Number One. Apparently there's a new glossy mag coming out, aimed at the oh-so-lucrative baby boomers and dubbed Obit. That's right, folks. A magazine devoted to nothing but delicious death notices ... and, of course, advertising. I first read about it in Alex Beam's column. The 'zines founders describe their forthcoming product thusly, on their slick but still content-void web site:
A magazine that we hope will be the hottest thing in periodicals since the
golden years of Esquire and Playboy, that will leave an indelible mark on
American society, and, frankly, will be a damn good read.
As one who's written very nearly 1,000 obits, I understand the allure and importance of writing about the dear departed. But still ... this is pretty damn funny.
Number Two. The Fox News Channel this Sunday unveiled its news parody show, "The 1/2 Hour News Hour." I didn't catch it but I did enjoy the benefits of YouTube: check clips out here and here. It's really, really bad. It offends me, not as someone with liberal leanings, not as a journalist, but as someone with a sense of humor.
And on that note, how about a NEWS channel that lays claims to lofty objectivity and fairness running a FAKE NEWS show? "The Daily Show" runs on Comedy Central.
That's all for now.
