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February 19, 2005
Viva Las Vegas
This blog is on hiatus until Tuesday.
Mi chavo, I truly wish you were here.
!Viva Las Vegas!
!Viva Macy's!
!Viva Mom-made breakfast!
Posted by cj at 12:10 PM | Comments (1)
February 17, 2005
PBS Struggling Amidst Conservative Criticism
John Tierney and Jacques Steinberg write in the NYT about PBS struggling. The president of PBS, Pat Mitchell, plans to step down this year. PBS is begging for money from tight wad conservatives in Congress who erroneously think its a bastion of liberal programming. Cable networks compete with PBS on the programming front and corporations are spending less on "image advertising." So PBS is being squeezed by all sides.
Posted by cj at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2005
I Heart Epicurious
Mi chavo and I recently became obsessed with Epicurious. Ironic that I've known about it since 2000 but never used it until this Valentine's Day.
Two suggestions:
Guatemalan Recipes
Sweet Potato Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce
Posted by cj at 12:17 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2005
Gazing at the Blogosphere's Navel
I thoroughly enjoy reading Daniel Drezner, a poli sci prof.
He wrote "Confessions of a Scholar-Blogger" for the University of Chicago alumni magazine.
He co-authored, with Henry Farrell, "The Power and Politics of Blogs," a powerful statement about the political influence of blogs. It was excerpted in Foreign Affairs magazine. (Link is to a pdf file.)
I'd excerpt from the latter piece, but it's almost five and my brain is already on the train going home.
Posted by cj at 04:53 PM | Comments (0)
February 14, 2005
Bloggers Rule!
Blind Boy Grunt pointed me to The Rambling Gleaner's article, "Bloggers from hell -- or heavensent?" by Charlie Madigan
It's the same old love song to blogging....told anew.
I hadn't heard about the CNN exec who quit after his comments about journalist killings in Iraq were "misinterpreted." And frankly, I don't have the energy to finish reading the article.
Posted by cj at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)
Call the FCC Today
The most amusing bit of this NYT article about how at least 31 people complained to the F.C.C. about this year's Super Bowl is that 2 of those people called to say Sir Paul McCartney bored them. So next time you see some shitty teevee, call the FCC! Tell them you demand better programming! More love, less violence!
Posted by cj at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)
The Sky Is Falling on Online Dating
First, Happy Valentine's Day!!! Or, as a coworker put it, Happy Singles Appreciation Day!
In the spirit of the season, Blind Boy Grunt pointed me to an article by Shia Kapos in the Trib about the death of online dating...or maybe just its plateau of growth. The truth is, online ads are projected to pull in more money over the long term than offline services. And their competition also comes from Craigslist - which offers personals for free (for everything from serious dating to one night stands).
For those in the cheap seats (or maybe just new to my blog), actforlove.org is *the* place to meet your soulmate. You can also access their database via The Onion and Salon Personals. Just ask mi chavo for proof that cupid resides with the progressives behind the aforementioned service...and if you are anywhere left of center politically, do yourself a favor and stay far, far away from jdate.
Posted by cj at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2005
Where's My Free Swag?
NY-based websites are getting premiere tickets to fashion week and free samples from beauty companies - in an effort to woo their editorial content. Basically, they're being taken as seriously as print publications and teevee shows.
So the question is - where's my swag?
"Web stylistas scoop up the news," by Jackie Cooperman, International Herald Tribune
Posted by cj at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)
Salon CEO and Editor-in-Chief Resigning
David Carr at the NYT reports that David Talbot, founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief, of Salon is resigning. He'll be replaced by deputies and will remain chairman of the company while working on a book about Robert Kennedy.
It's an interesting article that also details some of the history of Salon and how it's celebrating its first profitable quarter ever.
Posted by cj at 12:31 PM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2005
I wanna work there
I'm not sure how long you'll be able to read the deets of the NY Observer's article on the new Hearst building in NY. It sounds ab fab.
Xanadu in NY: Hearst's Tower Vying With Si's by Gabriel Sherman
Cattiest quote of the article:
Lunchtime rivalries aside, Ms. Black dismissed the notion that Hearst's state-of-the-art, spare-no-detail building even competes with Conde Nast's state-of-the-art, spare-no-detail headquarters.Take that, publishers of Vogue and Vanity Fair!Where Hearst commissioned the developer Tishman Speyer Properties to custom-build its tower from the ground up, Condé Nast signed a lease on 4 Times Square after the Durst Organization had already set the design by the architects Fox and Fowle, and the top 25 floors are leased by Skadden Arps.
"I think [the Hearst building] is completely different. Here we are with 46 stories overlooking Central Park, in a signature building that Hearst owns. This is not a developer building, that's a very important thing. We're not renters, we're not tenants. This is a Hearst-owned building. It's only Hearst inside this building. So, it's a different kind of statement," she said.
(In case you're not a publishing geek, Conde Nast is Hearst's biggest corporate rival.)
Posted by cj at 02:55 PM | Comments (0)
February 04, 2005
Rest in Peace, Ossie Davis
Ossie Davis - actor, activist, writer, director - died today at age 87. He was found in his hotel room when he didn't arrive on the set of "Retirement," a film he was working on.
More deets from Joal Ryan of E! Online.
Posted by cj at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)
Conde's Big Push For Print Ad Dollars
According to Stuart Elliott at the NYT, Conde Nast is spending $400 million to convince advertisers that their magazines are a good place for product placement. I've never understood why print is being squeezed in the ad budget battles. Stop wasting money on teevee ads! All the kewl kids have TiVo anyway. They still need to read their Vanity Fair (and their Cosmo and their Good Housekeeping...).
I used to think Big Corporations were evil. That was, until my paycheck came from one of the biggest media conglomerates. Seriously folks, don't you feel more connected to mags than you do to the latest reality show on teevee? I know I do.
Only problem I see with the Nast's plan is this quote:
"When the Internet had its first explosion, everyone talked about 'the demise of print,' " Mr. Beckman [the president of the Condé Nast Media Group] said, "but video didn't kill the radio star."See, but it did. Video didn't kill radio, but it did kill the ability for un-telegenetic singers (aka ugly folks with tons of ability) to become big pop stars. When was the last time a Bob Dylan type became successful? If you said when Dylan hit it big, you are correct sir.
Posted by cj at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)