median

Ernie Anastos: The Michael Vick Of Poultry

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:14:52 -0400

It's been a while, and we've missed an awful lot of publications going into stoppage time, but we were waiting for something really, truly worthwhile to post about. While Arnold Diaz has the distinction of being New York's weirdest newscaster, thanks mostly to his "Shame Shame Shame!" intro, Ernie Anastos has made a bid to take the throne. Mere hours ago, he advised a coworker—meteorologist Nick Gregory to, and we're quoting here, "Keep ****ing that chicken." It's become so popular in the intervening time, and Wikipedia's introductory paragraph already says that he's "best known for his off-color remark 'Keep ****that chicken,'" and the incident already has its own section on the page. Also, a Google search for Ernie Anastos will yield that page and, in second place, a story about this little gem of a slip. It's this reporter's considered opinion, however, that the gaffe itself isn't the troubling thing, it's that, with full knowledge of what Gregory has apparently been doing, Anastos not only sanctioned but insisted him to keep on doing it. Hopefully, Anastos will escape Michael Vick's fate and not be... dogged by this for the rest of his life.

Tags: arnold diaz, beastiality, chicken, ernie anastos, fox news, gaffe, gawker, intercourse, keep, michael vick, nick gregory, poultry, sex, shame shame shame, that, wikipedia

No Vacancies In The Print Media Cemetery

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:33:09 -0400

It was fun when magazines were folding two every week or so, but when they started dropping like English peasants with the sweating sickness, it stopped being any fun to report. This, however, is too wonderful to ignore: Blender Magazine—the low-brow, musical Maxim—will publish its last issue in April. While Rolling Stone can simply reduce the size of its print issues and continue to cash in on a once-brilliant publication's reputation, it's 'roided up step-cousin has no such laurels. No word on whether Blender's twelve subscribed readers will receive refunds.

Tags: blender, death of print, goodbye media, maxim, rolling stone

Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 03:52:26 -0500

Conan O'Brien's last show as host of Late Night aired tonight, marking his last commute to work in Manhattan, as well as the loss of one of New York's tallest skyscrapers. The always well-coifed redhead is, as we said below, off to Los Angeles to take over the Tonight Show, putting him into direct competition with New York's reigning king of late night, David Letterman. In the final week, Mayor Bloomberg presented O'Brien with a key, only to reveal that it was, in fact, not a key to the city, but a key to the mens' bathroom at Port Authority. Honestly, we think he got the better deal. We'll miss you, Conan.

Tags: 30 rock, conan, david letterman, jay leno, jimmy fallon, last show, late night, live television, mayor bloomberg, mr t, nbc, rockefeller plaza, taping, tonight show

Late Night Turnover

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:04:38 -0500

Tomorrow's episode of Late Night With Conan O'Brien will mark the lanky Irishman's last show before he takes over hosting duties for The Tonight Show. The end of Late Night's sixteen-year run with O'Brien will also mark his departure from New York City; the Harvard alum and former Simpsons writer is expatriating to Los Angeles where NBC has built him a brand-new studio. On Monday, Conan took an axe to the familiar archway in studio 6A at Rockefeller Plaza, giving—literally—an audience member a piece of the show itself. Less haphazardly mementos are being auctioned off for charity on eBay, with all proceeds benefiting the House To Home Project. O'Brien, of course, leaves a vacancy in the chair he inherited from David Letterman nearly two decades ago, which will be filled by Saturday Night Live alum Jimmy Fallon beginning in March. Not much is known about the format or style of Fallon's iteration of Late Night, save for the rather big news that hiphop legends The Roots have signed on as his house band. Max Weinberg And The Weinberg Seven, it's assumed, will follow Conan out to California, although one has to wonder whether The Boss is okay with his drummer moving that far away from his New Jersey base. Information on tickets for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon can be found here.

Tags: 30 rock, conan, jay leno, jimmy fallon, late night, nbc, obrien, rockefeller plaza, studio 6a, television, tonight show

Captain "Sully" Sullenberger & The Crew Of Flight 1549 on the Late Show tonight

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:48:05 -0500

No stop on any promotional circuit is complete without visition The Late Show With David Letterman, and the flight of US Airways flight 1549—which landed rather uneventfully in the calm, cold waters of the Hudson River last month—or at least the PR department of the airline, knew as much. Appearing on tonight's episode of The Late Show, Captain Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles talked almost dismissively of the incident, which was heartening; although the two owned up to being shaken after the initial shock of the crash wore off, they maintained a high level of equanimity about the whole affair, writing it off as a massive confluence of preparation and good fortune. That same even tone fliers are accustomed to hearing over their plane's intercom pervaded the interviews with both airmen, as well as the three flight attendants who comprised the second half of the show's interview section, in which—usually, at least—two celebrities will hawk their latest film, book, or public event. And while the reassuringly even-tempered "Sully" might have made for bad television, his first officer, Skiles, brought much-needed levity to the show. Captain Sullenberger said of Skiles that he had remarked soon after the crash and initial media blitz that "I just want my old life back," which spoke to the two pilots' overall sense that they were just doing their jobs, albeit in spectacular and inimitable fashion.

Skiles came out as the star of the interview, throwing out razor-sharp responses to questions that had even Letterman laughing. When asked if he was tired of the attention and the story, he claimed he was "beyond tired" of telling the story. And despite Sullenberger's calm demeanor, Skiles not only had him laughing along with Letterman but also served as a catalyst for a more relaxed and comedic interview from the captain. Skiles also talked about his job during the emergency, trying to restart the failed engines of the Airbus 320 and was the only one of the two pilots who had ever experienced a failed engine before, although he admitted that he was used to experiencing them failing one at a time. Halfway through the segment, Letterman asked Sully if he thought he could do it again, jokingly offering to pay for the fuel if Sullenberger wanted to give it another shot.

The second segment included Sullenberger and Skiles but featured, prominently, the three flight attendants that were on hand during the troubled light. The Late Show's team showed immense foresight in the seating arrangements of the three, since the funniest of them was seating in prime position next to Dave for the segment. All of the flight attendants have over 25 years of experience flying professionally, and the two seated furthest away had little to tell of the eventful ten-minute flight, except for the appearance of a passenger in his underwear shortly after the water landing, who had prepped himself to swim to shore unneccessarily. The other stewardess, however, had to contend with the passengers in the rear of the plane, among whom was the passenger who initially opened the rear door of the plane, which had to be shut again against the rush of water from the river. She started off talking about the days when passengers in the smoking section of the plane—always at the rear—could be relied upon to be the most boisterous and amiable people on the entire plane, saying that it was no different on flight 1549 that day, and that her passengers, while nervous, conducted themselves beautifully along with the rest of the passengers.

Both segments with the pilots and the flight attendants were greeted with standing ovations from the crowd—as NYC.com witnessed first-hand from the balcony of the historic Ed Sullivan Theater—and rightly so; in a time of great financial turmoil and upheaval, these airborne ferrymen have proven that miracles can happen and that pilots are, without exception, the true, reliable stewards of the sky, and that there's nothing at all to worry about.

Tags: flight 1549, late show, letterman, skiles, sullenberger

New York Comic Con 2009

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:59:38 -0500

The Javits Center, with its onyx plate-glass facade and the air of an evil Fortress Of Solitude, is the perfect place for a villian to lure unsuspecting superheroes. The trick works better with bait, obviously, so the Jedis and Wonderwomen were reeled in with the promise of untold amounts of comic books, exclusive previews of upcoming video game releases, and a packed schedule of star-studded panels, screenings, and signings. Like moths to the proverbial flame.

As if the cachet of New York's largest comic book convention wasn't enough, local heroes Midtown Comics were the big-name sponsors of the event, and their megalithic stature in the retail comic realm put a definitive and authoritative stamp on the entire event. Other retails were there in full force, as well, with tables upon tables of rare and pedestrian issues stretching out over much of the convention center's main exhibitor hall. Collectible artwork, variant covers, maquettes, action figures, author and artist signature editions, and, yes, even a full-blown Stormtrooper outfit from the original Star Wars trilogy for the paltry sum of a thousand dollars. That's not to say that all of the offerings were obsession-level expensive or even without practical use: in the event of a zombie uprising, New York would be one of the worst places to be, and having a razor-sharp Klingon bat'leth or a Hattori Hanzo katana from Kill Bill would, ahem... cut down on your undead problem. Local shops like Kid Robot even made appearances, showing off their designer toys, as well as the likewise odd Ugly Dolls.

Not everyone was selling something, though; at least not outright. Rock Star Games presented a fully-decorated van to promote their upcoming Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS, while the new Red Faction Guerilla had a complete, hydrolic-powered game set up, along with the more staid and simplistic displays that were also set up for the new Tony Hawk game HawX, Tekken, and a host of others. Video game companies know their demographic, and the attendees at Comic Con are squarely in that group. There were plenty of comic-related video games, as well, including DC Universe Online, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Marvel's Ultimate Alliance 2. That's not so say that the more lo-fi games weren't represented; Wizards Of The Coast—masters of all table-top gaming, from Dungeons & Dragons to Magic: The Gathering and a handful of branded, high-profile properties—had a massive presence at the convention, with an impressive amount of square footage devoted to tables where people could trade or play their favorite decks.

Comic Con also provides movie studios and television networks a unique chance to grab the attention of a pretty easily-pegged demographic. Shows like Fringe, Life On Mars, and geek-lord Joss Whedon's Dollhouse have no trouble finding an audience for their panels, and so the stars of the show will attend en-masse—the entire cast of Fringe showed up, in fact—to electrify their already existing or potential fanbase. In fact, the convention is such a lightning rod of targeted advertising that infamous Japanese director Takashi Miike (director of films like Ichi The Killer and Full Metal Yakuza) chose to hold the world premiere of his live-action anime adaptation Yatterman during the convention, at the Directors Guild Theater. Even Pixar made an appearance, screening preview for its upcoming animated film UP alongside Touchstone's graphic novel adaptation Surrogates. TV's original Hulk (and, coincidentally, the voice of the hero in the recent Incredible Hulk movie), Lou Ferrigno, even appeared for a seemingly non-stop, three-day signing session.

Much like Star Trek conventions, comic book conventions have been much maligned in popular culture over the years, but with each year, the rising number of advertising dollars, increasing attendance, and mainstream acceptance of comic books and related media has lead to a swift legitimization of the formerly scoffed-at events. Even MTV's online new site had a presence at the convention, alongside the other, more specialized gaming and comic-related news outlets like Newsarama. It might seem like kids' stuff, these conventions, but the attention they attract and the buying power of the attendees is undeniably adult.

Of course, Sunday was the final day of the convention, and the Galeria of the Javits Center was turned into a kid-centric funhouse, with readings, specially targeted comic book and cartoon presentations, costume contest, drawing lessons, comic-writing workshops, and—best of all—"youngling training," where full-costumed Jedis and Sith sparred with excited, light saber-weilding kids. The best part about the convention, for kids and adults, is the people dressed in full regalia as Stormtroopers, characters from Dragonball Z or Tekken, manga characters, and so on. For kids, it really is like coming to a superhero enclave, and that's worth the relatively cheaper price of admission.

All told, there's really something for everyone at the New York Comic Con, from the young to the old to the businessman with a fond memory of his childhood heroes to the guy who needs an excuse to wear that Wookie outfit he bought on eBay. The cynical and the no-fun, though, need not apply.

Tags: anime, autograph, collectible, comic books, comic con, comics, convention, disney, dollhouse, fringe, galeria, hulk, ichi the killer, javits center, jedi, joss whedon, life on mars, manga, new york, pixar, preview, readings, replica, signing, sith, star wars, stormtroopers, takashi miike, touchstone, video games, wookies

Democracy Inaction

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:01:41 -0500

The framers of the Constitution gave the President power to select his own Cabinet, and now, in the wake of such a historic election, the New York Times has decided to give it all back to the people. Above, proof that the common man should never be allowed to select the President's Cabinet; after the colon: do it yourself politics.

Tags: batman for president in 2012, cheap journo tricks, election, harvey dent, jack bauer, jeb bartlett, leo mcgarry, new york times, obama, presidency, president, solid snake, the west wing

Huffington Post blogger makes drastic cuts

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:25:06 -0400

Police in Florida are claiming that election blogger Carol Burger, a frequent contributor to the SoHo bright-room Huffington Post, stabbed her ex-wife 222 times with a Phillips head screwdriver, dumped the body, and reported the woman missing before finally committing suicide on Friday. Lt. Gary Chapman, spokesman and head of the local police's major crimes squad, said that "the process of killing [Burger's ex-wife] was pretty lengthy... [Burger] obviously was out of her mind." The Huffington Post has not offered comment, nor any answer to the corelation between the blogger's actions and HuffPo's penchant for violently chopping up quotes to make inaccurate and incendiary headlines.

Tags: blog, blogger, blogging, election, Huffington Post, murder, the death of people in print during the death of print

Men's Vogue folds back into the fold

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:03:12 -0400

Not that it matters, but Men's Vogue is returning to the fatuous folds of its mother publication and scaling back to two issues a year. Given how infrequently men's fashion changes and how little Patrick Dempsey has left to say about being McDreamy, the loss of the extra eight issues probably won't effect anybody except the 40-or-so strong editorial staff, who's work will fall upon the staff of regular old Vogue. This is more likely than not a preamble to the magazine's complete demise, since the quality of an overworked editorial staff--who's priorities will sensibly lie with the master magazine--can't possibly help sales.

This news comes as part of print's reverse-bailout package, to which Conde Nast is now contributing 5% of its budget to the abyss. Portfolio staff were called into a meeting today, presumably with the doors thoroughly locked behind them and zip-lines for quick exits by the people in charge of the meeting, who will no doubt be delivering some sort of damning news to their staff, who will then attempt said bosses with dozens of "Obama '08" pins or, perhaps, Phillies penants. The worst news about Conde Nast's 5% cutbacks will undoubtedly be the number of over-qualified media hacks entering an already constricted job market.

Tags: Conde Nast, endtimes, marc berger, Mens Vogue, Patrick Dempsey, Portfolio, Si Newhouse, the death of print, Vogue

"It Was In The Stars" - Radar is Folded and Sold like an Old Navy sweater

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:36:47 -0400

After rumors of wall-to-wall layoffs, Radar has confirmed that they are folding and have let their staff go. While the print magazine will go softly into that goodnight, the publication's website has been bought by AMI, owner of several fine tabloids. In a press release issued today, AMI announced that they would be forming a company--appropriately called Radar Online--with the intention of making it an around-the-clock celebrity news destination. AMI and partner Integrity Multimedia Company discussed the new Radar Online's eventual in-house collection of staff writers, editors, photographers, and so on, but it remains to be seen how many of those employees currently working on Radar's online presence will be brought on-board the new venture.

Tags: ami, economy, imc, layoffs, radar, the death of print media