COMINGS & GOINGS O, The Oprah Magazine editor Amy Gross is leaving the magazine after an eight-year tenure. Time Inc.'s Fortune continues to hire high profiles, including Liz Spiers and the WSJ's James Bandler. [KK]
Freelancers, rejoice: Slate is set to launch a new business site as early as next summer.
Following in the steps of Portfolio and Fox Business News, Slate sees an opening in the crowded business news market. The project is still waiting final authorization, but Slate already offered the head job to Elizabeth Spiers. She turned down the position; maybe she is also tired of seeing her name attached to big web launches.
CONTINUED »
Oh, Portfolio. Much like the new kid who claims to have been a star at his old high school only to prove himself a doofus in a matter of moments, Portfolio came out talking a big game and then wrote "a boring exposé" on how a cellist pays for his instrument.
But perhaps the only thing less breaking than Franz Lidz’s 5000 word piece on George Steinbrenner is that Portfolio is bad. Really, really bad. Even with high profile writers and editors, the only thing the magazine has going for it is a crackerjack design team.
And like making fun of the new guy, covering Portfolio's blunders is what all the cool kids are doing. So yesterday, when a freelance writer (and failed start-up blogger) suggested that Tina Brown replace Joanne Lipman, the reaction was as if the order had come from S.I. Newhouse himself.
We’d never go as far to say Jon Friedman is right, but maybe the coverage of Portfolio has gone too far. After all, there are other stories moving at a glacial pace to mull over.
Or so say her former confidantes and employers.
• Elizabeth Spiers discusses what she would do as acting president of Time Inc. Better still, it's not part of her infamous stand-up comedy routine!
• Time Warner president may be in trouble for quietly covering up HBO prez's habit of accidentally choking the women he's screwing.
• Ron Burkle is now in another bidding war. For Stuff magazine. Seriously.
• Calling CollegeHumor "sophomoric" is like calling McDonald's "greasy." You know, because both are so delicious—in a low-brow, cheap thrills kinda way.
• Don Imus is just itching to jump back in the insult-radio saddle.
• Greta Van Susteren follows Rudy G.'s lead, challenges the Dems to debate on the fair and unbiased Fox network.
• Laguna Beach stars' sex-tape deemed "too boring" for commercial release. Unlike those crazy unscripted shenanigans on season 18 of MTV's The Real World!
• Overweight nerd has Missed Connection with frequent object of his one-sided masturbatory fantasies.
• Creative differences with Dead Horse prove to be a Dealbreaker for blogger Elizabeth Spiers.
• For the first time we can remember, we're actually worried about not having enough Law & Order.
• Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tells the Senate Judiciary Committee he has nothing to hide. Except, you know, the truth.
• Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell to author children's books; Victoria "Posh" Beckham to read them in her brand new book club.
• If you're going to get nailed for insider trading, make sure you pick a totally innocuous trading symbol. Like "LGBT."
Remember on Monday, when Page Six reported blog network doyenne Liz Spiers was launching fashion title Fashionista.com that day, but then Liz chimed in to say, no, they got it wrong, Fashionista.com launches Wednesday? Yes, exciting.
So, well, it's Wednesday now, so we took a little trip over to Fashionista.com.
What's that you see? A password prompt? Now we need a code word to get into that new too-cool-to-have-a-name speakeasy and Fashionista? We're blowin' this joint.
• The guy behind the white powder envelopes that caused Keith Olbermann, among others, to freak out has been indicted.
• Today show clocks 11th consecutive year as the morning leader.
• Fox bets on Salma Hayek to repeat Ugly Betty's success.
• A how-to guide on how to write for Radar. The "not get paid" part is self-explanatory.
• Print out those resumes and sharpen those business cards, because magazine holiday parties are the place to network.
• Remember when TVNewser prided itself on not spreading salacious gossip? Turns out there's a fine line between rumor mongering and warning of imminent disaster.
• Glad we've got a timeline in place for calling Augusten Burroughs the next James Frey.
• Liz Spiers launching blog aimed at the jet setting CEO/FO/OO crowd. Also, a new blog for pot smokers.
• Liz Spiers remains to her true blog roots, letting others ferret out the material info after she drops the preliminary scoop. [MWD]
• Brian Williams enlists Tom Brokaw to make sure he's a winner on election night. [AP]
• How Les Goodstein avoided a non-compete clause is anyone's guess. [NYM]
• A non-African wins the NYC Marathon men's competition for the first time in 10 years, while Lance Armstrong proves he's no one-minute-man by beating the 3-hour mark by seconds. [WCBS]
• Elizabeth Vargas returns to ABC, post-maternity leave. Still sniping about World News anchor gig. [TVN]
• A Hachette fire sale to match Time Inc.'s? Cue official denials. [Gawker]
• Russell Crowe doesn't do charity work for movie studios — just as part of his community service requirements. [NYT]
What is the wonderful world of gossip missing? You so know. It's right on the tip of your tongue … yep! There it is! Gossip needs a law blog. And today, ex-Gawk Elizabeth Spiers and ex-Wonk David Lat are bringing the gavel.
Tired of all the nastiness that goes on under the robes, Above the Law plans to focus on feature news stories, funny anecdotes, and all gossip they hope paralegals will send in. But the main reason they want to start a blog is to prove that lawyers aren't boring. And to be better than DealBreaker.
It's true that many areas of law — and yes, many lawyers — are painfully boring. But the legal profession can also be gossipy, wacky, frivolous, and fun. And this is where we come in. We are Above the Law, and we're here to make the law entertaining — or get RSI tryin'.
Of course lawyers are boring. All rich people are boring. However, bloggers don't make nearly as much as lawyers, so maybe Spiers and Lat have a shot at keeping us entertained. Or, at least keeping those of you who give a shit about the law entertained.
Welcome to Above the Law [Above the Law]
• You've seen the photos of Lindsay Lohan boxing — now, watch the video. It's her most Oscar-worthy performance yet. [Google via Mollygood]
• Now we know why the Vanity Fair folks don't really talk to the New Yorker staffers. Seriously? The editors walk on their hands? Or is this some nerd genius humor we don't really get? [Double Think via Romenesko]
• Elizabeth Spiers comments that Jesse Oxfeld was "not a good fit for Gawker." And the chart accompanying her statement really drives that point home. [NYO]
• Paris Hilton tells British GQ she's slept with two people. Maybe she just thinks the double zeros at the end of that number don't count? [MSNBC, Pretty in the City]
• How ever are we going to live without the pointless existence of Office Pirates? [Mediaweek]
• For the 2% of the world who haven't seen Janet Jackson almost topless on the cover of a magazine … here ya go. God, Vibe is almost as desperate as she is. [AP]
Popping up in yesterday's Times Corrections:
The David Carr column in Business Day last Monday about cost cuts at Gawker Media, a blogging company, erroneously included a Web site on a list of sites where editors were moved to new jobs or replaced on June 30. The changes occurred at Gawker.com, Gizmodo.com, and Gridskipper.com; no editors were moved or replaced at Wonkette.
Or, if you've been following this story, you read that as: Nick Denton's insinuation that he got rid of Wonkette's David Lat as part of his restructuring is a steaming pile of shit. Lat left of his own accord and gave notice a month previous. Then he slapped Denton across the face, huddled between Liz Spiers' thighs, and hoped for a brighter tomorrow. Carr, meanwhile, should be bitch slapped himself for eating up Denton's drivel.
Corrections [NYT]
Related: All Gawker Whacker coverage
War in blogland has begun. Gawker's founding editor, Elizabeth Spiers, has snatched a blog editor from former boss Nick Denton. David Lat, who jumped at the chance to blog for Denton at Wonkette, will be joining Spiers as she expands her empire to include a law blog. (Paging Melissa Lafsky!)
Before joining Wonkette, Lat ran a little law blog of his own called Underneath Their Robes, until he was sold out by Jeffrey Toobin in the New Yorker last year. As surprised as we were that Denton picked off an outed blogger, we guess getting press without giving press is always a plus for the Gawker Media mogul.
Last week, when Gawker commented that "coporate blogger" was codename for "working for Spiers," we didn't exactly get it … but with the news that Spiers will be adding two more sites to her company (a fashion blog along with her law venture), it's all coming together. Still, can blogging really get any more corporate than the empire of Denton.
LAT PULLED [Sara James, WWD]
Earlier: Cox to leave Wonkette
Honestly, we would like to give a witty rounded out summary of this posting from Galleycat on the status of tonight's "gossip lit" reading hosted by Deborah Schoeneman which Ian Spiegelman begged everyone to come to … but we fear our shortening won't do it nearly the justice it deserves. From the literary gossip blog:
I was getting all set to write some snappy patter about the reading event at the Bubble Lounge tonight, where Deborah Schoeneman was supposed to host a "Gossip Lit" lineup of fellow ex-Post reporters Bridget Harrison and Ian Spiegelman, as well as Dana Vachon and (our ex-boss) Elizabeth Spiers. But when I went to confirm the lineup on Schoeneman's website, I found that everyone but Spiegelman had bailed, and that the event now featured race car driver Alex Roy, who also chairs The Moth, a literary spoken word series, and Pamela Wasserstein, heretofore best known as the subject of her aunt Wendy's children's book Pamela's First Musical, who will be reading from Elements of Style, the late playwright's recently published novel. This doesn't even sound like a "Gossip Lit" night anymore, even if PW did call Elements "dishy."
Poor Spiegel. Turns out Vachon and Spiers felt it was "too early to be out promoting" the not-yet-published book, while Harrison is avoiding the psychoticness which results from Ian's emailing habits as well as keeping on good terms with Schoeneman's arch nemesis Paula Froelich who hosted Harrison's book party last month. (We doubt Paula gives a shit what anyone past or present Page Six does with their book readings, but the gossip that goes on between gossips is positively devine.)
So, what's a night of gossip books with no gossips? A random sampling filed under the slot "Summer Reading." We really hope y'all had fall-back plans for tonight.
Update 6/21: Contrary to what some media blogs are reporting, Schoeneman never bailed on her own reading series. Her guests did. If writing is re-writing, then reading is re-reading.
Ex-Gossipers Provide Gossip Column Fodder [Galleycat, Mediabistro]
Earlier: Ian Spiegelman Has A Few More People He Can Piss Off
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt aren't the only ones having babies. Rupert Murdoch just spawned another news channel. Get ready to welcome Fox News Business channel into your homes.
Well, if they get the deal hammered out with Time Warner. The entire article in Ad Age is whispering rumors and insider gossip, with few details on what the channel will actually cover, or if any well known news figures will be recruited. The quite boring Direct TV vs. Time Warner is raked over a few times, though, and whichever provider it ends up on, the article suggesting that the channel will be hitting soon.
Fox News producers told folks they're expecting the launch this month, while analysts say recent meetings with News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and President Peter Chernin left them with the distinct impression that the Wall Street-focused sibling is close to birth.
Finally, this may be Elizabeth Spiers' chance to do a few TV spots!
Fox News About to Birth Business Channel [Claire Atkinson, Ad Age]
• Lindsay Lohan can't stop shopping! She is single handedly supporting our country's commerce. [The Scoop]
• Pink is the New Blog celebrates its second birthday by chronicling the demise of Britney Spears. Really, is there any other way to celebrate a special occasion? [Pink is the New Blog]
• An amputee war veteran is suing Michael Moore … for eating his legs and then falsely portraying him in Fahrenheit 9/11 as a man left behind by the administration. [E!]
• Elizabeth Spiers is throwing a little soiree for her blog Dealbreaker. This even will mark the first ever blogger party full of rich straight guys. [Page Six]
• Jake Gyllenhaal's latest rumored fling? Natalie Portman. Really, we just want to say, "finally!" These two hotties are so meant to be . (This may explain why we saw Kirsten Dunst looking quite drab and forlorn, smoking cigarettes outside an inconspicuous Nolita bar last night.) [People]
When we checked in with some media types this afternoon about their Passover and Easter plans, we didn't think so many of them would actually, you know, respond. But respond they did (some, so graciously, from their BlackBerrys while on the go), which means we've got plenty of fodder for another installment. So let's see who's rubbing some shankbone and who's coloring Easter eggs with Ron Burkle.
Dan Abrams, MSNBC
The truth is that Im down at Duke covering the rape allegations . .so no holiday time for me!
Elizabeth Spiers, Dealbreaker
Well, I’m a Southern WASP, so under normal circumstances I’d ostensibly trek home to Alabama to be the token atheist at the Easter services and for grilling both literal (red meat, by my dad) and metaphorical (of me, by relatives). But I’m staying in New York and having Easter lunch with a friend from college and his family.
Sara James, WWD
I am not of the tribe, so on Easter Sunday, I usually end up around a table with a handful of southern friends, eating grits, biscuits and some form of pork.
Nikki Finke, LA Weekly
In late March I spent a sybaritic week in the French West Indies so I'm not sure I deserve another vacation yet. Besides, the weather here in L.A. is glorious right now. Sorry, my private life is just that, private.
Adam Moss, New York
Sadly, i'm not going away. It was just one raucous seder, a lot of indigestion, over and out.
Michael Musto, Village Voice
I’m spending tonight playing sleazeball producer Tony Moss in a staged reading of the trash classic Showgirls, tomorrow watching the c-word-filled version of The Threepenny Opera, and Sunday presenting an honor at an awards festival for drag queen ‘hos. So as you can see, I’m deeply religious.
Earlier: The Manischewitz, The Matzo & The Jesus: Just Another Media East-over
• Elizabeth Spiers makes us feel special. [Fishbowl]
• The Time Inc. flee before fire parade begins, with Elizabeth Mayhew of Real Simple leading the pack. [Mediaweek]
• Ashton Kutcher thinks adoption is “the new thing,†but Demi Moore’s little Ashton spawn would be the “hot thing.†[Sky]
• New York Times reporters may be smart, but they're scared of tape recorders, bloggers, and, well, people in general. [Buzz Machine]
• There is life after death for Elle Girl staffers. [Fishbowl]
• Jessica Alba is not a gold-digger. She totally checked the "no" box on Hugh Hefner's "will you sue me?" note. [ET]
• The minds behind the Gawker Stalker craze get a shout out from their beloved Perez. [Perez Hilton]
Did you know that blogs were around before Elizabeth Spiers left Gawker? Before the Washington Post starting bitching about them every day? Yes, even before we became "obsessed with who Paris Hilton was sleeping with," there were the blogs of 2000, scoring mad crazy hits in the 30's and 40's.
As for us, well, we were still in high school in the year 2000. We may not have known what a blog was. Whatev, we didn't even know who Paris Hilton was.
But we did know how to drink more than six shots. Ok, fine. Rebecca Mead is smarter than us.
Tripping down memory lane [Blogebrity, Beebo]
Editorial Director
