Chronicling trends in entertainment, pop culture, politics, the arts, and the uncategorized et cetera.

Shallow Nation

September 2nd, 2008 at 10:47 pm

Sarah Palin Barack Obama Double Cover OK! Magazine September 2008

Sarah Palin OK! Magazine cover, September 2008 - dual cover with Barack Obama family

OK! Magazine has a double cover for its latest issue, on newsstands on September 3, 2008. Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and family and the newest politician turned celebrity Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Republican Presidential candidate Senator John McCain’s VP running mate.

As the saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for.” After weeks of delivering one “Celeb” ad after another against Barack Obama, John McCain has got a “celeb” of his own. While the dizzying revelations about Sarah Palin and her family seem endless, (the “Sarah Palin” New York Times Topics page grows exponentially, with articles added, seemingly by the hour) early reports on the OK! Magazine Sarah Palin profile indicate it will be largely sympathetic.

“Politics and the future of America are certainly on everyone’s minds. So OK! decided to try something different this week, giving readers two covers and two interesting features on candidates from both parties. It’s a special edition, something we’ve never done before, and we hope they enjoy,” says Sarah Ivens, OK!’s editor-in-chief.

Interestingly, OK!’s Obama/Palin content doesn’t have any of the gossip or naughtiness often found in a piece about a Hollywood A-lister. Instead, both pieces are largely biographical, and rely on family friends for sources.

That’s not to say the candidates are immune to the standard celeb treatment. Palin is also on the cover of this week’s Us Weekly magazine. Among the blunt cover lines on Us: “Mom of five: new embarrassing surprises.”

Source: Obama, Palin give OK! its first double cover

Barack Obama family OK! Magazine cover, September 2008 - dual cover with Sarah Palin

Notably, Barack Obama was quick to issue a statement, when the story broke yesterday, September 1, of Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol Palin’s pregnancy. (See: Palin rebuts rumors, says daughter pregnant)

“Let me be a clear as possible: I have said before and I will repeat again, I think people’s families are off limits,” Obama said, “and people’s children are especially off limits.

“This shouldn’t be part of our politics,” he continued, “It has no relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as governor, or her potential performance as a vice president.

“And so I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories,” he said. “You know my mother had me when she was 18, and how a family deals with issues and, you know, teenage children, that shouldn’t be the topic of our politics and I hope that anybody who is supporting me understands that’s off limits.”

Asked about the insinuation from the McCain campaign that the liberal bloggers trafficking in rumors about Palin write for websites that mention Obama, the senator said, “I’m offended by that.”

Source: Obama to Media, Politicos on Palin Pregnancy Story: ‘Back Off!’

Barack Obama’s statement is in stark contrast to the over-the-top US Weekly Magazine cover of Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin US Weekly Magazine cover, September 2008 - dual cover with Barack Obama family
Cover images via CoverAwards’ Exclusive: OK! Magazine to Release Double Cover Featuring Sarah Palin and Barack Obama