James Del, LTD

fek: ————— Forwarded message —————From: Foster Kamer Date:...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:46:48 -0400

————— Forwarded message —————
From: Foster Kamer
Date: Fri, Aug 13, 2010 at 1:12 PM
Subject: i need you to call me
To: Joe Coscarelli

office: 212-475-1900. we have the opportunity to do something very exciting.

And so this thing started. Tony came over to my desk, asked me if I had anything, and that was the first thing I did when he walked away. More on that in a second.

Why gossip? Because it was interesting to us, we were writing what we know, and we felt like we could

(A) Get it correct,
(B) Do a story that would satisfy people who were already familiar with the topic as well as — and more importantly — reach a wider audience with a topic that’s often in their periphery without much thought to it otherwise while
(C) Making it pretty entertaining, too. You can’t do a story about gossip without a little gossip in it. I mean, you could, but it wouldn’t be as much fun as this.

The main aim of the story wasn’t necessarily to declare anything “dead” though — because those pieces are more often than not, wrong — and in fact, not really to declare anything anything so much as just let the people who make these things speak for themselves, and then take stock of it. I’ve personally experienced the not-great sensation of fucking up some story or reading someone else’s half-baked trend piece with anonymous sources that everyone writes off because it begins with the same conclusion it’s going to end with, and everything in that story is dedicated to reach some grand proclamation. What emerged was, what we think of at least as a pretty accurate picture.

There’re some leftover questions, mainly, Why should I give a shit about gossip? and What does gossip even mean any more? among others. We’re gonna be taking some of the awesome interview material we have still - and there’s plenty - and churning some blog posts out of it. This thing isn’t done yet. That’ll be fun, too. Bloggers and print, mixing! It happens.

Anyway, back to that email: I’m happy with this, but Joe, I mean, Joe fucking killed it, here. This wouldn’t have happened without him. The soul and balance and intelligence of this piece was him. Joe talked me off the ledge one night early on after something we thought we had fell through (when we thought our deadline was a week earlier than it actually was, ha) from basically going into Tony’s office, curling in the fetal position, and telling him to run a five page crossword puzzle (still a decent idea, but glad we went with this). Joe’s also just turned 23 22! Which is insane.

Between this, Meagan’s name on bookshelves, Lilit’s name of bookshelves, Stelter with the A1, and Adam Frucci’s new digs, it’s a pretty exciting week for young writers/mediapeople in New York City. Oh, and also: It’s the first day of September, the best month of the year. On an oversharey note, five years ago this month, the day before my 21st birthday, I moved here after dropping out of college and basically was told my life was fucked by everyone but four people, and as much as I loved them, I was pretty sure everyone else was correct. Don’t want to tempt fate, but I’m pretty sure those four people turned out to be right.

And to celebrate this, I’m buying one of them a drink tonight.
And then getting blackout drunk with Joe.
Happy September.

(via youngmanhattanite)

PLUS, BARBARA IS BACK! (via pareene)

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:42:00 -0400

PLUS, BARBARA IS BACK! (via pareene)

I’ve officially been on the field of both Meadowlands.

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:48:07 -0400

I’ve officially been on the field of both Meadowlands.

3rd Row on the 50 yardline. Not too shabby.

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:45:05 -0400

3rd Row on the 50 yardline. Not too shabby.

staff: Name Ra Ra RiotLocation Formed in Syracuse, NY /...

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:08:52 -0400

staff:

Name Ra Ra Riot
Location Formed in Syracuse, NY / Currently touring
First Post July 2009

Ra Ra Riot is an indie rock band from Syracuse, NY that fuses swooning strings and intricate, emotional vocals to create a unique sound. Formed way back in 2006, they got their start doing shows around the Syracuse University campus and eventually moved up to music festivals. Consisting of a vocalist, guitarist, bassist, cellist, violinist, and drummer, they quickly started to grab attention thanks to their energetic live performances and the well-orchestrated layers of their music. RRR use their blog to show fans glimpses into their daily lives and into life on the road as they tour the world. Their second full-length album, The Orchard, drops today.

Also check out…

Crimes against Hugh’s Manatees
A daily comic strip which features a variety of animals who experience the same mundane experiences that we humans have to put up with. Also, dinosaurs!

Oh Yeah Facts
Edmund Burke said that “facts are to the mind what food is to the body.” I’m positive this is true because I just read it on Oh Yeah Facts.

My Mom Reviews My Photos
Tanner takes a photo every day, emails it to mom, and then posts her commentary which may or may not have anything to do with the actual photo. Mom’s dog Toby also weighs in.

Be sure to recommend your favorite blog today!

I have been the 2nd worst OYF contributor in the history of OYF (the 1st worst just disappeared from the internet), but this makes me proud. Especially because the driving force of OYF is none other than a 16 year old who is way smarter/more dedicated than I’ve been towards anything ever. Hats off, Adg.

"We have this really exciting idea to do a tour where we spend two nights in each city, and the first..."

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:01:41 -0400

“We have this really exciting idea to do a tour where we spend two nights in each city, and...

andrewdkeller: cut together a quick video of lollapalooza...

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:24:44 -0400

andrewdkeller:

cut together a quick video of lollapalooza weekend. enjoy, and thanks to the bands and friends for the hangs, shows, and awesome vibes.

Roomiez 4eva.

Last play at Shea making me teary-eyed over and over.

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:48:33 -0400

Last play at Shea making me teary-eyed over and over.

Great Moments in Drunken Hook Up Failure: LIVE

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:09:00 -0400

Great Moments in Drunken Hook Up Failure: LIVE: Yes, I have a massive map of Long Island over my...

Wrist tattoo…thoughts? Too much? Does saying “Yes...

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:48:03 -0400

Wrist tattoo…thoughts? Too much? Does saying “Yes and No” all the time warrant a decidedly nerdy permanent inking? I suppose not.

Too busy dodging rockets for proper grammar, eh? Its a shame...

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:56:06 -0400

Too busy dodging rockets for proper grammar, eh? Its a shame about those camera’s. (via lovenat)

Arcade Fire

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 22:54:34 -0400

Arcade Fire

A very blurry Green Day

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:32:08 -0400

A very blurry Green Day

Sorry Neon Trees and TimeOut Chicago. Promotion fail.

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 11:21:02 -0400

Sorry Neon Trees and TimeOut Chicago. Promotion fail.

"I drink with my bosses all the time."

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:10:00 -0400

“I drink with my bosses all the time.” - Sales Associate, James Del.

I think the highlight for me is the remote controlled blinds.

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:53:06 -0400

I think the highlight for me is the remote controlled blinds.

nickmcglynn: Is this Dennis?! @Foursquare (via...

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:55:48 -0400

nickmcglynn:

Is this Dennis?! @Foursquare

(via badyearbookphotos)

HA.

For Foster.

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:20:15 -0400

For Foster.

mikehudack: dpstyles: mattlehrer: dwineman: “You ever think...

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:33:05 -0400

mikehudack:

dpstyles:

mattlehrer:

dwineman:

“You ever think about how in, like, a Tom Hanks movie, everyone lives in a reality in which there’s no such person as Tom Hanks? Because otherwise, people would be mistaking the main character for Tom Hanks all the time? So either Tom Hanks doesn’t exist in the world the movie takes place in, or he does exist but he looks like someone else? I mean, you could have a character break the fourth wall and go ‘Aren’t you the guy from Cast Away? Hey, sign my volleyball!’ or whatever but you can’t really do that in a serious screenplay, so you’re pretty much stuck with that bare minimum level of willing-suspension-of-disbelief before you even get started, unless it’s a period drama or something. And the funny thing is the more famous your star is, the bigger the leap of faith you’re asking the viewer to take when no one in your narrative universe recognizes him, so in a way, paradoxically, great actors undermine their own credibility by their very presence—hey, are you even listening to me? What are you—oh, that’s just Bob. He’s made of bubbles.”

via @gruber: “If this doesn’t win, then we know The New Yorker Caption Contest is fixed.”

Months later this still makes me chuckle.

He pays hookers to slap him — Don Draper, the alpha male with the streak of Midwestern prudishness is having a hooker slap him! On Thanksgiving! A broken man he is.

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:47 -0400

He pays hookers to slap him — Don Draper, the alpha male with the streak of Midwestern prudishness...