Quote, unquote

It's easy to sniff at purveyors of puffery like Hello!, lamenting our obsession on the rich, famous, pampered and beautiful. But interested we are, and Hello! does it better than most. You like the idea of Canadians appearing in the big blender, which we try to do in newspapers every day. This isn't for everyone -- not me, for one, or most of my friends of all ages. But good wishes are due just the same, especially when the product, borrowed or not, is as professional as Hello!

They're giving it a real shot, and that's a welcome thing.

-- Alan Kellogg writes a surprisingly positive column in the Edmonton Journal about the launch of Hello!.