September 10, 2003
Squawking 'Bout Gawker
The blogging cartel and fashion world are abuzz about Elizabeth Spiers' move to New York magazine, whether it's Jeff Jarvis on Greg Lindsay's WWD piece, Gawker's editor-of-this-week-and-probably-for-weeks-to-come Choire, MemeFirst or Elizabeth herself trying to answer everyone's questions. Okay, so those are only four five sources. But we're loving Choire's touch with Gawker - Gayker (TM, 601am, apparently), anyone?
Anyway, who knows what will happen with any contract negotiations, what with Primedia trying to unload New York somewhere, but let's think big picture: If MARY Elizabeth Spiers can move from Gawker to New York magazine, can Gothamist be writing Jerry Orbach's pithy one-liners some time soon?
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You can add MemeFirst to the list, too...
shes a sellout.
Thanks, Felix. Funny, I used "abuzz" also. Maybe it's because I went to Jarvis' Buzz Machine. Maybe "atwitter" would be better.
And as for whether Elizabeth is a sellout, I don't know if anyone can really be a career blogger without a more steady stream of freelance work. I think anyone would jump at a chance to stretch themselves as well as ensure some sort of financial security. And benefits.
Jen, we come here because Gawker sucks. Just thought you'd want to know.
i love gawker and gothamist. both are amusing; although, gothamist is a bit less acidic, and yes, choire is a riot!
True. I was just annoyed. I liked her and her style. Im not a fan of new york mag. Im sure i will love choire as well.
i have to say i thought Elizabeth was somewhat overrated--Choire brings the *true* snark, fast and furious, as well as informative and diverse. There are only so many inane, that-was-not-even that-clever-the-first-time posts about trucker hats a reader can take. Perhaps E. was phoning it in from cushier freelance gigs. Calling her a "media star" is absurd--much ado about nothing. I realize the hype feeds every blogizen's discovered-at-schwabs-dot-com fantasies, however.
if it was up to me, i'd have choire sitting in my apartment making witty remarks while i ate sushi off his naked ass. try doing that with elizabeth spiers!
A minor point, but for the record, I gave up any claim to a homosexual identity on July 31st, 2003.
Also, I am carrying Elizabeth's lovechild, conceived in the offices of Conde Nast.
You know Choire they pay women a lot of $$$ these days to be a human platter to eat sushi off, i've never heard of a man being the model but theres always a first. Jake, what time is this foodie event? Can i bring a friend?
I smell a whole buncha sour grapes in this here comment section.
Aw, thanks, eli. And Choire - thanks for letting us know - we'll be working on a Photoshopped picture of what your lovechild would look like a la Conan's "If They Mated."
"Jen, we come here because Gawker sucks. Just thought you'd want to know."
I'll second that.
btw, way to catch liz out there with the old school busted ass picture, that was hilarious!
damn, now I see why she keeps her mouth closed in the picture on her site.
gawker is so 3 months ago - i have removed it from my RSS agreggator since liz went on 'vacation'. thankfully i found gothamist.
gawker is so 3 months ago - i have removed it from my RSS agreggator since liz went on 'vacation'. thankfully i found gothamist.
RE: Gothamist vs. Gawker
I must admit that I, too, prefer Gothamist over Gawker. Yes, they are aiming at different crowds. Although I discovered Gothamist a few months after Gawker, it almost immediately took over as my favorite NYC weblog.
Moreover, on layout alone, Gothamist is the hands-down winner -- the use of a photograph/picture-per-entry, the bolded headlines, the endearing typos, etc. Keep it up.
I categorically deny that I am carrying Jake Dobkin's baby.
For the record, I'd like to claim coinage of "Gayker" back on December 18, 2002.
http://601am.com/021215.html
i must be one of the few who loves both of them. or else i'm just more bored at work than the rest of you.
I love them both too! To quote Sarah Jessica Parker its like "Sophie's Choice"
Gawker has better content and is quicker to the punch, but Gothamist has better layout. I have to say Gawker beats you by a hair.
I don't know when this turned into a Gawker vs. Gothamist discussion. We're two different sites. Clearly, Gothamist's focus is on Law & Order, all the food we can eat in one meal, NY crime stuff, and pandas. Try drawing a Venn diagram and you'll see that while there are overlapping areas, there are also distinct areas.
(And if we have someone with money actually backing this site, tell me, 'cause Mommy needs a new pair of shoes. I have more to say about the content, but I'll comment about that on my about page later.)
i hate gothamist so much that it makes me ill- but gawker wouldn't take me- even though i begged and begged and begged choire to take me with him to soho house for a menage with the rich and famous. thus, i am left with no options.
I love Blogging Rivalries! Especially when said rivalry is denied! C'mon Jen, you know that putting that "busted ass" Google photo (to quote the anonymous "Jon" above) was gonna stir the pot, just don't deny it!
For the record, this site is dope. I visit a few times a day, easily. I haven't been as hott on Gawker of late, but mainly because I can't read that many words without looking at a picture or two. But I'm liking the fresh style of this new editor ... the snark is flying faster than a Mariano Rivera cutter. it's still on my must-visits, just not as demanding of an hourly refresh as it was six months ago.
Primedia is trying to sell off New York Magazine for $20-30M, so it's a bit tenuous anyway, isn't it?
Gawker is so williamsburg ...
Gothamist is so Red Hook ...
In w/ the new , out w/ the old ...
i think liz looks really cute in the picture- she seems so happy!
Peyton Picks Gothamist because it blows Gawker out of the water...
According to boingboing.com writer xeni jardin, Jason "I'm an asshole who knows karate, fuck you, I rule silicon alley" calacanis has made a public offer to Liz. this is fucking funny. someone please make a real offer to Jen instead, she's got Waaaaay more talent and is a heck of a lot nicer and not as fake as liz.
*plus, jen doesn't have scary aligator teeth, which is always nice.
What I don't understand is why there hasn't been more coverage on Gawker about Elizabeth's departure. You have to give credit where it's due. Gawker was one of the first sites that piqued my interest in blogging and increased my feelings of inadequacy about not living in NYC. Anyway - good for Lizzy she deserves it. And I agree - thats is a nice pic of her.
Subject: Gawker vs. Gothamist
Yeah, I prefer Gothamist over Gawker, but it's because, well, I don't care for Anna Wintour or Vanity Fair or Trucker Hats. Not that Gawker is bad; it's great and fun in its own way. But it's only for a certain narrow type of NYC magazine-obsessed person (or wannabes from the heartland).
Gothamist has more of a widespread appeal -- I'm Californian! -- and all the postings are just so random -- randomly interesting, that is.
I'm sending Jake manlove for Choire.
ugh ... what I meant to write in my delirium was that I'm 'sensing' jake manlove for choire. my apologies on the typo. (Rudin would've fired my ass for that)
Digital Hamster,
1. Jen is great, I read Gothamist every day. It is very well done. I would do a project with Jen if it made sense. She is clearly very talented.
2. My offer to ES is real. I think she could eclipse Gawker.com in about three to six months.
3. What is this "Silicon Alley" you speak of?
best, Jason
Digital Hamster,
1. Jen is great, I read Gothamist every day. It is very well done. I would do a project with Jen if it made sense. She is clearly very talented.
2. My offer to ES is real. I think she could eclipse Gawker.com in about three to six months.
3. What is this "Silicon Alley" you speak of?
best, Jason
"What is this "Silicon Alley" you speak of?"
It's the place your genius ass worked and made enemies for years yet you still double post like a total newbie.
"It is very well done. I would do a project with Jen if it made sense."
Jen, consider yourself LUCKY this guy isn't interested in you. "if it made sense" Puhleeze. Jen is too good for the likes of you. Go back to grandstanding by sniffing up liz's ass. How much class does someone 'not' have to make a public offer like that. like the woman is on sale like a whore or something. So what, when you fire someone do you announce that publicly too? what a dick.
yeah, c'mon jason bring it on!
obviously u are starving for new projects!
Gawker vs. Gothamist, Gothamist vs. Gawker. The real question is, who'd win in a fight?
wow people are such jerks when it comes to posting comments. mean but none very funny.
Gothamist is the poor man's gawker.
I'm glad Choire tells us how to pronounce his name on his site. "Corey," as in Haim and Feldman.
I love Frankenstein! "Bride of Frankenstein" is my favorite movie!!!
And no, I don't know why it showed up as three separate trackbacks. It's a wonderful technology but it's got some bugs...
Now that Elizabeth is "big time," perhaps she'll be able to afford to whiten and straighten her teeth and see a plastic surgeon about all those horrid acne scars on her face... If she's going to be in the business of dishing it out, shouldn't she look halfway decent herself?
that's really not nice. i mean, you can dis liz's writing if you don't like it, but let's keep this conversation sophisticated.
jake - that's precisely the point! gawker isn't a literary mag devoted to sophisticated criticism. it's all about making fun of someone for their hair, makeup, their attitude -- it's a acidic, outragoeus snark-fest. and if she's going to make it her business to do that, she might also want to look in the mirror herself. i saw her at a party recently and was honestly quite appalled. if she's going to dish it, she better be able to take it!
Anyone who comments anonymously is a coward who deserves to be ignored. The sentiments above are pure sexism: it's unthinkable they'd be made if Spiers was a guy. If Elizabeth wants to go out and get Botoxed, all power to her -- and if she doesn't, then that's fine and dandy as well. I might not have smothered Elizabeth in praise in my latest piece, but I did try to be fair, and if anybody (Anil? Maccers?) wants to point out any specific inaccuracies, I'd be more than happy to correct them. That said, I do have a feeling this particular storm in a teacup has already had way more than its alloted 15 minutes, and that we're all going to have completely forgotten about it come Monday.
I do have bad teeth, but the last time I checked, no acne scars. You sure it was me? Let me help you out: I'm also short, my hair looks like shit, and my sense of fashion scares small children.
Nonetheless, I get paid to write. I know this may come as a complete shock to you, but you don't actually have to look good to do that. In fact, you can very specifically not look good, and it really doesn't matter. I've never been asked by an editor to submit a headshot with a clip.
have you guys every been to a bloggers night out? i can say with total certainty that with the exception of van geison (the adonis of our group), none of the rest of us is winning any beauty prizes. except pete rojas, but that's more for metrosexuality.
that's bull. bloggers can attack anyone in the establishment they please but when it's directed at them, it's "sexist" and "not nice"? i've seen spiers around town too. from gawker, i imagined she'd be this really sexy, intelligent chick - but she looked as bad or worse than the other nasty, butt-ugly writers who get a kick by taking down the much better looking, much better dressed and much more famous.
Well, if calling me ugly is your idea of a takedown, then I'm not too worried. I don't lose sleep over whether or not people find me physically attractive. And while I've certainly made fun of media people on Gawker, I was never so desperate for material that I had to resort to "you're ugly and your momma dresses you funny."
i think it's called the michael musto phenomenon -- the people who do the gossipping *never* look as good as the people they gossip about.
So now writers, in addition to being brilliant, witty, and intelligent, also have to look like supermodels?
Damn, I better get started on that liposuction...
No, I think the point is that if you make your living critiquing supermodels and actors on their hair and clothes, you should probably expect a dose of your own medicine.
(That's why I like Gothamist so much more than Gawker - it's a wonderful blog about NYC minus the vapid "What is Anna wearing" bull*hit.)
Ken - what in god's name are you talking about? do you actually *read* gawker? i don't critique supermodels and actors on their hair and their clothes. i don't know where you're getting that from. i critique them for acting like idiots in public and saying stupid things. there's a difference.
What I'm interested in at the moment is the fact that Elizabeth said last week that she would be on vacation for a week. But reading Gawker the past couple of days, it seems that Mr. Sicha is not only the President of New York, but of Gawker as well. Any comment Elizabeth?
Jake makes a good point, which I think bears repeating; I should be winning beauty prizes.
Why this hasn't happened yet is beyond my comprehension.
I'm sorry, chunky Choire's at the fat farm this week. I'm rail-thin Stepford Choire, I'll be subbing for him subbing for Elizabeth this week. Any questions?
Oh, right, Elizabeth, you're way above that. Puh-lease.
"Okay, we're shallower than any other media-obsessed pop culture outlet in town. When an actor or designer is interviewed, we want to know about A) what shoes he is wearing..."
(From Gawker, like, yesterday.)
Ken:
I didn't, like, write that. (Again, do you actually *read* the site. Did you just entirely miss the bajillion posts about how I haven't been doing Gawker lately? A lack of reading comprehension on your part does not constitute an egregious error on my part.)
All I know is Gawker is beyond tiresome--enough about trucker hats and hipsters. Shut up already. And the Tina and Anna obsession? Boring and superficial. Gothamist is right on, Gawker is just plain awful.
Rock on, Elizabeth. It is perfectly obvious that your critics here are simply jealous of your success.
Re: Elizabeth Spiers' visage,
I will still, and always, wear my 'I Fucked Elizabeth Spiers' shirt with honor, and above all, dignity. And above that, pride.
Wearing your "I f**ked Elizabeth Spiers" t-shirt is even more humiliating than the moron I saw in LA wearing a "I hooked up with Anna Nicole" t-shirt.
At least Anna Nicole *used* to be decent looking.
Oh, you're in LA. That explains it.
I guess in LA parents get pissed if their little boys type out the F word on the internet?
At the risk of explaining the joke, I'd like to point out that at the Tina/Anna obessions were supposed to be boring and superficial.
Irony: The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
No, you fucking moron. I live in NY. But I'm not a blogger who spends all his fucking free time sitting at my computer all day and actually leave the LES once in a while.
The t-shirt was funny the *first* time when it actually listed a supermodel. It's not funny anymore. And substituting Gisele for someone who is butt ugly might make you the biggest fucking loser and ass kisser on the entire fucking planet.