From: Gupte, Pranay
To: New York Sun Editor
Sent: Tuesday, June 13 2006
Subject: Potential profile?

A "reader" writes:

From Napster to YouTube, Valley history proves: Theft is a business plan! And these three hot picks are headed to the top of the Theft Economy.

Tango — the magazine for desperate ladies obsessed with love — has taken their ass and pony show online, and they're looking for a new web editor. In their job listing, they write the following:

Because we are all victim to the whims of our masters, Mediabistro's bookish blog Galleycat has given publisher Laurel Touby access to their Movable Type. At first, it seems that she's writing an honest defense of Kaavya Viswanathan: "I, too, suffer from a form of selective memory." Right — she runs a networking company, but never remembers people's names. But then we continued reading and realized that we were actually dealing with Laurel's special brand of humor:

Sometimes Correspondent: 'Elle' Magazine [FBNY]
Earlier:
Laurel's World: On TV With Dave Zinczenko
Laurel's World: On TV With Janice Min

His Fox News colleague Juan Williams, meantime, remains in negotiations to become Bush's black press secretary.

• Random and completely unconfirmed, but we hear Ron Burkle is hosting a "celebratory" dinner for Bill and Hillary Clinton on April 21. Richard Johnson will be flown out to the event for free, we're sure.
• Apropos the current Page Six scandal, Nerve seeks sex advice from gossip columnists. What we learn: If Jared Paul Stern asks for hush sex instead of hush money, you shouldn't do it. [Nerve]
• At mediabistro's bootcamp for Men's Magazine Writing, freelancers will find themselves well-equipped to pitch and write for a soon-to-fold publication. [mb]
• Barney's high and mighty window man Simon Doonan defiles the art world by ripping off Jack Pierson for the past 20 years — before he even knew he Pierson was, in fact. He's that evil. [NYO]
• Not only does the Post have an honest to god formula for measuring the hotness of one's own ass, but they even got Sir Mix-a-Lot to comment. [NYP]
• Dare we say it? Frank Bruni, we can see you gushing. [Diner's Journal]
• Great news, everyone: "Actor" Frankie Muniz has given up his life as a thespian in order to pursue his dream of being a full-time race car driver. A Pesach miracle! [Defamer]

• Joyce Purnick, the longtime Metro Matters columnist for the Times and the wife of former executive editor Max Frankel, will publish her last column Monday. No word on what comes next.

So many job changes have been crossing our desktop lately:

As it turns out, the chemistry isn't so much there. We're guessing that's mostly DZ's fault; he comes off as too sane for Touby when he eschews his "fit is the new rich" greatest hits. The highlights we're left with, then, is Laurel's tough questioning. "What's your title and what do you do at Men's Health?" "How many readers are reading Men's Health all over the country?" "Do you actually sit down with copy at a certain point of the day or night and read through every signle article that goes into Men's Health?"

From the Lens column in today's Metro section:

And we'd thought Laurel stopped using the site for her personal needs once she snagged Jon Fine.

Post-Frey, book publishers aren't taking any chances.

"Connecting media people to new opportunities — and to each other." For a fee.

Actually, it's less horrible than we were led to believe it would be. It's awkward, sure, and uncomfortable, and weirdly fawning and banal, but we'd have expected all that. We don't quite see what made it, as we're told it was, both the start and the end of Laurel's Channel 25 career. Public access is fickle mistresss.

We do not know how soul-deadening it must be to work for a media company based in suburban Connecticut. Nor do we know how frustrating it must be to work for a trade pub covering a beat — magazines — that is comprehensively and aggressively covered by a phalanx of widely read daily reporters. But we can develop a strong hunch with today's news that Folio: senior editor Dylan Stableford has chosen to leave his Connecticut-based trade mag and instead join the huddled masses at Mediabistro. He'll be managing editor/media news for the job-listings service, in which capacity he'll be "covering all media as well as events and features — in addition to a ton of other stuff."

Spotted outside of Ford Field: Mediabisto.com founder and closet Steelers fan Laurel Touby.

Today is a momentous day in the history of medialand: It's our first day without founding 'Bowler and rabid Canadian Rachel Sklar manning Mediabistro's FishbowlNY. We naturally wish all the best to Rachel — undoubtedly the kindest person you'll ever meet at some blogger party at 2 in the morning — but we also must use this opportunity to take care of some business. That's right, folks, it's time to update the Greg Lindsay Career Trajectory. As it now stands:

• FishbowlNY blogger Rachel Sklar gives notice, as Mediabistro's dark goddess Laurel Touby has finally killed her happy disposition. Sklar lasted 10 months, which is a testament to her sheer strength and boa-blocking abilities. We'd say she'll be dearly missed, but it's not like she's dead or anything. In fact, she's alive more now than ever. Go free, young Sklar! [Media Mob]
• It's a lengthy, socialite-heavy blind item, but it's awfully intriguing. We're dying to know which Muffies and Sukies are involved! [NYSD]
• The Pink Elephant is back, but it's downgrading considerably to the likes of Crobar. For shame. [Jossip]
• 2006 should bring some fancy new hotels to NYC — assuming, you know, the damn things ever open. [New Yorkology]
• Musings on the separation of church and indie. [Pitchfork]
• New York City Restaurant Week starts today — enjoy it, as it's the one time it's almost OK to be fat in Manhattan. [NYCVisit]