Here and There
Some snippets that I found amusing or otherwise interesting while perusing Slate:
Correction: Teri Hatcher does not have a passion wagon
Buried on Page 30 of the National Enquirer is a small-type “apology” to the Desperate Housewives star: “A cover story we ran entitled ‘Teri Hatcher—Amazing Bedroom secrets’ was based on an interview sold to us by an experienced freelance journalist who we now believe never actually conducted the interview. … Ms. Hatcher has never engaged in sexual relations with men in a van parked on her property, nor does she leave her child alone in her house while having ‘steamy romps’ with men in a ‘passion wagon.’ … We also published a story suggesting that Ms. Hatcher … had become ‘desperately thin’ and was ‘wasting away.’ … We now know that during the past seven years, her weight has fluctuated by only three pounds—a result of healthy diet, moderate exercise and a good metabolism. Ms. Hatcher is fit and looks great, and her healthy appearance is nothing new.”
And this preview from New York Times Magazine, Dec. 18:
Jody Rosen profiles Chip Davis, the man behind Mannheim Steamroller, a band mostly known for its New Age remixes of Christmas songs. Critics hate the music (Rosen calls it “fearlessly schlocky”) but America loves his blend of synth-pop and the baroque: Davis has sold more than 27 million records—”more than Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, R.E.M. or Eminem.“[emphasis added]
I’d never have guessed that.
