BART Station Giveaway of New Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Here's a little guide to a nice freebie this morning, for those of you riding the BART subway into San Francisco.

This morning when I exited the BART station at Montgomery & Market, standing at the top of the stairs was the usual person handing out copies of the city's free daily (I still have problems with paying someone to shove a free newspaper into people's hands, but whatever), a group of kids selling Krispy Kreme donuts for some fundraiser, and a very friendly and energetic man handing out free copies of the newest issue of Bloomberg Businessweek magazine.

The complimentary giveaway was to help raise awareness of the recently rebranded magazine, which has undergone a total overhaul since it was sold to Bloomberg by McGraw-Hill. For people wondering what could happen to Newsweek now that it's up for sale, Bloomberg Businessweek might suggest a happy ending. I won't review the whole issue here, because I have just gotten to the office and have only paged through the magazine. But what I've seen so far at least calms my ever-present worries that they would have dumbed down the magazine, as far too many publishers mistakenly do because of their misunderstanding of the digital-print worlds. So far, the Bloomberg mag looks good. I'm not sure the logo stands out on the cover; almost every magazine that undergoes a redesign tweaks its design -- sometimes severely -- after a few months, and I wouldn't be surprised if the magazine enlarged or boxed its logo to set it off. But that's a minor thing. My first impression is that this is a job well-done.

This experience has even inspired me to share my business suggestion to someone in the Bay Area: Start a web site or blog or silly Twitter feed that would tell people what's happening at each BART station or MUNI stop or major intersection. And not just where are the giveaways; it would probably be most valuable if you let people know to avoid Second and Market some morning because of an infestation of pickpockets and Dianetics salespeople, or steer clear of Powell and Market to avoid the LaRouchies or the Jews for Jesus. And please tell me which station exit has the off-key singer and which has the nice violinists.

That would be a great public service. Almost as good as giving away a free magazine.

Magazine Roundup: Newsweek on the Block, Playboy Rebounds

As reported yesterday, Newsweek magazine is being put up for sale by its parent company, the Washington Post Co. OVer at Folio:, Jason Fell looks at possible buyers for the troubled newsweekly, including some intriguing possibilities (such as ultra-right-wing competitor Newsmax).

Meanwhile, things are looking better over at Playboy, where some dramatic cost-cutting and outsourcing over the past year and a half have seriously improved the financial picture. According to a report on Folio:,  the magazine's print/digital division losses for the first quarter of 2010 were about $1.1 million, less than one-third of the amount it lost for the same period last year. This follows an actual profit at the magazine in the final quarter of 2009.

According to Folio:, Playboy – which published two combined issues in the past year – is returning to publishing a full 12 issues a year.

My Latest Northside SF Column Is Online: Nancy Pelosi

You can read my latest column in Northside SF magazine column:

Common Knowledge
The Joys of Being Underestimated

What will Nancy Pelosi do now that she’s no longer being underestimated? Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was famously thought to be lacking in the gravitas and brains necessary to lead Europe’s largest economy. Yet once he maneuvered himself into power in 1982, he remained there for 16 years and orchestrated the reunification of his country.

>> read the entire article

Newsweek Magazine Put up for Sale

Venerable but troubled newsweekly Newsweek is being prepared for a sale, reports magazine industry magazine Folio:.

This comes not long after the magazine drastically reduced its rate base (the circulation it promises to advertisers) and reformatted the entire publication to make it more of a thought-leader publication like The Economist and less a traditional newsweekly. It was probably the best thing to do, considering that timely news is one thing print publications can not do as well or better than online (in-depth, long-form journalism is a different matter, however).

Does this mean Newsweek's heading toward the dustbin of (magazine) history? Obviously, that's unknown. A new buyer (or an employee-buyout, such as U.S. News underwent many years ago) might rejuvenate it or keep it going as-is. And just because a magazine is put up for sale, it doesn't mean it will necessarily be sold.

Jay Leno: This Is How It Is Done at the White House Correspondents Dinner

I'll Bet This Christian Right Dude is Buying the New Vanity Fair

You just can't make up this stuff: Vehemently anti-gay fundamentalist Christian leader George Alan Rekers -- vacations in Europe with a male prostitute. (Warning: Some language NSFW.)

Vanity Fair Gets Vain-er

Just noting. For the soccer, of course.

Schwarzenegger on Offshore Oil Drilling -- Why He Opposes It

From September 28, 2009, but very much of interest today considering the debacle at the BP platform off Louisiana's coast:

The Starlog Project: Starlog #85, August 1984: Arnold Schwarzenegger Takes Over

One of the enjoyable aspects of following movies -- especially genre movies, in science fiction -- is watching how certain movies come along and become milestones. For example, Conan the Destroyer is the cover story of this film, and though it was a big film at the time, it had little "legs" when it came to influencing the SF and fantasy genre. On the other hand, Gremlins, the nasty little Joe Dante film that seemingly came out of nowhere, became something of a benchmark for 1980s fantasy films. I'll leave it to you to argue over whether it had anything to do with the quality of either film (I've never seen so much as five minutes of any Conan film, so I can't comment on whether they're good or bad). But for those of us who are looking back 30 years at a science fiction media magazine, it's fun to remember when and why a film moved us or captured our attention, while others were simply watched and forgotten.

On an unrelated note, it's worth noting (well, if you're focusing on details, it's worth noting) that the ad for Starlog's series of photo guidebooks is a bit of an error this issue. It goes back in time before the new Special Effects guidebook is released, even though the ad in the previous issue, #84, included the new book.

Starlog #85
70 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

On a magazine production note, it appears that Starlog has either changed printers again and/or changed paper stock. It might have begun with the previous issue (the anniversary issue, #84), but it definitely is here with this one. The color pages if anything seem a bit thicker and heavier, while the black-and-white pages seem to be a bit thinner. A detail, perhaps. But for everyone who watches magazines and wonders why they do certain things, it helps to know that they are often shopping around to different printers to see who can provide them the same quantity and quality at cheaper prices. As an editor/publisher myself, I'll admit to being more conservative; I prefer to stick with a printer, unless it's necessary to move. But from the fairly regular changes in paper weight and quality over the years, I get the sense that Starlog was much more promiscuous with its printers.

The rundown: The Starlog Science Fiction Classic two-page foldout poster this month is a real gem of a classic, Blade Runner (showing Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard jumping across cars, chasing his target); Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column, titled "Coming Attractions," includes his memories from visiting the set of 2010, plus some reflections on the treats enjoyed by Starlog Festival attendees; Communications letters include a ton of responses to various David Gerrold articles, including the excerpt from his A Matter for Men novel, plus readers chastise the editors for their Veronica Cartwright cover blurb in #81 (proving I wasn't the only one who thought it was in bad taste) and give Howard Zimmerman feedback on his column about Reagan administration attitudes toward free information; Log Entries short news items include a preview of The Neverending Story, a chat with Demon author John Varley, the Superman comic reaches issue #400, Bob Clampett passes away, and more.

Brian Lowry kicks off the features section with an interview with Richard Fleischer, director of Conan the Destroyer (who explains why he was embarrassed by the ad campaign for his Amityfille 3-D film, among other topics); Lee Goldberg interviews Buckaroo Banzai's Jeff Goldblum (who probably has more quirky characters on his acting resume than any 10 other actors put together); Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview French filmmaker Luc Besson, who talks about Le Dernier Combat (The Last Combat); I have neglected to mention that a few issues ago, associate editor Leslie Stackel moved on to other things, and Penelope MaGuffin took her place, but Stackel's name still appears, such as with this interview with Muppet meister Jim Henson, who talks Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, and more; David Gerrold ladles on the praise for his friend Harlan Ellison in his column this month; Jan Goldberg interviews actress Dame Judith Anderson about her role in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and more (Jan Goldberg, by the way, is the mother of regular Starlog contributor Lee Goldberg); David McDonnell and Marc Weinberg talk with director Joe Dante about his weird little film Gremlins (with a sidebar by Patrick Daniel O'Neill on actor William Schallert; Dennis Fischer visits the set of the odd Michael Pare film The Philadelphia Experiment; Sal Manna talks with Ivan Reitman about Ghostbusters (and Meatballs and other films); David Hutchison interviews director Peter Hyams about 2010; Lenny Kay's Space Age Games and Computers column focuses on the new Apple Macintosh; Lee Goldberg (Jan's son) profiles Robert Zemeckis and Romanding the Stone; Robert Greenberger interviews the cute Lance Guest (no, not Lance Bass) about his starring role in The Last Starfighter; and Howard Zimmerman's Lastword column offers some questions to ponder for fans of V. (If only they'd listened...)

"The drawbacks? The Mac's black and white monitor removes some of the fun of computing, inhibiting gameplay, for instance. It seems a peculiarly conservative touch for an appliance so resolutely future-conscious. The Mac's lack of expandability might be another problem, though in reality, anyone needing more storage space might be interested in an upper level computer anyway."

--Lenny Kaye, columnist, Space Age Games and Computers: "The Mac Attack"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #84, July 1984: The Stars Our Destination

In the United States, we frequently hear the statistic that 90 percent of all new restaurants fail within their first year. New magazines fair a bit better, if I recall the statistics, but it can still be a brutal business. So for Starlog to celebrate its eighth anniversary is indeed a big thing. After nearly a decade, it's impressive how smart this magazine has been about exploiting its position, with spinoffs of every kind (records, videos, magazines, books, calendars, even watches). But it owes its success to something more fundamental than just opportunism: It's a professional, well-done magazine that combines veteran, genre reporters with inspiration for the reader. There were times when competitors gave readers a few more pages or some more color than Starlog provided, but none of them seemed to quite grasp the smart editorial mix that Kerry O'Quinn, Howard Zimmerman, and the rest of the staff put together.

Speaking of spinoffs, this issue hosts a number of them, such as an ad for four Rock Poster Magazines (they would publish a whole bunch of these eventually). There's also the newest -- the fourth -- edition of the Special Effects photo guidebook; ads for various movie lecensed magazines show that the company has produced 'em for Fame, Staying Alive, Joanie Loves Chachi (it hurts to even type that), and others; new official movie magazines for Star Trek III (a magazine and a separate poster magazine) and Conan the Destoyer, as well as a "Coming in December" note that it'll be producing a 2010 official licensed movie magazine. These editors have been busy.

Starlog #84
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.95

We get some more science-fiction photo collages out of Howard Zimmerman, as his time at Starlog starts to draw to a close (don't worry, you have a year to get used to the idea). Once again a collage is featured as the graphic on the contents page.

On to the rundown: Every anniversary issue, publisher Kerry O'Quinn writes a special anniversary editorial, and this year is no different. This time, in his From the Bridge column, he recounts traveling to Florida to watch a space shuttle launch. In the Communications readers letters section, we get a batch of correspondence about the magazine itself, a letter from "The Nose" about Dick Tracy, a comment about the in-production film Enemy Mine, and more; in what is likely the shortest Log Entries section in the magazine's eight years so far (about two full pages), short news items include a report on the Michael Pare film Streets of Fire, a note about T.E.D. Klein's book The Ceremonies, and more (but not much).

Brian Lowry kicks off the feature section by interviewing actress Catherine Mary Stewart, who discusses The Last Starfighter, Night of the Comet, and more; legendary cartoonist (and former Starlog art director) Howard Cruse contributes a one-page comic on the occasion of reaching 1984, the year made famous by George Orwell; Steves Swires interviews Leonard Nimoy, who has directed the first of his two Trek films: The Search for Spock; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Marc Singer, one of the stars of The Beastmaster and V; Robert Greenberger interviews actress Phoebe Cates about her role in the quirky Joe Dante film Gremlins (about which article a design note: whoever decided to print the text of the interview in blue letters against a light blue background wasn't thinking clearly); and David Gerrold's column offers "A Defense for Didactics," sparked by Robert Heinlein's newest novel Job, A Comedy of Justice (an appropriate writer for Gerrold to cite; for years, Gerrold's work -- especially his War Against the Chtorr series -- has been mentioned as the successor to Heinlein, a heady comparison).

The special 36-page full-color anniversary section is led by an intro page featuring another Howard Zimmerman SF collage (his last?); Zimmerman and Milburn Smith write "The Year in Review," featuring not only a roundup of the big films but lots of interesting charts (the top 10 SF and fantasy films of the year, Hugo and Saturn awards winners, etc.); David Hutchison continues the magazine's fascination with Disney World's EPCOT Center; Howard Zimmerman reports on the magazine's first Starlog Festival in Chicago, complete with photos (and I have to admit, I'd have liked to have attended the trivia session featuring a panel of Zimmerman, David Gerrold, David Hutchison, David McDonnell, and Kerry O'Quinn); David McDonnell provides a roundup of SF television for 1983-1984 (a time when Glen Larson's Automan actually got on the air); writer (and spouse of L. Sprague de Camp) Catherine Crook de Camp provides a personal report about being "On Tour with Conan the Barbarian"; Robert Greenberger talks with the writers of Conan the Destoyer, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway; Disney expert David R. Smith provides the history of histrionic Donald Duck; Thomas McKelvey Cleaver interviews Tarzan actor and future Highlander Christopher Lambert; an unbylined two-page article features some info and photos on the long-awaited film sequel, 2010; David Hutchison is back with part three of his coverage of the special effects for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, focusing on effects for the scenes in Jabba the Hutt's palace; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Ke Huy Quan, the 12-year-old co-star (as Short Round) of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ("You call him Doctor Jones, doll!"); former Famous Monsters of Filmland editor Forrest J. Ackerman writes about the Ray Bradbury film Quest; and Lee Goldberg interviews writer Earl MacRauch of Buckaroo Banzai.

Patrick Daniel O'Neill interviews Jimmy Olsen himself, Marc McClure, about his work in the Superman films; Lenny Kaye's Space Age Games and Computers column looks at Interactive Picture Systems; David Hutchison interviews Frank Oz about the new Muppets Take Manhattan film; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview wee little Drew Barrymore about her roles in E.T. and Firestarter; and editor Howard Zimmerman wraps it all up in his Lastword column by sharing his happiness about the first Starlog convention.

"I want to say something to the kids. If you want to be in a movie, it's really fun, but it's not as easy as you think it is. But it's the most fun thing, and if you want to do a movie, and you have the chance, you should do one. I'm glad I did."

--Drew Barrymore (age nine), actress, interviewed by Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier: "Drew Barrymore: E.T.'s pal is a Firestarter"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.