the(new)mediaslut

After I got over the shock of seeing my chandelier swing dramatically above my head it’s tinkle, whilst sounding sweet, preparing me for it possibly crashing to the floor… I rushed to my favorite News Channel CNA…

Nothing was being reported about the earthquake, Quickly I changed to CNN and they were the first to report the 7.9 earthquake. Back to CNA and still nothing, I think after the fourth channel skip CNA broke the News…

Where I need to congratulate CNA is on the efficiency of sending the camera crew outside MediaCorp Premises and filming MediaCorp’s own staff well after the earthquake had subsided to get reactions from the man on the street… Well done MediaCorp…the budget is safe !

E3’s ban on scantily-clad booth babes contributes to its decline. Good thing the Japanese are smarter.

A few days back, Mike featured Tokyo Game Show 2006 cosplay cuties at Asian Sirens. Now, enjoy the booth babes.

Never has those empty words been so prophetic. 

Playboy Indonesia is now out, much to the chagrin, dismay, outrage, and pure joy of many Indonesians. 

Conservative groups swore they will never let the magazines fall into the hands of the common man (too late, Indoscene has 5 copies already), while free speech advocates aplaude the bravery of Velvet Silver, the local Playboy publisher.

Magazine hawkers either openly display their copies or wait until asked by numerous curious potential buyers. 

Even so, sales have been swift, making it difficult to land a copy as of lunch time.

But as they had promised, the Indonesian version of Playboy has been toned down, focusing more on its editorial content. 

Out of the 160 pages, roughly 22 featured pictorials (plus a centerfold) with most of them being extremely tame. 

One reader on Detik.com commented that is was like glancing through a women’s magazine like Her, Femina or Harpers Bazzar.  

To be sure, the content is hard-hitting. 

There are interviews with Jamie Aditya, Indonesia’s best ever MTV VJ, as well as Pramoedya Ananta Toer, its greatest writer. 

Other articles talk about East Timor after independence, graphics novels and how American car manufacturers are struggling in their own country.  

The general air of disappointment (one man said after reading Playboy Indonesia, his original excitement when buying the magazine is lost) reflects on Indonesia’s culture of reading, or the lack of it. 

Playboy Indonesia is like the Playboy of Indoscene’s grandfather’s era, full of artistic photos but was no slack in the writing department, which unfortunately is completly missing in the likes of FHM, Stuff and others. 

To be a writer of Playboy is up there as a reporter for Time Magazine.  You ARE a writer if you made Playboy.

So, will Playboy Indonesia close within a year?  Will sales fall?  Will conservative groups win the battle to kick the bunny back overseas?  Indoscene hopes not, as judging by the quality of writing in the first edition, other "serious" news and lifestyle magazines should take notice.