The Know it Alls
Magazine Feature
Some people have a passion for gardening, others love classical music or cooking. The Jipters love answers — answers in the form of questions, sequential answers, multiple choice answers. So to kick off its first annual convention, this group of game-show fanatics decided it was only logical that they meet here, outside the Manhattan studios of ABC's ''Who Wants To Be a Millionaire.'' Since most of them know one another only through the online chat group they belong to, there is a certain airport-limo-driver flavor to the scene, as they try to match faces to screen names. ''Killer Tomato, is that you Killer Tomato?'' ''Hey, Smoky, you look just like your photo.'' Some of them, like ''Ulysses'' and ''Wellman,'' have traveled from as far as Alaska and California for the three-day event. They are oblivious to the steady drizzle that falls around them. (Continue reading)
"That Is Going to Make You Money Someday"
Magazine Feature
It ends with the hot dogs. No matter how hard Carson Hughes tries, he can't bring himself to eat the six franks in front of him. So they sit there on the table, each on its own plate, abandoned like orphaned children. Hughes breaks one in half and lifts it to his mouth, steeling himself for one last attempt, but he can't manage even a bite. Slowly, he lowers both the dog and his head in defeat. (Continue reading)
Oprah of the Other Side
Magazine Feature
What comes after life? It is a question that has flustered philosophers, birthed religions and stumped history's greatest minds. Now an answer comes not from a theologian or a scholar but from a baby-faced former ballroom-dance instructor from Long Island, a man who grew up wanting to own his own deli but instead is the host of a cable television show on which he claims to talk to the dead. John Edward, the 31-year-old star of ''Crossing Over With John Edward,'' the hit Sci Fi Channel show that goes into national daytime syndication Aug. 27 (at 3 p.m. on CBS in New York), has been called everything from a charlatan to a messenger from heaven. In the process, he has also managed to unite an unlikely coalition against him, become something of a pop icon and create a whole new genre of television: the psychic talk show.
How To Write a Catchy Beer Ad
Magazine Feature
John Ferreira, a 35-year-old music producer who is known for television commercials, is adamant about the nature of his signature recording. ''It is not,'' he says with disdain, ''a jingle. I hate that word. I mean, I've done the 'Power of Cheese' ads, so I know a jingle. This'' -- he pauses -- this is rock and roll.''(Continue reading)
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