Books/Mags/Blogs

As we move toward increased censorship (seriously, people it was a breast, not a murder), it’s nice to know there’s still a place for down and dirty sex in books. The classic novel Naked Came The Stranger is being rereleased. If you don’t know (and if you don’t know, shame on you!), this book is not a classic because of its fine writing and tasteful scenes…quite the opposite. Plus it’s a fine literary joke (ah, to have more of those), mostly because it was funny where folks like Jayson Blair are just pathetic. Crass Act

PW also reports that the public appetite for behind-the-scenes of the White House news (and, for me, this is a non-partisan thing) is growing. We’re buying Bob Woodward’s Plan of Attack because it gives us insight into how our government works. Hey — I’m a self-confessed Ari Fleischer/Scott McLellan junkie, and I still want the truth. Expect even more revealing political tomes in the coming months. After all, elections are more than commercials.

Is it me or shouldn’t Spring be a time of renewal and worrying about squeezing into last year’s bathing suit? It seems that while the bees are buzzing and the flowers are making me sneeze, my reading material should reflect a certain, well, joy at being alive. Oops, that was the fantasy world slipping out. Salon has done a Spring reading roundup, and it’s chock full of books that make you want to go out and hug your fellow man. Okay, I’m being a little harsh here — the books sound fascinating. Maybe it’s just that I’m stuck in here

Normally, I limit my exposure to Star to furtive glances at the headlines while waiting breathlessly for my chance with the grocery store cashier. As we learned yesterday, there’s more to the mag than trash (which, you’ll recall, we decided was a bad thing). Turns out that old habits die hard. It’s the little things, like totally altering the color of someone’s dress to better communicate the story. Okay, sure, it’s no big deal — next thing you know, they’ll be digitally altering real news. Star magazine altered Demi Moore’s dress (Wall Street Journal via Arizona Central)

Self wants you. In a good way. Turns out that you too can write for this popular magazine. And the fine folks at MediaBistro have figured out how (all you have to do is read their handy dandy article and follow all the steps). How To Pitch:Self

Chances are, you don’t know who Nick Denton is. Nor are you au courant on Jason Calacanis. That’s okay — they don’t know who you are, either. But, hey, a public feud is a public feud, and who are we to say we’re too proud to watch from the sidelines? Heck, I’ll even spring for the popcorn. Denton and Calacanis are mini-BlogMoguls in the making (Denton of Gawker and Wonkette fame, Calacanis working his way into the big leagues, starting with engadget.com). They want you to make them richer. But first, they’re having this feud, which, because most of us

Pop star Thalia has decided, as pop stars often do, to launch her own magazine (because she didn’t learn her lesson from Rosie O’Donnell) — look for it on stands everywhere. The title, of course, is Thalia. Lot of market research went into that one. Like all magazines aimed at the young female today, it will cover (sigh) beauty, fashion, advice…the usual, plus celebrity interviews. Because you can’t get enough of those. In an attempt to break out of the already dull young chick mold, the mag will be geared toward young Latina girls., but I suspect you don’t have

I never thought I’d say this, but it turns out that The Star has gotten too classy for its britches. In this MediaBistro article, the author complains about the distinct lack of trash in her latest issue. I don’t know Bonnie Fuller’s plan for world domination, but can assure her of one thing: we like trash. Trash is good. We don’t need another classy magazine. Thank you.