Blogger wannabee
LA Weekly: Columns: Deadline Hollywood: Arianna’s Blog Blows — hmm…I wasn’t actually paying that much attention.
Her blog is such a bomb that it’s the box-office equivalent of Gigli, Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate rolled into one. In magazine terms, it’s the disastrous clone of Tina Brown’s Talk, JFK Jr.’s George or Maer Roshan’s Radar. No matter what happens to Huffington, it’s clear Hollywood will suffer the consequences.
It almost seems like some sick hoax. Perhaps Huffington is no longer a card-carrying progressive but now a conservative mole. Because she served up liberal celebs like red meat on a silver platter for the salivating and Hollywood-hating right wing to chew up and spit out.
Of course, only the fawning mainstream media didn’t see this coming; instead, The New York Times, the New York Observer, the Los Angeles Times et al. were too busy breathlessly reporting Arianna’s big plans and bons mots to bother to do any reporting. (The L.A. Times’ praising of her preening is understandable, since the parent company’s Tribune Media Services stupidly signed on to syndicate the blog’s star blather.)
In fact, there’s a juicy behind-the-scenes story: The L.A. Weekly has learned that the blog’s start-up was god-awfully conceived from the get-go.
Here is a link to her blog..and a pathetic post:
Huffington Post story in New York Times (April 28, 2005)
I’m writing to let you know that I will not be posting a column this week as I’m taking a couple of weeks off to concentrate exclusively on the final stages of the May 9th launch of the Huffington Post. The Post is a new Internet publishing venture that will combine a breaking news section with an innovative group blog where some of the country’s most creative minds will weigh in on topics great and small, political and cultural, important or just plain entertaining.
discovered by C. Coulter
I read this post. Then I took a look at the Huffington Blog. It seems to me, to be a bit early to frag a site that’s still this new. Huffington normally offers some interesting perspectives.
I like the columns she writes for her own site, and I usually like what she says on KCRW’s Left, Right, and Center, but I am somewhat dubious of her new opinion / news portal the Huffington Post. Mainly because of the reasons sited by the article – that there are no high caliber contributors at this moment. Also, a site that has a similar format, has been around for years, and far outclasses Huffington Post in quality is TomPaine. I don’t think I will be switching over any time soon.
Are you sure this wasn’t discovered by “A. Coulter?”
…
Umm no, not related in anyway whatsoever. And plus Nikki Finke and Ann are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, I don’t think Nikki citation would forthcome from Ann; as Ann would more cite Cathy Seipp or Luke Ford, or the now center-right LA Press Club. But insofar, as the ‘take no prisoners’, ‘heavy research loaded with heavy opinion’ both Ann and Nikki share that trait. Nikki ticks off Hollywood as she reports it like it is, not how it wants to market itself. Ann ticks off the Left, as she reports it as she sees it, not as they see it. Both have a highly loyal fan base, and both have highly charged critics. But even those on the loyal Left are slamming the Huffington Post. “Gigli, Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate rolled into one” about sums it up. Nikki always has a flair with her phrases, as does Ann, and good writers I like, regardless of electrically charged political emotions (or last names).
I visited Huffington’s Blog shortly after it started. I found it very amateur and poorly written. I guess that over a month or two ago and I haven’t been back. From the comments, it appears that I haven’t missed anything.