Most Things In Entertainment Weekly Are On The Web

This is an exercise in cynicism. I am going to show all of you -- on the heels of Premiere closing its doors -- why the very same thing could happen to Entertainment Weekly.

Granted -- we all like the feel of magazines, and you can read them in the nail place or sitting in the dentist's waiting room. You don't bring a laptop to any of those two places.

But this is Reaperland, folks, we're going to play Devil's advocate. We're going to go through the March 18th issue and point out the same stuff that can be found on the web, if it isn't old news already by the time you actually get the issue.

Is the new issue of Entertainment Weekly solely going to make you rush out to see a movie, buy a CD or read a book if you've read about it many times before? Like Premiere, is it a concept that peaked and heading towards obsolescence?

• BEHIND THE SCENES DRAMA AT "GREY'S ANATOMY" (page 7): All the anti-gay hysterics of actor Isaiah Washington rocketed through the web via the People.com and the Associated Press stories picked up online everywhere like this, then salary disputes, and bickering over Kate Walsh's proposed spin-off. By the time you receive the March 16th issue, this is all in the rear-view mirror and you'd have to be living under a rock with no Internet connection not to know about this.
• BRINGING BRITNEY BACK (page 10): Even Spin.com had this story of Timbaland wanting to help the buzzcut singer at least 10 days before this issue of EW.
• MONITOR (page 18 and 19): Celebs and dealmakers who were married, re-signed, exec shuffle, courts, fined, buried, and deaths. Old news and more old news, all over the web.
• INTERVIEW WITH ANDY RICHTER (page 21): Richter did a zillion interviews that can be found online to plug his show, so congrats to NBC's PR department.
• COVER STORY ON "UGLY BETTY" (page 28): Like any popular TV show, there are five million blogs that go over every piece of gossip and dissect each episode with a fine tooth comb.
• LILY ALLEN INTERVIEW (page 40): So she cusses up a storm and looks cute. The UK press has been mobbing her for quite a while, but if you just want to stick to US press, Pitchfork spoke to her in November 2006. What? Too early, you say? Rhapsody has an interview you can download!
• MOVIE REVIEWS (page 45): One visit to Rotten Tomatoes and you can read every review posted on the web in one fell swoop the day a movie opens up.
• DVD REVIEWS (page 55): A dime a dozen with all the DVD geeks on the web, but you can start with DVDTalk.com, then go to DVDAuthority.com, hop to the wonderful DVDJournal.com, and end with the niche-y DVDReview.com. Most of these sites post their reviews the day or week the product appears.
• TV REVIEWS (page 59) and WHAT TO WATCH (page 63): Couch potatoes rules online! You've got posting their reviews on, where else, TV.com... or run through them by clicking through at Metacritic.com... or visit the review of just about any established newspaper critic on their official paper's web site... or go to one of their blogs like TVBarn.com.
• CD REVIEWS (page 67): A nice broad spectrum of links to music critic postings can be found at the reliable MetaCritic. For the latest in alterna-crud writings, there's the much mocked yet visited Pitchfork. And if you're fixated on the charts, Billboard handily posts theirs 24/7.
• BOOK REVIEWS (Page 71): EW may be one of the last strongholds of this dying art, as newspapers give very short space to book reviews, and separate book sections are almost nil. But there is -- as always -- MetaCritic.
• STEPHEN KING (Page 78): It's nice to see Mr. King keeping his ramblings to one page for a change. His infrequently updated web site has a few things worth checking out too, like what he's watching and reading -- stuff that he talks about in his EW column.

Comments

[sidney vicious]

it's harsh word and it's getting harsher.
the truth is that niche magazines are going to find it easier than mass market

a magazine that covers "entertainment" is on shaky footing...and the reaper will be at the door soon - as your little essay points out

a niche entertainment magazine like Rue Morgue that covers horror films can do well - it's niche, it's got low overhead (both in staff and production) and it has raving fans.

the fact is, it's much easier to stay small and profitable than to stay big and profitable.

[ks]

I just found your blog today (4.27) and would like to draw a connection between this post and one you wrote later. I used to be a faithful subscriber to EW, six years running. But then about two years ago, they changed formats to save money: bigger photos, unnecessary graphics, and more whitespace, all so that the amount of text that had to be written could be reduced. The new format is like reading the Cliff Notes version of the old EW. So I let my subscription run out and only pick it up when the cover interests me.

But (and here's the link to your later post) there are three places that I will always want EW. On the plane, where using my laptop on those little trays is a pain; in the bathroom, either on the seat or in the tub, neither of which are conducive to computer use; or in bed as I'm winding down and trying to sleep.

I still think that EW is the best place for commercial book reviews. I'm in DC, and the Post has it's amazing Book World every Sunday, but it's usually pretty wonky, highborow, or both.

[popkitten]

As a long time EW reader, I read your post with a knowing nod. I agree that the content the magazine offers is neither fresh nor ground breaking, certainly when you compare it to what's available 24x7 on the web. However, the only response I can muster up is to say, well, at least EW offers all that stuff in one place. I know you're right, that the content is slim and getting slimmer, but it is handy at least to have a single source to get all you need to know about what's hot that week. And I've always enjoyed the EW writing style - witty and never pandering, which is refreshing.

I hope your prediction doesn't come to light - I'd miss my weekly hit of pop culture from EW! However, I wouldn't be surprised either, if it did come true.

[GossipMagazineO]

I am an avid traveler and author of world destinations
and publisher of one of the top celebrity gossip sites
Great Vacation Spots http://www.greatvacationspots.net
Gossip Magazine Online http://www.gossipmagazineonline.com