Fall 2005 PDF - Milton Academy

“I’m glad when I touch a nerve and getreaders to think twice about something—I called out the recent Stealth for what Iperceived as an extremely callow portrayalof war during a time of war, and got a pileof email in response. Half was positive,half was negative, and the one that meantthe most was from an army intelligenceofficer saying I’d nailed it.“In a sense, I’m most proud of an interviewI did for the New York Times withdirector Godfrey Reggio about how muchtrouble he was having getting his final filmin his Koyaanisqatsi trilogy made. The articlewas read by director Steven Soderbergh(sex, lies, and videotape, Ocean’s 11), whoimmediately picked up the phone andoffered Reggio 100 percent funding.Having been the link that got a film madeis arguably more satisfying than writingany review.”The prominence and professionalism ofcriticism has risen but, Ty wrote in a July2005 column, the number of bodies inseats at the cinema has dwindled. Whenconsidering why Americans shun cinemas,Ty wonders what could replace the experience:“How would movies make thatnecessary mass-market splash beforefragmenting onto DVD, cable, and ondemand?More critically, what would we doas a society without the shared narrativeexperience? Since before we started takingnotes and calling it history, human beingshave felt a yearning to sit in a crowd ofecstatic strangers and be awed by the bignessof stories. DVDs and a $4 bag ofM&Ms aren’t going to make that need disappear.”Before writing for the Globe, Ty wrote forHBO and Entertainment Weekly. He beganwriting about the movies when he beganwatching them: While at Milton, he filledhis journal with essays about his experienceas a movie-watcher. Despite his adoptionof a critical language and his academicstudy of Hollywood, Ty says, “I have towatch a movie the way most people do. Ican’t overthink it.”Vick Boughton ’73Senior EditorPeople MagazineIn a trivia game, before becoming a senioreditor at People magazine, Vick Boughtonwas the only player to know that MiaFarrow, as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Daisy22 Milton MagazineVick Boughton ’73Buchanan, was on the inaugural 1974cover of People. Vick’s affinity for celebritynews, she says, began as a student atWellesley and continued at OxfordUniversity, where she scoured England forher favorite magazine and remembersbeing “crushed” when People was no longerimported.As a leader of the magazine’s “specials”sections—she helps manage a staff of 25—Vick is happily immersed in celebrity andAmerica’s fascination with it. Vick’s graduatework at Oxford was in ethnology, andshe says that that background has somebearing on her current work.“My sense is that readers think of themagazine’s coverage of celebrity-studdedevents, fashion and even beauty as entertainment.I hope so—it is entertaining.But, of course, one hallmark of People isthat along with the glossy fun stuff, thereare stories about real people going throughdifficult or interesting or joyous times.Some aren’t household names, but theirstories resonate with us. They educate us,infuriate us, inspire us. Who doesn’t wantto be involved with or feel a connection tothe subject they’re reading about? Otherwise,why bother?”Life inside People is also engaging. Vickpoints to Oscar night—during whichstaffers watch the broadcast and work forat least 18 straight hours—as a highlight.“You haven’t lived until you’ve experiencedOscar night around here,” says Vick. “Youhave all these smart, funny people in oneroom making hilarious observations. It’sthe ultimate Oscar party.”Vick’s department, separate from but workingin tandem with the People staff whodevelop weekly news and human-intereststories, produces the issues that focus on aspecial topic (hence, “specials.”) While theymight put out an issue focused on anythingfrom a hot television show such as“Desperate Housewives” to a “how-to” holidayentertaining guide, most magazinebuyerswill recognize “Sexiest Man Alive”and “50 Most Beautiful People” or “Bestand Worst Dressed” or “50 HottestBachelors” as among the favorite specialissues. Orlando Bloom was last year’shottest bachelor, in case you missedthat one.Vick says that while many top picks areentertainers or athletes of note—JohnnyDamon, who Vick says has the “best hairin baseball,” made the cut last year, andhaving a recent notable project helps one’schances—not all of the men featured arerich and famous. (She says that for someoneto earn a “sexiest man alive” designation,however, it really “has to be the guy’smoment.”)The magazine also likes to introducefresh faces, according to Vick. She tells ofone of the “regular guys” who madethe list recently. Last year, a top aide ofCondoleezza Rice was featured among thebachelors. The piece quoted the now-Secretary of State as saying that her aideshould spend more time out of the officehaving a little fun.“We think a lot about our audience—whatwe feel we owe readers, what we think theyshould know about,” says Vick. With areadership of nearly 40 million, which surpassesthat of Newsweek or Time, People’saudience clearly likes the magazine’s mixof news, features and celebrity tattle.“Our celeb coverage offers readers a lot tochew over. I think a lot of people can relate,say, to Jennifer Aniston’s recent breakupwith Brad Pitt. Theirs appeared to be theperfect marriage, they seemed devoted toone another, they were both huge starswith plenty of work on their plates. Andyet, things ultimately fell apart,” Vick says.“They’re human—they go through criseslike the rest of us. Again, there’s thatengagement, that involvement along withthe entertainment.”Besides her tenure at People, Vick is a 13-year veteran of Sports Illustrated, where sheworked as a reporter and senior editor.