The rest of the book? Pretty goddamn good, actually. More »
    02/21/07
    5,217
    3

    By abalk2

    Comment by PlaysTheThing: Last time I checked, the vast majority of the publishing industry referred to their print magazines as "the book;" so... more » | Other threads

  • publishing

    Rich Prep to Bring Blogger Jealousy to All-Time High

    Remember Dana Vachon? The blogger who parlayed a bunch of posts about lust and drinking into a book deal which immediately made him the envy of those of us who are still writing on spec for Manhattan Resident? Well, it turns out that rather than spend the summer masturbating (or just masturbating), he finished his first novel. What's it about? More »
    09/05/06
    1,766
    15

    By abalk2

    Comment by powelton: It's 1987 all over again. more » | Other threads