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A small item from this month's Esquire magazine. In a piece about a potential scandal on television's "The Price is Right," the author Chris Jones describes some of the show's changes. He writes:

"Even when Drew Carey replaced Bob Barker — the show's own version of Vatican II — he rocked a similar skinny microphone."

Curious that the copyeditors at Esquire -- a magazine that is devoted to "beautiful women, men's fashion, best music, and drink recipes" -- let this one slide. I wonder how many of its readers understood the reference. Let's face it: even some Catholics are vague on the details of Vatican II. So what's next? Articles about "Mad Men" that reference the Land O' Lakes statement? Or maybe the editors can work in a mention of Humanae Vitae in their next interview with Megan Fox.    

Michael O'Loughlin

 

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M D
14 years 4 months ago
I think you  might underestimate the readership of Esquire...some of America's best writers got a ton of exposure writing for them. Sure, they don't have the star power they used to (HST, Hemingway) But you don't sell magazines with articles by people like Chuck Klosterman if you're readership is solely interested in  Women, music, style and booze. That's what Maxim's for.

that said...I got the reference.  Though I can't really remember when - I do recall having heard a similar comparison before.
Max Lindenman
14 years 4 months ago
Mack's right.  Esquire's always been among the highest-brow of all the glossies.  For quite a while, its tone was just a notch below the New Yorker's.  I'm not even sure it's fallen that far.

I'm still trying to work through the metaphor, though.  Was Barker's replacement with Carey like Vatican II in the sense that some loved it and others hated it?  Or are the two alike because no one can agree on what in heck they mean?

Man, I really need to quit reading America and start watching more game shows.

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