Rumor has it that Hachette Filapacchi is getting ready to sell all of its titles, except Elle, Woman's Day, and Woman's Day Special Interest Publications. An email was sent out to the production department to gather the last 6 copies of all titles, except the ones listed above.

Really? We're Shocked. If you know any more, fill us in.

UPDATE: Hachette spokesfolk deny: "The gossip item on gawker.com regarding the sale of Hachette titles is completely unfounded and false."

Shock is the eyes and ears of a young generation of readers starving for visual stimulation in global news and pop culture. It is an uncensored and unapologetic look at a world that American consumers have not seen before and have trouble believing even exists. It is fast, funny, dazzling and dripping with attitude. It is also smart and informative. It is not a lad book, celebrity rag, sports book or stodgy newsmagazine...yet it is packed with elements of each of these delivered with a completely unique tone and attitude that resonates with a mass audience of young consumers. It should be clear to a reader in just one read that committing to this magazine will help him acquire so much arresting and topical information and images of the vast world around him that he'll very quickly become the go-to authority in his peer group. That's a clear, valuable user benefit nobody else can provide.

After the jump, a look at the November cover.

We're guessing "Tara Reid: Hollywood sag lady" falls under the "smart and informative" rubric.

Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Shock

Without being seen to take sides, we're going to have accept Kliger's argument. You'd know if the complaints were coming from actual Shock readers: They'd be the ones written in crayon on lined paper.

Hachette Defends 'Shock' as Retailers Pull Premiere Issue [AdAge]

Drugstore Chain Pulls Shock Magazine; Blogger Rejects Settlement [pdnonline]

Okay, Hachette, you win. Where can we subscribe?

Actions Speak Louder [Michael Yon]

Hachette is paying Yon money and making a charitable donation; Yon is dropping his threats and agreeing that Hachette acted in good faith when purchasing rights from a photo agency, Polaris. But Yon also claims he'd never worked with or heard of Polaris, which raises the entirely unanswered question of whether he's simply lying or the agency is going around selling rights to photos it doesn't own. We'd be curious to look into that — but, hey, we're too busy looking at pix of an elephant taking a dump (p. 81).

'Shock' Reaches Settlement With Photographer [Ad Age]
Earlier: Magazine for Illiterates Can't Even Rip Off Photos Right

No word yet on who's responsible for the incredibly hacky headline "War Is Still Hell!"

'Shock' Surprises Photographer of Cover Image [AdAge]

Visually, the mag looks like a studly version of Us Weekly, taking the celebrity rag's signature bright pinks and purples and beefing them up to manly reds and yellows (it even mocks Us with its own "Who Wore It Best?" feature, pitting Juliette Lewis, Flava Flav, and Thor against one another in viking hats; the jury was "seven gay homeless guys a the bus station"). Other celebrities uncensored-style treats include the requisite Kate Moss-with-blow pic from 1998, plus such gems as Eddie Van Halen's rotting teeth, Val Kilmer sucking Paris Hilton's face and, our personal favorite, the celebrity asscrack guessing game (at right, click to enlarge).

While the celebs-looking-stupid schtick is fun, it's not Shock's strong point (mostly because one can find similar pictures on the web). Rather, its skanky allure is in its newsy photos that you don't typically see any mainstream American publication, presented in full-page, high-res fashion: a Japanese river running bright red with dolphins blood ("Blood Bath!"), a Congolese woman setting herself on fire ("Girl, Erupted!"), and children in danger ("Tiny Hostage"). They're not exactly breaking or relevant (save for the pictures from Iraq), but they certainly make for interesting eye candy.

With little more than big, crazy-ass pictures and a dash of tabloidian prose, Shock won't likely have much cultural impact or media influence. Nor is Shock particularly shocking, but it is stupidly entertaining. And it works — because for once, we're looking at a magazine that's not trying too hard.

Related: Shock Is Here! Shock Is Here! [FishbowlNY]

After the jump, Hachette chief Jack Kliger's staff memo, which extols the magazine's work, extols the brand's online future — ELLEgirl ringtones are coming soon! — and, curiously, says absolutely nothing about placements or severance for the mag's soon-to-be-unemployed staffers.

From Jack Kliger, president and CEO, Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.

I am announcing today that, in light of ongoing research combined with five years of experience in the teen market, we are redirecting the strategy for the ELLEgirl brand. Following the June/July 2006 issue, ELLEgirl magazine will be discontinued, and the company will increase its substantial investment in the brand's digital formats focusing on ELLEgirl.com and wireless content.

It is always unfortunate to have to close a magazine; but today the teen market is increasingly fragmented. To effectively reach these girls, we must invest in the media where they spend most of their time and where we see our greatest growth potential.

I want to recognize that Editor-in-Chief Christina Kelly and VP/Publisher Deborah Burns have done extraordinary jobs of establishing this strong brand. ELLEgirl was twice named on the Adweek "Hot List", recognized by Delaney Report as the "Best Publication" and led in ad sales growth and newsstand growth year over year. We are thankful for their dedication and creative vision and want to extend that appreciation to their teams and the other Hachette colleagues who have been dedicated to publishing this title.

Going forward ELLEgirl.com will become the cornerstone of the brand's digital initiative. The ELLEgirl Web site, which launched before the magazine, was successfully received from the onset. In the past year alone, ELLEgirl.com has tripled its unique visitors, doubled its page views and doubled its ad revenue. ELLEgirl.com was recently listed in Media Metrix as one of the top ten teen sites.

With our partner Alloy, a leading teen marketing company, there are immediate plans for an extensive redesign, expanded content and increased staffing. This area will be managed by Marta Wohrle, VP/Director of Digital Media, and Carol Smith, SVP/ELLE group publishing director.

When teen girls are not on the Web, they are on their cell phones. Working closely with our sister company Lagardere Active North America, which launched in the U.S. eighteen months ago, we are developing ELLEgirl ring tones and wallpaper mobile pages, as well as a number of projects in the mobile blogging area.

We recognize that there are times when print works best. With this in mind, we will evaluate targeted magazine opportunities; for 2007, we are considering two themed issues which will join ELLE Accessories in the ELLE specials division.

Jack Kliger

'Elle Girl' to Fold [FBNY[
'ELLEgirl' Shuts Print Edition, Moves to Web Only [Ad Age]
Girl Trouble [WWD]

Since we deal mostly online (what's a newsprint?), this is a huge development. Maybe we're just a bit overexcited, but it feels like the magazine industry is hurtling towards 1999 at the speed of light!

All 18 Hachette U.S. Magazines Will Be Digital... [MIN]