She’s baaack: In news from the fifth ring of vaporzine hell, gossip columnist Roger Friedman of Fox News is “telling us exclusively” that:

(Rosie) O’Donnell is working on a prototype for a magazine that will target gay families. Tentatively titled R Family, the new magazine will be subscriber based and distributed by LPI Liberation Publications Inc., the same company that publishes gay publications such as The Advocate, Out and Out Traveler.

In his column, Friedman predicts the magazine will be:

Hilariously awful in most places, with an incoherent script and questionable acting…

Oh, wait. That’s not about the magazine. That’s what he’s saying about the movie, “The Day After.” (later: this item has now been replaced.)

(Note I: For those new to the rexblog, I’m not a big fan of Rosie’s magazine work, although I understand she’s a really nice person.)

(Note II: The Fox News gossip columnist Roger Friedman should never be confused with the legendary magazine publisher (and one of this weblog’s personal heroes), Roger Friedman.)

(via iwantmedia.com)

Vaporzine funding source: This just in from the Ottumwa Courier (okay, trivia buffs: who’s the most famous TV character from Ottumwa?): “Owners of a new local business, the magazine “American Adrenaline” were awarded a loan this week from a program originated by the federal government and now administered by Iowa Area 15 Regional Planning Commission. The $10,000 check was delivered to John and Alaina Hathaway during an event held at the Appanoose Economic Development Corporation office. American Adrenaline is a magazine dedicated to all Pre-K through eighth-grade wrestlers and their families, coaches and fans across the United States. It is the first magazine of its kind marketed on a national basis.”

This weblog must now retract all those previous comments about Matthew Lesko being some kind of crack pot.

Fake vaorzines: Via BoingBoing, I saw this “fake-magazine cover photoshoping contest” at SomethingAwful.com (and last week’s entries). There are some clever ones…and, warning, a few crude ones as well. Upon second look, there are more crude ones than clever. However, there are enough witty entries like the one on the left that make it worth linking to a “not-safe-for-work” site.

Soaring photography: While I hate to reveal the identity of another 20% of this weblog’s five readers, I wanted to point to Lewis Pennock’s impressive window seat photo gallery. He claims to be “partly inspired” by my out-of-the-window photography, which was totally inspired by Doc Searl’s awesome examples.

The old “multiple revisions” excuse: If this weblog had a big ego, it would think TV Guide sent out this correction just because this weblog pointed out how sloppy the first one was. But this weblog’s humility prevents it from taking such credit. (Anyway, this weblog appreciates it when others admit their multiple revisions mistakes. We’ve messed up multiple revisions enough to know it can happen to anyone.)

The only way they will overtake Google: The WSJ reports (and CNN re-reports) that a new research study “suggests” Google doesn’t necessarily provide better or more useful search results than do its rivals. Oh, yes, buried in the story is this nugget: the users still prefer Google.)

This “Pepsi Challenge” approach to comparing search results has absoutely no, let me repeat that, NO, relevance to the value of the Google brand or enterprise or its popularity or its marketshare or, for that matter, to the price of cheese in Bolivia. The day Google became a verb is the day that value was established. Come to think of it, the only way the search engine brands compared in the survey will overtake Google in the marketplace is by using this “Pepsi Challenge” approach.

Revistas revisitado: Paul Colford del Nueva York Daily News escribe hoy sobre las revistas publicadas en espanol para los lectores en los Estados Unidos. (Gracias, Lena, official rexblog spanish translator.)

Nashville honoring its heroes: If you’re in Middle-Tennessee (especially other Nashville bloggers), please spread the word about a very special event honoring World War II veterans this Saturday, May 29, at the National Guard Armory (see address below).

A friend of this weblog has worked tirelessly to ensure that World War II veterans in this area who are unable to travel to Washington D.C. this weekend for the dedication of the National World War II Memorial will still have a chance to be recognized and honored by their fellow citizens and family-members.

The National Memorial’s Nashville-Davidson County Veterans Coordinating Council is hosting a simulcast viewing of the D.C. dedication ceremony along with its own pre-ceremony activities to honor local WWII veterans.

The public is invited to attend to show their appreciation and support of these great men and women. Here is information about the event:

“You Won’t Fade Away . . . Nashville’s Tribute to the WWII Generation”

Date: Saturday, May 29

Time:

11:00 a.m. Pre-dedication celebration featuring live music, era exhibits,
honoring of local veterans, presentation of colors, and the opportunity for
veterans to share their stories

1:00 p.m. Dedication simulcast viewing of D.C. ceremony

Location: National Guard Armory, 3041 Sidco Dr., Nashville, TN

Special note: Bring driver’s license or photo ID

You can find information about the event (and other Memorial Day weekend events honoring World War II veterans) on this page of the website of the Nashville radio station, FM-105.9.

(A special note: This weblog would like to thank Nashville’s Classic Printing for contributing its services in printing the program for Saturday’s event.)

Print & the Web. Where are we now? From Rafat Ali’s PaidContent.org, I saw Heath Row’s (via Fast Company) blog post of a “sparsely attended” session at yesterday’s AdTech conference in San Francisco. Niesenholtz, CEO of the NY Times Online and the others are identified on Heath’s post.)

Quote:

Tchong: It’s remarkable that we’ve come this far when the Internet is still just a regurgitation of old media. The Internet needs to grow up. We’re not going to get there by slapping the printed word on screen and calling it cool and interactive.

Battelle: That was the case in 1995. I don’t think it’s the same.

Niesenholtz: What you’ve just said is wrong. The Times is a 154-year-old institution, and it’s been changed dramatically in the last five years. If you’re interested in news, what you come to us for is not in fact what’s in the paper. The vast amount of our usage is not taken from the paper, it’s content we produce once the newspaper is put to bed. Because we have some scale now, we can fund a 24-hour newsroom that didnt exist five years ago.

Tchong: The New York Times is just one of 65 million sites.

Niesenholtz: So what? My point is that we’re way beyond simply repurposing the printed paper on the Web.

Baker: I would even take this one level further. There was the old Knight-Ridder project that held we’d read the newspaper on TV. The true content on the Internet is the software. Chat and other stuff is the most compelling content online. You’re missing the elephant. The elephant is that people aren’t just reading articles online. They’re doing things they can’t do offline.

Battelle: That’s the social architecture. People are involved in making their own media. Marketers’ Spidey senses go off because they think there might be an opportunity here.

Baker: Google’s come up with an interesting solution. If there’s going to be all this fragmented content, let’s find a way to find it all and slap some ads up on it. That’s only going to go so far.

Niesenholtz: I’m actually interested in what you have to say about that John.

Battelle: Because I blog?

Niesenholtz: Because you think. I hope this changes, but my perception has been that marketing solutions that are agnostic to technology from a branding perspective, most brand marketers have just avoided that kind of content on the Web.