Boston, MA, April 20, 2006 — An innocent, tongue-in-cheek response to FHM Magazine’s “100 Sexiest Women,” posted on ThePhoenix.com last week, brought national attention to the site and in turn, overloaded the server as word of mouth spread nationally.

“I guess we struck a chord with this one,” said Bill Jensen, Associate Editor of the Boston Phoenix, and co-creator of the list. “For more than 36 hours in the nation’s rapidly updating media frenzy, we were ground zero. Never mind Tom and Katie and the baby.”

ThePhoenix.com, the umbrella website of the Boston, Providence and Portland Phoenix newspapers, posted the answer to “Who would Scarlett Johannson least like to be with,” with answers developed internally by staff members. Although purely satiric and all in good fun (unless, we suppose, you were on the list), the item became fodder for discussion on such outlets as Imus in the Morning, Countdown with Keith Olbermann (SNBC), the Dan Patrick Show (ESPN), Fox and Friends, CNN.com, MSN, and Associated Press.

The full list, which was headed by comic Gilbert Gottfried, can be found at http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid7852.html. (Imus made the top ten, making him a good sport to call attention to the list).

“We’ve had fun with lists before, and we’ve rattled some cages with some of our postings, but nothing in memory has brought about this sort of national reaction,” said Jensen.

About the Boston Phoenix and thephoenix.com
With a total readership of 600,000 (plus another 300,000 online,) the award-winning Boston Phoenix is New England’s largest alternative news weekly. The paper is celebrating its 40th year in operation.

Contact: Brian Appel 617-450-8765