Gawker
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branding
Maxim Sure One of These Spinoffs Will Work
Maxim recently folded its UK print version, and it's facing the horrific specter of a world with no cigarette ads. Times are tough. So they're coming out with yet another brand spinoff! It's a full-blown trend now: More »
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Comment by Smitros: Sponsors for the TV show 1. Vaseline2. Wesson3. Johnson's Baby Oil4. Jergens 1 Responses | Other threads
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Media Crack
No Need to Buy a Plane Ticket Just For the In-Flight Magazine Any More
In your magaziney Thursday media column: Maxim UK's dead in print, Airline magazines go terrestrial, Michael Wolff's Vanity Fair retribution piece, and Esquire plays with toys: More »
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Comment by ChillbearLatrigue: Delta, who just emerged from bankruptcy, is now going to diversify into the booming print media business by selling Sky... 4 Responses | Other threads
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great magazine die-off
Blender Magazine Folds
Blender, the music magazine, is dead. Its owners folded it this morning, eliminating about 30 jobs in the process. More »
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Comment by Awesome X: Blender always seemed like the music magazine embodiment of date rape. 20 Responses | Other threads
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new york post
Chris Wilson Was Kidding About The Masturbating!
Chris Wilson has had to do some major backtracking since writing, in a Page Six Magazine point/counterpoint article two weeks ago, that he saw a passenger on an American Airlines flight "either pleasuring himself to online porn, or whittling something under his blanket." The deputy Maxim editor was just joking people! Sort of like his magazine was joking when earlier this year it "reviewed" two albums which had not yet been released, allegedly via the magic of crafty editors. Anyway, Wilson was apparently invited on Oprah to talk about his traumatic airplane experience, and had to disabuse (ahem) one of the show's producers of the idea he had written something, you know, true. Now Wilson is setting the entire world straight, via his "old dear friend" at the Observer: More »
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By Ryan TateComment by drunkexpatwriter: Dude, on red eye flights all sorts of shit happens. I've seen girls put their heads under blankets draped over... 19 Responses | Other threads
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kent brownridge
OK! Trying To Make Baby Pics Finally Pay
Kent Brownridge, former deputy to magazine mogul Jann Wenner and recent overlord to Maxim and Blender, is now general manager of the U.S. edition of free-spending celebrity weekly OK!. It seems that between billionaire owner Richard Desmond supplying famous-baby-photo cash and editors Sarah Ivens and the creepy Rob Shuter keeping sources fluffed, OK! needed someone to, like, sell some ads or something. Brownridge apparently didn't compile a stellar track record doing that for Maxim and company, which earlier this month squeezed him from his job, but as Shuter knows, OK! is fast becoming a miraculous land of second media-industry chances. [Post]
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By Ryan TateComment by SuchAwfulPoetry: Oh thank god. I hope Not Bad! magazine follows suit, profiting from pictures of freshly-deceased celebrities. 1 Responses | Other threads
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sarah jessica parker
'Maxim' Editors Suddenly Have 'Crush' On Sarah Jessica Parker, Their Former Pick For 'Unsexiest Broad Alive'
Was Sarah Jessica Parker’s mole removal so effective in the sexiness department that the simple laser treatment managed to majorly tighten the trousers of all those T&A experts at Maxim? As we noted this week, SJP found herself caught up in a mystery-laden MoleGate, in which her immortal beauty mark suddenly disappeared. Some (guilty as charged) played the optimist by suggesting the once-highly noticeable imperfection had simply been disguised by some genius makeup artist — but just one day later, her rep confirmed that the SATC star did go under the laser simply because "she was in the mood." More » -
magazines
"I'm not saying I'm depending on Maxim to keep me alive over there, but it helps."
Soldiers are fighting back against a government attempt to take their men's magazines away! Stars and Stripes talked to a bunch of our military men at a base in Germany, and they voiced universal opposition to a proposed bill to ban "sexually explicit" magazines—including Playboy, Penthouse, Maxim, FHM, and the like—from Army bases. They're good for morale, the soldiers say. And besides (everybody together now), they read them for the articles! More »
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Comment by Robert Synnott: "Isn't the point of the ban because they are in an Islamic country? You know, if you invade someone else's... more » | Other threads
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In Brief
Oversights
Respectable publication Maxim has a list of the ten sexiest vegetarians, with predictable picks like Joss Stone, Pamela Anderson, and Natalie Portman. Missing from the list: famous vegetarian George Bernard Shaw. Who could be sexier than George Bernard Shaw? [Maxim]
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Comment by fileunder: Shaw had entitled it Pigmalion before he went vegetarian, didja know that? more » | Other threads
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rachel marsden
Former Crazy Wikipedia Muse Reduced To Looking At Mediabistro
Rachel Marsden, the former pundit on the Fox show "Red Eye" who was tossed out for being too crazy, and who then went on to date Wikipedia guru Jimmy Wales before breaking up with him and putting his clothes up for sale on eBay, is now, predictably, unemployed. So she's trawling for jobs on Mediabistro, just like you! Marsden has supposedly applied to be a senior publicist at Maxim [P6]. Negatives: She has demonstrated that she is a serial loose cannon who will probably seduce the magazine's top editors and draw them into a scandalous and embarrassing public affair. Positives: She doesn't really like the Black Crowes, either.
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Comment by TallulahSkankhead: @Rachel Marsden: Perhaps Duke needs a new PR agent? more » | Other threads
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maxim
'Maxim' Loses Editor, Maybe
According to Jeff Bercovici, Maxim no. 2 A.J. Baime "quietly returned to Playboy, from whence new Maxim editor in chief James Kaminsky poached him." Maxim is suffering from declining newsstand sales and also that whole flap with the Black Crowes review they made up before hearing the album. Meanwhile, we hear... that former Page Sixer and current Maxim deputy editor Chris Wilson either got canned last week or is the kind of dude who uses the "I just got fired" line to pick up ladies at Beatrice. Update: According to Chris Wilson, Chris Wilson still works at Maxim. "Your spies must have misheard. Maybe I said I'm tired, because it was late."FiresTires Chris Wilson
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By PareeneComment by MisterHippity: @TheHonJudgeSmails: You left out: hither: to here hence: from here To paraphrase Dr. Suess: "Thence hither, hence thither, oddities pervade!" more » | Other threads
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music
Psychic Abilities
Maxim got in a lot of trouble for giving the new Black Crowes album a two-and-a-half star review without even listening to the whole thing. But now the album is out, and, uncannily, that is exactly the rating it deserves. [New York]
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Comment by famousauthor: It's all in the blink. Malcolm Gladwell should be a music critic. more » | Other threads
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try harder
How, Exactly, Maxim Faked Its Music "Reviews"
Maxim writer David Peisner gave specifics on how his editors recently faked up reviews of two albums neither they nor Peisner had heard: deception and chicanery. Who would imagine?! Freelancer Peisner told the LA Times he agreed to write two "previews" of new albums from the Black Crowes and Nas, and handed them in. Then the editors decided to go to town: More » -
cable news
All These Dirty Bands Look The Same To CNN
In this clip, CNN picks up on Maxim's fake review of the Black Crowes album. But they fail to pick up any anchors who know anything about the Black Crowes. Instead, the anchors just spitball about the band's connection to the "grunge" movement, then, grasping at straws, congratulate them on lasting longer than Nirvana. Which does tend to happen when your lead singer hasn't committed suicide. Click to watch the fun! [Disclosure: We don't know anything about the Black Crowes either].
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Comment by MisterHippity: I give that clip 2.5 stars out of five. And no, I didn't watch it. more » | Other threads
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wtf
Maxim Reviews Yet Another Album Without Listening To It
It appears the Black Crowes are not the only musical act victimized by Maxim's "educated guess preview[s]" now that rapper Nas has come forward to say that he, too, was irked to see the magazine publish a review of the album "Nigger" when he's not even done recording it yet. Like the Black Crowes album "Warpaint," "Nigger" got a decidedly "meh" 2.5 stars out of five. Nas told Page Six: "I don't know what a music rating from Maxim is . . . I don't know what it even means really." What it means, Mr. Nas, is that you've just had the honor of appearing in the premier forum for short musical fiction. (It's past the string bikini spreads, somewhere in the back of the book near the penis enlargement ads.)
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By Ryan TateComment by Katastrophe: "educated guess preview" is code for maxim illegally downloading the music but don't want to get caught and slapped with... more » | Other threads
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music
Maxim Reviews Black Crowes Album Without Listening To It
In the March issue of Maxim, writer David Peisner reviews the new Black Crowes album, "Warpaint." The verdict: Ehhh. Two and a half stars, out of five. The problem: Maxim didn't listen to the album. Their review, it turns out, was an "educated guess." Um, what? The full story, including the faux-review and the band's outraged response, below. More »
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Comment by SecureLocation: Hey, I don't actually have to watch Celebrity Apprentice to know it blows. more » | Other threads
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avril lavigne
The Condensed Guide To Avril Lavigne
Important musician Avril Lavigne has stepped up to correct those misinformed rumors about her with an official interview in the new issue of Maxim, an important source of journalism. "Q: NOW IT SEEMS ALL THE BLOGGERS ARE SAYING YOU'RE PREGNANT... A: Remember in high school when people would start fake rumors about you? Well, this isn't high school; it's like, the entire world." AH MAH GAH Avril you are so right! We were just sitting around the blogger table in the lunchroom talking about that. Also, she says she is a "wino." Plus, we are putting some of Maxim's sexy (if that's your type) pictures of her after the jump. Now you don't have to read the story at all! More » -
profnet
Maxim Needs A Carny, Stat!
When professional journalists on deadline need a specific source to nail down a story, they turn to Profnet, which connects reporters and flacks. Like this request, from Maxim: "I need someone who can guess weights via pictures. A carnival barker would be ideal." Don't everybody call at once! Image after the jump. More » -
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By PareeneComment by ProfessorAtticus: I am a lawyer. I have thought about this situation a great deal. After weighing the evidence, here is my... more » | Other threads
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the death of gloss
Esquire readers are older and poorer than those of five other, less classy men's mags. The Esquire reader's median household income is a pathetic $53,783, compared to $76,865 for Men's Journal and $65,614 for Maxim. It seems that pictures of ladies in their underwear are somehow more popular with affluent young men than George Clooney! [Folio]
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By PareeneComment by TimeWarnerRhymeAnaheim: As with "Saturday Night Live", you need to go all the way back to the seventies to reach a time... more » | Other threads
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the chosen ones
Maxim, Entertainment Weekly Agree: Jews, Blacks, Asians Not So "Sexy"
Collagen-and-silicone championing Maxim magazine has just named the world's five unsexiest women alive and according to the boy-mag brain trusts, the two most unfortunate looking ladies around are Sarah Jessica Parker and Amy Winehouse. Aside from shockingly-low BMIs, what do these women have in common? That's right, pronounced noses and Jewish heritage! (Although Parker is only a four-candler.) But Maxim isn't the only mass-market magazine with seemingly anti-ethnic standards of beauty: Entertainment Weekly just released its list of Ultimate Female Hotties and there's nary a chosen person to be seen (save bleach-blond halfsie Scarlett Johansson ). Not only that, but the magazine's list doesn't feature a single black or Asian woman. [Jezebel] -
tmz dmz
Can Magazines Possibly Get As Sleazy As The Internet?
"Ink-on-paper magazines" are having a "long slow sunset," according to Felix Dennis, fun-loony former Maxim owner—but they're not making up the cash on the web, in part because publishers just won't lower their standards far enough. Time Inc., the Economist says, "has stuck to its big magazine brands with People.com and with SI.com, its website for Sports Illustrated. The price, competitors say, is that Time Inc cannot do the sort of sarcastic, bitchy celebrity gossip that people like on the internet for fear of tarnishing the brand of People, and therefore cedes first place for entertainment to TMZ.com (also owned by Time Warner), which excels at it." Well, that doesn't mean they're not gonna try to take on TMZ! After all, not only did People hire Alyssa Shelasky, Glamour's former dippy blogette, they hired David Caplan, the mad ungenius behind the now-defunct 24Sizzler, the worst celebugoss site to ever tarnish the internots. So surely they're up to some secret standard-lowering project? -
news you can use
Is Karen Danziger The Best Media Headhunter?
Today Kent Brownridge, Jann Wenner's former right-hand man and the honcho of new Alpha Media, the former Dennis Publishing, shouts the praises of media headhunter Karen Danziger. She's the exec vice president of Howard-Sloan-Koller Group, and she was the one who suggested somewhat frightening former Rolling Stone guy Jim Kaminsky as the new editor of Maxim. Brownridge tells Portfolio: "Karen Danziger, the only headhunter in the editorial world that I think is worth anything, and she's worth a lot — I love her; she's my sister, shrink, priest, whatever — she gives me a list of people that I should go see, and on it is Jim, and I think, oh, well, Jim." Heh. That's how we felt about Jim too—but then Kent got all frothy on him, and hired him. We've met Karen—she's fun, mouthy, doesn't like idiots, and she dresses like the high-end version of a sharp Long Island lady. But is she all that? Your experiences sought, anonymity guaranteed. -
housecleaning
Multiple sources confirm that Maxim editor in chief Jimmy Jellinek has been canned by his new boss, Kent Brownridge, and his newly christened Alpha Media Group. Furthermore, a source tells us that it happened right before the 4 p.m. start of the Alpha Media Group launch party at the Cellar Bar at the Bryant Park Hotel. Ouch. UPDATE: Former Men's Journal editor Jim Kaminsky, who used to be Maxim's executive editor and was formerly deputy managing editor at Rolling Stone, will be the new EIC. -
get stuffed
Among the casualties of the Stuff shuttering: publisher John Lumpkin. [AdAge]
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so much for the gold watch
We understand that four people—and not necessarily Brits, either—were "let go" from Maxim today. The most surprising firing was #2 James Heidenry, who had been there from the magazine's start. A correspondent reports, "James' reward for 11 years of loyal service? All the higher-ups (including [Maxim EIC] Jimmy Jellinek) were conveniently out of the office when he was let go—the dirty deed was done by an HR assistant. Classy new ownership!" Yikes.
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Comment by ClatieK: Oh Harry, why you gotta hate? Delightful, hardworking people lost their jobs today. more » | Other threads
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deportations
Hey, it's nearly 1 p.m.: If you work at Stuff magazine, that means you're supposed to be at your desk, according to the HR department. Mass firings are so much easier than one on ones. Sorry, guys. From the mailbag: "Saw that email from a Maxim source, and wanted to comment. One third of the company has not been let go. The Stuff staff wouldn't even make up a fifth of the company, probably... and they haven't been let go. But the passport fears are true. Turns out they fired all the work visa employees first. In fact, the first firing on the edit side happened yesterday afternoon. A couple of designers at Maxim—and Ian Robinson, Stuff's art director and the longest-tenured employee at Stuff, was let go without severance. His visa was for a foreign company on US soil, which was obviously complicated by the Dennis sale (to American ownership). Damian Wilkinson married his girlfriend when news of the sale hit. Now it's even worse. Sitting around waiting to get fired is obviously not fun." -
get stuffed
Kent Brownridge, Alpha Male, Has Lad Mags
Kent Brownridge's acquisition of the Felix Dennis lad titles is finally complete. As mentioned before, Stuff will be folded into Maxim. No word yet on layoffs or whether they're shopping Maxim editor Jimmy Jellinek's job, but the press release, which you can find below, does indicate that stuffmagazine.com "will continue to be a digital destination," presumably because there are enough people who are still willing to jerk off to it. More »
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By abalkComment by sheistolerable: But are they going to name the merged title Muff or Stax? more » | Other threads
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stuff my lad mag! stuuuuuff it!
"The future owners of Dennis Publishing's men's titles plan to fold Stuff as a standalone magazine in the fall and make it a section in flagship Maxim, sources told Mediaweek. The move is effective with the November/December issue of Maxim. No word on the fate of Stuff's staffers. John Lumpkin, publisher of Stuff, said a change in Stuff's publishing schedule is news to him. 'There's been no discussion of suspending publication,' he said." [Mediaweek]
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By abalkComment by realnicegirl: Luckily, the bastards didn't hire me for an opening last month. I'd have taken them up on it too. Phew,... more » | Other threads
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coverage
Lindsay Lohan will be on the covers of both Elle and Maxim's September issues. Also, October's Prison Bitch Review. [WWD]
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By abalkComment by earlytimezone: So it's true then. She DOES want her privacy. more » | Other threads
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maxed out
Is Maxim editor Jimmy Jellinek's job on the block? [WWD]
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lad mags had
Felix Dennis offloads Maxim, Stuff and Blender on Steven Rattner's Quadrangle group to the tune of about $250 million. [NYP]
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By abalkComment by SecureLocation: Maxim makes some dough, but less than it used to. Blender and Stuff have never made a profit. Probably never... more » | Other threads
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media ownership merry-go-round
Kent Brownridge rumored to have won the Dennis Publishing auction, which means he's now the proud owner of Maxim. It also means he beat out Ron Burkle. [AdAge] -
ignominious downfalls
How Drew Kerr's P.R. Firm Died
The story of any company's demise is a mess of allegations, innuendo, slights, and wrongs: Employees treated badly, employers indignant, clients left holding the bag. The story behind the swift downfall of Drew Kerr's publicity firm, Four Corners, is no different. To pull out every last cliche, it's a cautionary tale of one man's twisted vision—a tale of how ego and greed should not be mistaken for ambition. Yes! So, how did Kerr's firm, which handled accounts like Radar and Maxim, go to hell so fast?
More »
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Comment by VenetiaCylla: I'm so glad I found this article! I am looking for a small PR firm with power and I have... more » | Other threads
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fun with publicists
Is Drew Kerr Shutting Down His Agency?
We heard whispers today that Drew Kerr was shutting down his PR firm, Four Corners, which reps such magazines as Radar, Maxim, and Blender. Really? No more "anonymous" blog posting about his clients? Say it isn't so! Well, actually, he did say it isn't so. But we don't believe him. More »
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Comment by FUPR: I too am a former FCC-er. Truthfully the worst working experience of my life. This, however was worth waiting... more » | Other threads
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media bubble
Conrad Black Even Swears Like Nixon
- In an interview with the Guardian, Conrad Black calls his fraud trial "bullshit" and announces that he's at war with the U.S. government. The paper also has an excerpt from Black's forthcoming biography of Richard Nixon, which praises the former president's "surpassing dignity." Read into that what you will. [Guardian] More »
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By abalk2Comment by Clevertrousers: I thought only Canadians still cared about Black. more » | Other threads
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media bubble
Lindsay Lohan Live On 'Radar'
- Post calls out News' circulation figures: The "paper's overreliance on bulk sales is propping up a single-copy sales disaster." Expect some lame News response involving the phrase "New York area" tomorrow. [NYP] More »
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media
Media Bubble: Conrad Black Trial Begins
- Conrad Black's fraud trial starts today. [Chicago Tribune] More »
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dennis publishing
Dennis Publishing Comes Clean: We Do Own Crap!
After nearly a year of refusing to comment on "rumors" that it had anything to do with abominations such as Maxim, Stuff and Blender, Dennis Publishing has confirmed the worst-kept secret in publishing: The company does indeed publish those titles, and, as such, is partially responsible for the complete collapse of literacy and standards over the last fifteen years. It is not clear why the company decided to issue its statement and apology at this time—although they are looking to unload all this shit as soon as possible. More »
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By abalk2Comment by People Paula: Although the mag's suffered from Ed Needham's departure, I will argue that Maxim is pretty fricking hilarious. That's right: I... more » | Other threads
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christopher hitchens
Christopher Hitchens' Voluble Johnson Does Not Go Unheeded
Page Six today suggests that Graydon Carter might want to watch his ass, as Maxim "has been quietly dipping into Vanity Fair's talent stable." They provide as examples "sometime VF contributor George Gurley," who interviews Val Kilmer in the current issue, and Christopher Hitchens, who has "a wide-ranging diatribe against 'Zero Tolerance,'" in the issue. We picked up a copy, and, well, let's just say that Graydo probably isn't pissing his pants in fear. Apart from being a less-focused version of Hitchens' 2004 piece on the same subject for Vanity Fair, it also contains the unforgettable note that:My metabolism can process Scotch whisky without any undue difficulty, and there are moments when the glow can help me write, or even talk. ...I don't drink any source of coffee except espresso, and was delighted to learn recently that decaffeinated beans raise a person's level of bad cholesterol. I have no intention of telling you about Viagra-related matters, but I will say that when my cock talks, I listen.
No kidding. Also, he transcribes. More »
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By abalk2Comment by raincoaster: He didn't mention that his Viagra was laced with acid. Fun combo! more » | Other threads
maxim
New York, 3:16 PM
Fri Jul 10
53 posts in the last 24 hours
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