HX Media took another blow last week when a number of New England Blade staffers were unceremoniously sacked and/or fired from the newspaper. CONTINUED »
Oh no! There’s a fag rag war brewing in New York!
You may recall this morning’s post in which HX editor Brandon Voss celebrated his magazine’s Black Party issue by trashing the competition, Next Magazine. Said Voss:
We really liked what Next Magazine did for their Black Party Fashion issue this year, but for ours—which is traditionally out the week directly before Black Party, so that it’s still available when out-of-town Black Party revelers begin streaming in—we chose to focus on the “youth” aspect of this year’s “Dangerous Black Party for Boys” theme.
Well, Brandon’s bitchery may have been premature.
Perpetually troubled New York fag rag HX made some staff changes yesterday. And there are more in the works, according to a reader: "This week, HX Media Creative Director Matt Farris, who just returned to the company last year after a seven year absence, was laid off. In addition, The New York Blade will be appearing only every other week, so editor in chief Trenton Straube was reduced to half time. The head bookkeeper’s hours were also reduced and ad salespeople were recently told that there base salaries were being taken away, leaving them to exist on commissions. Spin-off rag HX Phildelphia [sic] will be shuttered shortly. Rumors also have that some staff members are not being paid consistently."
DOUBLE DIPPING Former Men's Fitness editor and pseudo-gay Neal Boulton now has his hands in two homo rags: Genre and HX. What's next — Out's Aaron Hicklin running The Advocate? [Queerty]
Word is coming in that Genre EIC Chris Ciompi – boyfriend of Rush & Molloy junior gossip Patrick Huguenin – has just been axed from his role. His replacement? None other than former Men's Fitness chief and Jann Wenner sometime plaything Neal Boulton. No word yet on why Chris was given the boot – and Genre's phone answer people tell us he's "out of the office" – but one source says Genre-owner Windows Media is declaring bankruptcy for the division so they don't have to make good on their bills (office rent, freelancers). That leaves Genre to move in with corporate cousin HX, which might explain why they just got rid of their sales staff.
On the heels of a gogo boy lawsuit, NYC gay weekly HX axes its sales staff. [Queerty]
To be sure, said "name calling" involved HX labeling him a porn star. [Queerty]
• Jessica's new look bears an uncanny resemblance to American Idol's resident drunk.
• Its time to decide once and for all, which Hollywood fatty has the biggest man-boobs.
• Cause of death still unknown for Anna Nicole, but now Zsa Zsa Gabor's ex-husband is claiming he might be Dannielynn's biological dad.
• Students are starting to use "im lingo" in their essays; And u thought kidz were getting smRtr…
• Finally, Queerty responds to those gays who care way too much about being Genre's MOTY.
• Eddie Murphy is back to making crappy, unfunny flicks. It's as though he's trying to show everyone Dreamgirls was just a fluke.
• HX Media attempts to cut costs by continuing to fire the majority of its staff.
On Monday we brought news of gay weekly rag HX editor Tray Butler making an exit the likes of books and traveling. Now fa-la-la-la-la-faggala corporate cousin Queerty announces his replacement: features editor Brandon Voss will be taking over. We hear the decision was made quite promptly following Tray dropping the news to his HX Media bosses. Says Voss of his new gig:
For me, HX has always epitomized everything that’s great about being gay, and I’m thrilled to put my passion for nightlife and pop culture to good use in elevating the magazine to the next level.
If HX really does "epitomiz[e] everything that's great about being gay," then clearly Voss' idea of what it means to be a homo includes bathhouses, rent boys, and 900 numbers. But congrats on the new gig!
Because Out editor Aaron Hicklin can't fulfill all our gay media gossip needs, it's time to let HX editor Tray Butler have a try. Perfect timing, too, since it could be his last: Tray has announced he's stepping down on Dec. 15 from the helm of the gay weekly, where he's been piecing together Madonna stories and Splash Bar events listings for the past year. And before that? He was the editor of the New York Blade (both are now owned by the same company).
So where is Tray off to? Blogs the editor:
The BF and I have a lot of travel planned for the next few weeks, time with our families for Christmas, then a long stint in Mexico with some friends over New Year's. After that, I'm going back to full-time freelancing: not only writing, but getting my illustrations out there more. I plan to finally finish a book I've had in the works for almost a year now.
The book is called How I Survived 52 Weeks of Covering Assplay, Barebacking, and Cyrstal – And Tried to Include Real Journalism, Too. Hudson News will be carrying it. In shrinkwrap.
• HX puts on its latex glove, grabs the Crisco, and snaps up what's left of independent gay media.
• David Zinczenko launches Men's Health Kazakhstan – the Rodale title's 36th international edition – by takin the new editor to see Borat.
• Joining fellow NYT scribe David Carr in the "this just in — from weeks ago" arena, Kit Seelye scrapes the mud off an old WSJ story.
• Outgoing USA Today reporters gets in a parting snub.
• The guide to being an insta-YouTube cewebrity newsman.
• Columbia: Decent j-school, bad neighbors.
• Did you wait in the rain for your Borat tix? Here's who to blame.
Yesterday we posted a bullet point about the final closing of Roxy, the megaclub that's half-roller disco, half-gay orgy. The news came from HX, the gay weekly read by call boys and their clients, and was certainly a decent sized scoop for the mini glossy. Now word comes this morning that Roxy is not, actually, closing. Like a Studio 54 club kid, it's rising from its embers for one more ride around the rink.
HX got the news late yesterday, just as the issue was going to press. Editors there had to call their printers and halt the run while staffers raced to update the item. So, what's the new news? That a group of "rollerskating investors" (hah!) arrived just in time to bail out owner Gene DiNino and his little IRS back tax problem, putting up the cash to keep the club going. Among the angel deep pockets? "One famous designer who rarely misses the Wednesday night party." We're taking your guesses; the lines are open.
• Village Voice editor Don Forst is resigning from his post, effective Dec. 31. Nice ouster, New Times. [Gawker]
• Speaking of indie mergers, we seem to have missed the New York Blade getting together with HX. Gay marriage, at last. [NY Blade]
• To save Bryant Park from miscreants, the city formed the nonprofit Bryant Park Resotration Corporation. Funny, then, that the place is now being run like a business. [NYT]
• In-flight magazines are not, as it turns out, merely glorified sky malls. But they are in danger of going down without landing gear. [Mediabistro]
• Somehow, Simon Dumenco continues getting paid for screaming at his TV. [AdAge]
• Thanks to designers willing to let socialites borrow party dresses, the B-list never has to wear the same thing twice. [NYT]
• With the creation of "verified" circulation, magazine publishers receive the affirmation they've been looking for: to grotesquely inflate their readership numbers. [Folio]
• With ex-WWD scribe and alleged Halloween rapist Peter Braunstein being spotted throughout Ohio, all those sightings in NYC (like that Brooklyn cafe) are being labeled wishful thinking. [NYDN]
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