Saturday Evening Post re-emerges as it once was

Looking for an old-fashioned, general-interest magazine to curl up with on a hot summer night? The Saturday Evening Post attempts to turn back time for its readers:

By Charles Wilson / The Associated Press

The Saturday Evening Post, a centuries-old publication that helped make illustrator Norman Rockwell a household name and showcased some of America’s greatest writers, is returning to its roots to show readers the value of a quiet read in an increasingly frenetic digital age.

A redesign launching with its July/August issue combines the Post’s hallmarks — art and fiction — with folksy commentary and health articles. The revamped Post promises a more relaxing option for people who are used to doing much of their reading online, or are simply tired of special-interest magazines crammed into tight niches.

"There is a void of magazines now that do emphasize art and creative writing and fiction," Publisher Joan SerVaas said.

But industry experts say the Post — which traces its origins to Benjamin Franklin, though it had a hiatus from 1969 to 1971 — risks alienating its core readers while trying to buck a decades-long shift away from general-interest magazines.

"The Saturday Evening Post is no longer my father’s magazine; it’s my grandfather’s magazine," said Samir A. Husni, who publishes an annual guide to consumer magazines as director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi.

Although the Post is making concessions to the digital age, through weekly updates to its Web site and a profile on the social-networking site Facebook, Husni said those efforts could shatter the habits of longtime readers without necessarily drawing new ones. And Husni warned that the changes to the print edition might come across to longtime readers as a lesser version of what the Post once was.

The magazine, whose circulation peaked at 6 million in 1960, now publishes six times a year and has 350,000 readers, most of whom are women over 45. That’s low compared with the general interest, health and lifestyle magazines with which it competes, such as Prevention, with circulation of 3.3 million, and Guideposts, at 2 million.

Many publications have tried new approaches amid advertising and circulation challenges in a digital age. The large-format Rolling Stone shrank to standard magazine size last year, in part to help boost single-copy sales because it now fits better on magazine racks. TV Guide, meanwhile, grew into a full-size magazine in 2005.

Maureen Mercho, chief operating officer for the Post, said ad sales had dropped because of the recession, prompting the magazine to look for ways to broaden its base. "That probably pushed us" to do the redesign, she said.

Mercho said some people are surprised the Post still exists. She suspects that’s because the magazine is primarily available only to subscribers; fewer than 5,000 copies an issue are sold on newsstands. But she believes the relaunch will increase awareness of the magazine.

"The thing the Post has done well over the years is interpret America for America," Mercho said, echoing George Horace Lorimer, who edited the magazine for more than 30 years in the early 1900s.

To complement the magazine, the Post has relaunched its Web site, offering new posts each Saturday evening — naturally — with retrospective, art, blogs, health coverage and other content. It also has begun a yearslong effort to digitize its historical content and offer it online.

"I think the key is keeping your hand on the pulse of what Americans are interested in," SerVaas said. "We’re just trying to make sure we stay on that pulse."

While Husni is skeptical about the future of the magazine, media strategist Lou Ann Sabatier of Falls Church, Va., notes that the Post has a "brand aura" that has endured despite changes in owners and formats. "I think there’s a hunger for this," she said. "In publishing, it’s timing. I think the timing is very good for them."

Tom Cruise/Sam Raimi: 'Sleeper' is a go

G4's "Attack of the Show" announced that the long-rumored project that would team Tom Cruise with Sam "Spider-man" Raimi for a film verison of comic-book writer Ed Brubaker's "Sleeper" is a go.

Brubaker had recently told MTV, "I talked to one of the producers a couple of weeks ago, and they have a new screenwriter that they hired."

"Sleeper" -- not to be confused with the Woody Allen film of the same name -- is described on firstshowing.net as a story about an operative whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him impervious to pain and allows him to pass it on to others through skin contact. He is placed undercover in a villainous organization by an intelligence agency and falls for a member of the group, named Miss Misery.

Cruise continues to build his sci-fi action cred after "Minority Report," "War of the Worlds" and, of course, the "Mission Impossible" films. Raimi is fresh off of the scary-funny (that's according to horror fan Allan Walton) "Drag Me to Hell."

Brubaker had other things on his mind besides "Sleeper," what with resurrecting Steve Rogers in "Captain America: Reborn." Speaking of "The First Avenger: Captain America" film, targeted for 2011, he said he's likely to be involved in that project as well. “I’ve seen the preliminary stuff for the movie, a year or so ago before [Marvel Studios] hired the new screenwriter and director,” Brubaker told MTV News. “I know Kevin Feige was talking about bringing me in when they put together the ‘Captain America’ brain trust for the movie —  like they did for 'Iron Man' with Matt Fraction and (Brian) Bendis."

Kevin Jonas gets engaged

Oldest brother Kevin Jonas, 21, popped the big question to girlfriend Danielle Deleasa, 22, Wednesday.

A detailed story on People.com said Jonas surprised Danielle, a former hairdresser, by showing up at her doorstep in New Jersey early Wednesday morning and dropping down to his knee to ask her to marry him. He gave her a cushion-cut diamond ring that Jonas designed with Jacob & Co.,

Then, "She said yes, yes, yes like 500 times super fast in a row," Kevin told People.

The couple has been together since May of 2007. They have not set a wedding date, according to the report.

Other brothers Joe and Nick said on their Twitter page: "Congrats big brother.....Dani welcome to the family, we can't wait to have you join us on the road!"

Jeff Goldblum: Jest in peace

Jeff Goldblum pronounced himself dead a few minutes ago on "The Colbert Report," after Stephen Colbert played a portion of a New Zealand news show that reported the actor had died. Colbert argued with Goldblum, standing onstage at the "Report," that if bloggers and tweets say someone's dead, it must be so. Then the video was played, revealing that a New Zealand police source had confirmed Goldblum's death on a movie set -- despite the actor's earlier protests that he was not in New Zealand recently.

Goldblum was forced to agree that he must, indeed, be deceased, and proceeded to eulogize himself. He dwelled a bit on his prowess in bed and said how much he'd be missed, particularly by fans of his TV show, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" on USA Network . . .

I salute you, Jeff Goldblum. May you have humor about this fiasco ever after.

G4 hosts bid fond farewell to Billy Mays

G4 network's "Attack of the Show" has parodied Billy Mays often enough over the years, but usually in good-natured fashion. With news of the all-star pitchman's death, "AOTS" hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn paid tribute to "the most memorable salesman and internet sensation ever," noting his good humor and how he'd become a favorite of video mash-up artists over the years.

Jeff Goldblum is alive and well, despite rumors to the contrary

Maybe that thunder and lightning outside my window is the wrath of Jeff Goldblum -- or a higher power -- who thinks it's off-the-grid awful that someone started a rumor today that Jeff Goldblum had fallen to his death on the set of a movie filming in New Zealand.

The rumor became so widespread that his publicist released a statement to Entertainment Weekly, saying, "Reports that Jeff Goldblum has passed away are completely untrue. He is fine and in Los Angeles."

Amid the terrible news of Michael Jackson's death, Twitter and other Web sites somehow picked up an old Internet hoax about actor and West Homestead native Goldblum, the "Jurrasic Park" and "Independence Day" star who's now seen on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

At 10:45 tonight, the National Examiner site still listed Goldblum under today's "celebrity deaths," for goodness sakes. Here's how it played out on Manolith.com :

Update: This report has turned out to be false, an old Internet hoax that resurfaced among the Michael Jackson frenzy. More on the official NZ Police website.

"Then the repeated their earlier, false report: According to reports from a New Zealand newspaper - and lots of action on Twitter - actor Jeff Goldblum died early this morning after a fatal fall. The alleged death occurred while on set in New Zealand when Goldblum fell over sixty feet off a nearby cliff. As of yet no other news source has picked up the story, so it’s probably false. That said, he is currently filming a movie titled, “Morning Glory“, but no word on where it’s filming. . . ."

In a week when the entertainment world lost Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, it's particularly inexcusable to spread false reports like this. I hope Goldblum can have a Groucho Marx-like sense of humor about it. Marx, of course, denied reports of his demise by saying that reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated.

Live from Comic-Con: 'Star Wars Spectacular' on G4

Lucasfilm Ltd. and G4 are joining forces for a first: A live TV broadcast of a panel from San Diego Comic-Con International, which celebrates its 40th year next month. "The Star Wars Spectacular!" will be broadcast on Saturday, July 25, at 2 p.m. The telecast is billed as featuring "never-before-seen footage, breaking news, surprise announcements, guest stars and more." In addition, G4 will present three hours of live coverage from the Comic-Con floor, beginning at 4.

I haven't seen a full slate of programming from Comic-Con yet, so I don't know if this would have been on my schedule -- I'll be at the massive movie/TV/comic/video/game/pop culture covention with my son, Josh, from preview night Wednesday, July 22, through the end on Sunday, July 26 -- but this will make it easier if there's a conflict. Exclusivity is one of the attractions of being there, like when Hugh Jackman shows up unexpectedly with previously unseen footage of "X-Men: Wolverine." Or when Steve Carrell shows up off-program for the "Get Smart" panel. Don't know if I need to be there if the whole world is watching, but it's great for anyone who's never been among the 125,000-plus fans who attend each year.

Anything involving a Lucasfilm-related project is usually kept under wraps and would normally demand that on-site fans find a seat at the panel. As G4 puts it, "Traditionally, details surrounding Lucasfilm's primary panel presentation are closely guarded secrets, with only 6,500 lucky on-site fans allowed access to the wealth of coveted information from a galaxy far, far away. But this year, G4 is offering TV viewers the one-of-a-kind opportunity to share the excitement with an exclusive broadcast of the panel. G4's Attack of the Show hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn will join Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet and a galaxy of guests from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and beyond - including supervising director Dave Filoni, and voice talent from the show - to provide an insider look at the Star Wars universe, with never-before-seen footage and a LIVE table read of an exclusive new Clone Wars script."

There will be the traditional fan Q&A as well.

One of the cool things already announced for this year is the launch of the "Star Wars Stories Project," in which fans of the Star Wars-verse can contribute to Lucasfilm's own historical archive through video testimonials. In addition to online submissions, fans will have the opportunity to record their stories at Lucasfilm's pavilion on the Comic-Con floor. Fans are invited to upload their stories at G4's Comic-Con site.

'Transformers 2': Boom! Robots! Shia! Megan! TV references!

This is how I would have reviewed "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which I saw in preview Monday night:

Boom! Robots! Shia LaBeouf! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Boom! Robots! Isabel Lucas! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Flatbush? (Was that a Flatbush sign next to the deli? I'm from Flatbush!) John Turturro! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Boom! Robots! Megan Fox! Boom! Robot! Desert! Boom! Robots! Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox!

Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's a rip-roaring summer action movie, and teen-age boys will love the eye candy, I'm sure.

Other things I couldn't help but notice . . . 

** Sam (LaBeouf) has Decepticons after him because of information downloaded directly into his brain. That's straight out of NBC's "Chuck," right down to the blinking eyes and twitches that LaBeouf goes through whenever the new brain waves kick in.

** Rainn Wilson's cameo as Professor Colan gives "Transformers 2" the obligatory summer movie appearance by a player from "The Office." (But it's Ed Helms who seems to be everywhere these days.)

** Glenn Morshower, the upright Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce of TV's "24," portrays . . . General Morshower. According to movieblog.com, "He was the Colonel in command of the US military base that was attacked in the beginning of the first Transformers movie. [His] character died in that attack but that isn't stopping Michael Bay from bringing him back for Transformers 2 anyway. He'll just be playing another character." Glad director Bay saw fit to give Morshower a promotion, too. He's so solid on "24" without ever being boring.

** Former "Las Vegas" star Josh Duhamel (seen with co-star Shia LaBeouf at the movie's premiere/AP/Matt Sayles) also gets a promotion. He's the leader of NEST (Non-Biological Extraterrestrial Species Team), the military unit that supports the Autobots. Duhamel has leading-man looks but there's not much on his plate, according to IMDB.com. He's got a rom-com, "When in Rome" with Kristen Bell, listed as completed for next year, and that's it. Well, he is a newlywed - to Fergie of Black-Eyed Peas.

** Duhamel's NEST buddy, Tyrese Gibson, on the other hand, has been cast as Marvel Comics' Luke Cage in a film named for the title character.

** Peter Cullen returns as the voice of Optimus Prime, a role he originated in the TV cartoon version. One of the world's great voice artists, Frank Welker, is onboard as Soundwave and Devastator. He's also the voice of Scooby Doo and Abu the monkey in Disney's "Aladdin."

** Watch for Anthony Anderson, who was a computer wiz in the first movie and now stars on TV's "Law & Order," and you won't find him. But listen carefully: He provides the voice of Jolt.

Can't wait to see . . .

 . . . Meryl Streep as Julia Child in "Julie & Julia," with Amy Adams as her co-star. Streep turned 60 recently. How can that be? Nora Ephron, who directed Streep in "Heartburn," directs her own screenplay of Julie Powell's book for the feature film, due Aug. 7.

 . . . Whatever it is Joss Whedon has planned for a "Dr. Horrible" sequel. In April, he told a group of reporters that the next phase of the viral sensation "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" could take any form, from another Web series to a full-length feature film. The original starred Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. The panel with Whedon and his stars and collaborators was, for me, one of last year's highlights of Comic-Con International in San Diego.

... a Penguins player -- any player -- on a national TV morning or late-night talk show. The Steelers' Santonio Holmes made the rounds after he was MVP of the Super Bowl. Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson are everywhere. And I remember that Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk took the Cup to "Live With Regis & Kelly" last year. Where's the love for our Stanley Cup-winning guys?

. . . Anne Hathaway, Audra McDonald, Julie White Hamish Linklater and Raul Esparza in the Shakespeare in the Park production of "Twelfth Night." That's New  York's Central Park, and I don't know if I'll make it to NYC in time. It ends July 12. Sigh. I hope it's being filmed for posterity. And me.

. . . Hugh Jackman (OK, Hugh Jackman in anything) and Daniel Craig on Broadway in "A Steady Rain." I mean, come on. Wolverine/"The Boy From Oz" and James Bond/"Defiance" on the same stage? The Keith Huff play, by the way, is about Chicago cops "whose lifelong friendship is put to the test when they become involved in a domestic dispute in a poor neighborhood."

. . . August in Pittsburgh, when Pittsburgh CLO offers Sondheim's "Into the Woods" and PICT unveils its production of "The History Boys." Quantum is back then, too, with "36 Views."

. . . What's in store at Comic-Con International, July 22-26. Variety and other media outlets are wondering about the TV-heavy lineup of panels, especially in a year when the huge fan convention comes before the Television Critics Association summer press tour. "What's happening at Comic-Con is the fan community gives you an immediate reaction to your project in a big way," Lisa Gregorian, exec vice president of worldwide marketing for the Warner Bros. TV Group, told Variety. "It's live testing." Shows like "Fringe" and "Heroes" and my favorite, "Chuck," were launched with positive fan buzz at Comic-Con. I like forward to all of it. Most of the programming hasn't been announced yet for the 40th anniversary, but whatever it is, my son and I will be there again, waiting in long lines for the movie and TV panels, demo-ing the video games, seeing what's on the comic book horizon and, in general, geeking out and then blogging about it.

I can't wait.

'8-TRACK' cast groovin' at Ross Park Mall

The cast of Pittsburgh CLO's "8-TRACK: The Sounds of the '70s," will perform songs from the show at Ross Park Mall's Center Court, noon-12:30 p.m. tomorrow, June 20.

"8-TRACK" plays through Sept. 27 at the CLO Cabaret Theater (412-456- 6666) or PittsburghCLO.org).