Want to Know Who's Who in Mags?

Because of finals (which are effectively over!) this announcement is reaching the blog a little late, but nonetheless, this is a must-read.

On April 30, The 44th Annual National Magazine Awards took place at Lincoln Center in NYC. ASME has decided the latest and greatest in magazines with the following categories:

General Excellence (in terms of circulation, starting with 100,000 and reaching the 2,000,000 mark--guess which book came away with that title? Reader's Digest.

Single-topic issue, Magazine Section, Reporting, Public Interest, Feature Writing, Profile Writing, Essays, Columns & Commentary, Reviews and Criticism, Personal Service, Leisure Interests, Design, Photography, Photojournalism, Photo Portfolio, General Excellence Online, Personal Service Online, and Interactive Feature were the other categories in which mags could place.

Watch the online category winners--Nymag.com —no surprise here— won in the General Excellence Online category.

For the Feature Writing category, Esquire's The Things That Carried Him (Chris Jones, May) beat out GQ, among others. Possible "ha, ha" moment from Hearst to Condé Nast?

GQ did take it for the Photography category. I'll admit it, I read both mags and I love them.

The coolest part? Some of us Edsters have interned or will be interning with the winners and nominees.

**Note: the issues recognized are all supposed to be from 2008.

**Note x2: Check out the gala gallery for some priceless pics! I had to use one with Graydon Carter, Anna Wintour, Annie Leibovitz, and Jann Wenner kissing Annie Leibovitz of course (with Tina Brown of The Daily Beast still poker facing for the camera.).


Click it:
2009 National Magazine Awards (NMA) Winners and Finalists

--Samantha B.

Drink Your Skin to Perfection?

Beauty drinks have recently exploded onto the scene. These supposed miracle liquids claim to be jam-packed with vitamins and antioxidants that help you look younger, brighter and well rested. Unfortunately, these fountains of youth contain no magic, and you can throw them right up on the shelf with the over-priced skin firming lotions, and razor-less shaving creams. While these drinks may quench your thirst, they don’t contain enough vitamins to give your skin the long lasting glow that they promise. Luckily, glamour.com discussed the issue, and reminded us all of the real secrets to having beautiful skin.


Carrie Wiatt, a nutritionist and creator of Diet Designs, creates diets for celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Salma Heyek She recommends taking anti-inflammatory supplements such as B vitamins, omega-3’s, and quercitin. These vitamins encourage moisture absorption and retention, improve blood circulation and protect against acne flare-ups.

Dermatologist Ariel Ostad, M.D, suggests mixing your own juices. Juices are enriched with both vitamins and antioxidants, which reduces collagen breakdown and increases blood flow, leaving you with a healthy, natural glow. Ostad also adds that the best juices are the ones with leafy, green vegetables such as celery or cucumber; mix in lemon, ginger or beets for the best results with boosting health and complexion. In addition, dermatologist Dennis Gross, founder of MD skincare, reminds us not to forget about skin creams and serums. “The concentrated, focused application of antioxidants and other collagen builders on skin cells can yield dramatic beauty benefits,” quotes Gross.

So, sorry Nestle Glowelle and Borba, but we all need to learn that there’s no easy way out. And thank you Glamour for reminding us that beauty usually takes a little effort.

--Lauren Tousignant

Q & MOJO magazines: Get Your Daily Musical Fix

Everyday, Qthemusic.com, the Internet counterpart to Q magazine, presents a “Song of the Day.” Usually a track from an unknown or indie artist, the daily tidbit helps a little unknown song gain exposure.

For example, today’s song is Ghostcat’s “This is a Bust,” a fun-loving, punk-inspired ode from the Toronto band led by the feisty Ali Cat. The previous track of the day was Howard Eliott Payne’s “Come Down Easy,” song with an opposite appeal, simply because it works off its eerie, bluesy, singer-songwriter feel.

Besides adding some variety to readers' listening habits, Q magazine and its sister publication, the UK based MOJO Magazine and its Web site mojo4music.com, provide an outlet for undiscovered talent to mingle in cyberspace with legends and established acts, including John Lennon and Green Day.

The recent issue of Q magazine offers a sneak peak into the ladder band’s newest and highly anticipated album. Recent covers have featured British spark plug Lily Allen, breakout stars Kings of Leon, and the never-dying U2. MOJO even offers the "Disc of The Day," because simply offering us another song would be too copy-cat.

The featured albums generally spring from the 1960s and 70s, with even the 1976 Jackson Browne album The Pretender [Elektra/Asylum Records for the United States of America and WEA International, 1976] getting top billing recently.

In the May 2009 issue, Mojo features never-before-seen footage of Lennon and Yoko Ono’s early days of marriage and some insight on the genius of the late Beatle.

--Melissa Savignano

Intern Spotlight: Kat Kondracki

Ed’s second in command, VP Kat Kondracki, has had a variety of internship experience. She’s proof that it’s possible to intern outside of New York City and still love it! Read her story below:

Where have you interned?

Last summer I interned at Philadelphia Style and Next American City magazines in Philadelphia, PA. The previous summer I stayed here in Syracuse and interned at The Central New York Business Journal and Syracuse.com.

How did you land each internship?

I landed my Philadelphia Style internship with good ol’ networking. After I found out that I didn’t receive an internship that I was pretty confident about, I was a little discouraged about my prospects. I was talking with a friend and SU alum that I met through Ed2010 about my situation. She recommended that I contact her friend who worked at Philadelphia Style. I sent her friend an e-mail and the rest was history.

I also worked at Next American City magazine during that summer. I found the internship through the listings on the national Ed2010 Website. Go Ed!

The process of landing my internships at Syracuse.com and CNY Business Journal was a little different. I was attending an event for the Salvation Army (where I volunteered during my sophomore year) and I approached a few of the media companies at the event. I spoke with them for a little while, eventually asked for business cards, and told them I’d be in touch. Later that day I sent them an e-mail saying that it was a pleasure meeting them at the event. I continued to follow up throughout the rest of the semester and eventually asked if they had any summer internship programs.

Name one or more favorite experiences from each?

All my of my internships have been extremely rewarding and have greatly increased my experience. My hard work and dedication led to a few amazing opportunities. Some of my favorite experiences include attending the Best of Style event with Philadelphia Style magazine and writing weekly blogs for Next American City magazine. I really enjoyed having the responsibility of coming up with my own ideas for the blogs and executing them—not to mention seeing my name in print weekly.

At The Central New York Business Journal, my favorite experience was when I picked up the newspaper and saw my byline on the front page! I grabbed five copies and started immediately working on the next story hoping to get another front-page article. What a rush!

What was the toughest part about each?

The part I most enjoyed about Next American City was also the most challenging. I had a difficult time writing high-quality blogs within short deadlines. This was also the toughest part of interning at Philadelphia Style magazine. While I loved being busy, gaining writing experience, and the responsibility, I had to speed up my writing process to accommodate the schedule of online journalism.

What skills have you learned through practical experience rather than in the classroom?

Practical experience is by far the most effective way to put your skills to good use. While the education at Newhouse far exceeds that of other communication schools, there are just some things that are better learned at the work place. Most importantly, you learn real meaning of deadlines very quickly. There is no pulling an all-nighter to finish an article — when it’s due, it’s due.

Experiences in both the classroom and the real world work hand-in-hand though. The blog I worked on as a project in my magazine editing course significantly assisted me in being able to efficiently write well thought out pieces for Philadelphia Style and Next American City magazines. Additionally, after having these internship opportunities I feel better prepared and more knowledgeable about the process of running a magazine, which assists me when working on campus publications.

What tips do you have?

Give it your all — always. When you are given a task at your internship complete the task and ask what else you can do. When editors or supervisors notice how ambitious you are they will be willing to give you more responsibility. Secondly, also stay in contact. After you have completed your summer internship be sure to stay in touch throughout the school year. Just don’t be obsessive with e-mailing them; they are very busy. Send e-mails letting past employers know what you are up to and what you are doing next. You never know who they will be able to connect you with in the future.

One of the best tips I ever received was from career guru herself Lindsey Pollak: send holiday cards to your professional contacts. It’s a great way to say, “Hey, here I am” without being overbearing. Trust me, employers will notice your effort.

Lastly, network, network, and network some more.

--Ashlee Davis

The Kindle Magazine: Bang or Bust?

Layoffs, restructuring, and foldings are constant words in the magazine world, which is struggling to gain a foothold in the unsure economic times and rapidly shifting technological age. New ways to reinvent the magazine product are always on the table. The latest is the Amazon.com's Kindle 2, a wireless reading device that allows its users to read books, newspapers and magazines.

Powered by Sprint's 3G network, the Kindle can download the latest issues of 26 popular newsstand titles at just $1.49 per issue.

Though cheaper than their paper counterparts, this "Kindle-izing of the magazine" leaves much to be desired, says MinOnline's Digital Media Editor Steve Smith. The gray e-ink screen was designed to convey text and is therefore unable to convey the "visual platform" of magazines in nearly the same way.


Smith notes that there are some e-magazine machines with better color and digital display in the works, but even so... what's more pleasant to browse than old fashioned paper? It seems as if The New Yorker is the only magazine that could make good on the Kindle promise for publishing success.

--Agatha Lutoborski

Vogue Models vs. French Elle's Completely Bare

According to Stylecaster.com , the up-and-coming American Vogue has been made public. However, an interesting piece of news: models, not our favorite celebs, will grace the cover...think Jourdan Dunn and others who are becoming more and more fabulous and fun to watch by the day.

On the flip side, the site reports that French Elle is to feature cover models sans the put on face (aka. no make up whatsoever, no Photoshop magic.).

Check out the full article: http://www.stylecaster.com/news/1857/vogues-may-cover-leaks/AmEOZAg9

**the cover pictured above is from 2007

--Samantha B.

'Drama, Drama, Drama'

Recently, Rolling Stone magazine became the US Weekly of music magazines.

The magazine has become the center for a feud involving country singer Toby Keith and actor Ethan Hawke (who knew they even knew who the other was?).

In a recent issue of the magazine, Hawke wrote a tribute piece on songwriter Kris Kristofferson. In the article, Hawke reports on an incident where Kristofferson got in a serious verbal altercation with a famous country singer who “had a monster hit about bombing America’s enemies back into the stone age,” dancing around actually naming who he actually meant.

Keith remains certain the reference is directed towards himself and is angered by Hawke’s alleged fabrications and lack of gumption to name Keith directly, although he refers to all other acts by name.

He later goes on to insult the magazine and even called it “superficial.” Hawke claims he witnessed the occurrence, and Rolling Stone stands by the reporting of the star. However, Kristofferson diplomatically refuses to take sides, but regardless, it doesn’t look like either side is looking to concede.

In other news, writers for US have been told not to report on Bruce Springsteen’s alleged affair with a married woman. Many claim it is because the magazine is playing favorites with certain musicians and refuses to cast Springsteen in a bad light.

And for those who can’t take any more of this upstate New York weather, take a look at Rolling Stone’s Spring and Summer music previews to sample forthcoming albums from Eminem and 50 Cent, to Neil Young and Elvis Costello.

Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/26801050/spring_music_preview_index

--Melissa Savignano

Curious about Epicurious.com

While flipping through magazines and searching the Web for something to write about in this week’s food blog, I came across an awesome food guide on epicurious.com.

Titled “Around the world in 80 dishes,” the guide takes you to a dozen different countries, searching for each country’s “most iconic dish.” Each country’s section gives you a picture and a history of the dish, as well as a video tutorial to help you make it at home.

Some of my favorites were the Grand Marnier Soufflés from France, Chili Crab from Singapore, Warm Potato Salad from Germany, and Maple Sugar Pie from Canada.

Granted, I was not actually able to try any of these dishes due to my current lack of a kitchen (number one con to being a college freshman.). The videos made my mouth water, so you can be assured that I will be spending my summer at home trying out all 80 recipes.

After spending about an hour exploring global dishes, I began to browse through the rest of the Web site, and I was pleasantly surprised. It has an endless list of recipes that is sure to satisfy anyone’s craving, and even take some of their favorite articles from magazines such as Gourmet, Self and Bon Appétit.

You can also make your own personal profile to receive and share recipes, restaurants, and cooking tips with the epicurious community. It’s a great Web site and definitely worth checking out; I’ve already added it to my Internet’s favorites folder.

--Lauren Tousignant

Is Playboy Going Tame?

…And the trend of magazines targeting general audiences in order to attract more advertisers continues.

Playboy released a new design for its Web site on April 6, one that it hopes will get advertisers who once shied away from the racy mag to reconsider.

The site now features larger culture and lifestyle sections. The scantily clad girls will still be there, but you’re going to have to work to find them (Where's Waldo, anyone?). The typical Playboy chests won’t be nearly as present on the main pages. But according to the Associate Publisher of Playboy Digital, the racy content will still be there, just in a new paid-membership only area.

Playboy hopes that the changes will attract advertisers in the fragrance, grooming, packaged goods, and gaming industries.

Playboy without boobs? What’s next? Vogue with American Eagle!?!

--Greg Miller

What’s Your Status?

So, what’s your status? No, I’m not talking about if you’re the most popular girl in your sorority or the coolest guy on the basketball team. No, I’m not talking about how rich or poor you are or if you rank as the hottest on juicycampus.com.

I’m talking about your sexual health. Have you been tested lately or do you think you are invincible? If you’re having sex, well, sweetie, you should be getting tested, using condoms and educating yourself on sexually transmitted diseases and other related topics. We are living in a different world from momma and poppa’s. Believe me. Here’s an opportunity for you to come out and learn a thing or two about your health that will eventually help others as you pass the knowledge along:

Student organizations Black Communications Society and Sex S.Y.M.B.A.L.S. want you to come out to and engage in conversation with MARVELYN BROWN and TERRANCE DEAN about AIDS in America on April 10th, THIS FRIDAY from 5:00-7 p.m.

MARVELYN BROWN is an Emmy award winning HIV consultant and Youth spokesperson and author of "The Naked Truth," a memoir about her life before and after her HIV diagnosis at the age of 19.

BROWN has been featured on America’s Next Top Model, MTV, BET, The CBS Early Show, The Tavis Smiley Show, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, The Michael Baisden Show, and The Tyra Banks Show. In addition, she has been featured in Newsweek, U.S. News and Report, Fortune 500, Ebony, Black Beat, Essence, and she appeared on the covers of A&U, POZ and the AVE. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
source: http://www.marvelynbrown.com/
Check out her blog: http://marvelynbrown.blogspot.com/
*Arrangements for the appearance of Marvelyn Brown made through HarperCollins Speakers Bureau, New York, NY."


TERRANCE DEAN, former MTV executive and author of "Hiding in Hip Hop" and founder/co-creator of Men’s Empowerment, Inc.: "an organization that is dedicated to the transformation of men of color in their communities for their own self-empowerment," has a tragic personal story behind his advocacy for HIV/ AIDS Awareness. His mother was a heroin addict who died from AIDS who gave it to his baby brother. He died also from AIDS at the age of 19.
Check out his blog: http://terrancedean.blogspot.com

Also, on April 15th, Award-winning actress, director and AIDS activist Ms. Sherly Lee Ralph (orginal Dreamgirl and “Moesha’s” mom) will be performing her one-woman show: "Sometimes I Cry" on Wednesday, April 15th from 8:00 -10:00 (Doors open at 7:15) in Schine Goldstein Auditorium. TICKETS: $3 for Students/$5 for non-students.
For more info: http://www.sometimesicry.org/

Your Student Fee checking your status…

--Shavon S. Greene