WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE, SAY HELLO!

I've always loved entertainment and popular culture - television, film, music, fashion. My interest was initially about the arts and subjects themselves, but with time and current media trends, I've become increasingly interested in the personal and professional lives of celebrity personalities from Oprah's messiah complex to what in the world Miss. Hilton is doing with Three 6 Mafia. As a consumer, a marketer, a sociologist, and a lifestyle writer, I am compelled to these stories for a variety of reasons.

Among my circle of friends are emerging artists, visionaries and excellent conversationalists with limited interest in the fickle lives of priveledged, contrived and two-dimensional personalities, so we don't gab about celebs much. In my opinion, most entertainment weeklies stink, offering shallow and sensationalist reports with no valuable insights. They definitely are not written for me. The CHUM TV network isn't bad if you can stand seeing the same profile of teen-star ten times in twenty days. Rogers' publications are pretty good, but better for lifestyle than entertainment. So what is a smart, successful, multi-dimensional young woman to do for a not-so-fickle fix? Ladies, say hello to "Hello!"

Rogers Publishing (Flare, Lou Lou) is launching a Canadian version of Hello!, the UK's weekly answer to upmarket celeb and entertainment news. Some scrutinize its launch as yet another trash mag in a saturated market, but with Christopher Louden at the helm, Hello! could be the answer for smart pop-culture buffs like myself. Check your newstands this August. I suspect the new mag will offer a sophisticated look and informative editorial on the lives of our favorite business, royalty, and entertainment personalities, as well as super fashion, decor and travel sections.

I know, right?!