A Little of the Old In and Out



(image via s-t.com)

In: Tabloids. Who among us doesn't like gossip? failed blogger George Clooney notwithstanding, most sentient beings on this planet love the stuff. Even the Old Gray Lady today hoists up her lace petticoats and weighs in on the subject of such lascivious tabloid issues as "growth," and "circulation."

According to Louise Story's piece:

"Average total sales of Star, People, Us Weekly and In Touch Weekly combined were up 11.6 percent at the end of last year from 2003, with Star and In Touch sales rising about 80 percent, according to data from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

"The magazines are a powerful presence on the newsstand, the traditional sales spot for celebrity news, but subscriptions are rising, too. For example, Star's rose 50 percent from 2003 to 2004, and subscriptions to In Touch more than doubled in the same period."

David's "Pecker" is ... in growth mode (According to Bonnie "Fuller"), with lots of "circulation," besides.

"Other publishers say they are planning to jump in on the action. Northern and Shell, the publisher of the glossy British celebrity magazine OK!, plans to introduce a United States edition, OK! USA, in late summer or early fall."



(image via Businessweek)

Out: Social Security Private Accounts, RIP. Moving on to a more serious piece: Kiss the possibility of private accounts Auf Wiedersehen, gentle readers; that capstone of the President's plan is all but off the table. Bad news, alas, for the sharp, young voters who do not believe that Social Security in its present form will exist when we become Seniors. Social Security Private Accounts will not get through this Congress (IMHO) if the President wants to forge any kind of a deal with the Dems. According to Reuters:

"'Given the lack of bipartisan support for carve-out personal accounts, the president should not insist on carve-out accounts if the Democrats support an overall legislative package for Social Security reform that is otherwise satisfactory to him,' said Robert Pozen, whose proposal for retooling benefits is a key component of Bush's proposal, in a statement.

"Pozen issued the comment after remarks he made on Wednesday to Congressional Quarterly drew a vocal response from Democrats, who have almost unanimously rejected White House attempts to let workers divert a portion of the taxes they pay to fund Social Security into private accounts invested in stocks and bonds.

"'I am pleased that the inventor of the President's benefit cut proposal for Social Security has joined Democrats in calling on the President to reject private accounts,' said the leading Senate Democrat, Nevadan Harry Reid, in a statement. 'These accounts, with their deep benefit cuts and massive new debt, would weaken Social Security and leave American workers worse off,' Reid said."



Above: Euan Rellie and Plum Sykes, which one is the prettier? (image via nysocialdiary)

In: Eurotrash Drag. Europrettyboys Michiel Van Der Wahl and his cohort-in-crime Euan Rellie planned some drag hijinx interspersed with a splash of genuine mayhem, only to get the "ixnae" from partypooper Mary Allen Stephenson. According to Fashionweekdaily:

"Euan Rellie and Michiel Van Der Wahl were planning on dressing up as girls and crashing Mary Alice Stephenson�s baby shower at the Regency; when MA got wind of it, she quashed that idea."

It's all good. Born-to-be-mild Euan Rellie would have needed, though, some remedial lessons on his "fierce." (The Corsair snaps twice, with appreciative fabulosity)