Emily Gould was invited to write a first-person essay which appeared in the NY Times Magazine with a cool photo of Emily on its cover. No big deal to me, but it's caused a firestorm of criticism mostly aimed at the NYTimes itself for being, well, capitalist in trying to gain commenters for its new blog system.
But I think what's missing here are two things. First, is what I will call the struggle of mainstream media to have some influence and say in the blogsphere. Second, there's Emily's very revealing attack on Gawker. 
I just read her entire post -- it's long; perhaps 20,000 words or so -- and what I came away with was that, 1) she broke the heart of her now-ex boyfriend Henry who she made read like someone who's afraid of success and was good for nothing except growing out of, and 2) that she essentially jumped into a relationship with a guy -- Gawker blogger Josh Stein -- who she worked with who didn't really "get" her like Henry did, but was able to convince her to spread her legs on cue, 3), she totally hated the Gawker Culture (but not its people) but worked her way into it because she was slowly becoming like Julia Allison, who's attention seeking personality Gould claims to dislike, but only because it's really the completion of what Emily was becoming (and since they're friends, arguably has become - see photo), and 4) Emily needs a new Mac as the one she's using is really old. I think about five years old at least. 
Of course, getting wrapped up in all that totally causes one to miss the bird's eye view of things. In this case, from the air there are a lot of people really pissed off about what Jezebel blogger "Moe" -- who's a friend of Emily's -- called a "masterbatory" blog.
It was. Writing the line "Josh and I sat together on the couch, and I put my head on his shoulder in a completely friendly, professional way" made Moe and me LOL, because there's no fucking way that one could even think of such an action as either just friendly or professional. But I'm sure it gave Emily much quasi-sexual pleasure to write that. But what's not a feel-good moment is the reaction to Gould's work.
Rachel Skalar at the Huffington Post just plain unloads on Emily , taking her to the woodshed for being so, well, self-revealing. Rachel ties together every negative blog and article on Emily's "Exposed" Times work, and leaves no whipping lash unused. Rachel's point -- again -- is that there are more interesting topics than the musings of a self-absorbed blogger with boyfriend problems.
What I find totally facinating about all of the crying and whining about Emily's NYTimes blog is that people are complaining that people are reading about this; Let's face it, no one's forcing us to do so. Rachel read it -- so did thousands of others. People don't seem to get that they like to read about other people. We're voyeurs. Period. Bravo that the NY Times and NYTimes Mag Editor Gerry Marzorati recognizes that -- I guess. Of course, it could have been the happy accident of some editor there -- perhaps Gerry Marzorati -- who thinks Emily's hot. I was about to write we'll never know, but in this "new revealling media" society, I take that back. We'll find out at some point in time.
Do we care? Yes. The simple proof of this shows up in the numbers. Not just for Emily, but on a smaller scale for what -- for example -- I wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle. A revealing article on a defense mechanism I used to deal with subtle racism I call my "Iron Man" suit. In writing it I discovered I gave a voice to many people who felt like me. And let's face it, we like feedback and appreciation; it's a drug that has all of us under its spell.
So what?
I think we're seeing the seeds of why some people don't succeed in new media on a personal level. One does have to be comfortable with a certain degree -- a high level -- of self-revelation. Either by the person or someone else.
What's funny is that no one is free from this, and choosing not to blog is no escape -- just ask Henry. I'm sure somewhere, he's hating every word of Emily's article as he plays a major part in it, and just because of his former association with her.
Welcome to the 21st Century. Eventually, therapists will have to properly sooth clients who's lives were exposed by some wayward blogger working for or starting their own media company. It's more the norm than you think. 
And if that's scary to you, I'm glad to get your attention because this new, revealing world of masterbatory blogging also has a sibling called "masterbatory video-blogging" both draw eyeballs, but there's something baserly attractive about seeing a video of someone talking about themselves or doing something either completely stupid or sexy or interesting. Plus, we have videos of people being caught doing something completely stupid or sexy or interesting, and its those works that get the most attention -- and that leads to money.
The eyeball economy meets "Masterbating Emily" - film at 11, Emily in metallic bikini.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Emily Gould Attacks Gawker and "Henry" But Give Her A Break
SEX AND THE CITY LOOK A LIKE CONTEST in NY - WINNERS ON FRIDAY
Just in time to capitalize on the "Sex And The City" craze we have this "Sex In The City" look-alike contest. Here are the details of this event to take place in Port Washington, NY, on Long Island, NY:
SEX AND THE CITY LOOK A LIKE CONTEST
Winners to be announced at Long Island at Press Conference
One of the hottest TV shows in history to open, brings millions to box office
with Fab Four LOOK A LIKES
Port Washington, NY Town of North Hempstead officials and a local radio station will join with LOOK A LIKES of the popular of Sex and the City television program. The LOOK A LIKES that recently won a contest in which 4 local Long Island women were chosen from thousands of residents from the tri-state area. The LOOK A LIKES winners will be announced in a ceremony and a press conference on Friday May 30th, 2008 at 11:30am at Harbor Links club at 1 Fairway Drive off West Shore Road in Port Washington.
The 4 women that resemble Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda will be treated like royalty with free designer shoes, manicures, cosmos etc. The blockbuster opens the same day and is expected to be one of the most popular movie openings in recent history. These women have gotten instant fame and now because of the movie are becoming rockstars.
SEX AND THE CITY LOOK A LIKE CONTEST in NY - WINNERS ON FRIDAY
Just in time to capitalize on the "Sex And The City" craze we have this "Sex In The City" look-alike contest. Here are the details of this event to take place in Port Washington, NY, on Long Island, NY:
SEX AND THE CITY LOOK A LIKE CONTEST
Winners to be announced at Long Island at Press Conference
One of the hottest TV shows in history to open, brings millions to box office
with Fab Four LOOK A LIKES
Port Washington, NY Town of North Hempstead officials and a local radio station will join with LOOK A LIKES of the popular of Sex and the City television program. The LOOK A LIKES that recently won a contest in which 4 local Long Island women were chosen from thousands of residents from the tri-state area. The LOOK A LIKES winners will be announced in a ceremony and a press conference on Friday May 30th, 2008 at 11:30am at Harbor Links club at 1 Fairway Drive off West Shore Road in Port Washington.
The 4 women that resemble Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda will be treated like royalty with free designer shoes, manicures, cosmos etc. The blockbuster opens the same day and is expected to be one of the most popular movie openings in recent history. These women have gotten instant fame and now because of the movie are becoming rockstars.
Obama Rocks Minneapolis May 31st
Trocadero's at 107 3rd Ave N in Minneapolis
will be ROCKIN' on
Saturday night, May 31st starting at 7pm.
Proceeds will support the
Obama for America campaign.
If you can't be there,
please donate now through
Obama's secure server.
Tickets are $50/guest, $100/host, and $250 to be an event sponsor.
Tickets are still available online.
Hillary Clinton's Facial Expression Of Anger
Writing of "intensity" we have Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton really looking like she's letting loose on some person she was talking to. All I can write is "yikes" she needs to get her temper in check, lest be be matched with the tempermental Senator John McCain. Whatever, that's a really frightening photo, in all honesty.
Chelsea Clinton's Other-Worldly Eyes
In all of the talk and debate about Barack v. Hillary, it's easy to forget we're talking about people -- passionate people.
That passion comes through in Chelsea Clinton's intense yet happy stare as she talks to supporters at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008, during a campaign event for her mother, Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Scott McClellan Goes Nuclear On Bush White House
Scott McClellan Goes Nuclear On Bush White House
That headline says it all. Former White House Spokesperson Scott McCllellan released a new book called..
What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception
.. that blasts President George Bush, accuses him of creating the "lie" of the existence of Weapons Of Mass Destruction", operating the Adminstration in "campaign mode" with constant propaganda messages, and in the process throwing the Administrations' entire Iraq War and foreign policy rationale into damage control mode, while simutaneously harming Senators John McCain, and Hillary Clinton, and the mainstream media. Only Senator Barack Obama benefited from McClellan's PR Nuclear Bomb, as McCain's strength -- foreign policy -- was just turned into a weakness.
This story dominated the news offline and on. Here's what one Flickr member NAVROC Command wrote:
FORMER WHITE HOUSE Press Spokesman Scott McClellan blasts the Bush White House, the Vice President, the deception leading up to the Iraq War, the Valerie Plume debacle - - Well, the list goes on and on. It's all in his current book: What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception.
White House aides appear stunned by the scathing tone of the book. Press secretary Dana Perino's statement: "Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House. For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad - this is not the Scott we knew."
Perino says POTUS is not expected to comment: "He has more pressing matters than to spend time commenting on books by former staffers."
Click to Read: Washington Post: Scott McClellan
Click to Read: Wall Street Journal Extracts
Click to Watch: NBC Tim Russert
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan and President Bush announce that Mr. McClellan is resigning his position on the South Lawn Wednesday, April 19, 2006. "One of these days he and I are going to be rocking on chairs in Texas, talking about the good old days and his time as the Press Secretary," said the President. "And I can assure you I will feel the same way then that I feel now, that I can say to Scott, job well done."
May 2008 - White House photo by Eric Draper.
But the words don't stop there. On MSNBC's Hardball, CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, and other cable shows, members of the White House Press Corp found themselves attacking Scott McClellan and thus on the same side as the Bush Administration! Scott McClellan accused the press of not digging enough to ask hard questions about the Iraq War, and CNN's Jessica Yellen labeled her old employer ABC News as pressuring her to favor stories that backed the Bush Administration's view of the Iraq War and the Mid East. (Yellen did not name ABC, but said her "former employer')
As to how the general public is receiving the story, take a look at these Amazon.com comments on the book:
wake up call, May 28, 2008
By roland (Idaho) - See all my reviews
McClellan has finally come forward, as many other people from the Bush administration have over the past few years, to tell the truth about the most corrupt and deceiving administration in our history. While many people are waking up to reality, reflected in our presidents all time record low approval rating, this book advances the much overdue debunking of Bush and his evil lying crooks in his administration. Being the former spokesperson for this administration gives McClellan's book a special poignancy and undeniable puissance. As if we needed more convincing, this country is in need of change more than at anytime in our past. Its the facts in books like this that have brought me to change parties and to reject the disgusting mess the GOP has become. The republican party deserves all the losses they have been experiencing, and will surely deserve being defeated this November. Bush is a war criminal no doubt about it. The fear mongering and manipulation of us American citizens will not work this time around. McClellan deserves to be commended for his honesty and the timeliness of this books release.
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141 of 212 people found the following review helpful:
Finally....., May 28, 2008
By T. E. Zsolt "Tom From Toronto" (Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
Great read, concise and well written. Finally someone with credibility confirms what we all knew was true. Too bad our press couldn't have called this out when it was apparent, a lot could have been avoided.
TEZ
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130 of 200 people found the following review helpful:
A True Texan: McClellan Stands Up for the Truth, May 28, 2008
By Straight Shooter "Texan" (Texas) - See all my reviews
Takes a real Texan to stand up and tell the truth about this failed administration. McClellan even admits his faults but he tells the story like a historian not a political hack. The unfair attacks now coming at him so how pitiful this administration has become. Bush should stand up and apologize to America and to McClellan.
We'll have more on this bombshell story.
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