_Marc Malkin
Fall 2007
Malkin in his E! office | Photo by WaldenPonders
I think the beginning of this interview got cut off. Marc is already answering a question right when it starts. I began transcribing at the first recorded question you asked him.
How long does it usually take you to write a blog?
Oh, I mean...an item you mean?
Yeah, you know, a general column.
It's so...you know...like. Some days I'm just like you know, I'll do a quick thing, like, that we'll push to my video blog, so I do that. And it'll just, you know, be 2 sentences. (Unintelligible) like yesterday, I dunno if you checked, yesterday I did 'Why am I so sad today?' on my video blog (unintelligible). (Long pause) So.....um...you know, it varies. You know, like yesterday I was doing a phoner with Zach Helm, the director of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Wasn't happening till 3 o'clock. I'm shooting most of the day, my (unintelligible) we've gotta shoot two shows, so I get back to the office at 2, I get the interview in at 3, my assistant transcribes it. While he's transcribing it, I'm kinda writing it in my head. I can't really write until I have the transcription in front of me. And I have that item done, you know, start the interview at 3, finally hand it in to my editor at about 4:30, quarter of 5, but then I had a meeting at 5 o'clock. So it just varies, it's so varied. So yeah, it's hard to say how long it takes.
What is your perception of celebrity culture in Hollywood today?
What do you mean?
Like, how would you define celebrity, with all of this...
Everyone is known. Everyone who's known for something is a celebrity. There are celebrities in movies, some people are celebrities for sports, some people are celebrities just because they're famous. And no other reason. You know, that-that's my definition. You know.
Do you have an opinion about, like, Britney Spears or certain celebrities like that who are kind of, taking their fame not using it so well.
Do I have opinions? Yeah I have opinions, you know. Britney Spears makes me sad. You know, I...you know there's obviously like, a blame game with Britney but it makes me sad since, you know, I was there when she first started her trips (?) You know, I used to get invitations all the time “Come get lunch with Britney Spears.” Wanna have lunch with her? Wanna have dinner with her? Sit down, I want you to give you her... And I'm like “who's Britney Spears? I don't know who she is.” And I didn't. And now look at her. And it's just sad. It's...you know...there comes a point where you do have to take responsibility for yourself. You don't know where her head is, everyone's trying to...what I find, what frustrates me is that there are people who criticize her, and be like “well why can't you do this? Why doesn't she do that?” Well she doesn't think like you think. You think in a different way. So it's like we try to put our standard – a normal person's standards on someone who lives like that. You can't...it's just...you don't know. You don't know. We don't know what's going on, we don't know what's wrong. We don't know what's wrong with her, we don't know what's wrong with her parents. And yes I report on it and it's overall part of that same machine, and it's not gonna go away. But I am not gonna get into a huge blame game. I am not gonna sit on my (?) and say “Britney's an ass, Britney's a cokehead, Britney's on drugs.” No way! No fuckin' way. It's irresponsible, it's crazy, and all in the, you know, the vein of “Oh it's just my opinion!” you know, and in this day and age everyone can have an opinion and get it out there. So...
So who are some of your favorite celebrities? Who do you get starstruck from?
Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton. Um... (long pause) Those are the big, like, Dolly Parton is, like, my idol. You know, she just...she means a lot to me. And her music means a lot to me. So, you know, I went to go see her in Chicago on Dancing With the Stars and I cried. A lot of tears were cried. She's amazing. And I spent time with her, I interviewed her when I was at Us Weekly, seen her a few times in concert. So um, yeah, these old, kinda kitschy (?) (unintelligible)...Neil Diamond's like, a gay thing. I'm a huge Neil Diamond fan.
And it's also the Boston thing, you know, “Sweet Caroline...”
Exactly. He's just...Neil Diamond, man. Ooh!
So do you have an ultimate career goal at all? Like, do you have something that you haven't done yet that you really, really desire?
Hmm...no. I'm happy where I am right now, you know? Happy where I am today. Just today. I don't know what tomorrow is. I don't know what a week from now is. I try my hardest to stay in the present. (Unintelligible) you in this, in this business, people get ahead of themselves (unintelligible). Here I am. Talking to you now. You know, my head's in other places, when my head goes, it doesn't stop, you know? Someone emailed me the other day like, “When do you sleep?” cause I had emailed her at 1 in the morning and I had emailed again at 6. Whatever. I do sleep. You know? I went to a concert the other night, I fell asleep at a concert. When I went to go see Feist, I fell asleep. I've also fallen asleep at a (unintelligible). So I have a very hard time staying up (unintelligible) but I'm a pro at sleeping (unintelligible) no one notices, that's the thing. I do not move. Cause I really honed that skill when I was in New York and I was (unintelligible) and I somehow trained myself that I don't do that head bobbing thing, and I literally just close my eyes (unintelligible).
So when you're not going to concerts and seeing movies, what other things are you doing in your spare time? Hobbies or...
I go to the gym, hang out with my friends, I go to dinner, I love watching HGTV. You know I'm gay, obviously, HGTV – I just sit down and I watch repeats of it, I'm just...obsessed with it (?). So again, when I'm gonna watch TV and I'm laying on my couch (unintelligible).
Do you have a favorite or least favorite part of your job?
Least favorite part...it's tiring. But a lot of that's me, I put it on me. I work hard, I work a lot. And I'm not tryin' to sound like a martyr, I just love it. Uh...favorite part? You know I always-I always think journalists, whatever you're a journalist in, it's just information school (?). Everyday you become an expert in something. You know, like Jack Mackenroth (?), I can tell you right now what his dreams are, who he's modeled for, where he's been...you know, not that I need to be an expert in Jack Mackenroth from Project Runway, but it's...you know...it's awesome. So I love that. What I don't love, you know, I gotta be hon- right now, where I am today, I just love what I do. I really, you know, and you don't hear that often. You know, are there days where there's more of a struggle? Or...there are days when I feel like I don't have anything. I hate when I feel like I'm not gonna get a scoop ever again. Every time I get a scoop, I'm like 'This one's my last one. I've run out.'
Tell me about the tattoos you have on your arms there. The butterflies.
Um, this guy I got...probably about a few months into moving to LA. This guy I got...it'll be a year ago, I guess, when I got back from New York around New Year's. I am not a Mariah...I am a Mariah Carey fan, but these have nothing to do with Mariah Carey. It's just growth, freedom, flyin' away. It's just...they're pretty. They're pretty. I like them. There's no-there's no, like, huge huge significance of them.
What would be your advice to someone who either wants to follow in your footsteps and have the same jobs as you, or just, in general, you know, someone comin' right outta college who wants to go after their dreams?
If you wanna go after your dreams, go after your dreams. I'll put it in..I can put it in context of what I do. I say go work at a local newspaper. You know, get that reporter, get that local news reporter. Get a great editor, who's gonna teach you how to report and write and edit yourself. Learn how to write...learn how to write. Go work at a small operation that's gonna give you everything to learn on (?). You know, especially with the internet, people are like “I'm just gonna go on the internet deal and I'll write a blog and blah blah blah.” That's all fine and dandy but, you know, I love what I do, I love how I do it. Do I make mistakes? Of course. You know, just, you know, I came up in a different time, you know, the internet was not there. I was a magazine and a newspaper junkie. It was ridiculous. All I would do is read books about journalism, about writers and reporters. I was just obsessed with it. And it's a different time, 'cause, you know, there are- there's something to be said that it's a lot easier now with the internet. Anyone can do it. But could they do it (to do it?), no, I think you need the, you know, you need the experience. Go work at a local newspaper, nothing better. When you're in college, volunteer at the local community newspaper. They may not pay you. But someone actually, she just IM'ed me. She's a reporter at People Ma – a writer at People Magazine. She called me one day and I've only known her on the phone. She's a publicist in New York. And then she calls me and says “Marc I wanna be on your side, I don't wanna be a publicist. What do I do?” I go, “Here's what you do: you go volun...she lived in the West Village, I said go...I think it's called the Village Gazette or something, I said go volunteer to write there. They're not gonna pay you, but get some clips. Take those clips and go to the New York Post. The New York Post will probably give you a chance. They just (Unintelligible) they need writers, they need, you know, features (unintelligible). And when you're ready, bring me your report, you tell me, and I'll tell you who to talk to. Then, after that, then come to me, I'll talk to you about writing (unintelligible) eventually give you a story to write in Us Weekly.” Then one day I just called her, I said “Are you ready to go to (unintelligible). I need you to track down (unintelligible) about Britney's husband.” And she (unintelligible). She eventually came on staff with Us Weekly and now she is a writer at People Magazine. I call her my Little Monster. You know, and that's- that's my advice, and she followed it to. the. book.
Just for me personally, I'll be graduating in December, but I wanna go back to Boston for the Spring just to finish out a senior year, you know? Some colleges, you know, have that vibe as much as possible, but obviously they don't have, like, the industry that we do here. So I didn't know how to...if I wanted to do movie reviews, or have sort of an entertainment writing background. I mean, is it all freelance up there? Or how do you even...you know...?
Oh Boston? I mean Boston, the way I did it in Boston at the time...my first summer up there, I never went back to New York once I moved there for college, I stayed and got my first apartment in the South End and some roommates, and my first job was working for...oh what is the Boston...BU, it's like their in-house newspaper. One that's put out by the University. And I went to go work in their publications department. I was answering phones, copying papers and (unintelligible). And then...and then I went to go work for – as part of my work study program – at the Photographic Research Center. It's part of the U, it's photo gallery, and the person who put together the, like, monthly newsletter and we did stuff to help them out. And then I started, you know, doing copy editing for her, research for her. It also happened that she was the Arts and Entertainment editor for the South End News. (Unintelligible). So 17....just under 17 years.
I wrote for the Phoenix, I was writing a column for them. They had the One in Ten supplement, I don't know if they still have that, it's (unintelligible) supplement, instead of once a month. I used to write a column and it was, sort of like, their version of On the Town. And I would go these weird, fucked up events, which is what my column for the Phoenix was about. I think your best bet is to find those local newspapers, go to the South End, if they're, you know, still around, tell (unintelligible). Go to the South End, find those local newspapers and just call them. Just call them and say “I'm a student at Emerson, I wanna write.” They may say, “Come in, we don't have a writing thing, but you can do the...” You don't know. We're talking very local, these people always, you know...it can't hurt. The worst thing they say to you is like, “Nah, I've got nothin'.” But you know, have your clips ready. Don't tell them “Oh ok I'll get them to you.” You say, “Oh I have them now, can I bring them over?” You know, have them...portfolios, you know, don't do nothin' fancy, cause it comes off, like, too...Your portfolio should be this (shows something). Clips and a resume. That's it. You don't need a binder, you don't need any fancy sleeves, dah dah dah dah. You're talking about a newspaper person (?), this is what their desk looks like. You know, don't put it on white lettering on black paper, none of...at least that's me. I don't get impressed by that, I want it simple, I want it easy. Here, I'm gonna read it. I want that resume clear, I wanna see dates, you know, where you worked, what you did, boom boom boom boom boom and that's it. Don't put on there “Objective.” Don't put “Objective,” don't put “Skills: great at communication.” I'd hope so. I just wanna see where you've worked and I wanna see your clips. When you're just starting out, they wanna just see your clips, see that you're a go-getter. They know they'll eventually edit you, they just wanna know that you're someone that has a brain. They're not expecting you to walk in with Pulitzer Prize- winning material. (Unintelligible). So there you go, there's my spiel, how's that?
Links: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter
How long does it usually take you to write a blog?
Oh, I mean...an item you mean?
Yeah, you know, a general column.
It's so...you know...like. Some days I'm just like you know, I'll do a quick thing, like, that we'll push to my video blog, so I do that. And it'll just, you know, be 2 sentences. (Unintelligible) like yesterday, I dunno if you checked, yesterday I did 'Why am I so sad today?' on my video blog (unintelligible). (Long pause) So.....um...you know, it varies. You know, like yesterday I was doing a phoner with Zach Helm, the director of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Wasn't happening till 3 o'clock. I'm shooting most of the day, my (unintelligible) we've gotta shoot two shows, so I get back to the office at 2, I get the interview in at 3, my assistant transcribes it. While he's transcribing it, I'm kinda writing it in my head. I can't really write until I have the transcription in front of me. And I have that item done, you know, start the interview at 3, finally hand it in to my editor at about 4:30, quarter of 5, but then I had a meeting at 5 o'clock. So it just varies, it's so varied. So yeah, it's hard to say how long it takes.
What is your perception of celebrity culture in Hollywood today?
What do you mean?
Like, how would you define celebrity, with all of this...
Everyone is known. Everyone who's known for something is a celebrity. There are celebrities in movies, some people are celebrities for sports, some people are celebrities just because they're famous. And no other reason. You know, that-that's my definition. You know.
Do you have an opinion about, like, Britney Spears or certain celebrities like that who are kind of, taking their fame not using it so well.
Do I have opinions? Yeah I have opinions, you know. Britney Spears makes me sad. You know, I...you know there's obviously like, a blame game with Britney but it makes me sad since, you know, I was there when she first started her trips (?) You know, I used to get invitations all the time “Come get lunch with Britney Spears.” Wanna have lunch with her? Wanna have dinner with her? Sit down, I want you to give you her... And I'm like “who's Britney Spears? I don't know who she is.” And I didn't. And now look at her. And it's just sad. It's...you know...there comes a point where you do have to take responsibility for yourself. You don't know where her head is, everyone's trying to...what I find, what frustrates me is that there are people who criticize her, and be like “well why can't you do this? Why doesn't she do that?” Well she doesn't think like you think. You think in a different way. So it's like we try to put our standard – a normal person's standards on someone who lives like that. You can't...it's just...you don't know. You don't know. We don't know what's going on, we don't know what's wrong. We don't know what's wrong with her, we don't know what's wrong with her parents. And yes I report on it and it's overall part of that same machine, and it's not gonna go away. But I am not gonna get into a huge blame game. I am not gonna sit on my (?) and say “Britney's an ass, Britney's a cokehead, Britney's on drugs.” No way! No fuckin' way. It's irresponsible, it's crazy, and all in the, you know, the vein of “Oh it's just my opinion!” you know, and in this day and age everyone can have an opinion and get it out there. So...
So who are some of your favorite celebrities? Who do you get starstruck from?
Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton. Um... (long pause) Those are the big, like, Dolly Parton is, like, my idol. You know, she just...she means a lot to me. And her music means a lot to me. So, you know, I went to go see her in Chicago on Dancing With the Stars and I cried. A lot of tears were cried. She's amazing. And I spent time with her, I interviewed her when I was at Us Weekly, seen her a few times in concert. So um, yeah, these old, kinda kitschy (?) (unintelligible)...Neil Diamond's like, a gay thing. I'm a huge Neil Diamond fan.
And it's also the Boston thing, you know, “Sweet Caroline...”
Exactly. He's just...Neil Diamond, man. Ooh!
So do you have an ultimate career goal at all? Like, do you have something that you haven't done yet that you really, really desire?
Hmm...no. I'm happy where I am right now, you know? Happy where I am today. Just today. I don't know what tomorrow is. I don't know what a week from now is. I try my hardest to stay in the present. (Unintelligible) you in this, in this business, people get ahead of themselves (unintelligible). Here I am. Talking to you now. You know, my head's in other places, when my head goes, it doesn't stop, you know? Someone emailed me the other day like, “When do you sleep?” cause I had emailed her at 1 in the morning and I had emailed again at 6. Whatever. I do sleep. You know? I went to a concert the other night, I fell asleep at a concert. When I went to go see Feist, I fell asleep. I've also fallen asleep at a (unintelligible). So I have a very hard time staying up (unintelligible) but I'm a pro at sleeping (unintelligible) no one notices, that's the thing. I do not move. Cause I really honed that skill when I was in New York and I was (unintelligible) and I somehow trained myself that I don't do that head bobbing thing, and I literally just close my eyes (unintelligible).
So when you're not going to concerts and seeing movies, what other things are you doing in your spare time? Hobbies or...
I go to the gym, hang out with my friends, I go to dinner, I love watching HGTV. You know I'm gay, obviously, HGTV – I just sit down and I watch repeats of it, I'm just...obsessed with it (?). So again, when I'm gonna watch TV and I'm laying on my couch (unintelligible).
Do you have a favorite or least favorite part of your job?
Least favorite part...it's tiring. But a lot of that's me, I put it on me. I work hard, I work a lot. And I'm not tryin' to sound like a martyr, I just love it. Uh...favorite part? You know I always-I always think journalists, whatever you're a journalist in, it's just information school (?). Everyday you become an expert in something. You know, like Jack Mackenroth (?), I can tell you right now what his dreams are, who he's modeled for, where he's been...you know, not that I need to be an expert in Jack Mackenroth from Project Runway, but it's...you know...it's awesome. So I love that. What I don't love, you know, I gotta be hon- right now, where I am today, I just love what I do. I really, you know, and you don't hear that often. You know, are there days where there's more of a struggle? Or...there are days when I feel like I don't have anything. I hate when I feel like I'm not gonna get a scoop ever again. Every time I get a scoop, I'm like 'This one's my last one. I've run out.'
Tell me about the tattoos you have on your arms there. The butterflies.
Um, this guy I got...probably about a few months into moving to LA. This guy I got...it'll be a year ago, I guess, when I got back from New York around New Year's. I am not a Mariah...I am a Mariah Carey fan, but these have nothing to do with Mariah Carey. It's just growth, freedom, flyin' away. It's just...they're pretty. They're pretty. I like them. There's no-there's no, like, huge huge significance of them.
What would be your advice to someone who either wants to follow in your footsteps and have the same jobs as you, or just, in general, you know, someone comin' right outta college who wants to go after their dreams?
If you wanna go after your dreams, go after your dreams. I'll put it in..I can put it in context of what I do. I say go work at a local newspaper. You know, get that reporter, get that local news reporter. Get a great editor, who's gonna teach you how to report and write and edit yourself. Learn how to write...learn how to write. Go work at a small operation that's gonna give you everything to learn on (?). You know, especially with the internet, people are like “I'm just gonna go on the internet deal and I'll write a blog and blah blah blah.” That's all fine and dandy but, you know, I love what I do, I love how I do it. Do I make mistakes? Of course. You know, just, you know, I came up in a different time, you know, the internet was not there. I was a magazine and a newspaper junkie. It was ridiculous. All I would do is read books about journalism, about writers and reporters. I was just obsessed with it. And it's a different time, 'cause, you know, there are- there's something to be said that it's a lot easier now with the internet. Anyone can do it. But could they do it (to do it?), no, I think you need the, you know, you need the experience. Go work at a local newspaper, nothing better. When you're in college, volunteer at the local community newspaper. They may not pay you. But someone actually, she just IM'ed me. She's a reporter at People Ma – a writer at People Magazine. She called me one day and I've only known her on the phone. She's a publicist in New York. And then she calls me and says “Marc I wanna be on your side, I don't wanna be a publicist. What do I do?” I go, “Here's what you do: you go volun...she lived in the West Village, I said go...I think it's called the Village Gazette or something, I said go volunteer to write there. They're not gonna pay you, but get some clips. Take those clips and go to the New York Post. The New York Post will probably give you a chance. They just (Unintelligible) they need writers, they need, you know, features (unintelligible). And when you're ready, bring me your report, you tell me, and I'll tell you who to talk to. Then, after that, then come to me, I'll talk to you about writing (unintelligible) eventually give you a story to write in Us Weekly.” Then one day I just called her, I said “Are you ready to go to (unintelligible). I need you to track down (unintelligible) about Britney's husband.” And she (unintelligible). She eventually came on staff with Us Weekly and now she is a writer at People Magazine. I call her my Little Monster. You know, and that's- that's my advice, and she followed it to. the. book.
Just for me personally, I'll be graduating in December, but I wanna go back to Boston for the Spring just to finish out a senior year, you know? Some colleges, you know, have that vibe as much as possible, but obviously they don't have, like, the industry that we do here. So I didn't know how to...if I wanted to do movie reviews, or have sort of an entertainment writing background. I mean, is it all freelance up there? Or how do you even...you know...?
Oh Boston? I mean Boston, the way I did it in Boston at the time...my first summer up there, I never went back to New York once I moved there for college, I stayed and got my first apartment in the South End and some roommates, and my first job was working for...oh what is the Boston...BU, it's like their in-house newspaper. One that's put out by the University. And I went to go work in their publications department. I was answering phones, copying papers and (unintelligible). And then...and then I went to go work for – as part of my work study program – at the Photographic Research Center. It's part of the U, it's photo gallery, and the person who put together the, like, monthly newsletter and we did stuff to help them out. And then I started, you know, doing copy editing for her, research for her. It also happened that she was the Arts and Entertainment editor for the South End News. (Unintelligible). So 17....just under 17 years.
I wrote for the Phoenix, I was writing a column for them. They had the One in Ten supplement, I don't know if they still have that, it's (unintelligible) supplement, instead of once a month. I used to write a column and it was, sort of like, their version of On the Town. And I would go these weird, fucked up events, which is what my column for the Phoenix was about. I think your best bet is to find those local newspapers, go to the South End, if they're, you know, still around, tell (unintelligible). Go to the South End, find those local newspapers and just call them. Just call them and say “I'm a student at Emerson, I wanna write.” They may say, “Come in, we don't have a writing thing, but you can do the...” You don't know. We're talking very local, these people always, you know...it can't hurt. The worst thing they say to you is like, “Nah, I've got nothin'.” But you know, have your clips ready. Don't tell them “Oh ok I'll get them to you.” You say, “Oh I have them now, can I bring them over?” You know, have them...portfolios, you know, don't do nothin' fancy, cause it comes off, like, too...Your portfolio should be this (shows something). Clips and a resume. That's it. You don't need a binder, you don't need any fancy sleeves, dah dah dah dah. You're talking about a newspaper person (?), this is what their desk looks like. You know, don't put it on white lettering on black paper, none of...at least that's me. I don't get impressed by that, I want it simple, I want it easy. Here, I'm gonna read it. I want that resume clear, I wanna see dates, you know, where you worked, what you did, boom boom boom boom boom and that's it. Don't put on there “Objective.” Don't put “Objective,” don't put “Skills: great at communication.” I'd hope so. I just wanna see where you've worked and I wanna see your clips. When you're just starting out, they wanna just see your clips, see that you're a go-getter. They know they'll eventually edit you, they just wanna know that you're someone that has a brain. They're not expecting you to walk in with Pulitzer Prize- winning material. (Unintelligible). So there you go, there's my spiel, how's that?
Links: Official Site | Facebook | Twitter