Trouble at Big Momma's House?
Is there anyone out there who hasn't been approached to work at Seventeen? We're hearing from a number of sources that Atoosa Rubenstein may have more friends on MySpace than she does in the workplace. One former staffer named the names:
Like clockwork, her entire senior staff has enough and leaves. (Or should I say they follow the rhythm method, given Atoosa's right-wing tendencies on certain social issues.) The latest to go: executive editor Leslie Hailbrunn, health editor Tula Karras, and style director Beau Quillian. Dep Ed Sarah Eisen Nanus did not return from her maternity leave earlier this year. That's quite a hit, but not unusual for the 'Toos. Most notable of the new escapees is Hailbrunn. Atoosa, unable to keep a number-two from the world out there, had to campaign to break Hearst rules to poach her from former stomping ground CosmoGirl.
From the chatter we've been privy to, the 'Toos has even depleted the extraordinarily deep pool of freelancers—who she's been relying on to run the show for years—willing to put up with pink office supplies and watch her twirl her hair over her media-friendly lunches of battered shrimp and french fries. Anyone else out there been tapped? We'd love to hear your story.
Earlier: Atoosa Rubenstein's Online Diary Reveals Her Latest Crushes, Thoughts on Mean Teachers