Customer Reviews

Us Weekly (1-year)

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

One word that sums this magazine up is addicting! I can't pass a magazine stand with out picking one up. With the latest spill on celebrity love lives, style, movies, red carpet events, and most embarrassing moments, who could resist?

To me it's more of a photo book then real journalism. Half the journalism that is in US Weekly is exaggerated to all means. With so much being fabricated, it is important to keep an open mind.

US Weekly Magazine gives people like you and I a chance to see celebrities live the normal lives we do. It's weird to see some of these A-list stars cleaning, shopping, and doing normal day to day routines of an average person. Of course this is only when they are not working.

My favorite part of the magazine is the loose talk section. In the November 22nd issue, it features Nicole Richie and her tip on how she eats healthy while taping The Simple Life.

Every week I look forward to receiving my new issue. When I do, it's sometimes the highlight of my day. No other magazine can compare to US Weekly. With its edge and wit it keeps us readers wanting the next issue.

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This magazine has absolutely no substance and I wish it did, but it IS a fun magazine to read while waiting for a hair cut or in the doctor's office or wherever. For those people not familar with this magazine, it's all about current celebrities and fashion stuff. Sometimes, the celebrity stories are entertaining to read. However, there are two problems with the celebrity section. Number one, sometimes US goes into TOO MUCH personal detail about a celebrity. Number two, some of the celebrities they interview or have a story on are completely overrated and don't deserve it (the story). The fashion section isn't my favorite to read, in any magazine, and this one is no exception. However, sometimes there are cool clothing featured. But what kind of person can afford what they show? Like I mentioned before, this magazine has no substance, so that means no world issue stories. It wouldn't kill the writers or the company who puts this magazine out to throw in a few world issue stories for those people who like this magazine but want to see something that isn't fluff. My final warning/thoughts for this magazine? For those people who absolutely detest fluffy magazines, this would NOT be for you. Avoid it at all costs. For those pop-culture obsessed people, this is one magazine you should DEFINITELY own. For those people waiting in a doctor's office or waiting for their turn to get their hair cut and want something to read, give this magazine a chance.

The first thing to know about US Weekly is what it is and what it isn't. It is NOT a magazine. It IS cotton candy liberally spread on paper. A mixture of gleeful celebrity worship and tabloid dirt-dishing, this is an amusing guilty pleasure.

The photo-heavy US mainly focuses on celebrities and their love lives -- mostly false reports and half-truths. Most of the rest is stuff like "The Sexy Stars of S.W.A.T," photographs of stars doing ordinary things (ooh, Keanu Reeves ate a sandwich!), cutesy captions, and descriptions of handbags, jewelry, clothes and cocktails that no ordinary person can afford. Tacked on at the end, to provide the illusion of real journalism, are brief movie and TV reviews.

There are a handful of diverting articles. For example, occasionally there are fluff interviews with various celebrities -- models, actors, singers, and reality-TV doofs. The most amusing (not to mention witty) section is the Fashion Police, with quilted skirts, paint-splattered boots, and Britney's sequined bra. It includes some nicely catty comments ("Crazed kewpie doll") and proof that money can't buy taste.

It's colorful and fun to look at. But so are baby toys. The wispiness of US makes it unmemorable. For those who worship at the altar of pop culture, it's a must. For the rest of humanity, it's trashy and fluffy.

Be careful when you deal with this vendor. They auto renew without notice (and claim they send notice). It is easy to turn it on but impossible to turn it off.

This magazine is of course geared towards those interested in movies, celebrity, pop culture, and mainstream music. So I'll review this magazine with the intended audience in mind, with respect to how this magazine compares to other pop culture/Hollywood magazines.

First, it is true that US Weekly has changed dramatically in the past year or two. The magazine has adopted a British-tabloid style of journalism that has made it a top seller on newsstands. As a result, however, US Weekly's depth on Hollywood, and its reporting credibility has sunk to an all time low. Many of its rumors, unidentified news sources, reports from an insider, etc. are extremely fun to read, but also lacking in accuracy. With that said, readers should acknowledge that a good portion of information may be created by the writers and editors in order to deliver a more entertaining story.

Although some of the gossip-like reports may be nothing more than a figment of a writer's imagination (resembling a fan's biggest fantasy), US Weekly should be credited for its well-versed skills in crafting sensationalism. Whether a page is about Collin Farrell or American Idol, the magazine does a wonderful job of delivering a colorful page full of photographs and trivial tidbits. After a hard day's work or long hours studying, US Weekly is definitely a welcomed refreshment.

Now whether this magazine matches up to its other celebrity-magazine competitors is debatable. US Weekly lacks the great stories and interviews of Rolling Stone or Vanity Fair, but is a lot more enjoyable than People; it also suffices the cravings of those InStyle fans who like to check out fashion do's and don'ts. Overall, if it's fluff you want, then nobody does it better right now than US Weekly. The magazine's publishers don't even pretend anymore that some of its loyal subscribers are illiterate!

*** Summary: If you want substance, look elsewhere (i.e. The New Yorker, The Economist, The Nation). But if you're high on cherry squishy, nothing is better than pictures of J-Lo's posterior or a conversation with Britney's bodyguard. This magazine could, however, pack its pages a little bigger -- preferably with exclusive interviews, and stories that take longer than one night to write.

I used to really like US magazine. I have been collecting every issue each week for several years now. But wait! Has anyone else noticed that this magazine has drastically changed since the beginning of this year? Where are all the interesting articles and info on the celebrities, movies and music? There's no more than a thumbnail's sketch of info on anything now. It's all photos and quickie hype. It has no more substance. What happened to this good magazine?

I can't help it! I know that I should be reading something more educational, but I adore US Magazine! There is something about it that makes me swipe it off of the shelf at the grocery store every time a new issue comes out! I love reading about the latest celebrity spoofs!

US Magazine is literally overflowing with the latest gossip on every celebrity you can think of. From what not to wear, to pregnancy alerts, you can read all of the juicy stuff! Every week they write about all the new movie deals everyone signed up for, who has gotten married, arrested, pregnant etc.! I just love it.

One of my favorite features about US is the pictures of stars caught reading it! I love the fact that not only do I have to have my weekly gossip fix, but so do they!

I have read this magazine for several years. It is sort of a guilty pleasure for me. It's not a serious magazine, but it really doesn't claim to be.

I do have to say that this magazine has gone downhill in recent years. Like a number of the magazines that Bonnie Fuller has edited, it has never really recovered from her tenure.

For one thing, most magazines of this genre have paparazzi photos, including People, which uses them in its "Star Tracks" section. But lately Us has pages and pages of these photos, to the point that I have to agree with the reviewer who said it feels like you are stalking these people. A recent issue of Us had a photo of a celebrity waiting in line to use the john. Not kidding. Celebrities are just like us, they have to go to the bathroom! A photo like that just seems intrusive and not at all interesting or newsworthy.

Another recent practice of this magazine is to interview a medical physician or psychiatrist about a celebrity they have never met, let alone treated, and ask for a possible diagnosis and treatment for that celebrity. I really question the ethics of medical professionals who participate in this sort of thing. This magazine now frequently describes Britney Spears as having bipolar disorder, as if it's gospel truth. It may be true, but until Britney publicly confirms the nature of her illness (not that she should have to), I would object to this magazine publicly labeling her as bipolar and asking psychiatrists how her bipolar disorder should best be treated.

The magazine has also started a feature where they show the covers of competitors, primarily Star and Life & Style, and demonstrate that the rumors reported on these magazine covers are false. For example, a Star cover saying "Brad and Jen Reunite!" will be shown, along with a little blurb about how this is obvious BS and you can't believe the crap you read in Star magazine. I find this feature incredibly hypocritical. I've lost track of the number of times that Us has incorrectly reported that a Brangelina wedding/breakup/adoption/pregnancy had happened or was imminent.

I will say that Us has a better beauty and fashion section than a lot of magazines of this genre, although they don't devote many pages to it. The movie and TV reviews used to be good, but have really declined in quality. The one section of this magazine that remains worth reading is the Fashion Police, which is often quite clever and always good for a laugh. Although I enjoy that section, it's kind of sad that it should become one of the magazine's biggest selling points.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE US magazine in all its cheesy glory. Normally it is the highlight to my Friday afternoon- I look forward to ending my work week with some easy reading. So, it really pisses me off when my subscription doesn't arrive until the following Teusday- esp since it hits the racks on Wednesday. I have complained to the magazine and didn't get much help. As much as I love US, I am having second thoughts about renewing my subscription because of the bad sewrvice i recieve.

I signed up to receive 12 issues/weeks of US Mag for $1 and was told I could cancel at anytime. This is a lie! in week 4 of the original 12 week, my credit card was charged the full renewal fee of $15.48 and the option to cancel this subscription was "not available at this time". Let this be a warning so you don't get screwed too.