Pulling the Plug IX
Ed Hazell has written a nice appreciation and belated epitaph for the Willow, a long-gone Somerville jazz spot. I only went to the Willow once or twice -- once hanging out with Stu Vandermark and his wife -- but I miss it quite a bit. RIP, Willow. RIP.

Workaday World VIII
Fast Company is looking for a marketing whiz to produce high-return marketing campaigns for Inc. and Fast Company events. This role is an opportunity to reach out to a community of Inc. and FC subscribers and get them to join us in person at one of our many events.

Primary responsibilities of this role include:

Prepare and execute project plans for all consumer marketing efforts and onsite event support materials.

Manage event marketing database.

Execute electronic marketing efforts.

Conduct and compile research on our customers and competitors.

Create and track marketing budget for each project.

A strong background in database management is a must, as is a passion for creating innovative marketing campaigns.

If you or someone you know would be interested in this position, please contact Elizabeth Busch.

The Movie I Watched Last Night XLV
Josie and the Pussycats
The first time I saw this movie -- not fully paying attention while at a hotel -- I didn't realize how similar the plot was to that of Zoolander. The storyline tells the tale of a down-on-its-luck rock band -- Josie and the Pussycats, based on Dan DeCarlo's Archie Comics characters -- that rapidly climbs the ladder to fame with the help of an evil mastermind. Alan Cumming's Paul Reubens-like portrayal of the band manager Wyatt Frame is strongly yet simperingly evil as he assists Parker Posey's insecure Fiona character embed subliminal marketing messages in pop music. The band catches onto the plot and foils their evil plan. Shades of Zoolander in its script and Charlie's Angels in its cinematography, Josie and the Pussycats includes some snarky asides about the comic book (i.e. the Cabot twins' exchange: "Why are you here?" "I was in the comic book."), arch commentary on the state of pop music (Exhibit A: the Seth Green-fronted boy band Du Jour, which provides some of the best scenes), and a wonderful soundtrack featuring Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley. Despite its genetic distance from the comic book and cartoons, Josie and the Pussycats is a fun pop romp. Mindless entertainment, but mindless entertainment I'll probably seek out again. That Rachael Leigh Cook is a cutey, to be sure.

The Exorcist
I'm afraid to go out on a limb here, but after watching this movie, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about -- or how it can consistently rank among the scariest movies of all time. Perhaps it's a period thing; the movie came out the year I was born and, I'm sure, was groundbreaking for its time. But seriously? I found The Exorcist light on suspense, much less horror or gore. The opening scenes set in Iraq, while among the best in the film, are tenuously tied to the rest of the movie's events, and while some of the possession's special effects are notable, on the whole, I was disappointed. I'm curious whether that might be because it's practically set in a single room -- the bedroom of the possessed child -- or because the movie's progeny have desentitized me and other movie viewers. Regardless, there was some nice commentary on the ability of the medical profession and on the role a crisis of faith can play in a clergy man's church life. In any event, I'd much rather watch The Omen, which followed three years later. Chalk this up to a Netflix Halloween rental watched a month too late.

Pieces, Particles X
The following media-related stories recently spotted in print publications might be worth a look. Heads and decks, only. Heads and decks.

Alternative Approaches by Lucia Moses, Editor & Publisher, Dec. 2, 2002
As dailies look to young, alt-weeklies skew older. Who's a threat to whom?

Bumping into Mr. Ravioli by Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, Sept. 30, 2002
A theory of busyness, and its hero.

A Disastrous Desk Fits in Neatly with His Working Order by David Polochanin, Boston Globe, Dec. 1, 2002
I take a crude sense of pride in the fact that my desk is one of the more disorganized ones in my building.

Full Circle by Shoshana Berger, ReadyMade, No. 4
The paper wheel returns

How to Fix the Sports Pages by Bob Drury, GQ, October 2002
That sports section you pored over this morning could be a lot more enticing, fun and truthful if only its editors would listen to our grizzled veterans of the press box

In My Lifes by Bill Barol, American Journalism Review, December 2002
What began as an impulse buy became a quest to preserve history. And then there was eBay.

Irrational Exuberance by Stephen Todd, New York Times Magazine, Dec. 1, 2002
Tyler Brule's style bible, Wallpaper, epitomized the glossy, flossy aesthetic of late-90's design obsession.

Joe Viewer and the Internet by Barb Palser, American Journalism Review, December 2002
He has a laptop on the coffee table. Use the Net to keep him engaged.

The Meanest Man on Television by Neil Swidey, Boston Globe Magazine, Dec. 1, 2002
Bill O'Reilly, host of the cable news show The O'Reilly Factor, is an arrogant, controlling know-it-all. And that's exactly why he's so popular.

My James Taylor Problem by Joe Queenan, GQ, November 2002
It's not that I hate his work (though I do). It's that I can't get away from it

The Nerds of Weather by Fred Guterl, Newsweek, Sept. 30, 2002
Where does your "local" AccuWeather forecast come from? A little building in rural Pennsylvania.

A New Brand World by Don Aucoin, Boston Globe Magazine, Dec. 1, 2002
Personality and image don't cut it anymore. Now, like any successful company, you've got to have your own "branding strategy."

A New Poland, No Joke by Sarah Boxer, New York Times Magazine, Dec. 1, 2002
Can one little logo change a country's image from the land of cold, sadness and vodka to the home of youth, playfulness and hope?

"Shut Up He Explained" by Terrence Rafferty, GQ, October 2002
When it comes to spinning sports into literary gold, Ring Lardner was, simply, the greatest. You should get to know "You Know Me Al"

Trying to Save "The World" by Edgar Allen Beem, Down East, November 2002
Nicholson Baker is on a one-man crusade to stop libraries from routinely destroying their collections of historic newspapers and to persuade them to start saving today's papers.

Wiket Good Question: How Smaht Are You? by Benjamin Gedan, Boston Globe, Dec. 1, 2002
If you know what Ball Square diner was replaced by Kelly's after a fire in 1995, or the name of FDR's Somerville-born secretary, you might have a chance on the city's game show, "Wiket Smaht."

A Writer's Fall from Grace by Seth Mnookin, Newsweek, Sept. 30, 2002
A teen sex scandal fells a famous Chicago scribe

If you work for a magazine and would like to sign me up for a complimentary subscription, please feel free to do so. My address is in the grey bar over on the left.

Employee of the Week II
Media Diet would like to recognize the following Fifth Man Media employees for their service above and beyond the call of duty:


Knows when to fold 'em

Samael Samuelson really saved Fifth Man Media's financial bacon last week. Just when our CFO, Joe "Go Home" Josephson, was starting to think we'd run out of of liquid assets -- and cash, too -- by the end of the year, Samuelson put his mind to work. Furrowing and unfurrowing his brow in fierce concentration as he mulled over the problem, Samuelson discovered $2.3 billion tucked away in one of the furrows in his forehead. "It was a real motherlode, and it fell right into my lap," Samuelson remembers. "But I'm male, so it was a fatherlode, I guess." Thanks, Samuelson! We won't make fun of the way you knit your brows again. 'Cause... a knit in time... saved this company's... dime! Yeah.

Digesting the Daily V
Recent editions of the Daily Northwestern, the student newspaper of my alma mater, featured several media-, technology-, and activism-related items that might be of interest to Media Dieticians.

From Daily drawing to Walt Disney directing
He put the jazz in Princess Jasmine. Can John Musker save animation?
(Nov. 21, 2002)

Universities use online journals for recruiting
Students given books, digital cameras for free -- in exchange for life stories
(Nov. 25, 2002)

NU musicians explore untapped Asian sound
Asian student groups sponsor concert; showcase mix of rock, rap, pop music
(Nov. 26, 2002)

If you work for a college newspaper and would like to sign me up for a complimentary subscription, please feel free to do so. My address is in the grey bar over on the left.

Event-O-Dex XVIII
Oh, Somerville is hopping this week. To add to the festivities on Davis Square on Thursday and Friday -- including the awesomeawesome Bazaar Bizarre -- there's a solid show Saturday at the Abbey Lounge on Inman Square. Bands include Capital City, Choo Choo La Rouge, Jonathan Donaldson, and Paul Curreri (in reverse order). Festivities kick off at 8:45 p.m., and Capital City will rage the stage at 11:30. This is Capital City's last show in Boston this year (whatever that means), and is, therefore, a rare (I guess) opportunity to dress sexy, stand up front, and scream "Geech!" with all your heart and soul.

Music to My Eyes V
Now this is how the music video should've been made in the first place -- none of that people scurrying around in the kitchen nonsense.

Thanks to Joe Sizzle.

Why I Haven't Posted Today
I have a bunch of new Media Diet entries all lined up and ready to go, including yet more zine and comic reviews, a couple of movie reviews, and a handful of 7-inch record reviews. But I've been busy today! First, Blogger was down. Then I spent several hours helping to start the judging process for Fast Company's Fast 50 readers' challenge. And then I had oodles of Outlook technical difficulties.

You see, I keep rather ample email logs -- and keep archives of outgoing and other important messages to augment my memory dating back to 1997. That's a lot of email. And even though Outlook only manages my work-related emails dating back to April 2001, that's still a lot of email. And Outlook doesn't seem to know what to do with it all. So it does nothing and makes the email inaccessible.

That means that my memory -- and productivity -- suffers. Wait... what was I writing about? What a disjointed, disconnected day! Fingers crossed that tomorrow will be warmer... and better on the tech tip.

Event-O-Dex XVII
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and Christmas is around the corner -- which means that it's time for the holiday social schedule to pick up! This Friday, the second annual Bazaar Bizarre, a punk-rock crafts fair that Handstand Command is involved in, takes place at the Dilboy on Davis Square.



It's definitely one of the better holiday-related events in the Boston area. I'll be there, probably working the Handstand Command merch table to peddle Anchormen products.

Also, the night before, this Thursday, a friend is organizing a party at the Dilboy. Two nights at the Dilboy? Too much! I'm not sure how open the invitation is, but there we go. Media Dieticians are invited. Ask for me by name if you don't know anyone and people start looking at you funny.

From the In Box: From the Reading Pile XIII
Thanks for the too nice review. Jordan's a neighbor, but ironically, I hadn't read much of his stuff till after I finished Oceanus. Now I rip him off like crazy! Just kidding. The guy's a big influence now (He's taught me how to screenprint properly, for one thing).

Your reviews page is chock full o' content. I saved it to my laptop 'cause I need something on  a road trip I'm taking today.

You're in the Anchormen? Who wrote that "Raina Lee" song? That's my girlfriend you're talkin' 'bout! Actually, we both love the hilarity and flattering quality of it. Glad to see someone else sees many of the things I see in her. And that they live on the East Coast.

On a related note, get ready for 1-UP #3. In addition to stellar content and editorial, Raina and I have worked out for illustration work this incredible lineup: Jordan, Jason Shiga, KozynDan, Martin Cendreda, Dave Kiersh, Souther Salazar, Sammy Harkham, holy shit! Exciting. Also, it'll be offset printed, squarebound, two spot colors, mind-blowing. Sorry, I know I sound like a salesman, but from reading some of the reviews on your site, I thought you might be interested to know who some of the contributors might be. -- John Pham

From the In Box: From the Reading Pile XIV: Part 1
Nice site! Some zines and comics I'll have to look for. Never thought I'd manage to be vaguely reminiscent of both Donna Barr and Tom Hart. Presumably not at the same time. Both are great. I'm a little embarrassed that you mentioned the two-years-between-issues thing, but what can I say except there's a story behind that. -- Eli Bishop

***

Thanks for the good review. It is really appreciated. Your interpretation of the comic is a new one. It's a funny thing, 'cause when I was drawing the strip, I figured  the symbols used were way too simple, but it seems that everyone I speak to has a different slant on it, which is real nice. Thanks again.

The 5762 on the title page is not a P.O. Box number, but the year according to the Jewish calendar. My address is P.O. Box 2316, Beverly Hills, CA 90212-2316.

Also, I saw you like both Souther's and kiersh's comics as well as the Paper Rodeo/Fort Thunder stuff. Well, I am just finishing up on the fourth issue of an anthology I do that will have both Souther and Kiersh, as well as Matt Brinkman, Leif Goldberg, Chirs Forgues, Ben Jones, Joe Grillo, and Billy and Laura Grant. It's a full-color book, too. Will send you a copy as a thanks for the nice review of the Slumber comic. -- Sammy Harkham