Blog Magazine

Your Brain on Drugs

Today a New York Times article questions whether Wired’s May cover story called “12 Ways to Super-Charge Your Brain” misleads readers with its sidebar, “Do the Right Drugs,” which lists both legal and illegal drugs that are known to “boost cognitive output.” Other tips in the cover package for getting smarter include "think positive" and "eat fish."

Just Say No to Sex and the City?

While the Sex and the City movie opening is still 2 weeks away, Time Out New York magazine has already put the brakes on the increasing hype with a boycott featured on  its upcoming cover. Read about this love-hate relationship here.

America’s Next Top Role Model?

Last night the first “full-figured” model, Whitney Thompson, won the 10^th cycle of America’s Next Top Model. As the winner, Thompson will have a fashion spread in an upcoming issue of Seventeen. Of the honor of being the first "plus-size" winner, the size 8-10 Thompson said in the New York Post, “This is what people should look like.”

Editor Shuffle

Finally it is confirmed. Nina Garcia, former Elle fashion editor, will take over as fashion director for Marie Claire in September. However, the fate of Project Runway, in which Garcia is a judge and Elle is a sponsor, remains undetermined and the rumors that it is moving from Elle to Marie Claire for the sixth season are unsubstantiated.

In other magazine editor news, American Media, Inc., publisher of The Enquirer and Star Magazine, announced yesterday that editor Bonnie Fuller is resigning as executive vice president and chief editorial director. In her five-year tenure Fuller was responsible for transitioning Star from a tabloid into a glossy celebrity title. She also redesigned other American Media publications.

When Readers Become the Writers

Although not the first magazine to do it, editors at Budget Travel took on the task of allowing readers to be contributing writers for nearly 100 percent of its June issue—including photography. According to editor Erik Torkells 324 readers contributed to the issue and were paid standard fees. Though the editorial decision was a tip of the hat to the consumer word-of-mouth trend in the travel industry, the endeavor was not easy.  Torkells noted “Editing non-professional writers is never easy, especially when you’re asking them to write long.”

Here Come the Bridal Magazine Changes

Two top Conde Nast bridal magazines, Elegant Bride and Modern Bride are introducing cover and editorial changes respectively. Elegant Bride, a quarterly, will feature a more sophisticated cover redesign with its summer issue while Modern Bride will introduce sex as an editorial regular editorial with its June/July issue. Modern Bride is also launching a consumer campaign called “I Am a Modern Bride,” in June, which will feature ethnically diverse celebrity brides like Lisa Ling and Daisy Fuentes.                                                                                     

Here's Jimmy!

Today NBC confirmed to Variety magazine Jimmy Fallon will fill Conan O’Brien’s seat on “Late Night.” According to the Variety article NBC picked Fallon because of his established likability. As for when Leno exits and O’Brien and Fallon make the shift, the network is still working on a firm date.

In a Word: Mom

CNN has this great piece on the one word people use to describe Mom. InStyle magazine has everything Hollywood Moms. And you’ve got time for a great last minute gift.

George Bush the Movie

Check out Entertainment Weekly’s first look at Oliver Stone’s latest controversial effort, W the movie, which begins filming in about two weeks and could be released this year…during the presidential election.

Media ethics, seriously

As the five year anniversary of the culmination of the Jayson Blair/New York Times scandal approaches, The Wall Street Journal’s Marketwatch columnist Jon Friedman rounded up some editors and media experts like Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism and Greg Mitchell, editor of Editor & Publisher magazine, to reflect on media ethics since. There’s also an interview with former New York Times executive editor Howell Raines in Editor & Publisher. Raines talks about life and work after the scandal and how he has few regrets.