Cheap shot: I’ll admit. I was never much of a Cracked magazine guy. I was too much a Mad man. So the fact that Cracked didn’t go out of business 20 years ago completely got past me somehow. According to the Indianapolis Star, the “guitarist and eccentric rock ‘n’ roll personality Rick Nielsen” of the band Cheap Trick (again, it completely slipped past me they were still around) and some other investors have purchased Cracked magazine (I would assume from American Media) and moved it to Rockport, Ill., the band’s hometown.

Quote:

Nielsen says he doesn’t feel pressure to save the franchise. “There’s so much content that it’s unbelievable,” he says. “Even if we didn’t put out new magazines, there’s so much old stuff.”

“It’s dumb humor, but it’s also very topical and historical,” Nielsen says. “It’s good (flatulence) jokes and people with their pants falling down. It’s not the New Yorker, but the New Yorker wouldn’t have interested me.”

Actually, Rick. When you put it that way, it does sorta sound like the New Yorker.

Welcome to the world of weblog custom publishing: Since Nick Denton is today announcing that Gawker Media is launching a “contract publishing” service, I have decided to announce that Hammock Publishing is doing the same. Actually, we launched it about 13 years ago, but today seemed to be a good day to announce it.

As we already provide our clients out-sourced publishing services related to their magazines and newsletters and provide them with a wide range of online editorial services, it seems only natural to add weblogs into the mix. And besides, at least one person who works at Hammock blogs way too much anyway.

According to Nick Denton’s weblog, Gawker Media’s first contract weblog work is for Nike and is called Art of Speed. (On the weblog, it is described as a “team-up” between Nike and Gawker Media). It’s cool and if you’re a corporate marketer, you should do one just like it. According to Nick, it is a “microsite within gawker.com.” No word yet if Nick has any contract work for its “not-safe-for-work-site,” Fleshbot.

As for Hammock Publishing, we anticipate launching our first “custom published” weblog later this summer. I will keep you posted. Promise.

Later: Steve Rubel (who is limiting his news-watching to weblogs this week) points to this post and asks, “Will big media custom publishing divisions be far behind?” My answer: “About as far behind as big media is with weblogs…or custom magazines, for that matter (but that’s a whole ‘nother topic.)”

(via AdRants)

Martha asks for “do-over”: This weblog admits it is responsible for making up the rumor that Martha Stewart’s lawyers will request that instead of spending time in jail, she will agree to purchase this and move in and start all over. And this time, she promises not to step on too many “little people” on the way up.

Later: Now that I’ve seen a picture of the house, I think there’s a reality show in here, somewhere: Martha buys the house, moves in with several women who want to start their own businesses. They shop together at K-Mart. Learn how to decorate and cook from Martha and then start selling decorating and catering services to the neighbors. We all vote for who we think should get the big book deal. Oh, wait. Someone kinda thought of it already.

Don’t rein-in my Parade: In this weblog’s second Newhouse-related item in a row, here is news New Yorkers have been anxiously anticipating for the past decade. Or not.

Because no one cares: Mediabistro.com has the results of an amusing (yet non-scientific and completely pointless) survey of its journoesque readership on why “Graydongate” went no where. As noted here (scroll to “Later“), the rexblog is firmly in the camp of, “if Si Newhouse doesn’t care, why should anyone else?”

Pling-Plog: Rafat Ali has some interesting observations regarding the Amazon.com beta test of a feature it is calling “Plogs“:

“…what I would like is that if Amazon can spider services like Technorati to see other references (from other blogs/media sources) to a new book released, and present that ecosystem as part of the “plog” recommendation… As such, the blog meme is powerful than you think..the chunk-sized bites are about to take over the world…sorta.
I can see implications of this integrated into its A9 search engine…I am not sure Amazon has some grand plan to take over the world, but it is nice to see that piece-by-piece, things are being put together in place…”

This weblog will have to take Rafat’s word on this as the beta test does not extend to our well-worn Amazon account, or I’m just not looking at the right spot despite clicking through from the “About Plogs” page.

The death of a biographer: As an avid fan of great biographies, it should come as no surprise that William Manchester is on my short list of favorite authors. His death yesterday leaves one work incomplete, the long delayed third installment to his Winston Churchill triology, surely my favorite among his inspiring body of work. Another favorite is a book I find myself recommending from time to time, one, ironically, he wrote a dozen or so years ago on “doctors recommendations” to slow down, the survey of the middle ages titled, “A World Lit Only By Fire.” In the late 1960s, Manchester became embroiled in a very-public dispute with Jacqueline Kennedy over the his plans to sell to Look Magazine the excerpt rights for his “authorized” book, The Death of a President. Manchester died yesterday at his home in Middletown, Ct.