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A-List Secrets: Why Gossip Mags Are Nuts for Palin

Thu., Sep. 4, 2008 12:46 PM PDT by Leslie Gornstein

US Weekly

Why am I seeing Sarah Palin on the covers of my gossip magazines?
—Gia, New York

What part of "former beauty queen who has a pregnant, unmarried 17-year-old and could maybe possibly have serious secrets" don't you understand? The Sarah Palin story makes the Jolie-Pitt-Aniston dustup of a few years back look like a Mary Kay convention in comparison. And besides, in the gossip department, entertainers have very little to recommend themselves these days. We have...let's see: first photos of Halle Berry's baby looking like a baby, David Duchovny addicted to sex, and Heidi Montag doing stuff.

People would rather read about Palin in their Us Weekly. Here's why:

Palin has appeared on four major gossip mag covers this week alone, including OK! ("A Mother's Painful Choice") and the Enquirer ("Sarah Palin's Dark Secrets!").

The other politician darling of the celebrity media is Barack Obama, of course. His June Us Weekly cover focuses on his marriage to wife Michelle, with the headline "Why Barack Loves Her." The obsession with him is a little different—he has no preggo teen daughter, but he sure is interesting.

"Obama is sexy and is smart," explains one reporter friend of mine who contributes to a few entertainment news outlets. "We could put him in the same category as a Clooney or Pitt—the George Clooney of politics."

Couple that with a lack of Britney meltdowns, and there you go.

"What is the last big celebrity story since Brad and Jen that has captivated the nation the way Obama has?" muses Mark Pasetsky, the former Life & Style editor who recently analyzed Palin covers for his website, CoverAwards.com.

The hype will certainly die down for whichever candidate ends up on the losing ticket, Pasetsky says. But until then, it'll be PalBama mania across the celeb gossip scene. And, yes, I just made that up.

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