Six Blogs You Should Be Reading: asap begins a three-part tour through the pop culture blogosphere.
Mario Lavandeira, perez@perezhilton.com, at his home in New York, Monday, Monday Aug. 22, 2005. (AP Photo/Bernadette TuazoN)
Ladies and gentlemen, the automatic doors to the blogosphere in front of you will soon open. On our three-part tour, we'll visit 18 pop culture Web logs in their natural habitat and marvel at their wondrous ability to provide snarky news and commentary on a variety of subjects ranging from gossip to gadgets -- but mostly just gossip. On our first six stops, we'll visit celebrity lovers Pink is the New Blog, Defamer, Thighs Wide Shut, Perez Hilton, JustJared and Go Fug Yourself. Enjoy the ride.
Pink is the New Blog (http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/ )
Subject matter: sassy paparazzi captions
Blogger: Trent Vanegas
He says: "Pink is the New Blog is basically a pop culture/gossip commentary blog that is fun for all. It's celebrity skewering that is meant to be fun and not mean-spirited."
We say: Yeah, right. Pink is the New Blog has made an art of superimposing bitchy pinker-than-pink text, arrows and cartoon bubbles over the latest paparazzi shots. If Jossip is the office blabbermouth, Pink is the New Blog is your gay best friend who says what you're too afraid to.
His motive: "I started my blog in August of 2002 and did so because I wanted to get into the habit of writing something every day. Over time, the blog has evolved into how it exists now. I still write every day."
Unhealthy obsession: "Shopping or spending money. I do it practically every day."
His fave: Oh No They Didn't! (http://www.livejournal.com/community/ohnotheydidnt/ )
Defamer (http://www.defamer.com )
Subject: Hollyweird
Blogger: Mark Lisanti
He says: "Defamer's a blog about Hollywood -- the place, the industry, the people who are incredibly rich and the people willing to be abused by them for the chance to eventually replace them. Mostly, though, it's about Lindsay Lohan and what she did at The Spider Club last night."
We say: Cancel your subscription to Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Defamer will tell you everything you need to know about La La Land.
His motive: "Besides the love of this brave, new, Internet-enabled form? I blog for money. It's my full-time job. I like getting paid to write about pretty much whatever I feel like on any given day, without anyone telling me not to use naughty words."
Unhealthy obsession: "Probably Endeavor agent Ari Emanuel's -- the guy who Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold on `Entourage' is at least partly based on -- smile. I run his picture every time I do a story about agents, just to have it brighten up my day."
His fave: "It's a tie between Boing Boing (http://www.boingboing.net ) and Go Fug Yourself (http://www.gofugyourself.com ). And I mention the latter just because those girls owe me some drinks. Which they do."
Thighs Wide Shut (http://www.thighswideshut.org )
Subject matter: pop culture vulturing
Blogger: Thigh Master, a.k.a. Michael Palan
He says: "What do hot chicks, freeze-dried ice cream and the White Stripes all have in common? I dunno, but I'd eat them all! We defy description, but were recently named the official Home of Fun for 2005 by the fine writers at Thighs Wide Shut."
We say: A copy editor's head would explode if they attempted to tackle the berserk grammar and schizophrenic slanguage of Thighs Wide Shut, but that's why we think eyes as well as thighs should not stray from this entertaining train wreck. Bonus points for movie reviews with possible porno knockoff names (i.e. "Whores of the World").
His motive: "What else am I going to do? Play `Halo 2' with some douchebag in Iowa? Seriously, I do it 'cause I finally found something I'm good at and enjoy doing. Besides lawn darts, of course. And I really think people need to be kept up to date on such hot topics as the latest Fatburger location opening, why Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth are snoozerific and how Mischa Barton and Falkor the Luck Dragon from `The NeverEnding Story' are actually related. (They're brother and sister.)"
Unhealthy obsession: "Popeyes fried chicken and biscuits."
His fave: Brooklyn Vegan (http://www.brooklynvegan.com )
Perez Hilton (http://www.perezhilton.com )
Subject matter: juicy celebrity gossip
Blogger: Perez Hilton a.k.a. Mario Lavandeira
He says: "My blog is very high brow! OK, who am I kidding? PerezHilton.com is a bedazzled receptacle for celebrity trash, and I am the Cuban housekeeper taking all the garbage out. It is gossip at its most trashtastic, and it all smells like roses!"
We say: Classless. Tasteless. Fabulous! Perez Hilton (formerly of PageSixSixSix.com before the New York Post sued him for trademark infringement) doesn't just rehash the same ol' celebrity gossip, he actually vomits it up himself.
His motive: "I blog because I have an intrinsic love of celebrity and pop culture. Blogging is immediate and visceral and it's super sexy too!"
Unhealthy obsession: "Lindsay Lohan, but I'm trying to venture out and expand my obsessions to simpler things. Like knitting."
His fave: The Poop Report (http://www.poopreport.com )
JustJared (http://www.justjared.com )
Subject matter: juicy celebrity photos
Blogger: Jared Eng
He says: "JustJared is a celebrity picture-driven blog that highlights the hottest entertainment property at any given time. My girlfriend designed my fantastically sharp blog. Sure, it gets a little busy and cluttered, but whose eyes don't like a little over-stimulation every now and then?"
We say: JustJared is well-connected, offering up covers of magazines before they hit news stands, paparazzi shots you won't see in Star and unpublicized publicity photos. W magazine even ceased and desisted him over the appearance of their Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie pics before the mag ever arrived in the mailboxes of Manolo-wearing women everywhere.
His motive: "The millions of adoring fans and lucrative endorsement deals. Besides that, it keeps me from getting bored."
Unhealthy obsession: "Bloglines. I just keep on subscribing and subscribing and subscribing to syndicated feeds. I recently made it to an unmanageable 1,000 subscriptions!"
His fave: Boing Boing (http://www.boingboing.net )
Go Fug Yourself (http://www.gofugyourself.com )
Subject matter: red carpet fashion disasters
Bloggers: Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
They say: "We take a barbed look at the fashion sense of the rich and famous."
We say: Meet the Joan and Melissa Rivers of the blogosphere. The sisters Fug intelligently jab red carpet citizens -- yes, non-celebs fugging for the camera are fair game, too -- beyond just trite one-liners. These fashion reviews have depth, baby.
Their motive: "We blog because our bosses haven't fired us for it ... yet."
Unhealthy obsession: "The crusade to purge the planet of that demonic abuse of pants known as man-pris. Also, potato chips."
Their fave: Veiled Conceit (http://nytimesweddings.blogspot.com )
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See more from asap writer Derrik J. Lang in his own blog, Bad Language, coming soon only on asap.
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