Alas, Poor Buckman

Matt Haber — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:24:23 -0400

We don't have much to add to this excellent item from Portfolio's Mixed Media blogger Jeff Bercovici, except to say that if knowing Shakespeare quotes on sight is the new standard by which media writers are measured, we've got some some cramming to do.

Mr. Bercovici quotes The New York Post's Adam Buckman's review of Heroes in which he cites this line of cribbed Shakespeare—"There's a divinity that shapes our ends - rough hew them how we will"— and suggests that it's "crazy nonsense" and that its speaker, Malcolm McDowell, "should win an Emmy for keeping a straight face while reciting these lines."

As Shakespeare would say, "Pwnedeth!"

New York Post Takes Stand Against Shallowness

Thu, 19 Jan 2006 12:12:00 -0400

The New York Post greets plastic-surgery magazine Skin Deep today with a collection of quotes from the new title, assembled into a damning portrait of superficiality:

* "It's a month before your wedding and you want everything to be just perfect! ... The good news is that you can get that Hollywood smile you've been dreaming of."

* "Pregnancy is a special time in a woman's life, but invariably the 'mark of pregnancy' produces changes in her body which are less desirable. Fortunately, excellent treatments are available."

Good stuff! And here are some quotes from recent issues of the Post:

* "For me, modest shaping with a Lady Panasonic does the job just fine. My anti-aging measures notwithstanding, my decision to keep my feminine fleece comes from my concern for future appearances." ( WHEN BALD ISN'T BEAUTIFUL, by Elizabeth Hayt, January 9, 2006)

* "If you're Bonnie Fuller, you're taking a week off. Skiing in Utah with the family." (SCHMOOZING IS A SPORT I KNOW, by Cindy Adams, January 13, 2006)

* "Things one is suddenly required to have a strong opinion on: the new Strokes record (uninspired or solid?); James Frey (huckster or victim?); 'Match Point' (re-tread or reinvention?). The pressure!" (HOT LIST, by Maureen Callahan, January 15, 2006)

* "No network ever offered to turn any of my ideas into a TV show — not even such surefire concepts as 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Ham?', which combines the how-to elements of a cooking show with the domestic conflict of an Edward Albee play..." ( 'LOVE' THE ONE YOU'RE WITH, by Adam Buckman, January 17, 2006)

* "So, the GGs are over, but the mammaries linger on. Drew Barrymore needed support, and Pamela Anderson needed another room!" (EYES ON CELEBS & THEIR BODS, by Liz Smith, January 19, 2005)

—Matt Haber

Observer » Adam Buckman

Alas, Poor Buckman

New York Post Takes Stand Against Shallowness