Gawker
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death of print
Did David Blum Help Gut a Third New York City Weekly?
Was former Village Voice and New York Press editor David Blum—whose tour through New York's dying weeklies has, fairly or unfairly, been regarded as a kiss of death—behind the bright idea of firing 10 New York Observer staffers? More »
2,133
4
By John CookComment by malice420dotcom: They come and go and keep coming and going. That's America more » | Other threads
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jared kushner
Typo, Filler Ad, Mainstream Movie Herald New York Observer's Second Very Short List
How is shopping newsletter Very Short List doing on the second day under the New York Observer's ownership? Poorly enough to motivate mogul wannabe Jared Kushner to hire some dedicated staff, perhaps. More »
2,052
By Ryan TateComment by ninety_nine: Maybe they thought DO was a new section in the 'revamped' Observer. Fun fact that you might have been able... 1 Responses | Other threads
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update
Our earlier post on Very Short List being sold is now confirmed via official email.
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breaking
'Very Short List's Been Sold To Jared Kushner, We're All Fired.'
A source writes in: ink on the long-rumored deal selling IAC property Very Short List to Jared Kushner and The New York Observer's dry. VSLers have been fired, and the property's clumsily fallen into the Observer's hands, now. Update: confirmed.
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12,215
By Foster KamerComment by Awesome X: Ethical question. You were just canned. The new you is on the phone, asking how to do the job you'd... 4 Responses | Other threads
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men
Don't Call Him a Dry Cleaner
Today, the final installment of Spencer Morgan's long-running series of profiles of the abrasive men of New York City. Spencer Morgan was laid off in the latest wave of Observer cutbacks. His subject today, a superstar dry cleaner: still rich. More »
3,425
Comment by bytememehard: Looks like Belushi never made it back in to pick up his bumblebee outfit. 1 Responses | Other threads
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media
David Carr's Night on the Town
Early this morning, at about 5AM, we were browsing through today's edition of the New York Times when we ran across David Carr's media column. Something about it struck us viscerally, so much so that we were unable to process it at the time and write anything about it. More »
2,942
Comment by autowin: This is just really good. Can I say "good job" without trying to be funny That being said, after just reading... 1 Responses | Other threads
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layoffs
Bloodbath at the New York Observer
The New York Observer said goodbye to Peter Kaplan for good this week. Today, they've laid off a huge portion of their writing staff—including some of their very best [Updated below]:
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13,312
Comment by Nick Denton: Did the Observer's Barnes -- or PR agency Rubinstein -- read the statement they just put out on the cutbacks... 14 Responses | Other threads
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magazines
Thinky New Newsweek Bringing on Stephen Colbert as Guest Editor
In a move that sort of reeks of desperation more than it does slick PR, Newsweek's Jon Meacham announced that Stephen Colbert will be the magazine's guest editor for the issue hitting newsstands on June 8. More »
6,915
Comment by son of spam: I'm going to have Ashley Dupre guest edit my blog. 1 Responses | Other threads
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people's parties
Meeting the Internet In Person
Last night intrepid Gawker operative Stephen Kosloff went on a mission to the inaugural Internet Week party hosted by YouTube, the Webbys, and the New York Observer. Sounds networky! Anyway, these are his stories. More »
6,634
By Stephen KosloffComment by anxiousart: Were there like 12 people at this party? I guess I shouldn't laugh - that's 10 more than were at... 1 Responses | Other threads
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Requiem For An Editor
New York Mag's Peter Kaplan Tribute: "Perfect"
Longtime New York Observer editor-in-chief Peter Kaplan's 15-year tenure ended yesterday; last night, Jesse Oxfeld compiled a great, 2,000 word piece of quotes and anecdotes on Kaplan, which Daily Intel ran. It is, as one commenter noted, perfect. My three favorite quotes, after the jump: More »
4,478
By Foster KamerComment by adster: Does he not look like Carl Fredrickson from Pixar's "Up"? [www.getthebigpicture.net] more » | Other threads
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media
Tom McGeveran's the New (Interim) New York Observer Editor
Staff favorite Tom McGeveran has been named the *interim* successor to departing New York Observer editor Peter Kaplan. Hopefully the paper lasts long enough for him to become the full-time successor. More »
1,075
Comment by SultanaEleusis: The Observer is one newspaper I will miss when it goes under. Unlike the Lynchburg News and Advance, which... more » | Other threads
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nerd prom
It Was Totally OK To Enjoy the Correspondents' Dinner This Year
It is an annual tradition dating back to a couple years ago: go to the White House Correspondents Dinner and then shit all over it the following Monday. But this year, everyone had fun!
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17,942
By PareeneComment by Gawkchalk: Why in the hell was Wanda Sykes hosting. You would think they could get someone better. Was Kathy Griffin not available? 7 Responses | Other threads
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jobs
Peter Kaplan Lands at Condé Nast Traveler
Longtime New York Observer editor Peter Kaplan has taken a job as creative director at Condé Nast Traveler, as expected. The gig gives the newsman time for cushy "reflecting": More » -
gossip
Peter Kaplan vs. Jared Kushner
Longtime New York Observer editor Peter Kaplan is leaving the paper to, okay, "spend more time with the family," but why did he really quit? Perhaps...he'd had enough of rich young NYO owner Jared Kushner? More »
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Comment by Nic Fit: What could be better than working for a rich kid half your age? 2 Responses | Other threads
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jobs
A Soft Landing for Peter Kaplan
Following his departure as editor of the New York Observer yesterday, Peter Kaplan is set to land at Condé Nast Traveler, Women's Wear Daily reports. It's a cushy gig he's earned. More »
2,447
By Ryan TateComment by Choire: Well. WWD reports that two people say it is "likely" he will end up there. 1 Responses | Other threads
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mensches
With Peter Kaplan's Exit, a New York Media Era Closes
It's as impossible to imagine the New York Observer without Peter Kaplan as it is to imagine him without a paper to edit. As he told Gawker, "I love my paper and my staff desperately." More »
3,015
Comment by lululemming: @pepelicious: Thank you for doing the dirty work for me. 1 Responses | Other threads
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media
Peter Kaplan Leaving New York Observer
Peter Kaplan, the longtime editor of the New York Observer, is resigning from the paper on June 1. To spend more time with his family, he says. More »
1,821
Comment by ShridulaTheia: LOVE that guy. I worked for him briefly and when I quit he claimed that I was exacerbating his heart... more » | Other threads
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rumormonger
Jared Kushner Trying to Exit the New York Observer?
New York Observer owner and boy wonder Jared Kushner just bought a ("sexy") new $3.2 million apartment. In other news, we hear he'd like out of that paper. If only. More »
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Comment by karion: I've said it before and I will say it again - he looks like Knox Overstreet from Dead Poets Society. 1 Responses | Other threads
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cable news
Chuck Todd Is Getting His Own MSNBC Show
In 2008, Todd was great as a freewheeling political director and straight-man to Chris Matthews on MSNBC, but he's choking as NBC's White House correspondent. Now, he may get a chance for redemption. More »
3,248
By John CookComment by LeftCoastLady: Gah, I can't look at him without thinking, "Present." 3 Responses | Other threads
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struggling writers
New York Observer Stiffing Freelancers: Editors
Is Jared Kushner's family real estate business having trouble subsidizing the cash-bleeding New York Observer? Maybe: Editors told one writer about orders to delay freelancer payments. More »
3,663
By Ryan TateComment by Charlotte Rae's Web: Last time dotcoms tanked I had a ton of freelance writers working for me that weren't being paid. I did... 3 Responses | Other threads
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notes on camp
Andrea Mitchell: Gay Icon
We always thought of NBC's Andrea Mitchell as a prime example of the utter failure of television news departments to police glaring conflicts of interest, but apparently she is a gay icon! More »
8,053
By PareeneComment by Pepé Le Douche: alan greenspan kind of caused the recession that is throwing a lot of my gay brothers out of work. haven't... 8 Responses | Other threads
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fameballs
Rex Sorgatz's Exaggeration
After igniting controversy throughout North America with his comments to the Observer, Web attention-trolling expert Rex Sorgatz backtracked. Or, as he put it, cleared some things up. More »
3,574
By Ryan TateComment by MisterHippity: I founded the Pathological Liar Monthly. Really. I sold it for like seven billion dollars. 5 Responses | Other threads
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fameballs
The Inconsistencies in Rex Sorgatz's Story
First New York bloggers were incensed by Rex Sorartz's caddish self-promotion in the New York Observer; now fellow Midwesterners are raising questions about the life story he floated in the paper. More »
6,892
By Ryan TateComment by Uncle_Billy_Slumming: Is Rex his real name? C'mon, he made that up too, didn't he. 3 Responses | Other threads
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speculation
Could a Bad Real Estate Deal Sink the New York Observer?
The commercial real estate market is tanking. Jared Kushner, the owner of the New York Observer, is invested up to his neck in that market. Is it time to start jumping to conclusions? More »
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Comment by BookishLookish: I miss reading Ron Rosenbaum there. He is one of my heroes. 2 Responses | Other threads
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layoffs
Jared Kushner's Not-So-Coast-to-Coast Political News Empire Is Now Less So
Jared Kushner, the Ivanka Trump-dating New York Observer publisher, once promised a Politicker for all 50 states. Yeah, so much for that. A tipster reports: "all of the non-East Coast sites are shutting down."
3,373
By Owen ThomasComment by misterdisco: I was laid off. We didn't find out until about 9:30 or so this morning - or, at least that's... 1 Responses | Other threads
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new york observer
Observer At Center Of Exciting Criminal Conspiracy, Maybe!
Did you know the Observer is subsidized by an illicit slush fund? It shamefully is, according to a lawsuit filed by the former president of one of the Kushner Companies. When developer Charles Kushner bought a $1.8 billion office tower, he routed $18 million back to himself as commission on the mortgage, then allegedly siphoned $5 million off that for son Jared's cash-bleeding weekly newspaper. More »
1,466
By Ryan TateComment by SarahHeartburn: 666 Fifth Avenue, darling. 4 Responses | Other threads
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jared kushner
George Clooney Turns Away Sad Observer Publisher
Britain's Guardian profiled Jared Kushner, and while the Observer owner makes some positive noises about his company, the salient facts are as follows: After two years and a purported 40 percent revenue increase, the paper is still losing about $2 million per year. Kushner said he is " definitely scared about newspapers" and compared the industry to "a falling knife." And despite having Ivanka Trump on his arm, Kushner was recently turned away from fading nightclub Bungalow 8: More »
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By Ryan TateComment by BookishLookish: I hope Ivanka didn't pay much for those new boobs, Lefty and Righty appear to be mad at each other. 4 Responses | Other threads
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minimoguls
Ivanka's Shiksa-to-Jewess Transformation Update
How's that going? They're grooming the Trump daughter to marry boy-mensch and 27-year-old New York Observer owner Jared Kushner. But first they've got to beat the Gentile out of her! Of course the YNet's Jewish World has something to say about it, declaring Kushner the "perfect match" and informing us that " following her husband-to-be's request, Ivanka has begun the conversion process at the Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue in Manhattan's Upper East Side." Has she been turned away by a rabbi three times, as is the custom? Update: But Kushner & Trump are not engaged as this article suggests, says Robert Sommer, Observer Media Group President. Apparently, they're just really seriously going steady.[YNet]
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By SheilaComment by Seriously: Interesting that she chose an Orthodox conversion. It's a very strict difficult project to undertake - they make you really... 17 Responses | Other threads
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patriotism
For First Time In Adult Life, New York Proud of Its Country
Terrible news: if Obama wins, you have to love America! That's right, New Yorkers have given the game away—all the hipster Obama gear and unconcealed excitement at his candidacy means no longer can we hide behind our secret glee at the utter rejection of our values and lifestyle by "Real America." If it's a landslide, we're screwed. Do we really want our smirking appropriation of the gung-ho patriotic vernacular (America—fuck yeah!) to suddenly become... sincere? As Doree Shafrir writes in today's Observer, some New Yorkers are becoming dangerously proud of their country. More »
3,663
By PareeneComment by ADismalScience: Yes, Barack Obama beating John McCain by 4% of the popular vote will be a clarion call to the rest... 5 Responses | Other threads
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journalismism
Desperate Denver Journos Just Reporting on Each Other
There's no news in Denver. At least, no news that couldn't be reported by watching it on C-Span from the comfort of home. So what to do? Report on what all your fellow journalists are doing! So far, the single greatest example of this is HuffPo's constant reportage from their own "HuffPost Oasis" in Denver. At left, an unretouched screengrab from their front page today. The Oasis is remarkably popular with journalists, considering that we have no idea what goes on there but we don't think it involves free booze. Wait, maybe we do know what's going on there! "'I feel relaxed!' said a particularly refreshed Eric Alterman as he stepped away from a complimentary facial for a minute. 'I'll tell you this—everyone should add facials to their lives.'" Oh, wow.
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4,663
By PareeneComment by Colonel Mustard: 'I'll tell you this-everyone should add facials to their lives.' How do you think Chace Crawford stays looking so youthful? 7 Responses | Other threads
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broken borders
Canadian Menace Washes Up in Park Slope
2,000 words on "Canadians who live in New York—sure, that's a trend" and yet the name "Sklar" does not appear once. You guys didn't do your homework. Still, we learned lots of other terrifying things about these foreigners and what they want from us: our jobs! Canadians, you see, are a mysterious and dangerous race of attractive young superbeings! More »
4,317
By PareeneComment by raincoaster: @DonLaFontaine: Don't be silly. We use hockey sticks. more » | Other threads
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jared kushner
Kushner Eyes Jersey Paper
"New York Observer owner Jared Kushner, who had been among the potential buyers for Newsday, might be interested in buying the Star-Ledger if it were for sale, according to a person familiar with Mr. Kushner's thinking." [WSJ, Previously] -
ivanka trump
Ivanka Trump Plans Conversion To Judaism For Jared Kushner
Adorable publishing tyke Jared Kushnergot got back together with girlfriend Ivanka Trump! Really, how could he not, they have so much in common: Both are attractive, both rich due to inherited real estate wealth and both have fathers who get extremely nasty while feuding with enemies. But Kushner is a Jew and Ivanka's a shiksa, and this has been a problem for Kushner's Orthodox family. In fact, the religious divide may very well have been behind the couple's mysterious breakup in April, around the time of their one-year anniversary. To get Kushner back, Ivanka has promised that, if things get more serious, she'll convert to Judaism. So sweet! And I'm sure the socialite feels a profound, authentic connection to the religion. Totes! Well, sort of. A friend tells Page Six the conversion is "a possibility, but that's way down the line." A brief recap of the Kushner-Trump romance, for those who have not been following along at home: More » -
steve guttenberg
Steve Guttenberg's Many Lies, Dates And Drinks
Actor Steve Guttenberg's insane interview in today's Observer kind of creeps up on you. In the beginning, you're thinking he's an amusing 1980s movie star with a bit of a chip on his shoulder about his faded fame. A once-deferential maitre'd is depicted shoving the actor aside to make way for Tom Cruise, "and I'm like, 'Holy fuck.'" A 120-year-old club for actor types sparks in Guttenberg's head the status-anxious thought, "Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, who cares? ...it's like time, the great equalizer.” Guttenberg is shown haunted by the memory of his peers shunning John Travolta when it seemed he'd never live up to Saturday Night Fever again. The actor says, referring to his dating exploits, "the Goot is on the loose," and you figure he must have been making a joke. But then he starts sounding weirder and weirder, and maybe kind of like a jerk, and the next thing you know he's talking about his compulsive drinking, lying and womanizing. More » -
candace bushnell
Who Really Wrote Sex And The City?
As we reported yesterday, Candace Bushnell uses a character in her next novel to retaliate against the disrespectful new generation of journalists which has emerged since the Sex And The City creator gave up her relationship column in the New York Observer. The bogeyman of One Fifth Avenue is Thayer Core—"a blogger on one of those vicious new websites that had popped up in the last few years, displaying a hatred and vitriol that was unprecedented in civilized New York." But the thin-skinned author gives the gossip blogs far too much credit. More »
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By Nick DentonComment by maemae: Thayer Core was so insecure that he couldn't if take a little of what he dished out... more » | Other threads
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magazines
The Russian Civil War
New York media is, of course, incestuous; its Russian subset even more so. Russia! magazine, edited by New York magazine contributing editor Michael Idov, is "a niche quarterly about Russian culture and design," as the Observer put it in a recent party report. The salmon-colored paper had a lot to say in a sniper-neg style that made us wonder if one of its authors had a bone to pick. Either that or they just really don't like the "inexplicable little magazine"? Oh: More »
1,260
By SheilaComment by RonMwangaguhunga: Comrades: I make it a habit not to mess -- no disrespect intended -- with the Russians. more » | Other threads
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full disclosure
Xgau in Interest Conflict Conflag
This week's award for most amusing disclosure goes to former Village Voice music critic and section editor (and DEAN OF AMERICAN ROCK CRITICS) Robert Christgau, reviewing a novel by former Ed Park. "I VOLUNTEERED TO REVIEW THIS novel by my former Village Voice co-worker Ed Park because I assumed the conflicts of interest would be so blatant they’d implode—a roman à clef, in which I myself might play a minor role, about the alt-weekly where I got fired the same day young Ed did." Sadly, everything is very fictionalized. Doesn't Ed get the point of these books? Score-settling, not literature! [NYO] -
mugging
Please Politely Welcome Jeffrey Goldberg to the Internet
Atlantic contributor Jeffrey Goldberg started his very first blog this week, with a charmingly naive post mostly about how he knows nothing about blogging but does sit near uber-blogger Andrew Sullivan. "This is almost certainly a mistake," he begins, and it turns out he's 100% right. When the New York Observer's media blogger Matt Haber (the forgotten Gawker Alum!) devoted a post yesterday to basically announcing the existence of Goldberg's blog and needling Goldberg for his initial boneheaded support of the Iraq War, Goldberg blew up with rage. Haber's post was a mugging, he says. Jeffrey, Jeffrey, Jeffrey. We'll show you what a mugging is. More » -
relationships
All the Available Literary Men
Highbrow pink newspaper the New York Observer—home to Gawker employees past, and probably future—launched their fancy new book review section, "O.R.B." (guess what it stands for) with a review of Keith Gessen's book, a profile by Leon Neyfakh, and a Joshua David Stein review. Which means that nearly all the names on the front page of the section belong to people who have, at one time or another, dated former Gawker editor Emily Gould. There are only like ten people who write things in New York, you see. This is like a nightmare we used to have! Click to enlarge the section, with names helpfully circled by a stalky anonymous tipster. -
forced social interaction
Facebook's "People You May Know" Creeping Everyone Out
Another day, another New York Observer trend piece, which like most journalism, has basically been reduced to a long diary entry. (Full disclosure: We used to work there!) This week Gawker alum Doree tackles Facebook's new "People You May Know" feature, in which the social networking site mines your friend list and then matches people up with other friends on your list. It's the cyber equivalent of being at a party and the host awkwardly pushing you over to someone and saying, "Have you met Donna?!" More »
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Comment by youtalkwaytoomuch: Shudder inducing. At least Myspace allows you to completely ignore the people you want to. more » | Other threads
new york observer
New York, 6:23 AM
Sat Jul 11
42 posts in the last 24 hours
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