Gawker
heroes
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celebrity-industrial complex
Obama Crap Making Insane Millions For Media
Amid pandemic media bloodletting and global financial meltdown, it's nice to finally find a silver lining: All those silly Barack Obama trinkets are making insane amounts of money for media companies and providing precious little stimulus to the economy. The Times estimated roughly $200 million sold so far, including more than $15 million in commemorative issues and books from People and Time, somewhere around $1.5 million for the online store set up by the New york Times Company and $700,000 for the Los Angeles Times. Commemorative plates and coins, meanwhile have become ubiquitous enough that Lewis Black ranted about them on the Daily Show (clip after the jump). The downside? More » -
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
Hippie Folksinger Invades WSJ Newsroom
Pat Buchanan is defending Hillary Clinton, the Guardian is scooping on U.S. political news, and now this, perhaps the ultimate WTF moment in media this week: Lefty, anti-corporate folksinger Ani DiFranco performed two songs for Wall Street Journal editorial staff today, right before deadline, we hear. "Weird time to be a biz reporter," one staffer at the conservative business newspaper Twittered. The setlist? More » -
what we need more of is science
Monkey-Neanderthal Mutants to Destroy Us All
Scientists are talking about how a "living mammoth could perhaps be regenerated for as little as $10 million," reports the NYT. Regenerated? One scientist says it "could work," although it would probs be "tedious and expensive," as regenerating long-extinct animals tends to be. But that is far from the most disturbing piece of reanimation news: there's an ominous "workaround" technique to turn chimps into Neanderthals. Don't say we didn't warn you. More » -
wtf
Have You Purchased Your Barack Obama Plate?
First African-American President Elect Barack Obama's confident smile and kind eyes are an inspiration to us all, so why not commemorate his historic achievement on a "priceless work of art," in the form of a collectible plate? Not just any plate; a fine porcelain Historic Victory Plate featuring our dear leader surrounded by American flags and fireworks, inscribed in 22k gold trim. Only two per customer please; demand is high. This awesome infomercial includes a happy white family gathered about their Obama plate sighing, "I never thought this day would come." It's really very American. Click to watch. And another thing that should not exist: More » -
advertising
Pooch Will Beej For Food
Sex sells fruit. Sex sells condoms. Sex sells magazines. Sex sells charity. Sex sells cheap clothes and pseudocool clothes. Even child sex sells cosmetics. So people are pretty cool with sex, and its selling implications. But does dog sex sell? We can only hope. Click through for the big version. [via Copyranter at Coilhouse] More » -
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wtf
Depressed Journal Can't Bring Itself To Endorse McCain
Neocons the nation over got a little thrill up their legs this spring, when News Corporation overlord Rupert Murdoch said he might uncage the editorial-page pitbulls at his Wall Street Journal to issue presidential endorsements for the first time since Herbert Hoover was president (!). Sure, newspaper endorsements are useless in presidential races, but the Journal's frenzied rantings would have been kind of fun to read, assuming they did not give you rabies. But when the Journal issued its big McCain editorial this weekend, it was just all, "Meh, he's OK."
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wtf
Why Won't Ryan Adams Intern for Us?
It isn't fair: if we had known that musician and experimental blogger Ryan Adams would be willing to intern for random media companies in exchange for a little publicity for his upcoming album, we would have called him first. Unfortunately, Blackbook beat us to it. Anyway, Ryan, if you're still looking for work, I've got a variety of projects—I need to schedule a bunch of shrink appointments, and have someone file my collection of kung fu movies. Please direct your resume to sheila@gawker.com. (Remember when celeb hockey player Sean Avery interned for Vogue? That seemed to work out pretty well for him.) [Blackbook] -
wtf
WSJ To Endorse Obama? (Or: Matt Drudge Drunk?)
The Wall Street Journal does not, historically, endorse presidential candidates. But the newspaper has a new owner since the last election, Rupert Murdoch, who said he was considering changing that policy. It's hard to imagine the rabid right-wingers of the Journal editorial page jumping in the tank for Democratic nominee Barack Obama. But if the WSJ were to be planning an Obama endorsement, it would seem natural for conservative blogger Matt Drudge to get ahold of the news first, as he seemed to be implying in one of tonight's headlines, pictured at left. (The graphic reads "Presidential Material/Barack Obama.")
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pic of the day
Great For The Thrifty Klansman
The Times shows us "What You Get for...$1.2 Million": a house on six acres in Massachusetts with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and "KKK" posted above the back door. Click to enlarge.
