George (magazine)
Encyclopedia
George was a glossy monthly magazine centered on the theme of politics-as-lifestyle co-founded by John F. Kennedy, Jr.
and Michael J. Berman
with publisher Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
in New York City
in September 1995. Its tagline was "Not Just Politics as Usual." It was published from 1995 to 2001.
dressed as George Washington
photographed by Herb Ritts
.
George departed from the format of traditional political publications, whose audience primarily comprised people in or around the political world. The general template for George was similar to magazines such as Esquire or Vanity Fair
. The consistent underlying theme was to marry the themes of celebrity and media with the subject of politics in such a way that the general public would find political news and discourse about politics more interesting to read.
Critics called George "the political magazine for people who don't understand politics," assailing it for "stripping any and all discussion of political issues from its coverage of politics." In a feature in its final issue, Spy
magazine asserted that the magazine's premise was flawed; there was no real convergence of politics and celebrity lifestyles.
with his wife
and sister-in-law on July 16, 1999, the magazine was bought out by Hachette Filipacchi Magazines and continued for over a year, with Frank Lalli as editor-in-chief. With falling advertising sales, the magazine ceased publication in early 2001.
On October 11, 2005, Harvard University
's Kennedy School of Government held a panel discussion titled "Not Just Politics as Usual", which commemorated the tenth anniversary of the magazine's launch. The panel was moderated by Tom Brokaw
and featured appearances by other journalists.
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. , often referred to as John F. Kennedy, Jr., JFK Jr., John Jr. or John-John, was an American socialite, magazine publisher, lawyer, and pilot. The elder son of U.S. President John F...
and Michael J. Berman
Michael J. Berman
Michael J. Berman is an American businessman, responsible for founding George magazine with John F. Kennedy, Jr. in 1995. Due to Kennedy's fame, it was the largest magazine launch that year...
with publisher Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., Inc. , orgin ally known as CBS Publications, was a subsidiary of Hachette Filipacchi Médias , and was based in New York City.-History:...
in New York City
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in September 1995. Its tagline was "Not Just Politics as Usual." It was published from 1995 to 2001.
Overview
For the debut issue, creative director Matt Berman conceived a cover which received a great deal of attention for its image of Cindy CrawfordCindy Crawford
Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Crawford is an American model. Known for her trademark mole just above her lip, Crawford has adorned hundreds of magazine covers throughout her career. She was named #3 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90s...
dressed as George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
photographed by Herb Ritts
Herb Ritts
Herbert "Herb" Ritts was an American fashion photographer who concentrated on black-and-white photography and portraits, often in the style of classical Greek sculpture.-Early life and career:...
.
George departed from the format of traditional political publications, whose audience primarily comprised people in or around the political world. The general template for George was similar to magazines such as Esquire or Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
. The consistent underlying theme was to marry the themes of celebrity and media with the subject of politics in such a way that the general public would find political news and discourse about politics more interesting to read.
Notable contributors
- Paul BegalaPaul BegalaPaul Edward Begala is an American political consultant and political commentator. He was an adviser to President Bill Clinton. Begala was a chief strategist for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign, which carried 33 states and made Clinton the first Democrat to win the White House in sixteen years...
- Ann CoulterAnn CoulterAnn Hart Coulter is an American lawyer, conservative social and political commentator, author, and syndicated columnist. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public events and private events...
- Alfonse D'Amato
- Al FrankenAl FrankenAlan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
- Stephen Glass
- Norman MailerNorman MailerNorman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
- Steve MillerSteve Miller (columnist)Steve Miller is a former Las Vegas city councilman and currently a columnist for AmericanMafia.com, an online magazine.-Early life and career :Miller was born in California and raised in Las Vegas. He graduated in 1962 from Las Vegas High School....
- Elizabeth Mitchell
- W. Thomas Smith, Jr.W. Thomas Smith, Jr.W. Thomas Smith, Jr. is an American author, editor, and journalist. He has written several books. His articles have appeared in many newspapers and magazines....
- Jackie StalloneJackie StalloneJacqueline 'Jackie' Stallone is an American astrologer and celebrity who is the mother of the actor Sylvester and singer Frank. She is also the mother of actress Toni D'Alto whom she had with ex-husband Anthony Filiti.-Early life:Stallone was born Jacqueline M...
- Naomi WolfNaomi WolfNaomi Wolf is an American author and political consultant. With the publication of The Beauty Myth, she became a leading spokesperson of what was later described as the third wave of the feminist movement.-Biography:...
Reception
When it first appeared, George attracted great interest, and for a brief period had the largest circulation of any political magazine in the nation, partly due to the celebrity status of Kennedy, but it soon began losing money. Kennedy later complained that the magazine was not taken seriously in the publishing world.Critics called George "the political magazine for people who don't understand politics," assailing it for "stripping any and all discussion of political issues from its coverage of politics." In a feature in its final issue, Spy
Spy (magazine)
Spy was a satirical monthly magazine founded in 1986 by Kurt Andersen and E. Graydon Carter, who served as its first editors, and Thomas L. Phillips, Jr., its first publisher. After one folding and a rebirth, it ceased publication in 1998...
magazine asserted that the magazine's premise was flawed; there was no real convergence of politics and celebrity lifestyles.
Decline
After Kennedy was killed in an air crashJohn F. Kennedy, Jr. airplane crash
On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr. died when the Piper Saratoga light aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. His wife, Carolyn Bessette, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, were also killed. His flight departed from Essex...
with his wife
Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
Carolyn Jeanne Bessette-Kennedy was the wife of John F. Kennedy, Jr., the son of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.-Early life:...
and sister-in-law on July 16, 1999, the magazine was bought out by Hachette Filipacchi Magazines and continued for over a year, with Frank Lalli as editor-in-chief. With falling advertising sales, the magazine ceased publication in early 2001.
On October 11, 2005, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
's Kennedy School of Government held a panel discussion titled "Not Just Politics as Usual", which commemorated the tenth anniversary of the magazine's launch. The panel was moderated by Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw
Thomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
and featured appearances by other journalists.
In publications
- On each issue's cover was hidden a tiny silhouetted head of George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
as it appears on the U.S. quarterQuarter (United States coin)A quarter dollar, commonly shortened to quarter, is a coin worth ¼ of a United States dollar, or 25 cents. The quarter has been produced since 1796. The choice of 25¢ as a denomination, as opposed to 20¢ which is more common in other parts of the world, originated with the practice of dividing...
—a nod, perhaps, to the tiny rabbit head that graces the cover of each issue of PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
.
On television
- On September 18, 1995, John F. Kennedy Jr. appeared as one of Murphy BrownMurphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
's many secretaries on the TV series of the same nameMurphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
, and gave her a copy of George with a mock-up of Murphy on the cover and a year subscription as a wedding present (despite learning before giving the present that the wedding had been called off), to which she was less than receptive. - In the Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
episode, Revenge of the CreatureRevenge of the CreatureRevenge of the Creature is the first sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film is notable for being the only 3-D film to be released in 1955; the only 3-D sequel to a 3-D film; and for being the first screen role for Clint Eastwood. The movie was released May 11, 1955, in the United States...
(first aired February 1, 1997), Crow T. RobotCrow T. RobotCrow T. Robot is a fictional character from the American science fiction comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Crow is a robot, who, along with others, quips and riffs upon poor-quality B movies.- Overview :...
is seen reading an issue of George. - In an unexplored plot point of the pilot episode of The West WingPilot (The West Wing)"Pilot" is the first episode of the American serial drama The West Wing.-Plot:In the series premiere, the White House staff is being called into work in the early hours of the morning to the news that the President of the United States has crashed his bicycle into a tree, much to the enjoyment of...
(first aired September 22, 1999), the "current" issue of George features fictional Deputy Chief-of-Staff Josh LymanJosh LymanJoshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...
on the cover. You can see the magazine on his desk during his character's introduction. Later in the episode, he signs the cover of the magazine for a female Florida State UniversityFlorida State UniversityThe Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
student, who approaches him in a diner.