What's this? A photo of new Out editor Aaron Hicklin (he's on the left; WWD's Jeff Bercovici on the right)? And what's he doing? Why, he's having drinks with elitist media types (minus us, the uninvited) at the SoHo loft of Gawker Media brass and BFF Nick Denton, who's hosting a party for Michael Jackson, and not the one holed up in Bahrain. And when is Aaron having drinks at Denton's? That'd be Thursday night. You know Thursday night, as in the night when Out magazine was having its own party at T. The party celebrating the first issue of Out that Aaron had a role in.
The party that Aaron skipped.
Let it be known that brand spankin' new Out editor Aaron Hicklin did not – we repeat, did not – show up to his first party for the magazine. Last night's packed event at T in Midtown was Hicklin-less, though it did have plenty of gym bunnies, skinny nerds, and hipster types. We're told Aaron had just got back into New York from a L.A. stint at 4pm yesterday and didn't have the energy to hit the 7pm issue party. That is, the party for the very first issue of Out that Aaron had anything to do with. Even his great cheekbones can't excuse this.
The chatter over the sexual identity of Out's editor has continued. Well actually most of the chatter is actually from Aaron Hicklin himself, as he struggles to define what it means to be a gay magazine in a city filled with homosexual reading material.
While Hicklin won't be altering Out's sexual identity, he does plan to make it, like his own, a bit harder to pin down. "My buzzword has been, 'Let's be [David] Bowie gay rather than Cher gay,'" he said this week, at the end of his first month on the job.
So does this mean that they'll have male models in half drag next to leggy female models? And then will the gay male model marry the girl? Or, will Out just stick to it's "no gays on the cover" policy?
Well that is probably just what Hicklin prefers to read about. And in the end, that's who magazines are really for. The editors.
Out Editor's Straight Talk [Jeff Bercovici, WWD]
• Arianna Huffington launches a new blog for us chew on. [Eat the Press]
• Why a magazine aimed towards the gay community insists on putting straight people on the cover is beyond us. And to think we had so much hope for Aaron Hicklin. [Gawker]
• We were under the distinct impression that most NYC "hipsters" had parents who actually could afford to buy them co-ops. They just chose to live in Bushwick for the only street cred white people get. [Curbed]
• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will not be getting married now, or possibly ever. That's the cue for you all to leave your "illegitimate bastard" comments. [AP]
• Oh, yeah. Magazines have a design department, too. So, feel free to blame Maxim entirely on them. [Mediabistro]
When we learned exclusively that Out magazine was naming BlackBook's Aaron Hicklin its new EIC, we cheered. After all, have you seen Hicklin's high-rise cheekbones? Apparently Out's readers did as well, and they've taken to Out.com's comments section to relay their excitement. Comments from the announcement of Hickin's new gig:
1. "I am pleased to have him as the new editor and chief, he is also sexy."
2. "I hope that you will enjoy OUT magazine. [...] P.s. Your also very cute too."
3. "Hello, please show men with a nice hair on the chest. Thanks"
4. "Best of luck! You have great credentials along with looks."
5. "I welcome you to OUT and if you ever want to go for a roll in the sack that could be arranged! WOW! You should be the next Hot Guy of the Day!"
Glad to see the gays haven't lost their stereotypical edge.
Out Announces New Editor in Chief! [Out.com]
For the Gays, a Long Row To Hoe [Daily Transom]
Related: Aaron Hicklin is Out's new daddy
• Our Paid $ix coverage goes above and beyond anything that anyone would care to know, including a whole bunch of tees, flyers, swag, depressing honeymoons, drunken nights with Choire Sicha, and still L.A. could care less.
• Bonnie Fuller starts up her promotion for The Joys of Much Too Much, amidst rumors of losing her job (completely false) and even comments on the wonderful world of Jared Paul Stern. Oh, and did we mention the Egyptians?
• Out has a new EIC, Aaron Hicklin, who assures us that his magazine will be gay. No, really gay.
• Gwyneth Paltrow has baby Moses, Angelina Jolie will have a baby more famous than Jesus, Maggie Gyllenhaal is just plain pregnant, and somehow Britney Spears manages to hold on to her concussed baby.
• The New York Times does the unthinkable and pulls its Boldface column, leaving us curled up and crying at the kitchen table over its last run.
• Matt Lauer ups his salary closer to that of Katie Couric's and above Meredith Vieira's, or is it the other way around? It's so easy to confuse the two.
• The seeds for the demise of Boldface Names were planted months ago when Bill Keller's wife Emma Gilbey was overheard spanking the un-gossip column. [WWD]
• New Out editor Aaron Hicklin promises that his magazine will, once and for all, be gay. [P6]
• At least Radar had the decency to credit its cover photo inspiration. Not so for Vanity Fair. [WWD]
• Giant, in the wake of its gigantic (groan) overhaul, has hired an A-team of vets to help out the mag. Vibe founding editor Scott Poulson-Bryant leads the charge of Maxim wannabes. [FBNY]
• Yet another thing about freedom that terrorists hate: Hugh Hefner. [Reuters]
• Ladies and gentleman the long and oftentimes, sad story of a Mr. Ron Burkle. [Daily Transom]
In honor of Aaron Hicklin becoming the new MC over at Out, we present: "What it's like to talk to Aaron Hicklin."
Breathtaking back of the head action, we know.
Goofy me, talking to Aaron Hicklin [Flickr]
Earlier: Aaron Hicklin is Out's new daddy
Because it takes the gays so much longer to get anything accomplished – but not, it seems, as long as it takes the intellectuals – only now is LPI Media (now gayly owned by PlanetOut Partners, which runs Gay.com in all its sweaty, man-sex glory) getting around to finding a new editor-in-chief for Out since Brendan Lemon's smooth depature last fall.
So who's it gonna be? It's Aaron Hicklin, who comes on over from editing BlackBook, which we're quite confident printed all the fashion and culture items to qualify anybody to head up a fag rag. Not to mention, he's got great bone structure.
After the jump, the staff email from LPI interim president Bob Cohen.
CONTINUED »
Right on the heels of Michael Wolff's "Is Time Warner Necessary" essay, an anonymous mag editor asks Jeff Bercovici, "are gay magazines necessary?"
What is this guy suggesting? That mags like Out and Ballroom Rockstar don't serve a cultural purpose? Psha! Well, hopefully Out's next editor can work a little harder to fag up the mag, so as not to be so easily compared to closeted metro glossies like Details and Men's Health.
It may not be that simple, however. In the wake of Brendan Lemon's departure, Out has attempted to lure in a replacement, with seemingly little response.
Joe Zee, former editor in chief of the now-defunct Vitals; Michael Slezak, a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly and former managing editor of Genre; Simon Dumenco, a media columnist and former editor of Colors; Andrew Essex, editor in chief of the luxury magazine Absolute, and Drew Lee, former executive editor of Radar, another defunct title.
Ok, we know Essex would never trade in his family at Absolute for a romp around in Chelsea, but it sounds like Drew Lee might be stepping up to the manicure booth. He must have lots of experience working without resources — afterall, he was at Radar.
WHO'S IN AT OUT? [Jeff Bercovici]
Rule number one of Gay Gossip Club? Don't talk about Gay Gossip Club. Obviously Out.com's gossipists never received their introductory kit complete with tiara, A&F polo and a pirated copy of Brokeback Mountain. (Emphasis ours.)
Madonna tells queer columnist Liz Smith that her next video, “Sorry,†will be a sequel to the current “Hung Up†video. (Both are based on tracks from Madge’s current CD, Confessions on a Dance Floor.)
Aw shit, cat's outta the bag. And this time, it's not our fault.
Just Call Her Miss M [Out.com]
Just when you thought media couldn't get any gayer – or smaller – Out magazine and Gay.com prove that you don't know shit about media.
Late yesterday, PlanetOut Partners (which runs online cruising sites like Gay.com and PlanetOut.com) announced its purchase of LPI Media (which publishes skin mags like Out and Out Traveler). Big deal, right? Well, the deal does create the world's largest gay media company — or so the press release claims, as we're pretty sure Gawker Media is rivaling them for that title.
- Purchase price of $31.1 million, plus reimbursement of certain prepaid and other expenses.
- Expected to nearly double PlanetOut's estimated 2005 pro forma revenue and to substantially diversify its revenue mix among advertising, subscription and transaction businesses.
- Combines the largest gay and lesbian media brands and a complementary advertiser base.
- Addresses advertisers' desire to target the gay and lesbian market with multi-media marketing and sponsorship programs.
- Spans a portfolio of platforms, including PlanetOut's leading network of Web sites, the largest circulation LGBT national magazines, local and national events, direct mail lists, plus PlanetOut's new video streaming and mobile services.
- Leverages LPI's award-winning content across multiple platforms and PlanetOut's unparalleled reach and direct marketing strength to build a more efficient subscriber sales channel for LPI.
And just when you thought the gaying of the media was enough, we're hearing whispers that Heeb and JDate.com want to get in on the action.
PlanetOut Inc. Acquires LPI Media Inc., Publisher of The Advocate and OUT [Yahoo]
• Rather than deal with the continued whining of pre-school parents upset over a billboard for 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin (that featured him holding a gun) placed next to a children's school, Paramount agreed to pull the ads. [Reuters]
• Michael Jackson is downsizing, at least on his charity single for hurricane victims, which is expected to have a different name than the original "From the Bottom of My Heart." After announcing a "who's who" list of participants (most of which weren't even aware they'd been asked), the only celebs laying down tracks are Snoop Dogg, Ciara and Shirley Caesar. The excuse (offered by Spokespinner Raymone Bain: Jacko "didn't need as many artists as he originally had planned for." [E!]
• Just after a public outting with her long absent brother, Angelina Jolie is adding to the headlines that don't involve Brad Pitt. This time it's in the form of a new tattoo across her upper back reading "Know Your Rights!" As in, your right to steal another woman's man. [Spotlighting News]
• "What does it mean to be a gay man in America today? Why does it matter?" If you can answer those questions, you can be Out magazine's editor in chief. [Mediabistro]
As we told you exclusively this morning, Out magazine editor Brendan Lemon yesterday announced to his staff that he'd be leaving the magazine after his five-year reign promoting good looking straight guys that homos fantasize over rather than, uh, gay men.
Now we hear Brendan will likely stay on for one more issue as his replacement is chosen. Meanwhile, the office today is pretty calm, with nobody pulling a Budget Living staff-wide pull out, but that might just be evidence that Lemon's departure is actually voluntary.
Not that the staff isn't sad or anything (there's got to be a lemon vs. onion joke in here somewhere), but who wouldn't be excited about the possibility of Ariel Foxman editing the rag?
(We even tried getting in touch with Lemon, but our calls weren't returned.)
UPDATE: We've got the full press release, after the jump.
CONTINUED »
If life gives you Lemons, you turn them into a tart, citrus-filled .. gay rag. At least that's what Out editor-in-chief Brendan Lemon had been doing until yesterday — when he quit.
Jossip learned exclusively the former New Yorker culture editor gathered his staff on West 17th and announced his voluntary resignation, claiming he had done all he could do to turn Out into a "smart," visionary queer title.
Or, as we like to call it, a more butch Details.
He doesn't have big plans for what's next in his life — at least none that he told his staffers. Perhaps a Last Night follow up? More time with his "ballplayer"?
Interestingly, Jossip's gay cousin Queerty scored (what we're assuming) the most recent interview with Lemon on Monday. And while he gabbed plenty on the magazine's November issue, he didn't exactly hint at the fact that within just a couple days, his interview would suddenly become the most untimely piece of journalism published this side of gay blogs.
Queerty: What are the most satisfying aspects of being editor-in-chief of Out?
Lemon: It is both interesting and fun to put up a website and magazine reflecting various aspects of the gay experience. In addition to entertaining our readers, I find it satisfying that I get them to think in new ways.
Well, it was satisfying for another two workdays, at least. No word yet on who's filling in at the top spot, but our sources say there's "no way" it's going to be managing editor Bryan Buss — publisher LPI Media wants someone younger.
The official press release is expected to come out today, but unfortunately we don't have on official staff email to publish just yet. They didn't release one, fearing websites like us would, uh, publish it.
Editorial Director
