Fortunately, I found that needle! The blog is http://jessicakroy.com/blog-page/ and reading it is like a hot bubble bath or a delicious cup of tea; cozy, warm and comforting.

The blogger’s name is Jessica Roy and, I’ll admit, I’m the last person in the blogging world to notice her. Roy is a fantastic writer and is extremely open about her personal life, which makes for a blog that I can’t resist.

I came across Roy’s blog via VanityFair.com. As a voracious reader of the website, I decided to type “literary scandals” into the search bar because, yes, I am the type of person that types “literary scandals” into the Vanity Fair website (I highly recommend the 2006 piece on J.T. LeRoy.)  Any way, I decided to read Jim Windolf’s article, “You’ve Got (Hate) Mail: The Curious Case of Keith Gessen and Emily Gould,” which detailed the two young New York writing sensations. In the piece, Windolf mentioned Roy on the fourth page of the April 2009 web exclusive, writing, “Jessica Roy, a 20-year-old student at New York University, was there. She had begun to get attention for her own blog, Jess & Josh Talk About Stuff, which she ran with friend and fellow N.Y.U. student Josh Becker.”

A 20-year-old mentioned in a VanityFair.com piece? I was intrigued. I searched for Jess & Josh Talk About Stuff, which was long gone, and then I searched for Roy. She still exists in the blogosphere and thank goodness for that, because Roy’s blog is fantastic. She writes about her boyfriends (both past and present), N.Y.U., her future career, life in the Big Apple, depression and literature. Roy divulges her personal life with the detail of a memoirist and I read her entire blog in one spurt of I’ve found a good blog glee.

For those that enjoy reading memoirs, I highly recommend checking out Roy’s blog, as it is a wonderful read. And as a fellow blogger, I tip my hat to you, Jessica Roy.
New content is on my new website, The Pop Can!

Strolling the crowded streets of Toronto, it’s hard not to notice the Bay’s advertisements for Vanity Fair Portraits, the exhibit sponsored by the department store. On Friday I decided to visit the exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum, and on my walk down Bloor street I felt giddy with excitement at every sign and billboard I passed.

I have been a Vanity Fair reader for years now, indulging in every page of the high-cultured magazine. I’ll never forget Evgenia Peretz’s “Truly, Madly, Nicky” in the Society pages of 2008’s September issue. I remember reading the article in my dorm and thinking that this is the best magazine article I’d ever read. There wasn’t anything particularly different from Peretz’s article to other VF pieces, nor was the content groundbreaking; it was simply that I had never before heard of Nicky Haslam, nor would I have ever heard of Haslam, if it weren’t for Peretz’s article. And that is why I love Vanity Fair; because they find interesting societal figures and shine a spotlight on them.

Vanity Fair is the epitome of meticulous magazine perfection. Not only does the magazine have incredible articles, but they have groundbreaking photographs as well. Every issue includes fascinating pictures by iconic photographers. It is truly a treat to study the lighting, contrasts and content of every photograph in the glossy pages of Vanity Fair.

However, because the size of a magazine is limited, the pictures can only take up one to two pages. To see photographs in all their glory as full-sized pictures framed on museum walls truly is a sight to see. Prince William looking dashing as he gazes into the camera, and Hilary Swank in mid-air as she runs on the beach are two of the photographs featured in the Vanity Fair Portraits exhibit.

There are also the pinch-me moments at the ROM’s exhibit; the historical figures captured by the lenses of Vanity Fair photographers provide us with an insight as to who the people with magnificent minds were during their time. These photographs include Pablo Picasso, Albert Einstein and Amelia Earhart, among many others.

The exhibit also features videos documenting the making of iconic photographs. One such video features George Clooney on the Universal set surrounded by women, as Annie Leibovitz photographs him.

From photographers like Mario Testino and Annie Leibovitz, to stars like Julianne Moore and Madonna, Vanity Fair Portraits is a must visit for aspiring photographers, VF readers and fans of pop culture.

Click here to follow me on Twitter!

It’s no secret, I love MediaStorm. I even wrote a post about my adoration of the website. The site that tells the stories of people around the world through audio slideshows moves viewers in a way that journalism hasn’t in a long time. As a journalism student, MediaStorm is an inspiration; every time I watch stories like Jonathan Torgovnik’s  Intended Consequences or Luis Sinco’s The Marlboro Marine, I feel inspired to pursue this career path.

So needless to say, when my online journalism teacher arranged for a Skype call from Brian Storm, president of MediaStorm, I was ecstatic. I read every article of further reading my teacher assigned, watched every audio slideshow she suggested, and basically secluded myself in Brian Storm reading until 1 a.m. Yes, I went a little bit overboard.

My teacher had instructed the class to write questions we wanted Brian Storm to answer. I wrote down a few, but there was only one question I really wanted to know. Since MediaStorm is so focused on quality over quantity, what should journalism students pursue after graduation: big media outlets, or small organizations that allow graduates to do their own thing?

The Skype call took place on October 7, 2009. And believe it or not, I was actually really nervous. Brian Storm is someone I completely admire, and as a student pursuing a career in online journalism, he is an idol.

Brian Storm

Well, knowing I would be too nervous to walk up to the webcam and ask my question in front of the class, I volunteered to blog the conversation on my class’ private website.

Luckily for me, Brian Storm answered my question in his introduction. Storm said, “there’s only six people at MediaStorm, and 135 countries visit MediaStorm each month. We don’t do any advertising. The tools we use are cheap and powerful. I don’t think we’re doing anything new on the story-telling side, but we’re able to do it as an independent company. We’re able to reach countries you couldn’t reach in mainstream media. I wouldn’t work at a mainstream company, I’d find a couple buddies and do something.”

Storm, who has worked at MSNBC and Corbis, was 34 years old when he decided to work for a family organization after being fired from a job he excelled at. “The thing about working for a big place, they’ll never love you back,” said the photojournalist. But Storm also noted that there are some fantastic “big” media sites, including The New York Times, that are worth working for.

Due to advertising revenue, Storm suggested journalists focus on hyper local or global issues. Storm explained that regional publications will fail because they don’t attract advertisers.

To me, Brian Storm is a huge inspiration and having the chance to hear him speak was amazing. I have attended a number of speeches regarding the future of journalism, and the speakers all seemed to say the same thing: journalism is dying, newspapers are dying, television is dying, bloggers are taking over online and therefore journalism is still dying. But Storm has a different take: there is opportunity. Because older forms of journalism are dying, new forms are being created.

I cannot tell you how uplifted I felt after Storm talked to my online journalism class via Skype. After listening to pessimistic opinions of the future of journalism for the last two years, it was nice to enter third year with an optimistic point of view.

I attend Ryerson University, a school that has produced journalists who work at the CBC, Globe and Mail, and the Toronto Star among many other media. Everyday I enter classes that encourage me to be ruthless but kind, a go getter, thirsty for information and fearless. And although journalism teachers are training students to enter a newsroom floor ready to photograph the inhabitants of a crack house, interview the mother of a murdered child, and cover a dramatic court case; it is also training me to enter the world of entertainment journalism, because there is nothing more cut throat than the entertainment industry.

I love journalism. I respect hard hitting news journalists who cover a gory story without batting an eyelash. I grew up watching 20/20 and was fascinated by the stories of deceit, murder, abuse, and the absurd equally as much as I loved the latest celebrity interview with Barbara Walters. As much as I want to be an entertainment journalist, I still would love to do a little hard-hitting news on the side.

Perusing the shelves of books at Indigo, I came across Bridget Harrison’s memoir Tabloid Love: Looking for Mr. Right in All the Wrong Places. The memoir chronicles the life of Bridge Harrison after she moves to New York City on the exchange program from London. Her four-month gig at the New York Post turns into years when Bridget falls in love with the City That Never Sleeps. The premise of the memoir is about Bridget’s tumultuous dating life in New York, however, the book is really about working as a newspaper reporter. Although Bridget writes a dating column in the Post, she also works as a reporter, traipsing across the city trying to get a scoop. From boiling subway stations to a mother who just lost her son, Bridget must race to get her quote. Just like Barbara Walters’ Audition (which I highly recommend) is actually about her personal life, Bridget Harrison’s Tabloid Love is actually about working as a reporter. Tabloid Love is not a great book. Heck, it’s not even a good book; but for those pursuing a career in journalism, it really gives you a glimpse into that world.

For those pursuing a career in journalism and looking for a medium outside of television and newspaper, there is a fantastic website called MediaStorm. The winner of two Emmys, MediaStorm features incredible audio slideshows. Audio slideshows are photographs to audio edited together in a slideshow, which creates a documentary on various subjects. Founded by the Missouri School of Journalism in 1994 and relaunched in March 2005, MediaStorm pieces have appeared on PBS and the websites for MSNBC, Reuters and NPR. The pieces are an incredible cross between art and journalism and are sure to inspire anyone interested in journalism, photography, film, and documentary.

Documentaries have  been gaining in popularity. Love him or hate him, a lot of that has to do with Michael Moore. While he is biased and not always accurate, Michael Moore has managed to bring documentaries to the mainstream. Although most documentaries have gone under-the-radar, the success of Moore’s films have created more opportunities for other documentary film makers. Capitalism: A Love Story is Moore’s latest film, covering the financial crisis in America.

First, allow me to introduce myself to you. I am a journalism student interested in pushing my way into the entertainment industry. Unfortunately for me, I do not have some distant uncle in L.A. who knows someone who knows someone who can get me in touch with a star. So, I’m going the old-fashioned route and studying journalism for four years to get my degree in the hopes of getting that dream job. Well, in the hopes of being somebody’s assistant and doing coffee runs with the eventual goal of getting my dream job.

So, since I’m not rubbing elbows with TV execs and movie stars, I’ve decided to blog. I guess I should tell you what this blog is about. Since this is my first entry, I’m not sure yet, but it will probably be about my life. I guess a more definitive answer would be what this blog is not. It is not a gossip website on celebrities, an informative website on politics, a feature website on techy gadgets. It’s just a good-old fashioned blog for people who actually like to read, like myself.

I suppose the real ‘kick-in-the-pants’-if you will-for me to finally start this blog after years of suggestion from journalism teachers, is the novel Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. In her non-fiction novel, Powell describes her experience blogging about her year spent cooking her way through Julia Child’s cookbook. She calls her blog readers ‘bleaders,’ which I will forgo, as I pronounce it ‘bleeders’ and that doesn’t sound so nice, now does it? I actually have not come up with a name since, well, I don’t really see anyone actually reading this, so I suppose I don’t have to worry about terms and technicalities now do I?

If I don’t plan on people reading this, then what am I doing? Well, as an avid journalist (a diarist who writes in journals, as opposed to a working journalist, which I hope to be), I am used to writing without the intention or expectation of people actually reading it. Well, with journals I guess if someone did read it it wouldn’t be such a nice thing, now would it? So I guess I’m writing this blog just because I want to. Because I love to write and I have an insatiable appetite to do it.

I do not plan on officially launching the site until August 15, 2009. Why? Well, right now I have no articles scanned or put into the site, and the main purpose is to use that section of the site as a portfolio. And right now, it’s a little lonely looking.

I feel like I’ve covered all I need to cover in this introduction my blog. By now I hope you have a teensy idea of what to expect in the upcoming entries.