That People magazine has a nicey-nice relationship with Madonna, as Gawker relayed today, has been an ill-kept secret in the tabloid biz. Some veteran tabloid editors said they weren’t surprised managing editor Peter Castro is rumored to be accepting free tickets to the pop star’s concerts — but comp’d tickets, though worth thousands of dollars combined, isn’t enough to guarantee her protection from the biggest circ celeb weekly. Rather, Madonna relies on the magazine’s “straight and narrow” approach to celebrity news (though, to be sure, fairness is a relative concept in the industry).
While Madonna’s publicist Liz Rosenberg isn’t known to play well with others — which makes her awesome to us — we’re told she has a soft spot for People, because they’re always willing to run her statements and spin, and not the rumors others traffic in, as the real news. (i.e. “Madonna ‘Over the Moon’ About Finalized Adoption” sounds a lot different than, say, “Madonna Finally Nabs African Baby After Adoption Scandal.”)
But what are the consequences of Madonna having such a lovey-dovey relationship with the Time Inc. tabloid? For one, the other kids on the playground won’t be so nice. CONTINUED »
Because he still does not understand the power of Us Weekly, just its profit potential, Jann Wenner is willing to unload the tabloid, and Men’s Fitness, but reportedly wants to hang on to Rolling Stone, an ailing music title with declining circulation and ad pages. Nevermind that trying to sell Us for a rumored $750 million might be a little difficult in the middle of this credit crunch. And the fact that purported buyers, like the oh-so-reputable Conde Nast, would also find itself defending its sometimes-invented cover stories each week. [WWD]
It was not Rolling Stone that Conde Nast was after, but another of Jann Wenner’s publications: the tabloid Us Weekly.
That’s what Keith Kelly hopes to clarify in today’s column, where he names a price tag of $750 million that Si Newhouse would have to cough up to get his hands on the well-performing celeb weekly in what’s already a crowded market.
Except news of a potential deal brings more questions than it does answers. Officially, Wenner media says, “There are no talks. Wenner Media and its properties are not for sale.” As for Conde Nast, they’re word is, “It is a company policy to never comment on potential acquisitions.” But what would upscale Conde want with a tabloid that, no matter how much revenue and how glossy, is still viewed as downmarket? CONTINUED »
In the July issue of Portfolio, now-former American Media editorial director Bonnie Fuller took over the back page to do two things: Wrap her arms around an issue of Star, and reveal almost nothing about where she’s headed from here.
Then, in the Times’s Sunday Business section, she did something similar: She posed in the same position (sans tabloid) and said, well, almost nothing about where she’s headed from here.
Despite what one errant blogger may claim, Ms. Fuller is the Queen of All Media.
From YM and Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan to Us Weekly and Star, Fuller has earned – some might argue rightfully – a reputation as a ball-busting, no-nonsense editor who routinely brought her staff for a visit to the brink of sanity all in the name of a close. And now that she’s heading off on her own, with a venture aptly titled Bonnie Fuller Media, and funding from former Viacom interactive chief Russ Pillar’s 5850 Group, perhaps it’s time to stop counting all of Fuller’s flaws, sand your bedpost smooth, and begin notching her successes. CONTINUED »
Jessica Simpson’s venture into the world of country music has been successful thus far — if you believe the things you read in Us Weekly or hear on the radio. So just how successful is she? Well, just look at this “packed house” (yes, the interviewers actually called it that) of fans who came to see Jess in person. It’s amazing that no one was injured during the riot.
Video of the craziness, complete with Jess’s annoying baby voice and charming stories, after the jump.
Though Us Weekly’s attention to Barack and Hillary made headlines in the media industry, it’s unclear whether the coverage – Hillary’s fashion, Barack is “Just Like Us” – actually helped sell magazines. This week, the first true test: Michelle and Barack are on the cover.
This is a very interesting departure for Janice Min’s celeb weekly, and a risky one; when In Touch tried going the “serious” route last April with a cover on the Virgina Tech massacre, the issue bombed at newsstands. Only People has successfully tackled celebrities and real-life folks each week with commercial success, though it’s been part of the brand since the beginning.
So how come this non-celeb cover might just work? CONTINUED »
If there’s one thing in which Us Weekly shouldn’t be involved, it’s politics. So, naturally, the magazine has decided to judge the candidates based on their fashion — because the state of the country doesn’t matter if Barack Obama and John McCain aren’t looking good.
The target this week is Obama, who had the audacity to bicycle around Chicago in “ill-fitting jeans, a tucked in golf shirt and big tennis shoes.” The horror! Us‘ fashion police weigh in:
Every gossip outlet gets things wrong now and then. When a mistake is made online, it’s fixable in minutes; just throw a strike through the error, insert the accurate info, and you’re all set. When a mistake is made in a daily, it’s only 24 hours before the next issue pops up to make readers forget. But when a mistake is made in a weekly, well, that’s seven long days of staring at your error.
This week, Us Weekly is doing just that. It was only after they mocked up their Love Notes page and sent it to the printer did anyone notice their gaffe: In their story (pictured, left) on Sheryl Crow’s new man friend, John Cassimus, the chief of southern restaurant chain Zoë’s Kitchen, they feature Crow with somebody, but it isn’t Cassimus.
It appears the photo agency WENN (at least according to the magazine’s photo credit) misidentified the guy she’s walking with, and editors at Us didn’t double check. Meanwhile, the story itself is several weeks old; blogs like Just Jared picked up on Life & Style’s report from a May issue (pictured, right), where the actual Cassimus is shown.
Full image below. CONTINUED »
Despite what Entertainment Tonight was reporting, and what Us Weekly picked up, People insists Angelina Jolie has not given birth to her twins. But Us Weekly does claim to have their names: Isla Marcheline and Amelie Jane.
Not surprisingly, Janice Min has decided to toss Heidi Montag on the cover again (not that anyone is spreading rumors they have some sort of arrangement for things like this), but this time there’s real news: She wants to get married! “I’m ready to marry Spencer. He’s my soulmate,” she tells the magazine.
And not that we’re asking you to guess which celeb weekly will score the EXCLUSIVE pics of the nuptials, but let’s not play pretend: Heidi and Spencer aren’t getting married … yet. They’re laying the groundwork for their own reality TV show.
Industry gossip that’s been brewing for the past few weeks has the two trying to score their own MTV show, a la Newlyweds, though the network is said to be fearful of saturating its The Hills brand. The peg for the show? The lead up to Heidi and Spencer getting married.
But with this Us cover, they’re clearly pushing the agenda, proving there’s measurable interest in their fairytale wedding. So move those newsstand sales, people, and help Hollywood’s most opportunistic couple score another payday.
Offering yet another glimpse into the world of a tabloid magazine, Us Weekly lets ABC News inside its operation to reveal some startling facts: Sometimes Janice Min works with celebrities to give them a better cover photo (like she did when Mariah Carey lost weight); sometimes Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are not the cover story; and the most standard acts of invading stars’ privacy happens in the magazine’s “Just Like Us” section, where trips to sushi restaurants and Starbucks qualify, just barely, as newsworthy.
And also: Even Us‘ editors believe that sometimes, celebs get this whole paparazzi-tabloid-publicity game right. One person rising above it all? Matt Damon. CONTINUED »
Comparing Us Weekly to In Touch is both an exercise in futility and the best thing we’ve read all day. [Magazine Rack]
We’re hearing senior writer Joey Bartolomeo has left Us Weekly, where she penned many a major cover story, for competitor People.
Bartolomeo was one of editor Janice Min’s favorites, and also co-authored, with Mara Reinstein, 2005’s horrific guidebook Brad & Jen: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Golden Couple, which was thrown together in five days. And read like it.
Her departure is, inarguably, a major loss for Us, especially when she’s one of few people who can convincingly shape the discussion about a tragedy like California’s wild fires into a sob story about the privileged celebrity set who might lose their mansions.
Without Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan’s daily antics, it’s fallen on Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt to fill the gossip blogs and tabloid covers. And they’ve more than made themselves available. “We’re always the juicier story,” Spencer tells the LAT. “And when Heidi and Spencer are gossip machines, it’s like, ‘What did Heidi and Spencer do?’”
This is the stock of celebrity we’ve allowed ourselves to settle for, and they’re cleaning up; $50,000 each for hosting a party here, $15,000 for posing for “paparazzi” photos there. CONTINUED »
Us Weekly news director Lara Cohen: “To say the news media’s coverage of Reverend Wright has been exhaustive is like saying that Us was mildly interested in Brad Pitt’s split from Jennifer Aniston. Or, as Chris Rock said recently, “It’s like they gave [Wright] his own channel.” More accurately, they gave him several channels. His diatribes were on a never-ending loop and the networks unleashed an army of pundits to discuss whether the connection to Wright made Obama inherently unelectable. Personally I’m surprised none of the news outlets employed our resident Body Language Expert to dissect the relationship’s nonverbal cues. (Though in fairness, I don’t watch Fox so she could’ve made an appearance there.)” [HuffPo]
In the winner’s corner: Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer dominated the tabloids this week, with most publications declaring them the hot new couple. There’s not much to be negative about, except for the fact that any relationship involving Jen is doomed to fail.
In the loser’s corner: Jessica and Ashlee Simpson are competing to see who can make it to the altar first, because isn’t that what romance is all about? We can’t decide who’s the bigger loser in this situation — the Simpsons or their poor significant others.
Also this week: Britney continues to get her act together, Lindsay gets mixed reviews and Angelina is possibly getting married. But don’t hold your breath. CONTINUED »
We’re switching things up a bit this week: Instead of simply summing up the tabloids, we’re presenting the week’s winners and losers in the eyes of the magazines. Which publications favor which celebrities? And does the relationship change from week to week?
This time around, Britney seems to have won back the love of the tabs, because not a single bad story was written about her. The mags are split on Lindsay — some say she’s in a happy and stable lesbian relationship; others declare that she is off the wagon (again).
And congrats are in order to the biggest loser of the week, Jessica Simpson, who is apparently pathetic and in danger of losing boyfriend Tony Romo. When even the tabloids are pitying you, you know there’s a problem. CONTINUED »
The CW network spent a fortune promoting the return of Gossip Girl with that OMFG campaign and, unintentionally, with actress Kelly Rutherford’s plot spoiler. So how come their latest ploy – a contest giveaway with Us Weekly – is the most obvious low-budget effort ever?
In exchange for your name, address, and email, you have a chance to win a tote bag and mirrored compact courtesy of the CW network. Yes, THAT IS ALL.
Which weekly glossy just signed a mega-million-dollar contract with a certain annoying celebrity couple? The deal is the magazine will get exclusive interviews with the couple, but in turn they need to break up (again), get back together (again) and actually get married.
Editorial Director
