Profile of Poitier graces October O

The October issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, features an interview with Sidney Poitier, which the magazine’s namesake describes as “the most extraordinary conversation” of her life.
Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Analysis of magazine articles
The October issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, features an interview with Sidney Poitier, which the magazine’s namesake describes as “the most extraordinary conversation” of her life.
SuperStand wants to be to magazines what Blockbuster is to videos. To that end, the Texas-based chain of “America’s Magazine Superstore”–which has five stores in Houston and four in Dallas–has expanded to launch its first out-of-state stores right here in the Chicago area.
You know that old adage, “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken?” Well, O, The Oprah Magazine and Real Simple aren’t listening. Just a few months after their splashy debuts, the well-received, very high-profile lifestyle magazines are replacing their top editors.
Like, ohmigod. The June/July issue of Teen People is too rad for words … if you’re a teenager in love with ‘N Sync’s Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears’ wannabe Mandy Moore or, heck, Spears herself. The magazine’s cover story boasts “the 25 hottest stars under 25,” which excludes the geriatric set, such as 26-year-old Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees (whose teenage girlfriend Jessica Simpson made the cut).
Once you get through reading about Elian Gonzalez, the Columbine anniversary and the effects of testosterone–available by prescription this summer as an easy-to-apply ointment–in this week’s Time, don’t forget to read the uplifting story about a Los Angeles schoolteacher who makes a difference.
Come April 19, Oprah Winfrey will be on the cover of yet another magazine. But this time, she’ll be gracing one that bears her name.
Real Simple’s mission is real simple. The new lifestyle magazine wants to help simplify your life. Of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look good. The premiere issue, which hit newsstands Monday, is populated with high-end ads from Ralph Lauren, Chanel and DeBeers diamonds.
Glamour targets four risky habits that could make you a victim: You never check your credit report (experts say check for inaccurate information and take action immediately); You throw out old bills (shred them or tear them up); You use your birthday as a password (choose a password with personal meaning); You give out your Social Security number without question (it’s the most important information to protect).
“They’re fundamentalist Christians. They chain smoke. Bullets bounce off them. They’re 12. The way things are going, Luther and Johnny Htoo, Burma’s armed messiahs, might not make it to 13.”
Tatyana Ali graces the Fall issue of another magazine, but this time, it’s not fashion or music related. MAVIN is billed as the periodical for “the mixed race experience” and Ali, whose father is East Indian and whose mother is Panamanian, speaks about why African-American isn’t really the proper classification for her.
Ben Affleck does a little spin control in the February issue of Premiere. He interviews himself in the cover story, presenting two sets of answers to each question–as himself, and as “interview guy,” the congenial but rather butt-headed Affleck to which readers have grown accustomed.
Just a couple of years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio was the world’s most famous movie star. The actor will test the waters again with “The Beach,” which opens Friday. In the February issue of Premiere, DiCaprio, 25, comes across not as the party boy that the tabloids present, but as a young man who takes his craft seriously–though not himself.
Not sure whether Jude Law is the most handsome man alive? Then check out the photos of Law in the February issue of Paper. If they don’t convince you, the story–which obsesses on the actor’s good looks–probably will. Law, who was the best thing about the overwrought Matt Damon flick “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” says that fame hasn’t eased his schedule any.
What a shot to attract even more female tweens: a photo of the incredibly photogenic Freddie Prinze Jr. sitting on rose petals with the accompanying quote, “Girls don’t have to be thin to be hot.” The February issue of Seventeen magazine is a definite eye grabber.
“Girls in L.A. don’t eat anything,” he says in the cover story.
Accompanied by stark, black-and-white photos of girls so young that their bodies are not yet developed, the Marie Claire article carries the optimistic title “Children Rescued from Prostitution.” After finishing the piece, the reader wonders whether these kids are ever rescued from their horrific lives.
Courtney Thorne-Smith looks her usual perky, gorgeous self in the February issue of Shape. But the interview may as well not exist. In a pithy question and answer session with the “Ally McBeal” star, Celeste Fremon conducts a less-than-satisfactory interview. We learn that Thorne-Smith “spent years debating whether to get a boob reduction,” wishes that her arms were thinner and wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to run for an hour every day. And this would be interesting because . . . ?
The February issue of More contains a hilarious account of one woman’s revenge against a younger man who dumped her. “Romantic rejection is a staggering blow,” writes Benita Gold. “It rattles the self-esteem and can drive one to do strange and otherwise unthinkable things. Perhaps this explains why I pretended to my ex-boyfriend that I was dating Peter Jennings.”
The winter issue of National Geographic Adventure includes a fascinating article written by Phil Caputo, who recounts what it was like returning to the battlefields of Vietnam to make peace with the ghost of the 23-year-old platoon leader he once was_and with the past that haunts him still.
You never know what you’re getting with TLC. In the January issue of Sister 2 Sister, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes is quoted as saying, “I’m the creative force behind TLC.” That’s not even the best part. In the 12-page cover story, Lopes rebuts quotes her bandmates gave to another magazine, saying that she “doesn’t stick with us.”
The November issue of Mode features “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” co-star Caroline Rhea on its cover. The congenial, transplanted Canadian speaks about her friendship with “The Practice” star Camryn Manheim, her upcoming marriage next year and, of course, fashion.