'Reader's Digest' reaches 1,000 issues
CHAPPAQUA, N.Y. (AP) - If your grandmother claims she's squirrelled away every issue of Reader's Digest, there will soon be an easy way to check: just go up to the attic and count to 1,000.
The 1,000th issue of the 83-year-old mini-magazine comes out this week, and the occasion is likely to prompt thoughts about the Digest's colourful history and its status as an American symbol.
But the magazine, which is celebrating with a party in Manhattan on Thursday night, is studiously looking forward rather than back. The commemorative August issue includes a 95-page section devoted to "the big ideas that will change our lives in the next five to 10 years," such as do-it-yourself doctoring, food as medicine and extreme vacations.
"History can be found anywhere these days, books or the Internet or whatever," editor-in-chief Jacqueline Leo said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We have to tell people that we are not only of their present but of their future, too, and that we're looking out for them."
The cover proclaims Special 1000th Issue, but the magazine barely mentions its own history. There's nothing about founder DeWitt Wallace, who priced the first issue in 1922 at 25 cents - it's now $2.99 US on the newsstand. His magazine was a quick success, and by 1925 the Pleasantville, N.Y., post office was forced to expand to handle all the mail. The Digest moved to Chappaqua in 1939.
There's "Laughter, the Best Medicine" and "Humor in Uniform," but no mention that Reader's Digest has run more than 100,000 jokes and paid more than $25 million for them.
And there's a table of contents, of course, but no mention that until 1998, all the stories were listed on the cover. For its first three-quarters of a century, you didn't have to open up the magazine to see what was inside.
Soon you won't have to open the magazine at all. Beginning July 26, the entire issue will be available on the Reader's Digest website. It's free for now, but Leo said that may become a new way to subscribe. The magazine's small size means it can be seen at actual size on the computer screen, she noted.
"Reader's Digest is going to be available any way the reader wants it," she said. "We find that young people love the size. It fits in their pocket, it fits in their backpack, it fits in their glove compartment."
The Digest, which started as a collection of articles condensed from other sources, is now at least 80 per cent original. It still favours gripping adventures and inspiring human interest pieces but has more consumer-oriented stories than in the past.
"We want to own this century like we owned the last one," Leo said. "We want to help our readers deal with it."
Once considered a conservative magazine, "we now present the issues instead of a strong point of view," said spokeswoman Ellen Morgenstern. She said the Digest now stresses "fairness, decency, hope and optimism."
Circulation, once as high as 17.75 million, was purposely trimmed from 11 million to 10 million in 2004 to focus on the magazine's most loyal readers. That's still enough to make the Digest the largest paid magazine in the world.
There is a Spanish-language edition, Selecciones, sold in the United States, plus 48 editions - including a Canadian edition - in 19 languages sold in more than 60 other countries.
Publishing Director Laura McEwen said readership is 41 million, "and you can't get that even with a Desperate Housewives finale."
Leo said the age of subscribers recently showed "a slight downtick" from 51 to 50.
"It's no longer your grandma's magazine," Leo said. "Or maybe it is, but it's yours, too."
Peas' Fergie still single
You can relax boys.
If you're one of the delusional who likes to fool himself into thinking you actually have a shot -- Fergie is technically still on the market.
Contrary to recent published reports, the member of the Black Eyed Peas is not engaged to Las Vegas star Josh Duhamel.
"Oh, no," Fergie (Stacy Ferguson) told the Calgary Sun on Monday.
"No, no, no -- I'm not engaged.
"That's all a rumour ... it's crazy. (I can) entirely dismiss that right now."
"I'm not engaged -- there's no time to have a wedding right now."
And when and if there finally is, don't expect to see the pictures splashed all over People, Us or any of the other celeb-watching supermarket magazines.
"Josh and I try to stay out of the limelight together," the 30-year-old says.
"It's not like we're the couple that goes down the red carpet and flashes a big smile at the camera -- that's just not our style."
But the fact that people actually care, that gossip columnists would even speculate about it -- and the rest of us would have to follow up on it -- shows exactly how far Fergie has come since joining the veteran Black Eyed Peas prior to their 2003 breakthrough album Elephunk, which yielded seven million copies sold, a Grammy, several hits and high profile gigs.
She is now officially a star -- much photographed, much sought-after -- something she can can acknowledge while at the same time reiterating she's only one member of a successful four-piece act.
"I just think it's really flattering ...," she says."
"But in different areas we all have our different audiences."
Granted, but there is an increasingly larger audience that is waiting for a solo album from the singer -- who could easily have a career comparable to that of Gwen Stefani's.
Fergie admits that's a possibility, but for now, she's happy to be part of the biggest act in hip hop and pop music.
"It's always been transparent and well known that I'm going to do a solo record," says the one-time child star, featured on the TV show Kids Incorporated, as well as a member of the all-girl R&B act Wild Orchid.
"It's just a matter of when. And after Elephunk it just didn't feel right -- it felt right to make another Black Eyed Peas record.
"So mine will come after.
"Everyone's got their time and it's got to be the right time. I wasn't ready to be onstage without my boys."
Good thing, too. Because together, the four-piece from L.A. (Fergie, Will.I.Am, apl.de.ap and Taboo) are responsible for this year's Monkey Business, one of the best summer party albums -- and mainstream records -- to come along in ages.
It is very much the sum of its parts, with the chemistry -- much like on Elephunk -- of all of the Peas coming into play.
All of their unique personalities as well as, rather importantly, the gender makeup contributes a great deal to their wide appeal.
"I think that people can relate with it, the whole female and male perspective -- giving both sides of that is nice," she says.
"Because a lot of times you'll often hear just from the female perspective when you go to a show or you'll see the opposite.
"This is a two-sided perspective on things, like relationships.
"It's nice to have that contrast."
It's also nice that their music and their performances are more about fun than anything else.
Take Monkey Business tracks such as the James Brown collaboration They Don't Want Music and the ridiculously stoopid but wonderfully catchy My Humps -- it's all about the get-up and have a great time.
"The key thing for us is not taking ourselves seriously," she says.
"And we want the people to do the same when they come to the show -- just let loose.
"We're acting like idiots onstage and getting buck wild and not really caring about how we look or trying to be pretentious, it's all about having a good time and that's what the record's like as well."
Of course, with the success, there have been some calling the addition of Fergie -- after several years of BEP in the underground -- and the move towards pop music a calculated stab at stardom.
Of the criticism, Fergie doesn't seem to concerned, merely taking the opportunity and making the most of it.
"People can call it what they want," she says, "but it's just making great music and not really thinking too hard about that."
Foo Fighters, Weezer Tour To Bow In September
Details of the co-headlining Foo Fighters/Weezer tour Foos leader Dave Grohl hinted at in June are beginning to come together. The North American arena tour, with support from Kaiser Chiefs, will open Sept. 8 in Atlanta and run through late October.
A handful of other early shows have been nailed down: Sept. 10 in Sunrise, Fla.; Sept. 11 in Tampa, Fla.; Sept. 13 in Houston; Sept. 14 in Austin, Texas; and Sept. 15 in Dallas.
The trek will then proceed to San Diego and Fresno, Calif.; Phoenix; Denver; Minneapolis; Chicago; Champaign, Ill.; Detroit and Grand Rapids, Mich.; Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Baltimore; Worcester, Mass; New York; Philadelphia; Seattle; and Portland, Ore.
The Foos are in the midst of a slate of international shows that continues July 29 at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival, with Canadian and European dates to follow, including appearances at England's Reading (Aug. 27) and Leeds (Aug. 28) festivals. The band's double album "In Your Honor" (Roswell/RCA) debuted last month at No. 2 on The Billboard 200, where it is No. 9 in its fourth week on the chart. The set has sold nearly 580,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Weezer's U.S. tour stops in Orlando, Fla., tomorrow (July 19) and wraps July 23 at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. Japanese and European dates will then keep the band busy through August supporting the Geffen album "Make Believe." The set, which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200, has sold 526,000.