Editor Mourns End of Playgirl Magazine

Last Updated: Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:16 PM ET Comments6Recommend15
CBC News

The demise of Playgirl leaves a void in the North American magazine landscape for women's erotica, says the title's final editor in chief.

After a 35-year run, Playgirl will continue in an online version only. The last print issue, completed in early October, is now available on newsstands.

Since its launch in 1973, the magazine has struggled with new publishers, changing editors and a shifting readership over the years.

Though there was "an element of surprise" when staff learned of the print edition's demise in July, "we weren't terribly surprised to hear it was all going online," editor in chief Nicole Caldwell told CBC Radio's cultural affairs show Q on Thursday.

"We did find it pretty unfortunate, because we had been enjoying higher numbers in the last year and a half or so. We were feeling quite confident in the direction we were taking it," she said.

By the end, the magazine was completed with just Caldwell and two staffers, bolstered by "a team of unpaid interns and a lot of freelancers."

Established in a completely different era, Playgirl originally mixed its sexy shots of men with articles exploring topics like abortion, drug addiction, birth control and other female health issues, as well as writing by the likes of Joyce Carol Oates, Raymond Carver, Margaret Atwood, Maya Angelou and Tennessee Williams.

It was also born during a time when feminists had the mentality that "what's good for the guys is good for the women," said Globe and Mail columnist and cultural commentator Karen von Hahn.

"Now it seems to be very much about a recognition that men and women are fundamentally different," said the Toronto writer. "I don't think [the magazine] was ever what women wanted. I think they tried on the pantsuit and they tried being the guy and looking at sexuality and experiencing sexuality that same way, but it never really fit."

Read the rest of this article here.

Former Playgirl Editor Schools Fox News On What Women Want

Last night, Nicole Caldwell, former Playgirl editor-in-chief, was interviewed on Fox News' Red Eye about the demise of her former home away from home. In between a bunch of dick jokes, Caldwell discussed the fact that — despite Playgirl's reputation of being more for gay men than women — it was part of her job to provide content that appealed to women. (It was, after all, originally founded as a feminist response to Playboy.) Caldwell chastised host Greg Gutfeld after he insisted that Playgirl's demise was due to the fact that men are more visually stimulated than women, telling him, "I'm not going to accuse you of having no emotional component just because women are perceived as being more emotional."

[Originally posted at Jezebel.com]

NYTimes: They Couldn't Get Past the 'Mimbos'


They Couldn’t Get Past the ‘Mimbos’
By CARA BUCKLEY

NOT long after Nicole Caldwell became editor in chief of Playgirl magazine, she realized that looking at photos of naked men all day was not everything she had imagined it would be. When she would meet them, there was often a curious vapidity to the men, who Ms. Caldwell took to describing as “mimbos.”

Readers, Ms. Caldwell decided, deserved more.

So she and her fellow editors, all women in their 20s and all relative neophytes to the world of magazines — and pornography — resolved to fill Playgirl with something different. They aspired to bring Playgirl back to its roots, back to a time when the magazine covered issues like abortion and equal rights, interspersing sexy shots of men with work from writers like Raymond Carver and Joyce Carol Oates.

All the while, the editors juggled the demands of the publisher, Blue Horizon Media, which they said pushed to fill Playgirl with even more nudes and fewer words.

“It always felt like this uphill battle,” said Jessanne Collins, 29, who was Playgirl’s senior editor.
The women’s dreams crashed when Blue Horizon Media, which also puts out hard-core magazines, announced it was shutting Playgirl. The last issue, dated January/February 2009, recently arrived on newsstands.

[Read the rest of this article here]
[Originally published in the New York Times, Styles section, November 16, 2008]

Sexbama For Prez: Vote with your head, not your hormones

SEXBAMA FOR PREZ: VOTE WITH YOUR HEAD, NOT YOUR HORMONES
NICOLE CALDWELL, Former editor-in-chief of Playgirl, ponders the size of Obama’s penis, the power of the Presidential paunch and whether all the fetishization will hurt the Barack Star on election day.
By Nicole Caldwell
You know you’ve reached celebrity status when your name replaces God’s in the sack—and you’re not even the one getting laid. “Mike,” a 52-year-old moderate Republican in financial services, recently picked up a hot blond twenty-something at Townhouse Bar on East 58th Street in Manhattan.“He was very excited about Obama,” Mike recalls, “very into the campaign. I didn’t want to talk politics, but as he rambled on and got more and more excited, I expressed a few reservations about the anointed one. He dismissed them outright.”
Mike bit his tongue, worried that admitting his intention to vote McCain Nov. 4 would end the encounter.The two eventually wandered to Mike’s place on the Upper East Side for more drinks. One thing led to another, and soon the pair was naked. That’s when, Mike says, things got weird.The young Democrat was a bottom; and as Mike mounted him, the younger man grew animated. “Ohhhh, ohhhhh,” Mike says the man cried. “Obaaaama!”Although Mike is white, it seems that the young blond had his own fantasies about who was fucking him.

Let’s face it: Barack Obama is hot. As we move into the final days until the election, it’s become more apparent, however, that people are not making rational decisions based on voting records or even debating skills. They are voting with their emotions, their passions, even their fantasies about who they would rather kiss, fondle or fuck.
Bammers has single-handedly inspired the kind of adoration usually reserved for cultural icons like The Beatles, Elvis or Tom Cruise (circa Risky Business). That’s right, he’s a Barack star. Women weep at his rallies. Photos of him frolicking shirtless on a beach get splayed across pages of People. The media can’t get enough of him. He’s America’s sweetheart. Even Barbara Walters, during Obama’s guest appearance last March on The View, couldn’t resist a little flirtation. “We thought you were very sexy,” she told Obama, when he said his distant cousin Brad Pitt got all the hot genes. Oh, please.
[Read the rest of this post here]
[Originally published in New York Press, Oct. 29, 2008]

Thrillist and Showtime Party Coverage


Burning Down The House With Thrillist and Showtime

Thrillist-Showtime House Party, 23 Gramercy Park South, New York
October 13, 2008

by Kelly Samardak

Thrillist is so manly isn't it? All that metro guidance, revealings of the underbelly of your favorite city, the sick flights (you know... sick as in sweet) to Vegas with questionable press, and the latest takeover of a gorgeous mansion. Named the Showtime Mansion (just this once?), the spot on Gramercy where Tiffany Winbush joked that she'd be placing an offer, delivered room after cleverly decorated room -- all elegantly carrying the theme of hit Showtime time-suckers. Did people partake in illegal tobacco puffing in the "Weeds" room? Did randy wannabe socialites try to make a naked name for themselves on the beach-themed patio? Was anyone dismembered and shoved into the "Dexter" kitchen? I gblahuess you'll have to read on to find out...

Upon arrival, I was immediately introduced to John Wiseman, Thrillist Director of Marketing, Paul Magyar, Thrillist East Coast Sales Manager, and the edibily cute Ben Lerer, Thrillist Founder. I'm sure that, as accomplished as he is, Ben loves being called cute. Onto the rooms! My +1 grabbed the cleaver from the Dexter kitchen and grinned while stroking the blade. I gasped "That's not really sharp, is it?" "Sharp enough," he sneered, hacking off my hand just below the wrist, making it difficult to sip and shoot at the same time. Bleeding profusely, I wandered from the Dexter kitchen and up the stairs into the "L Word" boudoir, which begged me to question my sexual orientation. I kept walking in and out of the "Weeds"-themed room forgetting I had been there as soon as I left. Which made me hungry. Good thing we ran into the sushi gal outside the "Weeds" room -- perfect location. Ack! Vegetarian sushi! Boo! I plucked up a roll and ate it anyway. Uh oh, our drinks were already low, so we headed all the way upstairs where another bar was situated.

On the way there, I ran into a photophobe from NY1 and her guest Stephanie, who was "just along for the ride". NY1 went straight for Justin Fluck, formerly of The Onion, currently taking a run at Thrillist. It was only his seventh day on the job and he was still going through introductions within Thrillist. Not a bad seventh day. My seventh day wasn't in a mansion; I think it was in the supply closet. Anyway, up at the bar I ran into the adorable Tiffany Winbush, who was waiting for her very stylish hubby (can't go wrong with a tie tucked into a sweater, kids!). She'd told him to arrive early with her to avoid the line and he opted out, which means he opted into the line.

Joe Ciarallo completed the Twitter/PRNewser reunion with Nicole Caldwell, who just left her position as Editor In Chief at Playgirl. Turns out that due to Playgirl's decision to ditch the print and hit the Web 100%, their site will be more of a ... uh... video download extravaganza. And I think you know what I mean. This didn't really align with Nicole's love and respect for journalism, so she cut the cord and is heading down a new path pursuing other editing and writing opportunities.

Of course I ran into the always silly, always fauxhawk-coiffed Adam Francisco of MediaVest, who recently met my favorite childhood star, Zack Morris... er, Mark-Paul Gosselaar. The JetVegas reunion hits kept coming with Mike Rothman, Thrillist Director of Advertising Sales, in his chocolate brown velvety jacket, making like a non-VIP and waiting in line with Brian Kantor, Associate Publisher, BlackBook Guides. Out on the patio I re-ran into David Blend, Executive Editor Thrillist.com who was nyucking it up with Dean "Sawyer" Chandler, Sales Director, Gawker Media. "We've been together forever!" Dean offered, with David remembering a fabulous past photo of the two of them. Apparently in it Dean's shirt is completely unbuttoned and David has an enormous 'fro. Please, someone, dig that up. Keeping the seat warm behind David and Dean was Gwen Barbee of Vanguard S&P with her pal Gary in the green suit. Or olive. Sparring for best-hued jacket was Richard Blakely sporting one in salmon, who was jawing with Eric Krangel of the Alley Insider.

I popped a steaming dumpling into my mouth as I moved along the top floor, aiming to hit the stairs and out the door for meat. Oh yes, that dumpling was so hot I almost spit it out. I looked up and saw Joe Ciarallo had the same reaction, eyes watering as the roof of his mouth began to dangle onto his tongue. One of my last photo stops found Jonathan Faulhaber, Producer, The View, manning what looked like an uncomfortable seat -- but somehow he made it look comfortable with his Dapper Dan-layered look. He was with Caroline Bubnis, Publicist, The Door and Nicole Pierce, Beauty Expert, fancyandexpensive.blogspot.com.

I left too soon, in search of oval-shaped meat because according to my sources still peppered about the party, the green stuff made an appearance on the patio as did the, well, naked stuff. Seriously people, keep your clothes on. You do NOT want to be famous for public attempts at baby-making.

Invite kelly@mediapost.com to your shack party and get covered in Just An Online Minute!

Check out the bloodbath on Flickr!

PRNewser First-Birthday Party Coverage


Just An Online Minute… Good, Good, Good, Good Libations with PRNewser

Posted October 13th, 2008 by Kelly Samardak

PRNewser's First Birthday Party, Libation, New York
October 9, 2008
Getcha PRNewser Heahhh, says Joe Ciarallo. Not really, but put that guy in a newsie hat and some knickers and we've got ourselves a winner. Joe's not just one Editor of the now year old Newser, he's also Mr. NiceGuy, so it's safe to say that you won't find a negative word in any of my posts about anything he's attached to. Call me biased and I'll call you correct. It's easy to write nice things about good people. However, my camera did get me into a near altercation with a non-PRNewser guest. Trouble follows me, people, like that clubfoot squirrel in Madison Square Park.
 

I live in the East Village (how writer cliché, I know). When I moved in, I wasn't technically a "writer", so cut me some slack, jack. Libation, the location of the celebration, sits in the LES, which is a hop, skip and a jump from me even in uncomfortable shoes. There's a different energy down there. More fashion risks, more of a laid-back attitude - but also a more heightened poser appeal - you know, those people trying to look destitute in their Chanel gutter chic line? No gutter chic at the PRNewser party, though! Gail Hilton, Director of Sales and Marketing, Qwikker, and I walked into the red and cozy self-proclaimed club (didn't feel like a club) and walked into a kerfuffle. A nametag was missing and a slightly tweaked fellow was waving his arms around and rubbing his head (at the same time!). "But I work for mediabistro!" he said, sounding exasperated. I would be, too, as he was none other than the OTHER Editor of PRNewser, Jason Chupick.
Selfie name-tagged up, Chupick disappeared into the crowd like Chupacabra after a good bovine protein shake and the sea of PR people that would frighten any writer large or small parted to reveal the New York chapter of the Twitter fan club. Not only did I reunite with the fabulous Flavie Bagnol, Director of Communications, Thrillist.com and David Blend, Executive Editor Thrillist.com, but PRNewser celebrated side by side with the Editor in Chief of PlayGirl, Nicole Caldwell; Hamilton Nolan, writer for Gawker and also stepbrother of MediaPost's very own Karl Greenberg; and Andy Seccombe, whose nametag said Australian Writer's Guild, but whose business card said Writer, uppingtheandy.com, which is way cuter.
Does the phrase "two-dollar champagne" send chills of high school New Year's Eve parties past down your spine? What about two-buck cosmos? Yeah, me too, but everyone sipping on the bubbly stuff said it was deeeelicious. Seen sipping was none other than new Dogmatic recruit, Persia Tatar, fan of bubbles, sparkly things, nerdy stuff but not so much a fan of shellfish, like lobster. Belle Lenz, PR supermaven and winner of the Just An Online Minute most fabulous haircut contest (betcha didn't know it was even running, that's how good Belle is), was in the house, and I got to speak way too briefly with her before Matt Caldecutt swooped in to get more real people to the Media Meshing soiree afterwards. Caldecutt wasn't 100% his usually jolly self because he was a little worked up about good friend Nichelle Stephens' financial predicament (cough couch SCAM cough cough), a story that scared the granola out of me. It warms the old crusty cockles to see friends looking out for each other.
Let's move to the Twitter gallery, shall we? I'm even going to use their Twitter monikers so we can all be social media-hip together, hey now! @TiffanyWinbush, @woodlandalyssa, and @rocknrob were represented the Twitter mob, and it was our first time meeting each other in the flesh. Working the room revealed a dozen or so more "yeah, can you believe it, we've known each other forever on Twitter, but just met now!" stories that made us all feel a part of something bigger than the Montauk Monster.
You should know that none of the writers started breakdance-fighting with the PR reps. See, we can all just get a ong. Well, except for the two snappy ladies I accidentally backed into while trying to take a picture. "Excuse ME. THANK you!" one sniped with a flick of her wrist and a flip of her hair as she regarded my intrusive backside with distaste. This camera, it's going to get me a cameo on "JAIL:Manhattan" some day. One can only hope. I need a weight-lifting regimen and bland food diet.
Invite kelly@mediapost.com to your online baby's birthday bash and get covered in thewarmth of Just An Online Minute!

[Originally posted at MediaPost.com Oct. 13, 2008]

Stamford's Rich History


Stamford’s Rich History

Stamford, Conn., was signed over to European settlers in July of 1640, and has been home to a mixed bag of historic landmarks, happenings and people ever since. Originally called Rippowam by the natives, the city has transformed itself in many ways not limited to its name. Signs of change in Stamford are visible; from new developments and renewal projects, to historic buildings still standing in the city, to a meticulous historical society determined to maintain the city’s old-world integrity and charm. Stamford has a rich history still available for you to see—you need only know where to look. Those of you traveling by foot may want to stroll Stamford’s South-End historic district, bordered by Penn Central railroad tracks, Stamford Canal, Woodland Cemetery, and Washington Boulevard. For information about other sites in Stamford, be sure to contact the city’s historic center (information listed below).

Stamford Historic Center
1508 High Ridge Road
(203) 329-1183
First stop on any tour of Stamford’s historic sites is the Stamford Historic Center, established in 1901, where you can treat yourself to some of the most knowledgeable historians in the area. Through September, you can also catch the organization’s current art exhibit, “The Lost Streets of Stamford”, which takes visitors on a visual tour of photographs documenting streets destroyed in Stamford’s urban downtown redevelopment plan, begun in 1952. Visit the center’s Web site for information on upcoming exhibits, volunteer opportunities, and more.

Sterling Farms
1349 Newfield Ave.
(203) 461-9090
Sterling Farms is an interesting example of urban renewal—and one of the best places in Stamford to sample delicious seafood. Once a 144-acre dairy farm servicing Stamford, the property now houses an 18-hole public golf facility.

Read the rest of this post here.

[Originally posted at StamfordCTGuide.com]