Twilight Mania

November 20th may not be a significant date on your calendar, but for a majority of teenage girls it’s right up there with Christmas. Tonight at midnight is the premiere of Twilight:New Moon.  So once again Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart fans can come reunite and rejoice for the sequel to the box-office-breaking original film.  Now, I know I am not the most legit Twilight fan–I haven’t read any of the books and waited until the first one came out on DVD before I saw it–but I gotta admit, I liked the first movie.  The Cullin Family and Co. have drawn more than just blood–their fans are right up there with the Happy Potter stalkers.

After watching that trailer how can you tell me you aren’t enthused?  Edward ditches Bella and Jacob is a wolf–who knows what else is to be unveiled by New Moon?  All i have to say is the movie better be good.  With all the hype surrounding it and the vampires’ ever-growing fan base, they need to come through for their viewers.

I won’t be scrambling to the theaters tonight, but this weekend I will definitely be making an appearance to catch the new Twilight film.  I have to show support for my boys: Edward and Jacob.

Half moon, full moon, old moon, what?

XOXO,

Clara

Q&A: Melissa Dukovac

 

image courtesy of People Magazine

 

Since my blog is about pop culture and I am a magazine journalism major, I decided to try and track down someone to interview from one of my favorite publications, “People Magazine.”  Through my aunt who works for Bernstein and Rein, I somehow got in contact with Melissa Dukovac, an account manager for “People.”  Thank god for connections, right? Because her job is immersed in the world of entertainment and celebrity news, I felt she was more than qualified to appear on the pages of “Dirty Pop.”  Here’s how it went down:

Q: What is your job title and what do you do for “People Magazine”?
A: I am an account manager for people and I sell advertising into the pages of “People.”  I have everything to do with the advertising.

Q: What is special about “People Magazine” and what do you pride yourself on by being a account manager for the publication?
A: ”People Magazine” is a distinct brand within the celebrity coverage category.  We don’t publish on rumor and speculation.  What a lot of people don’t know is that “People” got its start through “Time Magazine.”  Originally, it was a page within “Time” called the “People Page.”  ”Time Magazine” tested it, and here we are 35 years later.  ”People” is still held to the same level of credibility as Time, so we have to make sure we have the story right.  Of course there are going to be rumors, but unless proven and fact-checked, they won’t be published.  ”People” may have some ideas on some things that are going on, but they can’t be published unless confirmed.

Q: Do you have an idea of what the cover story is going to be before the issue has gone to print so you can pick ads and place them accordingly?
A: It goes along the same lines as the separation of church and state.  The advertisers are not aware of who is on the cover–it’s very secret and breaking news when it hits the stands.  We don’t want other magazines to steal our cover story.  So who is on the cover does not affect what ads we put in the issue.  Sometimes we do get a slight heads-up when “People” is paying for baby photos.  News about “People” purchasing Britney Spears’ baby photos was released to the public, but we still weren’t allowed to put it in writing.  Sometimes we have a glimpse of what the cover may be, but we can’t say a word.

Q: Are there certain ads or advertisers that “People Magazine” tries to include in its issues?
A: Well, 70 percent of “People” readers are women, so the ads usually cater more to females.  We have to target everybody though.  If you are into celebrity entertainment, you read “People Magazine.”  That goes for men and women.

Q: Have you noticed any trends in ads throughout “People Magazine’s” 35 years?
A: The trends are mainly Middle-America, and for the most part consumer package goods.  Some of the big names include: Coca-Cola, P&G, and Kraft.  We reach everybody, so it’s really a broad range of ads that have been published throughout the years.

Q: Can you give me a scoop on any celebrity gossip?
A: Nothing comes to mind as of right now.  We didn’t have an edit call last week, so I didn’t get any new information.  Our next meeting is on Friday.  For the most part, it’s like the magazine cover—it’s always a secret.  And when you see it in “People,” you know it’s true.

Until next time,

XOXO-
Clara

Single= Uh Oh.

I feel that it is my duty as a well-informed user of social media, (thank you journalism courses,) to share with you the Youtube video that has provided me with plenty of laughs the last few weeks.  I find myself watching this clip every time it pops up on my Facebook mini-feed, which is often, and sharing it with my friends to provide a 38 second break from the fact that we’re in class.  With nearly two million hits on this particular video upload–there are several versions of varying lengths–it is obvious I’m not the only one laughing.  Although I must admit, I may have contributed to 80 or so of those video views.  OK, now 81.

A valiant attempt of  reenacting Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” video, comes the video accurately titled “Single Ladies Gone Wrong.”  Now I know Kanye West argued that the video was the best of 2009 during the MTV Music Awards, but that doesn’t mean everyone should go around attempting to remake that dance routine.  Case in point, a masked woman and friend who tried their hand, and body, at the video’s moves.  All was going fine until… let’s just say the Bozo mask may have inhibited the wearer’s vision.

Don’t worry, I did the actual work of searching for Youtube clip for you–see below.  Just know if you don’t at least chuckle, well, that says something about you my friend.  For reference on how the Single Ladies dip should actually go, check out Beyonce’s hit video.

Enjoy!
XOXO,

Clara