It seems like only yesterday that I first set my alarm for the ungodly hour of 7am, spilled piping hot coffee all over my impractically thin sweater* and introduced myself as your brand new Jossip editor.
As expected, I was greeted by a predictable deluge of “Hello Newman” jokes, a litany of detractors and a relative minority of staunch supporters, whose generous praise – or at least intermittent approval – was only slightly undermined by their stubborn insistence on referring to me as “Corynne.”
And while I had my share of missteps – an unnatural fixation on a picture of Hillary Clinton eating a sandwich, an ill-advised confrontation with a would-be heckler, and an overzealous response to a crazed Jared Leto fan – I prefer to focus instead on the brief, shining flashes of mediocrity. CONTINUED »
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
Approximately two months into my tenure at Jossip, Anna Nicole Smith died. And the media reaction was immediate. The cruel jokes and sarcastic headlines started even before the official coroner’s report was released, conceivably before the family had been contacted and before funeral arrangements had been made. Supposedly reputable press outlets salivated over the chance to publicly decry this woman – a gold digger but also a mother – only moments after learning that her death was either the result of an accidental drug overdose or suicide attempt.
Appalled by the immediate onslaught of insensitive headlines and the speed with which she was desecrated by the press, I found myself in the unlikely position of defending Smith.
Okay, so supposedly this article is about how wunderkind elitist mag 02138, and how they unearthed this giant university-wide plagiarism scandal and revealed that Harvard’s most prominent professors are “secretly” outsourcing menial research tasks to annoying student overachievers.
But since that’s not particularly interesting or surprising, we’ve decided to switch to a new topic: 02138. Does anyone else find it sort-of annoying that this magazine (featuring articles like “How Not To Be Poor“) is succeeding? [Note: Saying “Yes” might preclude you entry to various secret societies, highbrow social institutions and eclusive millionaire’s clubs that you couldn’t possibly afford, anyway, because let’s face it, you went to Columbia.]
Nevertheless, we’ve decided to risk social pariahdom by voicing our dissatisfaction the only way we know how: through inarticulate instant messages. After the jump, a revealing IM debate between dueling Jossip editors Debbie Newman and Rebecca Aronauer. (Both Columbia grads).
The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Blueprint nine that day;
The circ numbers were low, dwindling somewhere in the realm of 350K
And then when October’s ad sales came and went, and November’s did the same
An incensed publisher intervened, looking for someone to blame.
A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, ‘If only Martha would wait ’till after the New Year
To deprive us of our health insurance, our dental and holiday cheer.’
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
Scarlett Johansson, the actress best known for her throaty voice, enormous breasts and inability to save The Nanny Diaries has preemptively threatened Us Weekly with a lawsuit over this week’s cover story suggesting that the buxom starlet went under the knife.
A boring, legalese statement issued by Johansson claims the article’s “clear implication that she has had plastic or cosmetic surgery on her nose is an outrageous and defamatory fabrication lacking any conceivable basis or proof.”
Well, obvs! We are, after all, talking about celebrity weeklies, here. Meanwhile, unwilling to leave well enough alone, OK! goes from exalting in Us‘ impending legal woes to slamming its more successful rival with demoralizing accusations of shoddy journalism.
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
According to a new Harvard University study, “nearly two-thirds of Americans do not trust press coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign.” Moreover, “four out of five people believe coverage focuses too much on the trivial — and more than 60 percent believe coverage is politically biased.”
Fortunately, it looks as though they can’t blame everything on the mainstream media. As everyone who watched last night’s overly-hyped Republican YouTube debate learned, politicians are pretty good at making themselves look boring/trivial, not to mention mindlessly repetitive.
A long time ago, in a kingdom not so far away, a young Jossip editrix named Corynne decided it might be fun to interview her gossip, media and PR peers in a semi-regular (and uncharacteristically earnest) feature she creatively entitled “Jossiping.” In honor of our predecessor, we’ve decided to bring back the tradition, one informal sit-down at a time.
This week: Debbie Newman catches up with Fafarazzi co-creator Todd Galloway.
Do you hate sports and non-famous people? Have you ever feigned an interest in deep philosophical issues, global warming or the presidential elections while secretly dreaming about filching your little sister’s collection of celebrity weeklies? If so, Fafarazzi is here to help get your priorities straight. Meet co-founder and 27 year-old Cleveland native Todd Galloway.
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
If you’re anything like us, then you most likely did not spend the bulk of your Sunday afternoon reading Page Six magazine and pouring over an interview with Seventeen EIC-turned-entrepreneur Atoosa Rubenstein.
Fortunately, Portfolio blogger Jeff Bercovici is a bird of a different feather. And thanks to his helpful/informative recap, we’ve learned that, in addition to biting the hand that feeds—er, fed her, Atoosa has also finally come to the realization that she is, in fact, a freakshow.
Today, we here at Jossip Headquarters have decided to commemorate our nation’s triumph over the American Indians and propensity for overeating by taking a moment to reflect on our wonderful lives and come up with a list of things for which we are thankful. First up: Debbie Newman.
This year, I am thankful…
• That hosting Thanksgiving means I will not have to watch the football game, Macy’s Day parade or require every person at the table to do something hokey like say “two or three things for which I am thankful” this year.*
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
This just in: The Yankees’ adulterous third baseman (and this year’s league MVP) Alex Rodriguez is arrogant, greedy and not particularly well liked by the New York fans or working media.
Worse still, he recently opted out of his contract with the Yanks AND disingenuously said things like “I love New York” while simultaneously fielding offers from all over the country. Plus, this one time? Prior to joining the Yanks? He said something way harsh about Derek Jeter “never [having] had to lead” before. Which, according to columnist-turned-baseball aficionado Jon Friedman, just may have helped spur on their rivalry.
A long time ago, in a kingdom not so far away, a young Jossip editrix named Corynne decided it might be fun to interview her gossip, media and PR peers in a semi-regular (and uncharacteristically earnest) feature she creatively entitled “Jossiping.” In honor of our predecessor, we’ve decided to bring back the tradition, one informal sit-down at a time.
First up: Debbie Newman catches up with editor-turned blogger-turned author Nadine Haobsh.
For those of you who’ve been anywhere near the New York media scene these past few years, Nadine (almost) needs no introduction. The 27 year-old author of “Beauty Confidential” is, perhaps, best known as the reason employment contracts with media conglomerates now come with standard issue “No blogging” clauses.
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
Despite their big dreams, roster of celebrity weekly expatriates and highly unrealistic goals of chipping away at the Sunday Times‘ readership, Page Six Magazine hasn’t made nearly as much of a splash with readers—or potential advertisers—as they would have liked.
And because a friend in need is a friend indeed, we’ve decided to take some time out of our busy schedule to offer them some helpful unsolicited advice. Read on, loyal Sixers, and we’ll tell you everything we know about how not to blow a major magazine launch the first, second or even third time around.
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
For those of you already traumatized by the prospect of several weeks (or even months) without any new episodes of your favorite television shows, we’ve taken the liberty of preemptively filling that mindless void by coming up with our predictions for the season ahead.
Please be forewarned that the forthcoming episode guide is a purely imaginative/procastinative effort, and readers are advised to overlook any glaring inaccuracies, predictable plot trajectories or flat one-liners as needed.
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
According to the career-oriented folks over at CNN, things you should never do at work include taking fake sick-days, gossiping and showing up hungover and/or with unkempt hair. Other no-no’s include “getting too comfortable” (i.e. telling the boss about that gross drunken hookup-slash-one night stand) hitting on the intern, reading useless crap on the web and sticking it to the man by stealing inexpensive—and easily missed—office supplies.
And while we don’t necessarily agree with all of the aforementioned rules (be honest, who among us hasn’t pilfered Post-Its and writing instruments from the office supplies closet and shoved them awkwardly into their oversized Betsey Johnson carry-all?) we’re happy to offer a few helpful hints of our own.
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
Recently, CNN producer David Doss informed sexually ambiguous anchorperson Anderson Cooper that the network’s highly lauded miniseries “Planet in Peril” would most likely become a regular feature on AC360. Cooper’s angry (and, presumably, unfiltered) response? He groaned, “Jesus Christ! We really need to solve this whole environmental thing quickly, because I really don’t want to do it again.”
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
Last week, we learned that “Body Armor King” David Brooks siphoned over $200 million in company pension funds to support his “lavish lifestyle,” including a staggering $10 million to pay for what his daughter’s friends (despite since drifting to rival mean-girl cliques) still uniformly refer to as the “most awesome Bat Mitzvah EVER.” Today, comes reassuring evidence that Brooks loves his two over-privileged children equally. His son’s Jewish rite-of-passage reportedly broke the bank at over half million dollars.
And that was just to pay for shiksa goddess Jessica Simpson’s off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about last-minute costume ideas. And this year, instead of frantically hunting through the on-sale rack at Ricky’s for that elusive half-priced garment that says “Slutty, yet sophisticated,” why not be creative? There are plenty of do-it-yourself costumes* that require minimal effort on your part and are guaranteed to please potentially capable of suiting your needs.
Moderately intrigued? Read on, anyway! After the jump, a complete rundown of the scariest media personalities around with useful tips on how to capture their “essence” without breaking the bank or sacrificing your unique rebelliousness.
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
Days after outing Dumbledore as a same-sex oriented magician, author J.K. Rowling is already soaking up criticism from all ends of the crazyperson spectrum.
Naturally, we have the religious zealots, who don’t want their precious tots reading about same-sex anything (or, for that matter, sex itself) because it’s “dirty.” Then, of course, we have the self-appointed literary ombudsmen, who’ve questioned her motives and wondered whether England’s Richest Person By Far has overstepped her bounds.
Although we can’t always shake the nasty habit of writing in the royal we, occasionally one of our editors decides to shake off the cloak of anonymity to write a short, pithy statement long, rambling diatribe about a topic of their choice. Today, Debbie Newman is that editor.
After a long and somewhat confusing morning – spent predominantly browsing the internets while under the (still negligible) influence of non-drowsy cold medication – I stumbled onto an amazingly informative article in which WaPo’s Howie “Story Stealer” Kurtz interviews Mediabistro founder Laurel “Suck It, I’m Rich” Touby about her extraordinary success. In the course of their discussion, Kurtz helpfully explains that Touby’s website utilizes a newfangled technology called “blogging,” which are, in Touby’s case, “short real-time scooplets” written by media insiders, for media insiders, about media insiders.
Needless to say, my head is still spinning.*
Yesterday, we shared the first installment of results from the Facebook survey.
And while we imagine you were relieved to find out which type of profile picture is the absolute loseriest (For the record, it’s “Pretentious hipsters staring off into space with an arts/contemplative stare!”) we think you’ll be even more interested in the responses to our open call for your craziest Facebook related anecdotes.
There were, in fact, so many amazing responses that we’ve spent hours compiling them! (Hours that, should, in retrospect, have been spent “reading the newspaper,” “interviewing potential sources” and “otherwise doing our jobs.”) In the end, it was so hard to pick and choose just a few that we decided to categorize all our favorites into 7 separate—but equally entertaining—groups.
Editorial Director
