• The bed springs finally popped out of Tom Cruise's couch of crazy.
• Paris Hilton's Internet "experience" won her a fab new gig with YouTube.
• Jann Wenner believes in sharing; otherwise known as making celebrities go through the back Us Weekly door to get to Rolling Stone.
• Joanna Coles proves that she really was made for women's mags. And she has new BFF Maggie Gyllenhaal to prove it.
• Tactless Dennis Publishing picks really great times to give their employees bad news. Well, at least they can't blame that one on Chris Wilson.
• Wolf Blitzer is a moron, Michael Noer is a douche, and Tucker Carlson likes to be sparkly.
• Budget Travel doesn't think its appropriate to celebrate the fact that their entire staff is leaving for Travel + Leisure.
• No more Kitty Delicious at Life & Style.
• No more SHOP Etc. or Weekend at Hearst.
After today's news that Hearst is shuttering both Shop Etc. and Weekend, we feared for upstart Quick & Simple, which never moved into the new Hearst tower like the rest of its bretheren. And since neither Shop nor Weekend made the move either, we had to ponder: Is Quick & Simple's death certificate was just around the corner.
But that's not so, claim multiple insiders. The reason Q&S didn't move along with the other magazines is true to Hearst's public explanation: When the plans for the new tower was drawn up, the magazine didn't exist, so no room for it was made in the initial drafts. Meanwhile, our sources say Hearst is thus far pleased with editor Susan Toepfer's numbers — so much so that Cathie Black & Co. will make room for it among the Seventeens and Marie Claires on West 57th this fall. But, says one of our insiders, "if that doesn't happen, I'd take it as a sign that it's folding, but as of now, the move is still a go."
The pressure is on, Cath! Announce the move-in date – and the team captain – and ease staffer fears.
Update: Says one Hearst insider: There are no plans to move the magazine to the new Hearst tower, as allued to above. Rather, they'll be moved from their shanty digs to some, ahem, newly vacant space at 1790 Broadway.
Earlier: Closing Up SHOP for the Weekend Update: Hearst Never Made Room at the New Tower
Earlier: Breaking: Hearst Closes Up SHOP Just in Time for the Weekend
Related: All Hearst coverage
This is not exactly confirmed, but Jossip hears from a good source that Shop Etc. and Weekend staffers may not be wandering the halls, ready to accept your superficial hugs, air kisses, and faux words of consolation. (You know you're just thinking "more Christmas bonus for me!")
When it was time to make the big move to the new tower, it seems as though Shop and Weekend never received a team captain — or any moving instructions to pack up and relocate to the new tower.
The September Shop Etc. masthead still lists the old 1790 Broadway address, which begs the question: Were Shop and Weekend staffers never even welcomed to the new glass castle? And, connecting the dots, was the decision to kill 'em off made quite some time ago?
Update: A March 24 item from Women's Wear Daily's Memo Pad made mention of the fact that Shop Etc. and Weekend weren't a planned part of the move. A Hearst spokeswoman is quoted as saying: ""It's literally a function of space. … When we made plans for the tower in 2001, the new launches weren't even a glimmer in our eye. The units and the magazines that won't be in the tower will still be very close, and will have access to all the amenities." Meanwhile, a third new magazine that wasn't part of the move is Quick & Simple. We're just gonna say it: Could they be next on the chopping block?
What's a summer Friday without a few magazines folding. Today brings the news of Hearst's latest shutterings: SHOP, Etc. and Weekend magazines. SHOP was created to combat Conde Nast's Lucky, but with word that Lucky's associate publisher Agnes Chapski just left for Vanity Fair (also reported by WWD), we can see why the competition was tough.
Weekend was wildly whispered to be Hearst's answer to Budget Living, but with Conde's Domino and now Blueprint from Martha Stewart, the vacation home decorating zine wasn't meeting its goals.
Unfortunately, because the performance metrics we set for new magazines were not achieved, and because of the challenging economy, tough newsstand environment, and rising paper and postal costs, two magazines will be discontinued.
SHOP will close with the October issue and Weekend with September. Though you know Hearst knew this was going to happen in, like, May. You would think they could have just saved everyone some misery and closed three months ago. At least staffers could have gotten a summer off.
Hearst Shutters Shop, Etc. and Weekend [Irin Carmon]
• Ali Lohan signed up for Joe Simpson's A Lister class. She does need a new dad….[OANmedia]
• And we've been saving all month to send our new editor to learn blogging from Jessica Coen at the 92nd St. Y. [Gawker]
• 105 Time Inc. employees will have to cancel their Per Se reservations. [Ad Age]
• Yeah, we didn't really understand that whole "Colin Farrell man boobs" thing either. [Salon]
• Mischa Barton is terrified of Rachael Bilson's boobs. The Queerty guys are shuddering in agreement. [The Scoop]
• The new Hearst lifestyle mag, Weekend, staffs up for the launch. If you can sift through all the Time Inc. axings, that is. [Mediabistro]
Editorial Director
