GQ

Read Through the Finalists for the 2012 National Magazine Awards

Yesterday, the American Society of Magazine Editors announced the finalists for the 2012 National Magazine Awards, which judge American publications as a whole as well as specific articles within them. Bloomberg Businessweek, GQ, New York, The New Yorker and Vice are all nominated for overall excellence in the field of general interest magazines, Glamour, More, O, The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple and W are nominated for women’s interest, and The American Scholar, Aperture, IEEE Spectrum, The New Republic and Virginia Quarterly Review are nominated in the “Thought-Leader” category.

You should take a peek at those titles at your leisure, and check out the full list of finalists here, but we were more interested in the finalists in most of the major article categories. We’ve put together a handy list for you, with links to the nominated work. Yet again, we were flabbergasted and discouraged by the lack of female writers here — of the categories we looked at, they are only nominated in the Public Interest and Fiction sections. Regardless, there’s a lot of good writing here, so click through to get a handle on the ASME nominees, and let us know who you think should take home the prizes in the comments. … Read More

Awesome Infographic: Steve Jobs' Spheres of Influence

Though the media’s frantic reeling from the loss of Steve Jobs has abated a bit, the discussions on his influence over technology, business and the world at large have not, and probably will not for years to come. To further the discussion, GQ has put together a great infographic — or as they call… Read More

‘GQ’ Names the Worst Dressed Cities in America

The blazer-loving editors over at GQ just released a list of the 40 most “sartorially challenged metropolises” in America, and we’re saddened to report that all of Flavorpill’s favorite cities — from Los Angeles (“Fantasy-dressing reigns: men dress like boys, women like tweens, and middle-aged women like the trophy wives they once were”) to Dallas (“Forget J.R. Ewing. The 21st century Big D douchebag favors Fight Club frosted tips and whisked jeans over Stetsons and ostrich-skin boots”) to Seattle (“The city that made plaid cool is somehow still wearing it, 20 years post-Nevermind“) — made the cut, so to speak. Click through to see where your hometown falls on the list, and let us know if you agree with these seemingly random rankings in the comments. … Read More

Now and Then: Vintage and Contemporary Magazine Covers

Culture is an ever-evolving beast, it’s true. We may not be completely sure where it’s going, but we do know where it’s been, and how better to track our progress than by looking at the changes in the most popular (and enduring) lifestyle and culture magazines in American culture? We’ve already taken a look at redesigned book covers, but magazines are a more immediate reflection of our selves – like advertisements, they’re a reflection of a cultural ideal. Plus, well, they’re fun to look at. Click through to see the vintage covers and contemporary redesigns of your favorite American rags, and let us know if you think we’re changing for the better or worse. … Read More

Conversation Pieces: 5 New Articles Worth Discussing This Weekend

Welcome to Conversation Pieces, where Flavorpill curates five articles from the past week that you should read. Some are long, others are short. Some are from major publications, others aren’t. The only thing all these articles have in common is that they’re interesting. This week, we cover the shortage of women writers in 2010, the art of editing, how you can earn lots of money by fostering the infidelity of others, Billy Ray Cyrus’s regrets about making his daughter famous, and more. After the jump, find something exciting to discuss this weekend in the home, at the bar, or on the street. … Read More

The Most Interesting Quotes from Winona Ryder’s GQ Profile

Yesterday the internet went crazy when a new GQ interview with Winona Ryder went up online. In it, the actress claims to have known that Mel Gibson was a crazy anti-Semitic more than 15 years before the rest of us did. She also struggles to work her iPhone, refers to “TMZ” as “TZM”, and says that she has no idea who Justin Bieber is. We were also delighted to find out that she thought that Tim Burton was a prop guy at her Beetlejuice audition and that Timothy Leary (yes, that one) is her godfather. The full story on Gibson, and more interesting quotes from Ryder — who we’d like to note the writer describes as “too old to coquette and too young to cougar” — after the jump. … Read More

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

1. According to her stepdad John Lydon, Ari Up, frontwoman for British punk rock band The Slits, has died at the age of 48 from an undisclosed serious illness. [via NME]
2. Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione — known for his soft-focus style, super-explicit photography — has died at the age of… Read More

What’s on at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

Today at Flavorpill, we questioned the necessity of Glee star Lea Michele posing in her underwear for a creepster photographer like Terry Richardson in GQ. We eyed these beautiful chandeliers made from old bike parts. We listened to Mark Ronson’s cover of Arcade Fire’s “We Used to Wait.” We… Read More

8 Things Steve Albini Hates

Renowned producer, accomplished musician, and notorious crank Steve Albini strikes again! As Stereogum points out, in a recent GQ interview, he had some harsh words for his friends Sonic Youth, who he apparently considers sellouts. And when we took a closer look at the conversation, we were unsurprised to find that they were not the only targets of his contempt. (To be fair, he also expressed approval for a few people and things, including John Peel, The Stooges, and the Internet.) Follow along after the jump, as we enumerate Albini’s most recent hate list, from movies in general to GQ in specific, and let us know whether you think he’s a straight-talking indie hero or a whiny hater. … Read More

Terry Richardson, You Can Do Better

No doubt about it, January Jones plays one hot mama on AMC’s Mad Men. We’ve become accustomed to close-ups of Betty Draper’s porcelain complexion and perfectly applied lipstick, her reproachful blue eyes and Grace Kelly waves. So what happens when the PR machine profiles the actress behind Mrs. Draper? Less than fortunate photoshoots, that’s what. Jones was herself a model back in the day, but judging from her recent editorial in GQ, we’d have to say that food porn fan Terry Richardson is not the best fit as her official portraitist. After the jump, a preview of the images in question, plus our picks for a fashion shoot with the… Read More