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journalismism

What John Edwards Scandal?

If you want an efficient, capsule summary of why you haven't read anything in newspapers or seen anything on major network news about how John Edwards ran from National Enquirer reporters in a hotel parking garage, about how he hid in a bathroom for 15 minutes, and about how he was holed up overnight with his alleged mistress and love child — an awesome, amazing story — parse these three revealing sentences from Washington Post "gossip" columnist Roxanne Roberts, in response to one of many persistent questions about the scandal in an online chat yesterday: More »

4:39 AM on Thu Jul 24 2008
By Ryan Tate
17,651 views, 102 comments

Latest by chartreuse: sorry. i am sure this story was important but it is wwaayy too long for me. I suggest something shorter and with more pictures. Like the National Enquirer. more »

foofaraw

Reader Response: We Are All Racist For Not Hating that 'New Yorker' Cover

A reader is upset with Gawker for wholeheartedly embracing The New Yorker's terribly offensive cartoon about how Barack Obama is a terrorist. She writes: More »

5:42 PM on Mon Jul 14 2008
By Pareene
10,734 views, 266 comments

secret tape

Before Harvey's Greed, Resentment

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has always resented the fact that peers made more money than him with what he deemed to be inferior films. These days, he's obviously overcome this problem by milking reality shows for millions to prop up his more artsy products; but he couldn't always be so sanguine. Here we have a priceless and EXCLUSIVE classic from the archives: a recording of a phone call between Weinstein and Disney exec Joe Roth, taped shortly after Michael Ovitz—a spectacular failure as head of Disney—was paid more than $100 million to leave the company in 1996. Weinstein is galled beyond belief (and perhaps a bit envious). "Let's quit today!" he jokes. Why, he works his ass off and what does he get? A fucking lecture. "Joe, you're a success, so therefore you're a failure in this business," Weinstein complains. Then he insults his fellow moguls: "Between Peter Guber and Mike Ovitz and everybody who fucked up...Everybody got wealthy on failure." Weinstein just cares too much about the films, you see; "We have character flaws that must be overcome," he sighs. Thanks to Project Runway, he's done so. Click to listen to the titan of Hollywood in all his expletive-spitting glory.

2:14 PM on Wed Jul 2 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
18,429 views, 12 comments

Latest by n/a: Weinstein is an as*, we all knew that, so this is hardly news on that front. However the crack about Joe Roth is a shot that is unfounded. I understand Weinstein's meaning, but I hardly think it is accurate, his more »

the fake gays

Pete Wentz: As Gay as He Needs to Be For Gays to Like Him

Hey you know what's cool about Pete Wentz? Absolutely nothing. Well, OK, fine. It's cool that the Fall Out Boy bassist, professional celebrity, and Joe Simpson son-in-law is not homophobic, as is evidenced by his recent Out magazine cover story. But the way he scampers along, teasing about his various make-out seshes with boys "on a dare" ten years ago is just so pandering and false. He claims that he's sorta queer, but only "above the belt," because male "equipment" just doesn't do it for him. He doesn't even like his own cock! How zany, how hip, how fucking rock 'n roll. Except, you know, it's not at all because it's as put-on as his "so silly by now that he's almost doing a pastiche of himself" eyeliner. Some choice quotes from the article after the jump. More »

4:40 PM on Tue Jul 1 2008
By Richard
5,439 views, 56 comments

Latest by n/a: I had been wondering where the violent jocks with white hats had been... more »

jerks

Breaking: M. Night Shyamalan Is a Gigantic Prick

Television producer and angry blogger Chez Pazienza has a two-year-old bone to pick with M. Night Shyamalan, the dopey screenwriter/director behind such dreck as The Village and Samuel L. Jackson Has Osteoporosis. And he's finally decided to share it with the general public, on his blog and on the Huffington Post. Just what did Shamalamadingdong do to piss off Pazienza so? During an interview for Shyamalan's dreadful "fairy tale" about things called Narfs, Lady in the Water, the hack acted like the haughty, bratty Hollywood idiot everyone already suspected him of being. He didn't like the format, he didn't like the camerawork, he didn't like anything. Though it's an old story, it does seem timely as his next sure-to-be dismal effort The Happening is hitting theaters tomorrow. Plus it's always nice to have suspicions confirmed. Some choice bits from Pazienza's rant are after the jump. More »

5:48 PM on Thu Jun 12 2008
By Richard
19,826 views, 99 comments

Latest by zaky: Oh my god...Lady In The Water. 2 hours of my life I'll never get back. Fucking narfs. more »

the urban life

News, Nature, And New York City: A Plea To Verlyn

Though he does not know it, Verlyn Klinkenborg is my nemesis. He's a member of the New York Times editorial board. Like all of the board's members, he has the privilege of using the most valuable op-ed space in American newspapers as a bulletin board for his personal musings. Verlyn takes advantage of this power to write regular items about "The Rural Life," all of which I can summarize as follows: "As I strolled through the country or gazed out my window, I saw nature, which I ruminated upon. Tra la, tra la, tra la." If I have to open up the Sunday paper one more time and see a chunk of editorial page real estate occupied by an "Editorial Notebook" essay inspired solely by window-gazing, I simply don't know what I will do. So Verlyn: I'd like to offer you a gentleman's agreement. More »

3:34 PM on Wed May 21 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
1,872 views, 29 comments

Latest by Cthulhah Bankhead: Verlyn Klinkenborg is a dude? I've been amused by the name for ages, but assumed it was female. more »

The Webbys Hey, lazy Reuters hack: there is nothing "top" about the Webbys. Most of the awards—"the Oscars of the Internet" says the wire's Paul Thomasch—are bought by contestants, who are charged application and attendance fees. A few categories are reserved for celebrities who have to be bribed to pick up their statues. But maybe I shouldn't be so dismissive: this scam still generates coverage from wire-service stenographers like you.

5 comments

rants

Kanye West Still Taking Himself Very, Very Seriously

Poor Kanye West. Entertainment Weekly recently gave the performer's (rapper's? I only know that one song from like four years ago) concert at Seattle's Key Arena a mere B+. That didn't sit well. Not at all. On his website, West states: "Yo, anybody that's not a fan; don't come to my show. For what?! To try and throw ya'll two cents in? Ya'll rated my album shitty and now ya'll come to the show and give it a B+. What's a B+ mean? I'm an extremist. It's either pass or fail! A+ or F-!" You know what, fuck you and the whole fucking staff!!!" More »

12:41 PM on Sat May 3 2008
By ian spiegelman
3,702 views, 40 comments

Latest by j.blo: Entertainment Weekly doesn't care about black people! more »

enough already

Please Stop Talking About Puppies

One of the things I never figured out about the internet is why certain sites have commenters, who those commenters are, and what compels them to do what they do. It's one thing to spend your time commenting on a site that has witty, engaging repartee, like this one. But some other places are inexplicable. Like one that came to my attention today: DailyPuppy.com. It exists to post puppy pictures. Okay, fine, I have nothing negative to say about that, dog Nazis. But do said puppy pictures require 90 comments just today, which all sound like this actual example: "Oh baby you are such a cutie-pie. A zillion biscuits and cuddles poppet and have a wonderful life. xxxxxxxxxxx." GOD. It really challenges your ability to even continue liking puppies. Below are some more of the deep thoughts on Chloe the Labrador Retriever, today's puppy (pictured). This dog can't read, you fools! More »

1:13 PM on Thu May 1 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
5,816 views, 106 comments

Latest by n/a: @Kickstartheart: Boundaries are always good *smirk* more »

rants

Why It's Annie Leibovitz's Fault

Annie Leibovitz: come off it. Really now. As dirty as the media business is—and particularly the celebrity media business, which Vanity Fair revels in under a sheen of high class pretension—there are some bare, bottom-level standards to which we all must adhere. One of those is, "Do not sexually exploit minors." You want to economically exploit a minor? Fine. That's a grand American tradition. But trotting out 15 year-old Miley Cyrus with pouty lips, tousled hair, and only a bedsheet is just bad. Bad! Of course Vanity Fair bears the responsibility for publishing it. But the idea for the shoot can be traced to the tired celeb photographer Leibovitz (who is sorry it's been "misinterpreted"). And her narrow, robotically transgressive act has now played itself out. This incident, and Leibovitz's entire style, is less shocking than it is boring—but with a 15-year-old involved, it's boring and creepy. More »

2:01 PM on Mon Apr 28 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
18,691 views, 102 comments

Latest by n/a: I don't blame Liebovitz or VF. She's an artist with a license, and Miley and her parents indulged that license and signed the release. Moreover, they agreed, reviewed, and approved of the final product in the studio. I more »

celebrity-industrial complex

Jennifer Lopez Wants More Money. I Mean Children. I Mean Children Money.

Just in time for her reality show about having kids, Jennifer Lopez (known as JLo to people from 2003) wants to have more kids. The fading entertainer and her Peruvian shrunken head boyfriend husband Marc Anthony recently mashed genitals and produced twins, and her efforts to raise them while also coping with her big butt will be documented in an upcoming (self-financed!) TLC reality show. But two is not enough, what in this bizarro world where the simple act of procreating is worthy of adulating praise and millions of dollars. We've gotten to the point where I, if I wanted to adopt a child (which I don't), would have to show up at the agency, wearing a top hat and monocle, and introduce myself as H.S. Moneybags in order to have a chance at forking over thousands of dollars to get my grubby gay hands on a baby. Whereas Ms. Lopez and her celebrity friends have turned baby making and having and inevitably fucking up beyond all recognition into a little cottage industry of magazines and television shows and lord knows what else (as complained about on the Huffingon Post). Can it be Children of Men soon, please? More »

2:56 PM on Fri Apr 25 2008
By Richard
5,823 views, 47 comments

Latest by n/a: Can't sing, can't act, can't design clothes, can't cook. Can bump uglies and produce twins, so she's not completely useless afterall. What a relief. more »

things that just occurred to us

This Romantic Comedy Made No Sense

Other the standard rom-com plot problems with Notting Hill, like two strangers falling in love, the biggest hole in this movie is Hugh Grant's job as the owner of a travel book store. I suppose it's endearing, but really it just makes no sense. His inventory would need to be restocked constantly. And who would even frequent this shop? In travel books, you want information, not obscurity. And the best can be just as easily acquired at any independently owned shop as from Hugh Grant's character's specialty store. Yes, I realize this movie came out in 1999. I'm just saying.

5:23 PM on Tue Apr 22 2008
By rebecca
2,245 views, 75 comments

Latest by n/a: Eet ees real, zee travel bookshop [www.thetravelbookshop.com] Notting Hill, founded 1979. Those were the days, maaaaan. more »

rants

Three Reasons Why The Gossip Girl Phenomenon Is The Worst. Thing. Ever.

OK, so let me make this clear: I like Gossip Girl. When it was on in the fall, I enjoyed bellowing at the TV, sloshing grape juice around, pleading with Nate and Chuck to kiss (just once!). And I'm looking forward to tonight's return, what with the promise of someone coming out and a Nate/Vanessa 'ship. But! That New York magazine cover story (that our own Ryan Tate took as gentle encouragement to watch an episode) about it? Complete bunk. This is not the "Best. Show. Ever.", however ironically or unironically or ironically unironic the piece's authors', Jessica Pressler and Chris Rovzar, meant it to read. I mean, look. Does this show have the trashy bite of The Hills? No. Does it have the warm, toothless smarts of a show like Greek? No. It exists in some awkward no man's land in the middle, and Pressler and Rovzar's attempts to make smart junk pop out of the oddly sedate show just reeks of effort and so-bad-it's-good winking gone embarrassingly awry. After the jump, in the style of the NYM piece, find three reasons why Gossip Girl, and the faux-hype surrounding it, kinda sucks. More »

12:00 PM on Mon Apr 21 2008
By Richard
8,402 views, 49 comments

Latest by n/a: Oh please, those two who wrote that NY mag story need a good visit to the MT&R. Best.Show.Ever. indeed. They need to watch "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." Maynard G. Krebs, Zelda Gilroy, Chatsworth Osbourne Jr., Thalia Menninger, and more »

rants

Dear G Train: F!*&ing Blow Me

God. Oh my God. It's 8:45 and I'm pacing around like a crazy person on the subway platform again. The G train, man. The fucking G train. It's gone from mild annoyance to genuine outrage to pure, paranoid obsession. Everything, I mean everything, wrong with my life can be traced back to this train. More »

11:40 AM on Wed Apr 16 2008
By Sheila
10,374 views, 110 comments

public relations

Mark Penn: You Fool

So Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton's doughy chief strategist, finally got booted from the campaign last weekend. The majority of her campaign team hated him for some time, so his departure will be welcomed by insiders. They felt that his strategy was unsuccessful, and they were right. But the specific reason for Penn's departure was his idiot move of meeting with the Colombian government, in his day job as CEO of massive PR firm Burson-Marsteller, to represent them on the opposite side of an issue from Hillary Clinton, while running her campaign. And you know what? This moment was inevitable. The very idea of having a man simultaneously running a presidential campaign and an international PR firm is stupid, and never should have happened in the first place. You fools! More »

2:41 PM on Mon Apr 7 2008
By Hamilton Nolan
1,941 views, 26 comments

Latest by the57chambers: @karion: im all for free trade with colombia as well, though im sensing we may have something different (and possibly whiter) in mind than clinton... more »

rants

Buck Up, Magazine Writers

Yeah, yeah, magazine features are shorter than they were. This Old House may be shut down. The lead times for printing and distribution are increasingly absurd in an age of instant online publishing. But do magazine writers have to be quite so depressed and depressing? More »

10:55 AM on Wed Apr 2 2008
By Nick Denton
1,992 views, 23 comments

kelly lynch

Unhelpful Cancer Advice From Celebrities

Patrick Swayze's fellow celebrities shouldn't be blamed for making such a public show of their sympathy for the cancer-stricken actor. Even if it would be more seemly to pass on their good wishes in person, or privately, they can't always dodge reporters' questions. But do stars like Kelly Lynch really have to promote the pernicious notion that a positive attitude can help against a disease as deadly as Swayze's pancreatic cancer? More »

4:03 PM on Tue Apr 1 2008
By Nick Denton
4,614 views, 56 comments

rants

Apple Fetishists: Grow Up

Karl Rove loves his iPhone. He uses it all the time! (The entire Bush administration has good reason to love the little gizmo.) The roly-poly Machiavelli also recently admitted to owning a damn MacBook Air, the laptop whose sole selling point is its ability to fit in an envelope. Drug-addled radio tyrant Rush Limbaugh had to ask Apple to help fix his own new Mac. Your favorite propagandists love the sleek design and friendly usability of Apple products. Crypto-fascists—they're just like us! Which brings us to this plea: can we please, please end the tiresome trope of Apple having any sort of hip sensibility? More »

6:08 PM on Thu Mar 27 2008
By Pareene
7,289 views, 50 comments

Latest by n/a: Having always been an anti-Apple kinda guy, I have always wanted to join in one of these pointless debates. You say they aren't overpriced...I recently just purchased a brand new computer part by part. Quad core processor, overclocked to over more »

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