Gawker: Shock

When You're Kissing Peggy Siegal's Face

Choire — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:37:26 EDT

For various reasons, we got lost in the Gawker archives last night. So what happened on this day in years gone by?

2006: Simon & Schuster published an anonymously-authored screed called "I Hate Ann Coulter" and Hachette Filapacchi offered sneak previews of their hot new magazine Shock! Neither went well.

2005: Publicist Peggy Siegal famously said of her dermatologist: "She takes the fat out of my ass and puts it in my face, so when you're kissing my face, you're kissing my ass."

2004: Wonkette's Ana Marie Cox appeared on cover of New York Times mag.

2003: PETA resumed anti-fur actions in New York.

2002: The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation picked six architects to design the World Trade Center! Yeah, that also went swimmingly.

Media Bubble: 'Times' Tells Feds To Eat A Bag Of Dicks

abalk2 — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 09:20:58 EST

NYT says "[Redacted], you [redacted] [redacted] of the CIA. Go [redacted] a up your [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] until it [redacted]." Ouch. [NYT]

Radar happily repurposes naked pix of Melania Knauss, the third Mrs. Trump. Now that we think about it, we probably should have run these images rather than that of the [redacted] Times op-ed. WARNING: Contains tits. [Radar]

Eat the Press has everything you want to know about the shuttering of Shock, Hachette Filipacchi's doomed attempt to appeal to the "cerebral cortex damaged in a rollerblading accident" demographic. [ETP]

Dave Zinczenko and Dan Abrams move their nonstop pussy party to South Africa for the holidays. Insert your own supbar oral sex joke involving "the bush" here. [WWD]

We're starting to get a little worried about Seth Mnookin. [Seth Mnookin]

Bad news for the Beeb. [Guardian]

'Shock,' Magazine for Illiterates, Closing

Doree Shafrir — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 17:03:37 EST

In what should be a shock (sorry) to absolutely no one, Hachette Filipacchi is shuttering Shock, the magazine that made just about everyone want to avert their eyes, but keeping the website, ShockU.com. The memo from Hachette head Jack Kliger:

It is difficult to make a decision to close a title, but I am announcing today that we will no longer publish Shock magazine. The final issue will be the February publication on newsstands December 26, 2006. We wanted to test the French magazine's concept in the U.S.; however, after six months in the marketplace, Shock's performance at newsstands has not produced trends that indicate that we will get the returns that we are looking for. On the other hand, the web site has shown real energy and connection with this young demographic and the 41 page-views-per-visitor-session is one of the highest for web sites at Hachette. The company will maintain the web site ShockU.com and will work toward a redesign and relaunch of the web site in Spring 2007.

We are very appreciative of the dedication and hard work of Editor-in-Chief Mike Hammer and the editorial and business teams who have put so much into producing Shock.

Jack Kliger

He forgot to add "Merry Christmas, everyone."

Magazine For Illiterates Will Show JFK Assassination Pictures For Food

abalk2 — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 10:50:42 EST

How are things going at Shock, Hachette Filapacchi's sophisticated periodical for the discerning consumer who likes to see photographic depictions of nameless Arabs getting blowed up? If the latest "media advisory" is any indication, uh, not so great. EIC Mike Hammer (whose job, we're guessing, mainly consists of saying, "Can we get a shot of Emmy Rossum that shows a little more ass cleavage, please?"), sent out the current sell sheet to pretty much everyone he's ever worked with, pretty much begging them to buy the thing:

Once again I find myself reaching out to all those who mean the most to me...and who I believe I can get away with the most. I'm enclosing a media advisory containing the latest information on the brand new issue of Shock. It's so exciting, that I had to change my underwear twice writing this paragraph alone!... Anywhosers, I would be deeply appreciative if you all were to find the time to peruse our fine fare. Also? Please pass this onto everyone you've ever met with the explicit instructions: "Buy the damn magazine, ya cheap bastards! It's only 2 freakin' bucks!

Consider it passed on, Mike! Full "advisory" after the jump.

**Media Advisory**

To Hell and Back...With Pictures Galore!
December Issue of SHOCK Magazine Hits Newsstands This Week

Online: www.Shocku.com

WHAT: Shock magazine, the wild child of publishing company Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., delivers the most fantastic and alarming photos from around the globe - and the December issue offers the most spectacular evidence yet.

Here's a preview of what readers can expect:

Breaking Views (p. 8): From shockingly virulent Anti-American protests in Iran to the All-American spectacle of the traditional rally at the University of Texas for the A&M game—the views are as spectacularly different as they are spectacular.

Hard News: A terrifying glimpse inside Brazilian prisons where the inmates have overrun the asylums (p. 18); a look at some of the horrors child laborers face in third world countries AND the United States (p. 37), and the new war in Afghanistan—over drugs (p. 26).

The Story Behind the Photo (p. 42): A frame-by-frame breakdown of the strange and convoluted history of the notorious Zapruder film that documents the death of JFK.

Science (p. 45): Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro of Japan used moldings of his own body to create a lifelike clone of himself. We were hoping for Keira Knightly...but this is still pretty cool.

Sports (p. 56): An extreme American athlete with a kayak and an apparent death wish takes an eight-story plunge off a Costa Rican waterfall...and survives. We've got the pictures to prove it. We're totally telling his mom.

PHOTO CONTESTS: Shock Us and Win $10,000! Every week, Shock is giving away $250 to the college student that submits the craziest campus photo. The sickest shot of the semester will win a grand prize of $10,000 along with a spot in a future issue of Shock. This contest runs through November 19. Check out shockcampus.com for more details.

Show Us Your Athletic Supporters! Students can send Shock their craziest college fan pics and score a pair of tickets to a BCS bowl game. This contest runs through October 30. For more information, visit shocku.com.

About Shock and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
Shock offers readers the most compelling images from around the world in an eye-popping format never before seen in the publishing industry and captures the spontaneity of life through images from the world of sports, politics, nature and Hollywood. The random, the off-beat and the bizarre are featured in Shock - a new media category that will change the landscape of popular culture.

Wow! Hard news!

Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Shock

Magazine For Illiterates Blends Elements of 'Maxim,' 'The Economist'

abalk2 — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 18:30:37 EDT

A friend passes along a promotional e-mail from Shock magazine, Hachette Filapacchi's attempt to nail down the market of those who find mouth breathing a challenge. Along with an opportunity to preview the new issue, the e-mail offers the following manifesto:

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

Media Bubble: Meghan Daum Turning Into Poor Man's Chuck Klosterman

abalk2 — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 16:15:58 EDT

• Meghan Daum is still finding ways to make money off of having lived in Nebraska. [Salon]
• It's been a year since Judy Miller went to jail, and ain't a damn thing changed. [HuffPo]
• Shock magazine review. Apparently it's for illiterates. [WP]
• Whether or not she's a plagiarist, alleged plagiarist Ann Coulter should be careful about picking a fight with The Post, which could show her picture alongside an embarrassing heading. For example: "45-YEAR-OLD PLAGIARIST." [Political Cortex]

This Just In: Nothing Has Changed in 'Shock' Photo Feud

Jesse — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 11:40:12 EDT

So remember how Hachette Filipacchi published the first issue of Shock magazine with that cover photo of the U.S. soldier in Iraq holding a bloodied baby? And remember how the guy who shot the photo, Michael Yon, flipped out, arguing that he never sold the rights to the image? And remember how it turned out that Hachette thought it had done the right thing and purchased rights from a photo agency, but that the agency never really had the rights to sell in the first place? And remember how all parties tried to reach a settlement, and thought they did, but then Yon backed out at the last minute? And you know how that's where things have been stuck for a few weeks now? Yeah? Well, that's where it still stands. Hachette put out a press release last night just to make sure you know that.

The release is after the jump.

Contact: Anne Janas, SVP Corporate Communications
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
Tel. 212 767 XXXX, xxxx@hfmus.com

STATEMENT FROM HACHETTE FILIPACCHI MEDIA U.S.

New York, June 27, 2006 Shock Magazine and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. stand behind all our actions including the initial securing of the cover photo from Polaris, a reputable photo agency. In its settlement with Michael Yon, Polaris has now acknowledged that it learned after licensing the photo to Shock that it did not have the right to do so.

The Yon photo was one of several images provided to Shock by Polaris in response to a request from the magazine for photographs from the Iraq and Vietnam wars. When Shock selected the Michael Yon photo from the Polaris submissions, Polaris confirmed that it had the right to license the photo.

We respect photographers' rights, and when we learned from Yon — as the issue was arriving at newsstands — that Polaris did not have the rights to his photo, we attempted immediately to find a reasonable solution, including offering to compensate Yon for the use of the photograph, as well as making a donation to Fisher House, a charity of Yon's choosing. Yon accepted the offer and then rejected it the following week.

Hachette continues to stand ready to find a reasonable solution with Michael Yon.

Gawker's Week in Review: A Moment of Silence for Erik Wemple

Jessica — Sun, 18 Jun 2006 17:33:10 EDT

• The Village Voice's new EIC Erik Wemple changes his mind, quitting the gig before he had technically started. Not surprisingly, the New Times has fucked things beyond repair.
• Britney Spears assures Matt Lauer and the world that she's just as pathetic as we all suspected, if not worse. (YouTube then slaps us and takes away our video.)
• Finally, Page Six finds someone to accept their job offer, it's just not who you'd expect: Post City desker Bill Hoffman.
• Hour Media buys Absolute; the mag's audience of rich people shrug, go about with their usual, rich-people lives.
• Rite-Aid removes Shock from its newsstands, arguing that the magazine clashed with the drugstore's Danielle Steel selection.
• MTV begins filming its reality show in the offices of Rolling Stone; Men's Journal and Us Weekly staffs are promptly forgotten.
• Rocco DiSpirito refuses to disappear.
• Now that Ellen Barkin has removed her balcony's privacy fence, neighbors are easily treated to a night of watching her kids drink bongwater.
• AMI plans to sell off five of its lackluster titles, if only so the company can afford Bonnie Fuller's driver.
• Beyonce graces the cover of Spin, and it's overwhelmingly clear why Andy Pemberton was sacked.
• Hell has a zipcode, and it's 02138.
• Nothing's the same, not even the simple things.

Magazine for Illiterates Removed From Its Rightful Place Alongside Fall Out Boy Records

abalk2 — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 17:17:28 EDT

So Shock, Hachette Filapacchi's effort to create a publication that speaks to readers who find words and punctuation too intrusive, continues to struggle for a place in the nation's newsracks. AdAge reports that Tower Records has joined the growing list of outlets that have yanked it from the shelves, although in this case the removal comes because of the ongoing conflict with photographer Michael Yon (as opposed to Rite Aid's rationale, which was that the magazine is crap.) Hachette is understandably aggrieved at the campaign against its publication. President/CEO Jack Kliger says, "There's no question that... efforts to convince retailers that it is consumers who are upset at the issue have succeeded in some cases, even though that's not what the fact is... [T]hese are not complaints being made by Shock readers — these are complaints being made by Michael Yon's followers. There's a big difference."

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]

Magazine for Illiterates Removed From Venue Not Exactly Staffed by Rhodes Scholars

abalk2 — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 11:17:37 EDT

Sad news for those of you who get your Valtrex prescriptions filled at the Rite Aid: The chain has pulled Shock magazine - Hachette Filapacchi's appeal to the all-important borderline retarded demographic - from its shelves. Surprisingly, the magazine's removal had nothing to do with the ongoing conflict between Hachette and photographer Michael Yon; it reflects an aesthetic judgment on Rite Aid's part. Company spokesperson Judy Cook says, "We did pull it. The content wasn't really what we were expecting and it didn't fit with our product mix." Apparently our nation's Medicare Advantage Plan participants are already getting all the shots of blown-up Iraqi children and celebrity ass cleavage through the mail.

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

Magazine for Illiterates Disregards Opinions of Semi-Literates

abalk2 — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 18:35:47 EDT

Remember Michael Yon? He's the photographer who blew a gasket when Shock magazine - Hachette Filapacchi's new offering for the recently lobotomized - allegedly used his photo of an American soldier cradling an injured Iraqi child without permission. A reported settlement has fallen through, and Yon is none too pleased about it. Hachette Filapacchi (a French company, and therefore evil) "resorted to delay tactics, equivocation, and the same kind of thinly veiled threat that has characterized their style of doing business." Their greatest sin, however, appears to be having shown disdain for the blogosphere.

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

Actions Speak Louder [Michael Yon]

Remainders: Lindsay Lohan, Al Gore Smackdown

Jessica — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 18:15:21 EDT

• Al Gore and Lindsay Lohan are in a "huge feud." "She knows what she did," says Gore. Wait — is he making a funny? Good for him! [Deadline Hollywood]
• There's a polio outbreak in Namibia, killing 7 adults and paralyzing 33 others — and the Times still manages to raise the Shiloh issue, if only to tell you that they've no idea whether or not she's been vaccinated. [NYT]
• The settlement regarding Shock's stolen cover photo is off; shitstorm to resume Monday. [AdAge]
• For the lazy fatty within us all, a list of restaurants within 200 meters of every single subway stop. [Taste of the NY Subway]
• No plans tonight? Staying home alone? Have some lotion, kleenex, and a good imagination? Then maybe you'll find some use for these not-so-hardcore Heather Mills pictures. [Fleshbot]
• Trolling Craigslist's women seeking men section brings surprisingly aggressive results. [Animal]
• Behind every activist working against "wealthy white masters" is a hefty trustfund, presumably from his wealthy white father. [Daily Politics]
• The Sun needs a new city editor. If you're a right-wing journo with pants hicked up to your ribcage, please contact editor Ira Stoll. [NY Press]

Mag for Illiterates Can Live to Shock Again!

Jesse — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 11:59:16 EDT

Worried you wouldn't get your chance to see photos of Chernobyl victims, self-immolation, and a bearded Val Kilmer making out with Paris Hilton? You can relax. Ad Age is reporting that late Friday night Hachette's new Shock magazine — which contains all those delightful images, plus so much more — reached a deal with photog Michael Yon, who claimed the mag had no right to put on its cover his image of a U.S. soldier carrying a wounded Iraqi child and had demanded all issues be pulled from newsstands.

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

Magazine For Illiterates Can't Even Rip Off Photos Right

abalk2 — Tue, 30 May 2006 17:05:34 EDT

So Shock magazine, Hachette's attempt to corner the market on readers who find Us Weekly too intellectual, got in a bit of a kerfuffle with Michael Yon, the photographer who took the picture that graces the magazine's first cover. (The picture of the soldier cradling the Iraqi kid, not the one of Jessica Simpson.) Seems that Yon didn't approve the use of the photo, saying in a statement, "I regularly turn down usage requests for this photo — uses that could earn money — because this photo is sacred to me and is representative of the U.S. soldiers I have come to know. It is also representative of the horrors of the enemy we all face." Hachette, for its part, claims to have "obtained publishing rights for the image from a reputable photo agency," and is looking into the matter.

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

'Shock' Surprises Photographer of Cover Image [AdAge]

Gawker's Week in Review: Diane Sawyer Gets Royally Screwed

Jessica — Fri, 26 May 2006 16:00:11 EDT

• Charlie Gibson scores the ABC anchor spot, leaving poor Diane Sawyer high and dry.
• Let's put it this way: Would you want to go sit at Jared Paul Stern's old desk?
• Anderson goes on Oprah, bores us. But he was adorable on an old World News Now. And she's obsessed with death.
• You will not get to go to Africa with Nick Kristof.
• Breaking news: New Yorkers go to gyms! Even Adam Moss and Mr. Big.
• All hail Le Cirque, or so says the Wednesday media club.
• Neither the Clintons nor Shock magazine are very shocking, though the later is a guilty pleasure.
• Gay gay gay. Gay.
• Another gossip type, another book party. Make that two.
• America, this old man is your Idol. And Alessandra will do her best to tell you about it.
• West Chelsea gets even worse.
• The Fifth Avenue Apple store has been open for one full week now. Has your head exploded yet?
• And it's Memorial Day weekend. See you Tuesday.

Not Shockingly, 'Shock' Aims to Shock You

Jessica — Fri, 26 May 2006 13:00:24 EDT

Hachette's Shock magazine hits the newsstands on May 30, but early copies are floating around Mediaville, and a greasy copy has thus arrived at HQ And, dare we say, it's a thing of lowbrow beauty. If the National Enquirer bound and gagged Life and forced it to sift through Rotten.com, it would result in something like this. Cheap ($1.99), low on words (there has to be well under 1000 in the entire issue) and bravely independent of advertising (FishbowlNY dutifully notes a mere 3 ad pages), Shock just might be the perfect publication for happily deranged voyeur within us all.

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]