Difference between a Tara Reid fan vs Mischa Barton

[Guest web_norah]

Stuff magazine editor shares insight on cover girl choices

By Jean Stevens

With lacy bras, glowing golden skin and pouty, sultry stares, Stuff magazine covers are hardly known for their headlines.

But beyond the makeup and underwear of the publication's pin-up photos rests the many criteria - and headaches - of selecting and scheduling the scantily clad celebrities who will grace the magazine's cover.

Mike Hammer, the magazine's editor in chief, spoke last night to students of the course Celebrity Journalism: Beyond the Red Carpet, or TRF 500. He discussed the qualifications and dilemmas of selecting cover models and offered insight into the inner workings of the magazine.

The selection of the cover model is especially important, Hammer said, because the cover is what attracts people to buy the magazine off the newsstand, and unlike most magazines, Stuff's survival depends on newsstand sales, as opposed to subscription sales. If an issue flies off newsstand shelves, advertisers pay attention, Hammer said, and will continue to purchase ads - but a person will only buy the magazine if he or she sees a cover model that attracts attention.

"We follow the three second rule," Hammer said. "We have three seconds to capture their attention. The cover model is the biggest sell of all."

In his simple PowerPoint presentation of the top 10 qualifications for selecting cover talent at Stuff magazine, Hammer explained that the featured women must not only be attractive, but somehow relevant to the target audience of 1.3 million readers of mostly men between the ages of 18 to 26. The cover models must also be women who are easily recognizable.

"But make sure they're not overexposed," Hammer said, as a recent FHM cover of a tight-abed Anna Nicole Smith appeared on the projector screen.

Hammer then clicked to a cover shot of Jennifer Lopez, clad only in ruffled pink boy-short underwear, her back to the reader.

"Make sure that they - or their caboose - is huge," Hammer said, adding that the J-Lo cover issue remains Stuff's best-selling issue.

Unlike Maxim or rival magazine FHM, Stuff also looks for celebrities who are a bit on the fringe of the culture, or about to break through, like Kelly Carlson from "Nip/Tuck." Celebrities such as Kirsten Dunst or Mischa Barton of "The O.C." would never agree to do a Stuff or Maxim cover, Hammer said, because they're trying to promote a sophisticated image of being the next Audrey Hepburn. The women who pose for Stuff, or any magazine, have some sort of career interest in mind in making the decision. Sheryl Crow, who normally would not pose for a publication like Stuff, agreed to the cover shoot to attract younger listeners.

For women like Crow, who are not "super hot," Hammer said, photographers need to make them appear far more sexually attractive, Hammer said.

"The strategy here is: make guys go up to the magazine and go, 'Shit, is that really Sheryl Crow?'" Hammer said.

Often, Hammer said, celebrities will create major headaches for the magazine. Jennifer Lopez once postponed her interview many times after the reporter flew out to meet with her. Then she secretly flew to Miami without letting him know. The magazine was forced to send the reporter to Miami, who waited a few more days before finally getting the interview.

"She's a sweet person," Hammer said, raising his eyebrows.

Women like Pamela Anderson and Carmen Electra are always popular with the magazine's audiences, and, when other cover shoots fall through, they are the perennial backup, Hammer said.

"They're like smart bombs in Fallujah," Hammer said. "They're not going to fail."

Melissa Peterson, a junior public relations major, said she was impressed with Hammer's explanations and enjoyed hearing from an actual editor in the field.

"It was interesting to hear an editor in chief offer his point of view," Peterson said.

In response to one student question, Hammer said that slightly altering cover photos of the women is an accepted process in the magazine industry. After doing so, editors check with the celebrity's publicist and the celebrity, and if they like it, the photo runs. Stuff will not enlarge breasts because that is often far too obvious a change, but it does tend to shave in the hips.

But Stuff is not misogynistic and does not objectify women, Hammer said. The entire culture features images of women in the same way, even in women's magazines like Cosmopolitan and Glamour, Hammer said, so Stuff is not acting unusually.

"We try to feature women who have something more relevant than lingerie," Hammer said.

[Guest web_norah]

Cliff Notes

One is trash for trashy people and the other one is a classy broad

end of class.

[Guest LeVeL]

There's already a Tara reid Thread.......goooooooosh :

[Guest web_norah]

psst psst

dont hate on my cliff notes .....the reason why i posted is because there is a clear difference between the type of woman she represents >

[Guest fairyDust]

There's already a Tara reid Thread.......goooooooosh :

LOL!

[Guest Cosmigonon]

Well, you see Norahm, regardless of everything, most men would do Tara Reid without thinking about it...

[Guest fairyDust]

Well, you see Norahm, regardless of everything, most men would do Tara Reid without thinking about it...

Cuz men are filthy scum!

[Guest r3nz0]

Mischa is beautiful for sure.

But I'm not sure about classy. After all, she shared puddles of saliva with Enrique Iglesias in his video when she was only 17--under the guise of "acting."

I'm sure her parents must have been real proud of that.

Regardless, I'll take both of them. Pickiness is for little bitches.

[Guest web_norah]

Well, you see Norahm, regardless of everything, most men would do Tara Reid without thinking about it...

key word: most men not all men

most men would sleep with anything that moves and resembles a female ...hell Eddie Murphy nearly did and so did Hugh Grant....i dont think Mischa Barton exemplifies classy but she is not Tara Reid's trash...........

continue admiring Tara Reid please. it humours me.

[rbs]

Well, you see Norahm, regardless of everything, most men would do Tara Reid without thinking about it...

Cuz men are filthy scum!

And proud of it. You women wouldn't have it any other way.

[Guest LeVeL]

Norah we dont need you to post something to describe to us men the difference between a trashy bitch and clasyy bitch.......opps classy girl.

We know a Hoodrat when we see one ;D

[Guest Cosmigonon]

Well, you see Norahm, regardless of everything, most men would do Tara Reid without thinking about it...

key word: most men not all men

most men would sleep with anything that moves and resembles a female ...hell Eddie Murphy nearly did and so did Hugh Grant....i dont think Mischa Barton exemplifies classy but she is not Tara Reid's trash...........

continue admiring Tara Reid please. it humours me.

My pleasure Norah, if I can put a smile on your face, then my mission here on Earth is done.

[rbs]

Norah we dont need you to post something to describe to us men the difference between a trashy bitch and clasyy bitch.......opps classy girl.

We know a Hoodrat when we see one ;D

Not only that. Like I said' date=' she may not be marriage material but she sure is sex material. And in the end, you are ALL in bed having sex being skanks... [/b']

[Guest LeVeL]

All of us now in day are a bunch of whores. People in biblical standards should not have a sex partner till they are married but its not like that now in days is it.

So we are whore people......... :

[Guest web_norah]

haha. you basically agreed to disagree, i am sure if i gave you an Anna Nicole Smith or Paris type, you'd sing the same song...."it's only sex"

bla bla bla

spin cycle

[ryan2772]

i'm also a really big fan of anna kournikova ;D

[Guest Cosmigonon]

i'm also a really big fan of anna kournikova ;D

me too! ;D

[Guest pod]

All three are tripe. None of them have seriously hard hitting articles or pictorials. I know photographically they want to maintain style, but some rag out there needs to be a little more edgy than the same old "warm color balance, evenly lit, slicked up model" look.

In other words, I want something that reports on guerilla actions in South America with LSD-influenced photos of hot girls.

[tgibson]

Mischa Barton looks like E.T. with her big eyes and long neck.

Rachel Bilson is the cute one (after Seth's mom, of course).

Lindsay and that new punky girl aren't bad either...

[Guest Cosmigonon]

Mischa Barton looks like E.T. with her big eyes and long neck.

Rachel Bilson is the cute one (after Seth's mom, of course).

Lindsay and that new punky girl aren't bad either...

Yeah, that Mischa Barton looks weird; I'd still do her, but she's not as hot as everybody portrays her...

[Guest JMT]

to me sometimes she looks real hot, other times, slightly ET-like. i still like her though.

[tgibson]

to me sometimes she looks real hot, other times, slightly ET-like. i still like her though.

Any E.T. is too much for me.

;D

[Guest web_norah]

to me sometimes she looks real hot, other times, slightly ET-like. i still like her though.

LOL. good analogy -->too ET