US Weekly Magazine Review

Okay, I'm going to admit it: I'm addicted to celebrity gossip.  I was sad when Brad and Jen broke up and was thrilled when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez called off their wedding.  For the past several years I've been getting my celeb gossip fix by reading US Weekly Magazine.

This magazine is about 100 pages and contains celebrity sightings, rumors, best/worst dressed, a few full-length feature stories about the biggest newsmakers of the week, info on upcoming TV shows and movies, and many pages of fashion and makeup placements.  It usually takes me about an hour to read through it, but I skip almost the entire back half of the magazine with all of information about the latest eyeshadow and hat trends.  I don't care about the newest must-have designer purse or if bangs are in or out, so I don't even bother with that part of the magazine.

A few years ago, US Weekly was a great way to stay on top of celebrity gossip.  It was full of information that you wouldn't otherwise see on broadcast news or in newspapers.  The problem is that it is basically obsolete here in 2008 when there are free web sites like PerezHilton.com and TMZ.com that report the big celebrity stories on the day that they actually happen and sometimes in real time as things unfold.  I just don't see the need to spend $100+ per year on a subscription when I can get the same news (and more) much more quickly and FOR FREE online.  Sorry, US Weekly, but my subscription runs out in a few weeks and I have opted NOT to renew it.