Although it was tops at the box office last week, we haven't seen He's Just Not That Into You yet, so we'll have to trust a review in Cleveland's Sun News that says Drew Barrymore (pictured) plays Mary, "a free spirit selling ads for an alternative newspaper." (It isn't the first time that Barrymore has "sold" alt-weeklies.) In other alt-weeklies-at-the-movies news, the Dead in the South blog notes that "a young reporter/publisher of an alternative newspaper" is one of the characters in The Wizard of Gore, the remake of the 1970 splatter film.

Continue ReadingAlt-Weeklies at the Movies

Against the advice of friends, family, and colleagues, The Independent's news reporter Ben Preston has embarked on a month-long embedded tour of Iraq with the U.S. Army's 425th Civil Affairs Battalion, which is based in Santa Barbara. Why? "I'm hoping to take a look at some of the economic work that is being done here," he explained. "I knew that coalition forces from all over the world were here, but seeing how many non-military people are working here, it becomes apparent that many people have become economically dependent upon the rebuilding process." Follow Preston's continually updated blog online at independent.com/iraq.

Continue ReadingSanta Barbara Independent Reporter Heads to Iraq

Editor Bruce VanWyngarden reports that employees at Flyer parent company Contemporary Media, Inc. are taking four or eight percent pay cuts, and that the company is suspending its 401(k) matching program. "The cuts are intended to be temporary and will be reevaluated at the end of the second quarter," VanWyngarden writes.

Continue ReadingMemphis Flyer Cuts Salaries

When the Louisville Eccentric Observer's new creative director joined the paper last year, she said it "looked crappy" and the logo was "dated and silly." Those problems were erased today when LEO hit the streets with a fresh design, coated stock and a new logo that editor Stephen George calls "mature and refined yet still with some kink." George also says the paper expanded several sections, added new features, and wrapped it all within an improved navigation scheme. The radical makeover at LEO coincides with a redesigned website that launched late last year.

Continue ReadingThe New LEO Debuts

Knoxville, Tenn.-based real estate developer Brian Conley tells Atlanta magazine his offer price for the six-paper chain was based on cash flow estimates submitted last fall by CL in the company's bankruptcy proceedings. Conley sold Metro Pulse to the EW Scripps Co. in 2007 after owning the paper for four years. He recently made an investment in the Sunday Paper, a free-circulation competitor to CL's flagship paper in Atlanta; his investment was intended to help the company start new papers and go head-to-head with CL in Tampa and Charlotte.

Continue ReadingFormer Metro Pulse Owner Offers $13.3 Million for Creative Loafing

"Twenty years ago, when I ended my anniversary note with 'I look forward to the second 20 years,' I had no idea how fast the second two decades would go," writes publisher and owner Art Zimmer. "I feel the next 20 years will be even bigger and better for The New Times and all of Central New York. Sure, things are down right now, but those of us who have been around 40 years or more (like The New Times) have seen these down cycles several times already."

Continue ReadingSyracuse New Times Celebrates 40th Anniversary

"An article in the free weekly Phoenix New Times is filled with insults about Steelers' fans. The article calls them "grubby, loud and nasty," reports Pittsburgh TV station KDKA. "The insults are not being taken lightly here." The New Times story in question ran as a preview to last weekend's Super Bowl matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. "That guy from Arizona better come up here and see what it is," one Pennsylvania resident tells KDKA. "Bring his face up here."

Continue ReadingPittsburghers Take Offense to Phoenix New Times Story