Web Watch: Gossip

Clicking on the web…In terms of human needs, food, housing, and love certainly take precedence over the desire for gossip. But gossip must still be in the top ten. As soon as we had the Internet, people were quick to use email, discussion lists, newsgroups, and web sites to exchange juicy bits. While many of the best gossip sites on the web have died or gone behind a pay wall, a healthy number continue to thrive, with new sites, often in niche areas, popping up regularly. This selected list of gossip sites ranges from Hollywood to Bollywood, from politics to cooking, with an emphasis on sites with the greatest longevity. If the following web sites are inadequate, some enterprising librarians may want to start their own. Domain name tabloid.com is still available.

A variety of reporters provide behind-the-scenes information and interviews. Kinsley writes a column called Readme; a Chatterbox column by Timothy Noah gives "gossip, speculation, and scuttlebutt about politics"; The Gist is dubbed "cheat sheet on the news"; and SportsNut is a gossipy sports column. Any or all of these columns and more can be subscribed to at no charge. The Discussion link on the file folder tab leads to a gem called The Fray. This is Slate's reader forum and requires preregistration or a .NET passport to post but is open to all to read. It is summarized weekly in Fraywatch.

The Bottom Line: The style is gossipy and readable, while the content is fun if not always factual—a long list of corrections is posted weekly in the About Us section. The size of the advertising seems large in proportion to the text.

How does Drudge do his research and what are his sources? The web site offers few clues. According to a recent Knight Ridder article by Richard Pachter (Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, 9/11/03, p. K0127), Drudge works out of his Miami condo, browsing TV and the web for news to update his site several times a day. He welcomes news from tipsters and has developed a huge network of email sources in various fields. His income derives from advertising on the site and reportedly brings in over $1 million a year.

As mentioned, the site also acts as a huge gateway, with links to AP, Reuters, major newspapers, and columnists who report on their personal conversations with newsmakers. There is a link to drudgereportarchives.com, which is not owned or maintained by Matt Drudge.

The Bottom Line: Designed to look like a newspaper, and perfect for quick scanning, The Drudge Report continues to bring some of the hottest stories to the web.

A recent visit included endless dishing about the Emmys (E! devotes major space to all awards events), who wore what, and who said what. Information is often coordinated with the E! television offerings. Gossip personalities—they are more than just columnists—include Kristin, a sometime actress and reporter who provides weekly chats and interviews, and Ted Casablanca, the self-proclaimed gossip guru, whose weekly video clips are available in both RealVideo and Windows Media. Both applications refused to run on Mac OS X, although there was no problem with ESPNintelligence videos (see below). Anderson Jones, or Andy, is the third columnist, and he provides a relentlessly upbeat and funny take on celebrity scoops and the film business. The Fashion Police section, "who looks fine and who should be fined," is pleasantly catty.

Free online registration allows Insider and Get Gossip First access as well as Chat. Chat transcripts are available to all.

The Bottom Line: This site is a reasonable substitute for People magazine, which now requires passwords to access its content.

Broadway.com
www.broadway.com
Hollywood.com
www.hollywood.com
Moviefone.com
www.moviefone.com
Both Broadway.com and Hollywood. com are owned by Hollywood Media Corporation, which specializes in producing media information databases and worldwide ticketing. There is an enormous amount of information on shows, movies, and actors, with reviews and interviews meant to encourage ticket sales. Both sites are busy with advertising, and navigation is clunky and confusing. Broadway.com's Broadway Buzz is in three sections: Stage Notes from Paul Wontorek has a nice gossipy tone; Ken Mandelbaum's The Insider is published every weekday; and Headlines provide annotations to longer stories. First Person and Fresh Face allow directors and actors to tell their own stories. Hollywood.com's gossip is primarily in the Celebs section where there is news, feature articles, interviews, and movie reviews. Moviefone.com, a service of America Online, is open to the public. Like Hollywood.com, it has online ticket purchasing and features on stars in current motion pictures. Gossip in the Stars & News area includes quotations with sources, photos, and a long feature article about the stars. Community message boards in the Rant and Rave section ("The Bennifer breakup: share your grief or glee") are open to all. The interface is attractive and not overwhelmed by advertising.

ESPNintelligence for Fans
sports.espn.go.com/espn/ei
ESPNintelligence contains a combination of sports talk and gossip about the players, often drawing on the company's television station and print publication. On a recent visit, there were 40 stories on the homepage, plus polls, chats, and contests. Page 2 and the Daily Quickie contain plenty of gossip, but for those requiring still more, Insider is a special subscription feature with the "latest rumors on your favorite teams and players." The site is owned by the Walt Disney Internet Group, which also owns ABC Sports.

PlanetOut
www.planetout.com
This site, geared to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual community, is updated daily. There are gossip columns, interviews with celebrities, political news, and opinion/editorial writing. Quick Clicks links to hot stories, This Way Out radio, and message boards. The navigation bar at the top does not load well in Internet Explorer but looks fine in Netscape. PlanetOut gives a slightly different take on celebrities and movies—often noting gay and lesbian themes or actors.

Planet Bollywood
www.planetbollywood.com/Gossip
Planet Bollywood covers the popular Indian film industry, and its gossip page is filled with scores of up-to-the-minute headlines. Clicking on each one opens a brief story and excellent photographs. There is no gossip archive. Registration is required to post or read comments.

StarChefs
www.starchefs.com
If you take dining seriously, spend some time browsing this attractive and informative web site. Sections include recipes, wine, message forums, job hunting for the professional, and the news, which features press releases, a newsletter called "The Dishrag," Bloomberg Radio food shows, and a gossip column called rumbles and murmurs. "Who's going where to cook what" covers restaurants in major cities: London; Los Angeles; Miami, FL; New York; San Francisco; Tokyo; and other outposts. There is a two-year archive.

New York Post Gossip Columnists
www.nypost.com/gossip/gossip.htm
Village Voice
www.villagevoice.com/musto
Where E!Online reports on Hollywood, these columns cover New York, the nation's other epicenter of gossip. The Post's Cindy Adams and Liz Smith include politics and celebrities, famous and infamous (Joey Buttafuoco's new restaurant was the top story on a recent visit). Michael Musto writes a campy column for The Village Voice that's often based on openings and promotional tours.

National Enquirer
www.nationalenquirer.com
Star Magazine
www.starmagazine.com
Didn't finish a story while on the grocery checkout line? Check out the online companion sites to the National Enquirer and Star Magazine—the grandparents of today's gossip media. While the complete issues are not online, there's enough of the story for all but the most hard-core gossip fans.