Boston Globe ‘Names’ Is 2 Days Late, 5 Dollars Short

December 31, 2018

The hardreading staff has noticed – as perhaps you splendid readers have also – that the Boston Globe’s Names column tends to be a weak carbon copy of Olivia Vanni’s Inside Track at the Boston Herald.

Latest case in point: Rob Delaney’s blue Christmas without his son Henry, who died at the age of 2 1/2 earlier this year.

Vanni’s Herald piece on Friday.

Rob Delaney publicly grieves loss of son

While the holidays are meant to be a time for all that’s merry and bright, Rob Delaney gave everyone a friendly reminder that grief doesn’t take a break. The Marblehead-raised comedian/actor/writer recently got real on Twitter, opening up about his family’s first Christmas since the passing of his toddler son, Henry, in a series of emotional posts.

“Our first Christmas without Henry came & went,” he wrote. “The day itself was okay, maybe because there were so many horrible, painful days leading up to it; we must have hit our quota or something. We talked about him a lot & included his memory throughout the day.”

 

Boston Globe Lames – sorry, Names – item yesterday.

Rob Delaney shares experience of first Christmas without son

The day after Christmas, Rob Delaney tweeted about what the holiday was like without his son Henry, who died at age 2½ earlier this year. The “Catastrophe” actor and Marblehead native wrote that he talks publicly about Henry to help “destigmatize grief” for other families who have experienced loss. Henry was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 and died in January.

“Our first Christmas without Henry came & went,” Delaney wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “The day itself was okay, maybe because there were so many horrible, painful days leading up to it; we must have hit our quota or something. We talked about him a lot & included his memory throughout the day.”

 

The daily Herald costs two bucks. The Sunday Globe costs five. You tell us which is worth your gossip dollar.


Boston Globe Redesigns Nameless Names Column

September 6, 2018

As you splendid readers might – or might not – have noticed, former Boston Globe Names stalwarts Mark Shanahan and Meredith Goldstein were deleted from the sort-of gossip column several months ago. Last known sighting was June 18.

 

 

After that, the column had this stripped-down look.

 

 

Until yesterday, that is, when Names got a bit of a facelift.

 

 

Most of the content has been outsourced to Boston.com writers, chief among them Kevin Slane. Nice chance to make a name for himself.

Meanwhile, memo to Boston Herald Track Gal Olivia Vanni: Now’s the time to hit up your bosses for a fall makeover, no?


Boston Herald’s Inside Track ‘Throne’ for a Loop

February 22, 2018

Well, this is not encouraging.

In today’s Boston Herald, Inside Track gal Olivia Vanni dishes about author Andrew Morton’s appearance at the Boston Public Library last night to flog his new book about Wallis Simpson, Wallis in Love.

In the course of the evening, Morton’s attention turned to the subject of his next book: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s fiancée.

As it appeared in the print edition:

Really? “Gave up the thrown”? Twice?

Earlier today it was the same in the online version.

“Edward gave up the thrown. Meghan’s given up ‘The Tig,’ ” said Morton, who spoke at the Boston Public Library about his newly released book, “Wallis in Love: The Untold Life of the Duchess of Windsor, the Woman Who Changed the Monarchy” last night.

“In this modern age, that’s quite the sacrifice,” he jokingly added. “The king giving up the thrown was a mere bauble compared to her voluntarily giving up her Instagram account.”

 

But now it’s been fixed.

“Edward gave up the throne. Meghan’s given up ‘The Tig,’ ” said Morton, who spoke at the Boston Public Library about his newly released book, “Wallis in Love: The Untold Life of the Duchess of Windsor, the Woman Who Changed the Monarchy” last night.

“In this modern age, that’s quite the sacrifice,” he jokingly added. “The king giving up the throne was a mere bauble compared to her voluntarily giving up her Instagram account.”

 

(To be sure graf goes here)

To be sure, it’s just one little mistake, so why make a federal case out of it, right?

It does make one wonder, though: Can the shaky local tabloid really afford to lose 25% of its already skeletal staff, as new owner Digital First Media plans to do?

Feels like not.


New Inside Track Gal Finally Gets Some Trac(k)tion

April 29, 2017

The hardreading staff is first to acknowledge that replacing the Boston Herald’s longtime Inside Track diva Gayle Fee is a daunting task. And, all due respect, new Track Gal Olivia Vanni has gotten off to a largely undistinguished start.

But she kicked ass today.

 

 

Local Festers Shireena El Gallal and her sister Lamann dished all the gory details about the Bahama drama to Vanni, who totally scooped the Boston Globe.

We’re sure the Namesniks at the Globe will do their usual clip ‘n’ paste job in tomorrow’s edition. Maybe, instead of their usual M O, they’ll actually credit their sources.