File this under the End of an Era section.
Richard Johnson is a man you have not have heard of, but you should know who he is (or was): for twenty-five years, nearly a quarter of a century, he was the editor of Page Six, the New York Post's signature gossip section. He was basically the King of Gossip in NYC, and the Lord High Executioner of reputations and careers. The daily column that he (and his minions) produced would go after celebrities, politicians, sports stars, the rich and powerful, the ugly and unfortunate -- anyone, basically -- who had messed up in their life or was doing something interesting.
Getting into Page Six was rarely a good thing and, needless to say, Johnson was not popular with the people he covered. But now Johnson is leaving Page Six -- and NYC -- for new exciting opportunities on the West Coast. And even the people he covered are saying they're going to miss him. Surprising, huh?
Then again, maybe not. After all, basically being The Guy in Gossip in NYC for more than two decades is pretty impressive. And, as John Huston once said in the great movie Chinatown, even "ugly buildings and whores become respectable if they last long enough." I guess the same is true gossip columnists.
So farewell Mr. Johnson. Best of luck in LA. And if you want to hear the man's parting thoughts, you can read them right here.
Richard Johnson is a man you have not have heard of, but you should know who he is (or was): for twenty-five years, nearly a quarter of a century, he was the editor of Page Six, the New York Post's signature gossip section. He was basically the King of Gossip in NYC, and the Lord High Executioner of reputations and careers. The daily column that he (and his minions) produced would go after celebrities, politicians, sports stars, the rich and powerful, the ugly and unfortunate -- anyone, basically -- who had messed up in their life or was doing something interesting.
Getting into Page Six was rarely a good thing and, needless to say, Johnson was not popular with the people he covered. But now Johnson is leaving Page Six -- and NYC -- for new exciting opportunities on the West Coast. And even the people he covered are saying they're going to miss him. Surprising, huh?
Then again, maybe not. After all, basically being The Guy in Gossip in NYC for more than two decades is pretty impressive. And, as John Huston once said in the great movie Chinatown, even "ugly buildings and whores become respectable if they last long enough." I guess the same is true gossip columnists.
So farewell Mr. Johnson. Best of luck in LA. And if you want to hear the man's parting thoughts, you can read them right here.
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