This article first appeared in Entertainment Weekly.
Dear friends of EW,
I am going to cede this space to the handsome guy on the left who actually did the majority of the work on the issue. Here are Andy’s thoughts after spending some time at the helm.
FIRST TIME I WAS FEATURED IN EW
There was a picture of Bette Midler’s opening night at Radio City, and I was in the background of the photo. I was a producer at CBS News at the time, and I was like, “Oh my God, I am in Entertainment Weekly.
BEST PART OF EDITING EW
Coming up with stories and pitching you guys. I’ve always been fascinated by magazines. I love that I got to write the John Mayer piece myself and to interview Madonna. (I’ve never interviewed her!) The issue is representative of a lot of my passions— now it’s a memento.
WORST PART OF EDITING EW
Getting words cut. I’m still fighting for a few lines from the Madonna interview! [Real editor’s note: Relax, Andy! You can check out some extras on EW.com in the next few days.]
THE HOUSEWIFE EW MOST RESEMBLES
Carole Radziwill (The Real Housewives of New York City), because she’s interested in a lot, she’s a writer and well-rounded. [Real editor’s note: We love Carole, but we’ve always thought of ourselves as a Lisa Vanderpump with NeNe rising.]
WHAT MY DOG, WACHA, THINKS OF THIS ISSUE
If I leave it in the wrong place, he might rip it up.
FINAL GRADE
Oh my God, I’d give myself an A! I mean, I would be surprised if you didn’t ask me to do it again. This is a killer issue.
REAL EDITOR’S FINAL WORDS
Andy’s absolutely right. From his interview with Madonna to his chat with Connie Britton and Taraji P. Henson, I’m really proud of all of his efforts. Special thanks also go to: senior editor Kevin O’Donnell, who brainstormed many of these ideas and packaged the issue in such an expert fashion; senior writer Tim Stack, who wrote the excellent profile of Andy; senior associate photo editor Natalie Gialluca, who arranged Andy’s terrific photo shoot (check out some awesome outtakes at facebook.com/entertainmentweekly); and deputy design director Keir Novesky, who made the whole thing look so damned good.