New Philadelphia STYLE to Reflect Real Philadelphia Style
May 13, 2008 –
The new publisher of Philadelphia STYLE, the high-end lifestyle and fashion magazine, announced at a Friday-evening relaunch gala that, under his guidance, the glossy would focus on the styles of normal, everyday Philadelphians. "Philadelphia STYLE has shown the glamorous side of the city since 1997, and that's fine," Niche Media CEO Jason Binn said at the private Atlantic City event. "But for every Philadelphian in Manolo Blahniks, there are 1,000 in scuffed-up Avias. From now on, these are the readers we're interested in."
 Former STYLE owner Dana Spain-Smith, who sold the publication for an undisclosed sum in February, was surprised by Binn's plan. "Over the years, the STYLE brand has become synonymous with Philadelphia luxury," she said yesterday. "But I admit, there could be a real demand for the new STYLE. There certainly are a lot of people in dirty sweatpants out there." STYLE art director Samantha Bednarek agreed. "Our next issue will be full of greasy bald heads, crusty Eagles hats, and caked-on makeup. I was skeptical at first, but it's actually exciting to show the lives of real Philadelphians."
Binn said that the plunging economy was a factor in the drastic makeover. "Honestly, the way things are going, it seems almost reckless to write about 'haute couture' and $45 entrees," he said. "These days, it's a much safer bet to cover the guy with soup on his pants at Midtown Diner." Randy Thurman, a 54-year-old pipefitter from Mayfair, seemed to illustrate Binn's assertion. "I never heard of that magazine before," he said, idly probing a nostril with a grimy index finger. "But I might just hafta pick it up."
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Weiner Novel Hailed as Masterpiece
May 13, 2007 –
The reviews are in for Certain Girls, the new novel from Philadelphia author Jennifer Weiner, and most have drawn the same conclusion: it is one of the greatest works of serious fiction since Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. "With Certain Girls, Weiner has returned to the themes of the Atkins Diet, awkward sex, and overbearing Jewish mommies–and crafted a work of searing transcendence," raved Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times Book Review. "With this landmark tale, she has laid claim to being both the Tolstoy and the Fitzgerald of our times."
 Joanna Bourke of Harper's was similarly blown away. "The world of 'chick-lit' is often derided as trivial, but with Certain Girls, Weiner has created something that will stand the test of time," she said in a glowing four-page review. "Don't be fooled by the pinkness of the cover, the references to 'lipo,' or the seemingly-hackneyed storyline. This is a monumental work of art." In The Washington Post Book World, Michael Dirda wrote, "When Certain Girls came across my desk, I rolled my eyes: another Weiner dramedy about a thinly-disguised version of herself? 386 pages later, however, I feel foolish for my skepticism. When Cannie Shapiro's husband says, 'You might have viable eggs,' you realize that you're in the presence of a Proust, a James, a Nabokov."
Weiner, who has also written such bestsellers as Good in Bed, Goodnight Nobody, and In Her Shoes, was unsurprised by the effusive reviews. "It's flattering to be compared with all those literary greats," she said from Los Angeles, where she is promoting the masterpiece. "But at the same time, I was sort of hoping for this. I aimed a little bit higher with this one." Judging by Kakutani's words, she had succeeded with flying colors. "As I turned the final page on Cannie's epic saga, I wept–not because of the book's bold message to accept yourself for who you are–but because of its utter perfection. If this is 'chick lit,' I say, 'Give us more.'"
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