Sunday, June 13, 2010

Parallel Universe Alert


The Wall Street Journal has one of the strongest editorial pages in the country; but much of its reporting is indistinguishable in content and slant from other legacy media like the New York Times and Washington Post

The Journal’s recently launched Greater New York Section is Rupert Murdoch’s attempt to dislodge the NYT's liplock on the Manhattan glitterati beat. So far they seem to be matching the competition in banality and triviality. Exhibit A: this piece of fluff by “Heard & Scene” contributor Marshall Heyman. He tracks Tinsley Mortimer at the FiFi Awards as her manager steers her toward various fragrance industry folks in hopes of sparking interest in a Tinsley fragrance.

There’s a creepy sense of déjà vu about this piece—if Mr. Heyman attaches himself to Ms. Mortimer and her entourage, we may in a year’s time be treated to The Perfect Scent, Part Deux. Heyman looks more like Jack Black than the NYT’s perfume critic, but if he buys himself a BurrOmeter there’s no telling how far he could go as Rupert’s attack poodle.


[Full disclosure: I know or have met all the fragrance folk quoted in the piece; I’m not knocking them—they are consummate professionals. It’s the utter unoriginality of the Murdoch/Heyman project that I find depressing.]

8 comments:

~x~ said...

i just learned how to pronounce "consummate"

i like the idea of strong pages

and jack black having scent dinners

Nathan Branch said...

A Jack Black scent dinner? I have a feeling it would involve copious amounts of booze, turning it more into a Jack Black scent drinking game.

Sign me up!

Avery Gilbert said...

~x~:

Sort of like mealtime at the orphanage in Nacho Libre, but with perfume blotters?

Avery Gilbert said...

Nathan Branch:

Copious drinking could easily be part of a Jack Black scent dinner.

"Here--sniff this anise. Hahaha! OK, now try these juniper berries. (Schnoork!) Yeah, nice. Everybody pick up your shot glasses. Ready? One, two, three, Jaegermeister!!"

I'm surpised you don't already have a fragrance drinking game. Here at FirstNerve we chill a martini every time the New York Times Perfume Critic® publishes the word "gourmand".

And of course, for every "Jean-Claude Ellena" we do a Jaegerbomb.

~x~ said...

*snorts*

Ayala Moriel said...

Avery, I'm impressed by your collage, it almost looked like a Patricia Fields ensemble until I noticed there was a square around SJP's head LOL... But if Ms. Tinsley is a fashion designer, how come she's wearing Oscar de la Renta's dress?

Gown wonderment aside, wouldn't a celebrity fragrance design reality show be the natural next step in the evolution of perfume "culture"?

The one and only thing that slightly intrigued me slightly in this article was the cocktails inspired by the 5 winning FiFi fragrances. I wish they discussed that in more detail.

Avery Gilbert said...

Ayala Moriel:

But if Ms. Tinsley is a fashion designer, how come she's wearing Oscar de la Renta's dress?

Touché.

Also like the cocktail idea. Perhaps we should revisit drinkable fragrances like the original Eau de Cologne. (Refreshing!)

As for reality shows, thanks for opening Pandora's Box. There could be Master Perfumer where the creatives stand by their glass-topped desks and petulantly stamp their feet and yell at technicians to compound faster. Or American Indole where the home audience sniffs blotters and texts in their ratings.

Nathan Branch said...

"American Indole" . . . that's brilliant!

I'm scheduling a pitch meeting now.