Thursday, November 29, 2007

Sticky moments


Regular readers will know how much I loathe Heat magazine. So I was pleased to see this story.

We get Heat in the office and were all rather taken aback as to why they thought a sticker of Jordan's disabled son with the words 'Harvey wants to eat me' was funny. He's not fat because he eats too much. He's fat because he's got a serious medical condition that's out of his control.

Rightfully, Jordan has complained to the PCC, while Heat has apologised. I think it's a bit too late for that. What sort of of editor let's something like this slip through the net?

The problem with this magazine is it's got an inflated idea of its own importance. These stickers are quite clearly office jokes, and that's where they should have stayed. There's one sticker featuring TV editor Boyd Hilton as made over by Ricky Gervais. Who cares? (Have you actually seen the TV section in Heat? One Q&A, one 'fun' piece about I'm A Celeb... or something of that ilk and a million non-critical reviews giving everything five stars. It's absolute cobblers. Why it's seen as an authority defies explanation).

Anyhoo, I doubt it will bother much of the readership or the countless PRs who bend over backwards to get their celebrities included in its pages. But frankly it's about time they all wised up to the fact that this rag is actually plain mean about everyone, and is far more interested in its own in-jokes and itself than in anything else.

It's the X Factor of magazines. That's on the wane. I hope this is too.

5 comments:

Clair said...

Yes, I wonder who at fun-lovin' Heat Towers will take responsibility for that one? As we all know, it's easy to sit in an editorial office making jokes that are not for public consumption, but we wouldn't dream of letting it out on the streets, and I agree that Heat has got far too arrogant. I'll be very interested to see what Jordan does next - will she boycott the mag (as I think would be the right thing), do a paid-for interview with it explaining Harvey's illness for cash, or do one and sent the money to a suitable charity?

office pest said...

Hey F-C, brace yourself - I expect to see Kerry Katona in the next edition giving Jordan sage advice on how to run her life/bring up her family etc.
That is if the Lizzy Bardsley understudy can drag her face out of the Iceland party foods freezer for long enough to mumble a few half formed homilies.
Meowww!

Jon Peake said...

Too true OP, that WILL happen.
And Clair, if she gives the money to charity, I'll eat my hat.

Unknown said...

Dear Five Centres

You are absolutely right - it's far too late for their insencere apology.

The fact remains, they made fun of a boy with a serious medical condition.

Are we expected to take their apology seriously? Of course they don't care. These people don't care whose lives they mess up.

Personally, I do not read magazines such as Heat, and your story has reminded me of why.

Cheers

Andrew

Louis Barfe said...

Yes, Office Pest, quite right. At what point was the world so fucked in the head that it began to accept Kerry Katona as a role model for anything?

Labels