A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via milkeninstitute)

In: John Micklethwait. Mag hags, rejoice! The new editor of The Economist presently has the difficult task of chronicling this new globalized, digital age for the Masters of the Universe that periodically look to said publication for enlightenment. Also, we cannot fail to note, those wonderfully snarky photo captions which hardly ever get mention that lighten the general mood of international gravitas that hangs about The Economist's pages. According to the Old Gray Lady:

"The Economist magazine, the urbane British weekly that has been expanding its readership in America, today named its United States editor as its new editor in chief.

"The editor, John Micklethwait, 43, who is British, has been the magazine's New York bureau chief, set up its office in Los Angeles and now runs the United States desk from London.
The naming of Mr. Micklethwait is an indication of where The Economist expects to find its future growth. The magazine, founded in London in 1843 by a Scottish hat maker to promote free trade, has a worldwide circulation of more than 1 million, with more than half (569,000) in North America. It now sells more than three times as many copies in America as it sells in Britain.

"'Covering America well is an absolute priority for the magazine, not just on the political side but on the business side,' Mr. Micklethwait said in a brief telephone interview from London after his selection.

"... 'Our readership is somewhat bi-coastal but we see a huge opportunity in the heartland, where just as many people's lives are touched by globalization," he said, calling the magazine "the user's handbook for globalization.'

"... Mr. Micklethwait attributed much of the magazine's growth in America to an increased interest in world affairs after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He said he was proud of the magazine's coverage of the war in Iraq, 'but September 11th probably made a bigger difference and made Americans more interested in the rest of the world.'"

To be sure.



Charmed, I'm sure. (image via corante)

Out: Larry the Cable Guy. There are do-or-die moments in everyone's life. Kierkegaard called these existential platform: "Either/Or"; "The Karate Kid" anthemized such critical junctures as "The Moment of Truth." The United States of America is at such a crossroads in its evolution as a nation. This weekend, Americans will have a choice of picking Spike Lee's well-reviewed "Inside Man," starring the ferociously intelligent actors Jodie Foster and Denzel Washington, or -- and this is the pisser, people -- go with a low grade cinematic piece-of-ass called: "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector." (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detachment). John Monaghan of the Detroit Free Press sums up the latter choice precisely:

"Truth be told, I was unfamiliar with the comic styling of Larry the Cable Guy until I saw the movie bearing his name. It only took the opening shot, a close-up of Larry's butt crack peering over husky jeans, to get me up to speed.

"The rest of 'Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector' pretty much follows suit, casting the redneck comedian with the sleeveless flannel shirts in a series of crude jokes involving poop, pee and vomit. Note that there is not a single belch in the movie, unless you count all of Larry's dialogue.

".. Even Kid Rock looks embarrassed."

And it takes, we all know, quite a bit to embarrass Kid Rock. (Averted Gaze) We hope America goes with Spike, and eschews this intellectually bankrupt Lowest Common Denominator horseshit.



(image via nytimes)

In: Bill Carter. The Corsair loves Bill Carter's reporting for the Old Gray Lady on the doings in the cut-throat television business. (The Corsair sparks a Cohiba Robusto) We have been a Carter fan since the spectacular "Late Shift," which documented -- among other things -- the insidious Jay Leno spying on a NBC executive staff meeting while hiding in a fucking broom closet. (Exaggerated cough suggesting feigned detahment) Carter's game is tight; he has new offerings. From Variety:

"A new book about the TV biz doesn't hit shelves for another month, but advance copies are already raising eyebrows.

"'Desperate Networks,' by New York Times TV reporter Bill Carter, is ostensibly a year-in-the-life tome focused on the backstories surrounding the hits and failures of the 2004-05 season.

"... Among the tidbits:

"... Leslie Moonves was 'absolutely livid' when it seemed Sumner Redstone was going to make Tom Freston sole head of Viacom. According to Carter, Freston suggested a co-presidency to keep Moonves from bolting."

(A considerable pause) Oh no he didn't. So very much more here.



(image via sjvls)

Out: Oil Corruption. What is it about oil that corrupts -- not lubricates -- the Machinery of State? Everything about oil speaks to the forces of corruption. Was it the same with Tulips during the Ottoman Empre when they empowered the engines of Man's ambitions? What about Spices in the Middle Ages? According to the perfect Dickensian villain, Robert Novak:

"While officials privately debate whether communitarian violence in Iraq constitutes a low-grade civil war, there is no disagreement about the oil crisis there, which has little to do with the insurgency. Gasoline and home heating fuel are scarce and expensive, thanks to runaway corruption. This problem's difficulty and importance will test the new Iraqi government once it is organized.

"Industry sources privately cite corruption as the reason for recent decisions by Turkey and Saudi Arabia to halt gasoline exports to Iraq for nonpayment of bills. That exacerbates a worsening situation where Iraq, one of the world's great petroleum producers, has to truck in gasoline from Kuwait.

"While the formal line in Washington and Baghdad blames insurgents for the oil crisis, U.S. officials who are close to the situation gave me a totally different explanation. They blame corruption at every level, from the oil ministry on down, that is common to Iraq. It cannot be controlled by the Americans but is the responsibility of the long-delayed Iraqi government.

"Thus, oil is a microcosm of the overall conundrum in Iraq, where there are no good options for the Bush administration in dealing with a culture where honesty and efficiency historically have been rare."

Swell. More here.



Paul Haggis, nemesis of David Cronenberg. Pass it on. (image via asascreenwriters)

In: The Black Donnelys Blog. The thought of the writers of a television show blogging online and "flowing" with fans seems like a no-brainer. Both the writer and the fan have an investment in the series and the characters. Theirs is a relationship of reciprocal maintenance. In fact, come to think of it, we cannot imagine why it has taken this long for the idea of tv writers blogs to gestate and matastacize -- at the very least with regards to marginally rated cult tv shows.

Last place network NBC -- desperation, dear reader, often fuels innovation -- is toying with the idea with writes blogs and their new series, The Black Donnelys. According to Realityworld:

"NBC Monday announced it had given early orders for (a new drama) ... from the makers of 'Crash.'

"... The 'Crash' Oscar-winning team of Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco are behind the other drama, 'The Black Donnellys.'

"The series tells the story of four Irish-American brothers in New York."

From Paidcontent:

"NBC's desperate to get out of the last place among networks, and its pitch for the Fall TV season is beginning to impress the media buyers: Particularly noteworthy, media buyers say, are NBC's plans to give new shows a presence on new-media venues of increasing interest to advertisers: the Web, mobile and other digital devices. Madison Avenue deemed promising several NBC dramas planned for the fall, including 'The Black Donnellys,' about four brothers involved in organized crime....Highlighting NBC's digital focus, the new drama will have mini episodes available exclusively online and on mobiles, and the show's writers will have a blog."

We are duly intrigued.



The Queen of All Media. (image via nytix)

Out: Robin Quivers. How does Robin Quivers do, in her own television venture, wholly without Howard Stern, the Abbott to her Costello? We were anxiously awaiting the arrival of The Robin Quivers Show. And awaiting. And awaiting. Then, suddenly, on yesterday's Howard Stern Show on Sirius it was revealed that we'll have to keep on waiting. From Marksfriggin, "A phone caller asked Howard what's up with Robin's TV show. Robin said that the show has stalled and there's nothing going on with it right now so it's on hold."

How does an unproven variable like Patricia Heaton inch towards a daytime talk show as Robin Ophelia Quivers, tried-and-true, is edged out? And, does this have anything to do with the fact that Robin has a smaller audience and reach now on satellite? Still, we want to see this show happen.