Us Means Them, Not You and I

I'm an avid People Weekly reader and I recently picked up a copy of Us Weekly. I used to read Us quite often when it was a monthly magazine and always enjoyed it. I was surprised at how much information Us Weekly covers and also by how much new information I learned.

I'm going to assume the recent issue I read (1/29/01) is an average issue. It had 88 pages, versus 120 to 130 pages for an average issue of People. Yes, smaller, but frankly, it took me longer to read this issue because it is chock full of information vs. the time it takes me to read People.

Since I do read People each week and I often (okay, daily) read entertainment news online, I feel that I know more than the average Jane about what is going on with celebrities. So I was quite pleased when I learned a lot of new information in this issue that I hadn't read online or in People. For example, their Survivor II sneak preview provided me with all kinds of additional tidbits that I hadn't seen online. Up to this point I don't even recall a People Weekly Survivor II article (which means if they had one, it wasn't that great). Many feature articles also include website URLs which I've found really helpful (something People isn't good at including).

The reporting is a bit more straightforward. The most recent issue of People alludes to a Dennis Quaid/Andie MacDowell romance. Us reported the couple began dating last month and Andie is Dennis' new girlfriend. Certainly Us did a better job at delivering the information in this case.

The 1/29/01 issue included a very good mix of articles about celebs from those we've enjoyed in the past (Richard Lewis, Brooke Shields), and those on their way up (Julia Stiles). Their reporting is a bit edgier and not as "clean" as People (think more like National Enquirer in some articles than Readers' Digest). But overall I wasn't insulted as I have read some magazines that were profane or just rude.

Now keep in mind that Us means celebrities (or new celebrities like Erin Brockovich) and not your average person who is out there making a difference. This is definitely an entertainment magazine. People often features articles on causes or diseases or the average citizen out there helping to better the world. Us will give you gossip, reviews, fashion, beauty, and even a horoscope page (what a waste of space). Yeah, sounds like a lot of fluff, but they delivered the fluff nicely and isn't that what we're looking for when we read this type of magazine?

Overall, although I felt the fashion, style and beauty sections to be longer than I'd prefer (and as mentioned, the horoscope page to be useless) I was very pleased. The photos were plentiful in the magazine and there are lots and lots of quotes and tidbits to be found throughout each issue. Since I read so much about the entertainment industry online I wasn't sure that Us would offer anything new to me. The subscription price is much better than People - you can get a subscription for $1 per week. I suggest you check out Us - you may be surprised.