· Is it really good news for neglected Radar subscribers? Or was editor Maer Roshan just referring to the borrowed Metrocard in his pocket when he told party-goers "I have money"? [Greg Lindsay]
· Where will Michael Wolff sit at the National Magazine Awards? With the Vanity Fair loser-table or with New York mag, his hostile old home? Perhaps he'll just loiter near the men's room? [Keith Kelly]
The plagiarist Jayson Blair is now banned from mention in Gawker; this will be his last appearance here. Today, Slate loudmouth Jack Shafer responds to Blair's complaints about Shafer's New York Times review of Blair's book, which is kind of fun and meta. But after this, Blair will no longer be mentioned here unless he kills some puppies — or, more likely, himself — or does something else actually newsworthy, instead of just endlessly cycling through the news for being a total manipulative schmuck.
Today's NYT Boldface Names column, free from its player-hating former writer Joyce Wadler, is far less virulent than it's been in recent months. But a couple of oddities: who actually believes that funkmaster George Clinton says "urinated" instead of "pissed on"? And also:
Tom Scocca, who sprang from the same crappy D.C. paper as such reporters as the NYT's David Carr and Slate's Jack Shafer (wait — did I just accidentally call Jack Shafer a "reporter"? Strike that!), has his first publication today as the Observer's newest media critic. Let's check in with Mr. Scocca and see how he's doing:
The National Debate, a site that writes fake corrections of NYT columnists, is back on the web, after a scuffle with the Times and their lawyers. The National Debate says it "also recognizes The Times lawyers are not known for having a well-developed sense of humor and can be susceptible to 'not getting the joke.' Therefore we hereby restate that this is not a legitimate New York Times web page."
Michael Petrelis, long-time professional muckraker, has compiled all the New York Times staff and publisher's political donations which he believes are in violation of the Times' code of conduct. If you care, he's published them in an open letter. They include:
The Jayson Blair freakshow has spun around so far I kind of feel sorry for him. Today on Black Table: yes, really, it's their very own Jayson Blair interview. Black Table says: "Why would we interview Jayson Blair at this point in the game, you ask? Well, cause we're nobodies. And that's how far this man has fallen that he actually thinks interviewing with us will sell books."
Rock and a Hard Place: Jayson Blair, Author & Pariah [Black Table]
Blind item: What boyish elevator-love-loving star allegedly hit on a male reporter from a glossy tabloid magazine's LA office at a party a couple weeks back?
· A sellout and a washout: music critic Neil Strauss leaves the NYT because he's making pornloads of cash elsewhere; associate publisher Kim Pinto bails on Seventeen after four months. [Greg Lindsay]
· The Kurt Andersen-relaunched Colors gets a leisurely handjob in the New York Post. Uh, slow news day? The mag finally hits the stands until May. [Keith Kelly]
· The NYT: is it the only media institution left that isn't run by the gays? [Eric Alterman]
· The New York Observer hires Tom Scocca as its 9,432nd media critic. That job's average time from hiring to departure: six weeks. The clock is ticking, Mr. Scocca — if that is your real name. [Dan Kennedy]
Daily News husband and wife gossip columnists Rush & Molloy are advertising for new party-going gossipettes. Ideal candidates should, apparently, be concerned with both cleverness and accuracy. Hey, I know! Why don't they just hire flagging fellow gossip Lloyd Grove?
Gossip Column Assistant [Mediabistro]
James Truman, editorial director of Conde Nast, announced the launch of a new home-focused shopping mag yesterday. He also hosted a brainstorming session in his office; that session considered new corporate names to replace the now-dated "Conde Nast." Many of these early submissions seem unwieldy, but so far the short list includes:
· A thousand columnists can hook this into a "state of Manhattan" piece: The real Mr. Big is leaving New York City for a farm in Vermont. [Keith Kelly]
· Shocking news: Jayson Blair was born "Jason Blair." [Joe Strupp]
· Will Kurt Andersen be a regular at New York mag? "I have a book to finish this summer, and I hope, sure, maybe after that." [Rachel Donadio]
The Jayson Blair Self-Renovation Tour 2004 has now officially worn out its welcome.
Tina Brown seems to be suggesting that we may be graced by some sort of Martha Stewart: Homemaking Under Duress magazine in the future... say, 4 to 6 years in the future. "She is so infinitely resourceful she will connect with the women in jail and emerge with a new, winning idea," says Tina, over on I Want Media.
Editor & Publisher has what they claim is the only credible and complete leaked Pulitzer Prize finalist list. If it's accurate, this is a really crappy showing for the New York Times, which only gets three nominations. Really sad, especially since they're getting trounced by the LA Times, which has nine finalists. That's a totally unacceptable West Coast asskicking.
The Complete Pulitzer Finalist List? [E&P]
In case you aren't watching TV, there's a Martha Stewart verdict comedy of errors downtown. Our TV-enabled friends write in:
· According to Keith Kelly, Sarah Crichton was said to be in the running for the NYT Book Review editor job. But evidently she'll be unavailable. Crichton has signed on to rush out a memoir by WTC architect Daniel Libeskind. Libeskind and his publisher would like that memoir on the stands by September 11th. Wow, that's not tacky at all.
