Variety announced it is dropping the paywall from its online edition this Friday -

Variety announced it is dropping the paywall from its online edition this Friday - 

The publication, founded in 1905, also announced it is dropping the paywall from its online edition this Friday, which limited the readership of its articles to subscribers.

"Internally, we've been referring to the paywall dropping as 'the end of an error,'" said Jay Penske, chairman and CEO of Penske Media Corporation, which together with hedge fund Third Point purchased the newspaper last year from Reed Elsevier (ENL).
The new weekly version of the print edition will debut March 26, said the company. The announcement did not say whether there would be any staff cuts as a result of the move. It also announced that its editor-in-chief post would now be shared by three people, naming Claudia Eller, Cynthia Littleton and Andrew Wallenstein to the joint post and marking the first time a woman has held the editor-in-chief title at the paper.
Related: Record year for Hollywood box office
Variety is well known in Los Angeles and New York for its coverage of movies, television, theater and music. It also is known for its clever headlines. A 1935 headline, "Sticks nix hick pix," on a story about how rural audiences don't like movies about rural life, is considered one of the most famous headlines on any U.S. newspaper.
Traditional print media has been struggling in recent years as both readers and advertisers have shifted to online media. The costs involved in publishing a print edition, including newsprint and delivery expense, have prompted some other daily newspapers to drop some of their print editions. Notable among them is the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which dropped its print schedule to three times a week last year.

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http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/27/news/companies/variety-print-edition/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

More water and less buzz in Budweiser and Michelob beer -

More water and less buzz in Budweiser and Michelob beer - 


Beer lovers across the U.S. have filed $5 million class-action lawsuits accusing Anheuser-Busch of watering down its Budweiser, Michelob and other brands.
The suits, filed in Pennsylvania, California and other states, claim consumers have been cheated out of the alcohol content stated on labels. Budweiser and Michelob each boast of being 5 percent alcohol, while some "light" versions are said to be just over 4 percent.
The lawsuits are based on information from former employees at the company's 13 U.S. breweries, some in high-level plant positions, according to lead lawyer Josh Boxer of San Rafael, Calif.
"Our information comes from former employees at Anheuser-Busch, who have informed us that as a matter of corporate practice, all of their products mentioned (in the lawsuit) are watered down," Boxer said. "It's a simple cost-saving measure, and it's very significant."
The excess water is added just before bottling and cuts the stated alcohol content by 3 percent to 8 percent, he said.
Anheuser-Busch InBev called the claims "groundless" and said its beers fully comply with labeling laws.
"Our beers are in full compliance with all alcohol labeling laws. We proudly adhere to the highest standards in brewing our beers, which have made them the best-selling in the U.S. and the world," Peter Kraemer, vice president of brewing and supply, said in a statement.
The suit involves 10 Anheuser-Busch products: Budweiser, Bud Ice, Bud Light Platinum, Michelob, Michelob Ultra, Hurricane High Gravity Lager, King Cobra, Busch Ice, Natural Ice and Bud Light Lime.


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http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/02/26/more-water-less-buzz-in-bud-michelob-beer-lawsuit-claims/?intcmp=features

Seniors Catching STDs at Record Rates... - Randy grands take over online realm -

Seniors Catching STDs at Record Rates... - Randy grands take over online realm - 


Old folks hunting for flings exploded last year as seniors gleefully look to play the field online.

Ourtime.com membership sprung from 1 million to 2.5 million singles in just the last nine months, and now the three biggest love sites for grannys and granpops — Senior People Meet, Seniors Meet and Ourtime.com — share more than four million people combined.

"I have hundreds of men trying to hang out with me," 68-year-old Liz Defore brags of her online dating frenzy.

The Southern California native joined a slew of dating sites last year after breaking up with her 48-year-old boy toy. Now she basks in male attention as more than 600 men have come running after her self-described girlish looks and youthful mind. Meanwhile, she happily scours profiles, finding herself hot metrosexuals who slather on moisturizer, manicure their fingernails and ball out at rock concerts.

“My man can’t act like a fart! I’d rather stick pins in my eyes,” says Defore.

Grey-haired singles like Defore are happily recharging their love lives online as each one averages 10 messages a month from potential partners and gets their profiles checked out 50 times every 30 days.

And the fun leaps right from the computer into the bedroom. Seniors are catching STDs at record rates; the number of 50, 60 and 70 year olds getting chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea doubled in the past decade. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports cases of chlamydia and syphilis in older kin ballooning to more than 19,000 and 2,500, respectively.

Longer life expectancy, climbing divorce rates and recharged libidos are behind the surge in online and offline love affairs.

“I went out on a date at least once a week. You know there are things that are fun in life, and that was fun for me!” gushes 68-year-old Judy Tatman of her escapades following her husband’s death.

She rendezvoused with more than 35 suitors over her year of using Ourtime.com and gallivanted around the country from Oregon and Arizona to Kansas and New York. Tatman indulged in tasty home-cooked meals, lovely homes and at least one Jacuzzi sex-fest with an online catch.

“I thought, oh my God, I hardly know this man! This is ridiculous!” she giggled.

Shirtless, weathered men snapped and emailed photos of themselves for Tatman’s delight, and others even sexily undressed in front of their Web cams. One man sent her a picture of his manhood for her viewing pleasure.

“And I’m thinking, is this supposed to make me hot or something?” she laughed.

Her online studs varied in shape, size, color and age. Some men as young as their thirties happily went after her. “They were younger than my son! But I’m a pretty chick,” she said.

Tatman and Defore claim they’re conservative when it comes to jumping into the sack though. The former slept with three men, including her current live-in partner, during her year-long online dating venture. Meanwhile, Defore hasn’t met anyone sexy enough to jump into the sack with yet.

“Ew, yuck! They look too old. Or they don’t have teeth. They’re yahoos with baseball caps!” she says.

She’s still looking for someone to change her mind. Happy hunting!

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http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/randy_grands_doubles_over_online_IEOb1iAdWcmEM4sLnIU1YN