Gossip: Tabloid Tales

Psst…I'm going to let you in on a “hush hush” secret: whether anyone wants to admit it or not--and most people don't--gossip is as American as apple pie. Indeed, as A&E's fun and detailed two-hour documentary Gossip: Tabloid Tales points out, mass market mudslinging and gossip goes all the way back to the early days of America's "yellow" print journalism (along with its cousins, slander and libel). Given our voracious interest, it shouldn't be particularly surprising that scandalmongers are at the heart of some of the most lucrative publishing enterprises in the country. Interviewees include former MGM publicist A.C. Lyles, New York Post “Page 6” columnist Richard Johnson, syndicated columnist Liz Smith, and actor Mickey Rooney, who all--in a nice cannibalistic touch--pass along juicy tidbits about such legendary gossip columnists as Walter Winchell, Hedda Hopper, and Louella Parsons. Perhaps the most interesting aspects of the documentary, however, are found in the contemporary interviews with National Enquirer editor Mike Walker and staff writer Bill Sloan, who outline the transitions of this notorious tabloid from (in their words) “pariah of gore to monarch of gossip.” What Gossip: Tabloid Tales makes abundantly clear is that this sort of journalism is here to stay for a very simple reason: we love to get the dirt on the rich and famous and we're willing to pay for it. From the inside tricks of the “paparazzi” and Matt Drudge to the careers of 1990s gossip-superstars Kato Kaelin and Gennifer Flowers, gossip is one of our society's guiltiest pleasures. Just remember: You read it here first. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)