Star Magazine: Treat It As a Work of Fiction
Written: May 18 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: some of the photos are nice
Cons: stories contradict each other from week to week, exploitative
The Bottom Line: Nick and Jessica are getting back together... no, they're breaking up... no, they're back together....
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Star Magazine |
I was never one to read the gossip magazines when I was younger. I generally treated them as garbage and would maybe read them while standing in the checkout line if it was long, but mostly as a joke.
The distinction between tabloid gossip and legitimate press is a fine line. Magazines such as People and Us tend to fall on the side of legitimate press while National Enquirer and Star Magazine tend to be more works of fiction. When I received an offer of a free subscription to Star Magazine I figured it would be mostly as a lark and see what it was like to read it on a regular basis.
On the magazine rack, Star Magazine looks like it’s reporting on celebrities. Most of their stories seem to center around celebrity romances; who’s hooking up, who’s breaking up. There are plenty of pictures of celebrities. Many seem to be catching them during moments when they are running to the store or out with their family. There are plenty when the celebrities seem to be waving to the cameras, so not all of the photos are invasive.
There are stories which go with the photos. There are several major stories in each issue, usually encompassing at least two pages, sometimes more. Then there are shorter stories and sometimes just photos with captions underneath.
As I read the stories, especially the shorter ones and the ones just under the captions, I wonder how much of this is written as the people who prepare the magazine for publication get a photo and just make up something to go with it. It sure seems like that sometimes.
The contradictions in their stories from week to week are hard to deny. For instance, the week before the Heather Locklear - Richie Sambora - Denise Richards triangle broke Star Magazine was running a story about how Richie was swearing he was going to find Denise a good man in rock -n- roll. Of course, all of this was sworn to by some mysterious “inside friend”. Once the real story broke open in all of the major (and legitimate) Hollywood gossip columns, there was no correction to the earlier story or admission that they were in error the week before.
And this pattern is repeated over and over again. A recent story about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes talked about how he was keeping her away from her family and everyone was in tears about it and her mother was forcing her way into the life, etc. The latest issue had a story about the baby shower attended by both families together with no signs of discord.
Then there are the stories of celebrity illnesses or addiction. It seems as if a photographer catches a celebrity at their worst and with no makeup and suddenly they are either sick or addicted. Lately a popular focus is eating disorders. While I am no fan of the emaciated look many of them sport and am thankful for a little backlash against the push for thinness at any cost, it seems as if it’s getting overplayed in the press here.
This is why this type of magazine has no credibility with me. The pictures might be fine. My oldest daughter likes to cut out pictures from the magazines and put them on the mirror in her bedroom. However, even she is figuring out that the stories probably aren’t true. How many times do we read about Brad and Angelina breaking up? About the current status of Nick and Jessica? One week they are over forever and the next they are pining for each other and ready to run back into each other’s arms.
Then there are celebrities who use the magazine to their own gain. They will give interviews when they have their own agenda, yet I see them on television complaining about the press they get. Back when I lived in new York and knew people who worked at one music company, they told me about how some of these celebrities would have someone in their entourage call before they went out somewhere just to get the press coverage. I have no sympathy for celebrities who give interviews to Star Magazine to promote their own agenda, whether it’s their side in a bitter breakup or more publicity for a new movie release, then complain when all the publicity goes awry.
There are some features that are nice because they are actually grounded in the real world. Depending on the upcoming schedule, Star Magazine will sometimes feature photo spreads with information on upcoming movie releases or the new television season. Various shows also get featured when sweeps come around, usually in November, February and May. These sections provide a little peak at the show. However, with the advent of the Internet, I can usually find the same stories or even better online.
The ad ratio is pretty good. Generally there’s a full page ad every 4 to 6 pages. As I get toward the back of Star Magazine the ads seem to get a bit more frequent. There are some “in article ads” where the article will detail how to get a celebrity’s “look” by pushing products from certain stores.
There’s also a celebrity prize crossword in the back of Star Magazine where you can finish it and submit the puzzle to win $250. I haven’t given it a shot, but the clues seem fairly easy.
I wouldn’t pay for a subscription to Star Magazine and I wouldn’t buy an issue off the supermarket stands either. The only plus for the magazine are some of the celebrity photos. The articles contradict each other from week to week and just can’t be relied on as “gossip” but seem to be fiction dreamed up in someone’s head.
© 2006 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
No
This is a: Tabloid
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AliventiAsylum
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
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Now writing reviews to pay for the "out of network" costs of our health insurance...
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