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Ugly Prada
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Make it stop! Make it stop! Too much of a good thing, like Prada (see first news item below), can be a very, very bad thing. Ugly Betty and now this? The magazine world's secrets have been serialized!

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Ed's got another blogger, and this one's kinda pissed...
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Take a moment today to check out edsfreelancer.blogspot.com and meet Ed's Angry Freelancer, a mag writer who's been in the biz long enough to be just a leetle, well, angry about stuff:
" So how about this for an icebreaker: I once offered to wax my b*lls for a story. Not exactly my proudest moment as a journalist but hey, I was young and needed the money. While thankfully no one took me up on that smooth idea--I believe I pitched it to several women's mags with the offer to be a guinea pig in the brave new world of spa sanctioned manscaping or something like that--I have to imagine that it would've been much more pleasurable than a torturous assignment I reluctantly accepted earlier this summer..."

Go to: edsfreelancer.blogspot.com.

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L.A. Book Club Next Week
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Ed is looking forward to his hot coffee shop date with all of you L.A. Ed Book Club members next week. He’ll meet you at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at Insomnia Cafe (at 7286 Beverly Blvd.; Los Angeles ) to discuss “Lads: A Memoir of Manhood” by Dave Itzkoff. Questions? Email Ed’s Sree at sree.roy@bobit.com.

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EdSchool Freelancing Class in L.A.!
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What: A five-week super-intense course on freelance pitching and writing, taught by mag freelancer and teacher Eric Butterman
Why: Success stories like this: One student from a previous class sold a 2000-word feature to Running Times, another sold a $1000 food article and a first-time writer sold three items--all while the class was still going on.
When: Wednesdays October 18 to Nov 15, 8-10pm.
Where: The Stella Adler Academy, 6773 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood
Cost: $245
To SIGN UP and get payment info: freelance@ed2010.com

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News
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1. Variety.com
Fox will refit 'Prada' for TV: Pic gets a makeover for the small screen
By Josef Adalian, Michael Schneider
October 11, 2006
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117951748?categoryid=1236&cs=1&s=h&p=0

Fox TV Studios has nabbed the TV rights to "The Devil Wears Prada" and is developing it as a series project for sister net Fox. Robin Schiff ("Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion") will write and exec produce the half-hour single-camera laffer, which has been a passion project for FTVS prexy Angela Shapiro-Mathes.

Shapiro-Mathes said she's been tracking the title since its publication as a novel. She continued her pursuit while the project was in development as a Fox feature, staying in touch with Fox Filmed Entertainment topper Jim Gianopulos. At one point, Fox TV Studios even mulled a semi-scripted take on the concept.

While the TV take on "Prada" will incorporate elements of the film, "I'm not looking to directly translate the movie into a TV show," Shapiro-Mathes said. "That becomes a mistake," she explained. "The TV series will not be exactly like (the movie or the book). The reason you loved the book and the reason you loved the movie was these were characters you really cared about in a world you wanted to learn more about." "Prada" helmer David Frankel will not be involved in the new project, nor will original scribe Lauren Weisberger.

MORE ONLINE

2. WWD

By Stephanie D. Smith
October 12, 2006
http://www.wwd.com/issue/article/109884

SHUFFLING THE DECK

One Elle executive gets more to do, another, unfortunately, gets less. Carol Smith, senior vice president/Elle Group publishing director, is being given more oversight over the entire Elle franchise with a promotion that is expected to be revealed today. Smith's first move was to promote Elle associate publisher Dan Ragone, who primarily oversaw fashion and luxury advertising, to publisher of Elle D?©cor. Replacing Ragone at Elle will be Vogue advertising director Samantha Fennell. "Over the past three years, I've seen firsthand how his relationships with fashion and luxury goods marketers have helped drive our record-breaking growth at Elle," said Smith on Ragone's hire. Additionally, Smith praised Fennell for having "excellent experience and a terrific reputation in the industry."

MORE ONLINE

AFTER PARTY

By now, everyone has heard the highlights from the Hearst Tower opening party held Monday night in New York ??” the glad-handing between every media mogul in town. Mayor Bloomberg. Cirque du Soleil-like dancers. Stevie Wonder. Cocktails. But few know how the east facade of the building stayed candlelit for nearly six hours without burning down the brand-new house Hearst built. Bronson Van Wyck of event planning firm Van Wyck & Van Wyck confessed the candles were actually wax columns with LED lights. "We didn't want to have any risk of fire," he explained. "It's a grand opening and a historical experience for the company. We just didn't want to go there." The 4,000 wax columns were dyed the same color as the stucco walls so they would glow the same color as the building. They were placed on acrylic shelves in the 68 windows that faced out on Midtown's Eighth Avenue, each shelf weighing 112 pounds. While the LEDs varied in brightness and longevity, the first one Van Wyck tested on June 20 is still glowing. "It's sitting on my desk," he said.

MORE ONLINE

NEW FASHION TEAM

Just six weeks after FHM let go of five staffers, including founding fashion director Anthony Wright, the magazine promoted Nadia Hosni to senior fashion editor and hired Christine Marron as associate fashion editor. Hosni will oversee all of FHM's fashion and grooming coverage, while Marron will report to Hosni and work on fashion features and health and grooming coverage. Previously, Hosni was the fashion editor organizing the magazine's fashion features and international photo shoots; Marron had worked at Life & Style for two years prior to joining FHM.

RAISING AWARENESS

Not long after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 27, Geralyn Lucas turned her personal experience into multiple awareness-raising projects, including a series of articles in Self magazine, long a stalwart in covering the topic. A bold topless photo of postmastectomy Lucas appeared in Self in 2001, and the magazine's editor in chief, Lucy Danziger, "told me I had to write a book, and that Self would support it," Lucas wrote in the acknowledgements of her memoir, "Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy," which was published in 2004. The book now has been made into an original movie, premiering on Lifetime on Oct. 23. With the help of a mockup from Danziger's staff, actress Sarah Chalke reenacted the photo spread and, with Lucas on set, portrayed the moment Lucas saw herself in Self in the movie.

MORE ONLINE

4. New York Times
Magazines for the Superrich Are No Longer Up for Sale
By Andrew Ross Sorkin
October 11, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/business/media/11mag.html?ref=media

The publisher of the magazine The Robb Report and other glossy lifestyle guides for the superwealthy has canceled an auction of the company after failing to attract an offer deemed rich enough. The publisher, CurtCo Media, had hoped for as much as $500 million when it went on the block in the spring, hiring Goldman Sachs to run the sale process.

CurtCo has accumulated a collection of more than a dozen high-end magazines in recent years, including The Robb Report, which it acquired in 2001, and Worth magazine, which it bought in 2003. ???We did a reasonable market test,??? William J. Curtis, the company??™s chairman, said yesterday. ???In this market, frankly I??™m a buyer, not a seller. For us this a wonderful market to be making acquisitions.???

CurtCo is expected to participate in Time Warner??™s auction of its magazines, which include publications like Yachting. More than 60 suitors lined up early for CurtCo, but in the end, only a dozen ??” mostly private equity firms ??” remained in the hunt. And while they were willing to pay 10 to 12 times operating cash flow, none were willing to pay the multiple that CurtCo??™s board felt fairly valued the business and reflected its growth potential.

5. Media Industry Newsletter
Unofficially, at "Time," Rick Stengel's First "Person of The Year" Is The Same As Jim Kelly's Last
By Staff
October 12, 2006
http://www.minonline.com/topstory.htm

Formal selection comes with Time's Christmas-dated issue (December 25), which makes it even more unlikely that managing editor Stengel would choose the anti-Christian/anti-Semitic-spouting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmaninejad. But last week, at a reception for heroic Time correspondent Michael Weisskopf (lost his right hand from a December 2003 grenade explosion in Iraq; see last week's min) in Stengel-predecessor Kelly's New York apartment, Stengel told min that Ahmaninejad was his "interim choice." It was also Kelly's at mid-year ( min, June 12, 2006) as he ended a five-year stint to become Time Inc. m.e. Parlor game-- Person of the Yearis a Time tradition since 1927--gets serious on November 14 when Stengel hosts his first "preview" luncheon. Kelly will be there, along with other luminaries ( NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams attended in 2004-2005).

6. Advertising Age
Magazine World Still Flat
By Nat Ives
October 11, 2006
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=112424

The world of magazines is still flat, according to the latest data released by the Publishers Information Bureau. The new figures show that ad pages rose 0.7% in the first three quarters of the year compared with the equivalent period last year.

OK, that's technically an increase, but after a first half that was "down" 0.2% and a first quarter that was "up" 0.4%, it's safe to say the business is struggling to sell more pages.

Estimated revenue from January through September did grow 4.3%, per the Publishers Information Bureau, but those revenue figures can be even less revealing than the rather opaque ad-page counts. Much of the dollar calculations are pegged to official ad rates -- while many publishers frequently discount pages by undisclosed margins large and small.

MORE ONLINE

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Whisper Jobs
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Ed hears ...

... that Hachette Filipacchi Media US Inc. has an opportunity for an experienced research chief at ELLE magazine. Primary responsibilities include supervising the research department, ensuring factual accuracy of all articles, and working closely with editors, writers and the legal department. Successful candidate will have 3-5 years experience, preferably in the magazine publishing industry. Our organization offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package, and opportunity for advancement. Please e-mail resume with salary requirements to jobs@hfmus.com. We will contact those candidates whose experience matches our needs.

... that UR Chicago, a free regional monthly magazine with a 21 to 30-something urban audience distributed in Chicago, Evanston and Hyde Park, needs freelance writers in the following areas: art, theater, film, health, beauty, travel, fashion, food, comedy, nightlife, Latino culture and general reporting. Please send resume and three relevant published clips to Amber Drea, 213 W. Institute Place, Ste. 305, Chicago, IL 60610, e-mail to amber@purefuture.com or fax to 312/238-9838

Internships

... that IN New York, an upscale monthly magazine for visitors to New York City, is looking for two editorial interns to start immediately. The ideal candidate is a journalism student or recent graduate seeking to gain editorial experience at a magazine. Duties include assisting the editors by researching, fact-checking, proof-reading, organizing, writing listings, performing administrative tasks, and basically doing whatever it takes to get the magazine out. There are also opportunities to write short items and sidebars with byline credit. Requirements: familiarity with New York City culture, entertainment, and shopping; impeccable proofreading skills and knowledge of editing symbols; good telephone manner; strong organizational skills and attention to detail; eagerness to learn. Position is unpaid, but offers valuable hands-on experience and flexible hours, and can be taken for college credit. If interested, please email resume and cover letter to Erin Szeto Chan at erin.szeto@in-newyorkmag.com. No phone calls.

... that The Knot Inc. (located in NYC) seeks an intern to assist the home and lifestyle editor. Candidate should be creative and have interest in the decorating and lifestyle magazine industry. Scope of responsibilities include: Assisting on photo shoots; Calling in merchandise and product images from various PR firms and manufacturers; Maintaining merchandise files. Ideal candidate has following skills and mindset: Detail oriented and very organized; Working knowledge of Word, Excel, and the internet. Please send resume and cover letter to Annie Goldman at agoldman@theknot.com.

... that a new music company has an unpaid job/internship for a student web designer interested in developing his or her portfolio. This person should be well versed all aspects of web design (front and back end) including flash video, audio, setting up community boards, etc. This job does not need to be done from a specific location. Please let us know if your school will give you credit either for a project or independent study. THIS IS NOT A PAID POSITION, but hours are flexible. You are your own time manager. Design aesthetic needs to be cool, unique and appropriate for a breaking musical artist. Based on this project, more work with compensation may be available. Please send resume and cover letter to Jennifer at: jd7476@yahoo.com with at 1-3 links to your best work. Please mention Ed!

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About Ed:
Ed2010 is a purely volunteer organization dedicated to helping people reach their dream magazine jobs by the year 2010. Find out more (and donate to the cause!) at ed2010.com

Whisper jobs? Send 'em to whispers@ed2010.com

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