Is the Guardian worse than it used to be?

Dear readers, allow me a literary moment. A long time ago, when Lost in Showbiz's reading habits were made up of funny, squiggly things called "books" as opposed to magazines with exclamation marks in the titles (Dickens wishes he'd thought of that technique. Bleak House!, Our Mutual Friend! Already they sound more fun, don't they?), LiS was rather taken with Virginia Woolf, as all women under the age of 20 are obliged to be. Ah, the folly of youth. But despite never teaching me anything useful, such as whether Will.i.Am and Cheryl Cole are actually going out (no) and whether anyone cares (no), it turns out that old Woolfy baby wasn't a total waste of time.

In To the Lighthouse she described a picture of a refrigerator as being "fringed with joy". Well, this week my TV was fringed with joy and this line is the only way I can convey to you, dear readers, the burst of happiness I felt as I watched Kevin Costner claim on ABC News that he is about to save the Gulf of Mexico. Rest in peace, Virginia! Your work was not in vain after all!

And from one cultural touchstone, to another. Just as it turns out that To the Lighthouse actually has some practical use, so Waterworld reveals itself to be the real deal-y-o.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2010/may/20/gulf-oil-spill-kevin-costner

wow

just wow

It gets worse: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/21/atp-new-politics-alternative-pavement

"Cameron may bang on about Broken Britain, but there is no Broken Social Scene in politics – yet."

LOL

fucking hell.

they didn't even put a picture of the minehead butlins there but one of camber sands pontins

Yes Stevie - that is the money quote!!!! Dear God.

Broken Social Scene = Respect Party?

that's one of the v. worst things i've ever read.

20 Jan 2010: Philippa Booth: Gone are the days when a sandwich meant just bread and a filling. Now your choice defines your very being

Saddened to find oldschool Ilxor Nicky D in the comments thread.

Oi!

loooool

guess not everybody likes the fall. that's why i like ATP though some bands you like some you don't

There's a new music that's taking over our country ... and it's called indie.

Cameron may bang on about Broken Britain, but there is no Broken Social Scene in politics – yet.

There's always the British The National Party.

And the English Defennesz League

Well known Jamaican DJ, U-Kip

Le Pastie de Labourgeoirsie

really into that new album by The Greens

^ Respect

This (linked from the prev piece) is also horrendous: 'I only like it because it mirrors the pop and rock I enjoy'.

No, you're wrong: I will stan for Lynsey Hanley for pretty much anything she writes.

never read her before but the article julio linked to above is witless eg "Radiohead and Björk, Ross's favourite examples from the million-selling end of the avant garde, are by no means the twin apexes of intelligent rock music."

'Pretty much anything' but this, then?

Would look at anything else of hers, as long as its not about classical or jazz - I am open minded like that. xp

Cultural journalists (if that's what she is) and non-music arts critics generally know nothing about classical or jazz or music in general

I wasn't reading her opinion as if she was trying to be an expert on a genre I liked, tbf, but I always enjoy her writing. Would commission.

to be fair, Labour could do worse than rebrand themselves Forgiveness Political Party

Sure. She made it clear that she was not an expert and I like that but I guess whenever I glance over a writer going on a jazz/classical excursion it is frustrating to latch onto and look for what you know and like in it, rather than have a go at different types of music for the unique properties it might offer.

Lost a lot of time to this http://random-guardian.appspot.com/

tried it and got the pavement article...

god that costner article is appalling....like she never once proves his motives are bad or wrong. i read that he has invested about 24m in this project, even if it is a heap of bollocks at least he's trying. also the southerners/incest line in it is just jan moir level.

This is good: http://guardian.gyford.com

ok wtf at this

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2010/jun/17/jordan-alex-reid-wedding

this column is bad enuf when marina hyde is doing it

idk why the guardian is doing lame whogivesashit.jpg celebrity gossip anyway

also, the gingham shirt done up to the top button... im just not seeing it

idk why the guardian is doing lame whogivesashit.jpg celebrity gossip anyway

Well it's either that or repping for a Tory government so they might as well become Now

idk why the guardian is doing lame whogivesashit.jpg celebrity gossip anyway

you don't? seriously???

It is a fair question really. How much impact do you think the Graun's Jordan coverage has on its circulation?

very little

pageviews, quite a lot

http://guardian.gyford.com/

i REALLY like this

i dunno. the guardian's celeb coverage takes a sort-of-not-really-but-really "we're above all this" tone (even though they aren't) which i doubt is that appealing to people googling "jordan". or are its core readers just getting thicker? ah, now i see it.

people googling 'jordan' aren't rly going to notice an 'above all this tone'?

"above all, tits" tone

you're thinking of img search, really

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2010/jul/02/welcome-to-guardian-co-uk-for-former-times-readers

This is very possibly the smuggest thing I have ever read.

News blog – most commented

1. 1. Lady Gaga tops 10m Facebook fans (44)

As this is a sales pitch, I've been asked to mention that the new Oxford Book of Parodies says I'm one of Britain's best parodists, dead or alive. You can work out which.

jesus effing christ

oh god just stopped reading now

if i were an ex-times reader i'd probably be getting out my bank card

£2 a week isn't *that* much

yeah

the times is shit tho

disregarding all the terrible blogs (easily done), the guardian website is pretty good

If I were a Times reader I'd be jumping ship to the Telegraph website really.