Victoria Newtface on This Morning

[hedi]

It's not really pop, but I don't think it should be ignored. She was on 'discussing' (read: bitter ramblings) about Coleen's transformation from person-less-rich-and-brilliant-than-me to style icon. What a bitter old witch she is. Her goth slap looked bloody awful as well (like an older version of Craig's girlfriend on Corrie) even worse than that sharon soap expert whose hair, make, up clothes and shoes always seem to match.

[Maureen]

There are plenty of other things to slag her for than her looks. Is that the best we can do?

As a showbiz journalist, I'm guessing she wasn't paid to come on and be nice about Coleen. She works for 'The Sun' for fuck's sake; if they'd have wanted a non-bitchy testimonial they'd have Petronella Von Flowerminge from 'Good Housekeeping'.

Blame the production show for giving her airtime in the first place.

[hedi]

OK then, she writes with the wit and creativity of a three year old (if she does at all) from what i've read her 'editorial' staff seems pretty hefty, also she seems to have a vendetta against any vaguely attractive female in the history of the world (she's never written an objective piece of journalism in her life). Even as a bloke I can see that it's not healthy for all these bitchy female columnists (Carol Malone, 'Ulrika' etc) to be attacking other women while at the same time moaning about being picked on for their flaws as 'women in the public eye'.

It has also been noticed that issues discussed on these very pages seem to end up on hers the next day.

[Maureen]

She's the figurehead for the Bizarre column so while she probably doesn't do much in the way of writing, it'd be her that took the flak if something went seriously wrong. Her team work very hard under a lot of pressure, but I'll agree with you that at times the stories seem poorly researched. Blame the subs.

As for the tone of her column, this woman-hate-woman stance is nothing new in journalism at all and most magazines do it. Just take a look at 'Heat': biggest spite bible against females going, and it's FOR women. I do agree with you that it's distasteful, but as long as Malone, Jonsson and Jane Moore et al are around, I don't see a change happening any time soon.

[Kirkland]

Victoria Newton makes me want to put on steel toe capped boots and batter some goths to death.

[Devil In Your Car]

I miss Gill Pringle.

[Dudie]

maureen said:

She's the figurehead for the Bizarre column so while she probably doesn't do much in the way of writing, it'd be her that took the flak if something went seriously wrong. Her team work very hard under a lot of pressure, but I'll agree with you that at times the stories seem poorly researched. Blame the subs.

As for the tone of her column, this woman-hate-woman stance is nothing new in journalism at all and most magazines do it. Just take a look at 'Heat': biggest spite bible against females going, and it's FOR women. I do agree with you that it's distasteful, but as long as Malone, Jonsson and Jane Moore et al are around, I don't see a change happening any time soon.

Well Maureen, as you know I've theorized about you actually being Victoria Newton and I'm now even more suspicious as I can see you are trying hard not to defend her too vociferously. Nevertheless, how do you know that her team work very hard? There's no evidence of any work at all from the very small amount I've read, albeit third-hand on the internet. I would rather chew off my own arm than spend money buying that Shite Fest. The woman and her 'research' team (I use the term euphemistically) could be spending all their days and nights in a place for the criminally insane for all the 'facts' that seem to appear in her column.

[flufff]

I don't know why people bother to defend Victoria Newton and her crack squad of researchers and their little mistakes. I have a full time job, but still know enough about the industry to spot errors almost every time I look, and if they bothered to refer to the Guiness Book of Hit Singles from time to time the mistakes would at least be a bit less embarassing.

However, it is true that the people at This Morning should be ashamed of themselves for givin that old witch screen-time. Apart from encouraging her into thinking that she's some kind of celebrity guru (or worse, a celeb in her own right), it would frighten those of a nervous disposition.

[PP]

dudie said:

Well Maureen, as you know I've theorized about you actually being Victoria Newton and I'm now even more suspicious as I can see you are trying hard not to defend her too vociferously.

But hasn't Maureen shown themselves to be quite intelligent and articulate? Do you think Victoria is capable of that?
(sorry, I don't know a damn thing about the woman, she could have an IQ of 185 for all I know)

maureen said:

Petronella Von Flowerminge

What a great name!
*toddles off to deed poll office*

[Maureen]

dudie said:

Well Maureen, as you know I've theorized about you actually being Victoria Newton. Nevertheless, how do you know that her team work very hard?

If I were her, I would have had my teeth whitened by now. I'm not 'sticking up for her'; I'm really not a fan. Tabloid teams do work hard. You have to; if you don't you are GONE. The Sun is a tabloid that likes to stir up controversy. Would you prefer the Bizarre team to recite sugared-up press releases from pop stars' PRs? With tabloid journalism, it's a gamble: sometimes the digging you do will just throw up a load of shit and sometimes you'll hit paydirt. The paper's produced six times a week in numerous editions. The words don't just fly on to the page themselves.

Victoria, as editor of the column, will not do much in the way of writing, but she'll do the bigger interviews and attend the more high-profile events. The rest of the team get to go to all the other fucking crap that's put on, night after night, unable to leave until they've got a bit of juice to report. That's quite a lot of pressure. It may not be sitting on a production line, but it's still hard work.

The woman and her 'research' team (I use the term euphemistically) could be spending all their days and nights in a place for the criminally insane for all the 'facts' that seem to appear in her column.

No doubt it feels like they are sometimes. Her column is hardly the worst perpetrator of fact, er, embellishment or reporting hearsay as fact in the tabloid world, but as you say, you don't buy any of that shite, so you may not know. I can see why she provokes frustration, but there's a bigger picture there that I think some people miss sometimes.

[hedi]

On reflection I think my main gripe was that I don't wish to see Victoria Newton on my television screen, it's not a vendetta or anything it's just that she always seems to come across hideously when she 'pops up' as a guest or 'talking head', cold, bitter and with a distinct lack of humour or self deprecation. It's not like every journo comes across badly on tv (Lucie Cave (I admit she still has a place in my heart from her Trouble TV days) and that Polly bird from The News of the world to name two seem smart, witty and well informed.)

Newtface should just stick to 'her' column (however dreadful it may be.)

[flufff]

I think most of us get that columnists need to be a bit bitchy for it to work, but it's a big leap to get us to believe that her being a right nasty piece of work is simply an anti-dote to the sugar-coated offerings of PR people. Her rules seem to be that she's nice to the people who have given her interviews and pretend to be her friend and nasty to those who don't until she gets the exclusive.

I don't think it was a coincidence that two days after she was banging on about how James from Busted (was it him?) was beating up poor nobodies in pubs, the whole of Busted came into The Bizarre office to do an exclusive feature and stayed nice for some time.

Today she's saying that she used to think that Chantelle from Big Brother was nice, but now she thinks she's getting ideas above her station. That couldn't be because despite being that dizzy bird from BB, Chantelle is actually resisting the urge to reveal every intimate detail about her love life to her?

[Maureen]

You're absolutely right, but all the tabloid showbiz columns do it; it's what most if the readers want, believe it or not.

The new bitchy approach to celeb gossip has ereplaced the old-school fawning because most punters see through the media gloss and want the dirt. Most celebrities don't want to bare all, hence the rise of BB non-entities clogging up the press: they'll say anything and reveal all about themselves for a quick buck, realising that their fame days are numbered.

Higher-profile celebs hardly ever talk to the tabs any more unless it's to avert a scandal or, as flufff says to do damage limitation following a spot of misbehaviour. And there you reach full circle; the tabs have to start rumours and report the bad stuff to get stars to talk to them.

I could go on about this all day but I realise how dull this is getting. Over and out.