| Product: |
Closer |
| Date: |
06/10/04 (259 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Different, original, well written, interesting.
Disadvantages: May not be to some people's tastes.
Ever since Hello! hit the shelves in the early nineties everyone seems to be going mad for celebirty gossip. When Ok! followed we were equally as mad about them, and when Heat! arrived in the late nineties it seemed everyone had a favourite. In 2002 a new magazine hit the shelves. I remember - distinctly - the day it came out and I actually bought the first issue. It was different to all the other mags, because not only did Closer (the magazine in hand) have info on all the latest celebrity gossip, but it also had true life stories about real people. It seemed there was another firm favourite around, but could it beat it's competetors to get to that hot spot?
I'm one of those people who loves to read all the juicy celebrity magazines. I've been on the Heat! subscription list for over two years now and buy a few other magazines too. Closer is one of them. I don't buy Closer every week (as it's not one of my favourites) but I do buy it from time to time. What's an extra £1 from your wallet once a week? It's a great bargain and a different read. So I really should start telling you more about it....
The Content
Very much like Heat! Closer tends to give us the latest gossip from celebirty land. We get to learn about Posh & Becks' latest news, updates on Jessie Wallace and the rest of the things you tend to find in a celebrity gossip mag. What I find with Closer is that it's a lot less bitchier than some of the other magazines about. It's much more understanding about celebrites. Rather than treating them like aliens, the journalists tend to write about them like real people - which you can often forget they are after reading column upon column about them. Closer's a lot more realistic in a way and that's why I like it. It tends to be more useful than any other of the magazines about at the moment.
Just like you'd find in Bella or Woman's Own, Closer has real life stories. They can be really good at times, too. Sure from time to time you can get the trashy "My Fiancee told me he loved me... then he ran off with my mother" type of thing, but often you can find some quite touching stories in there. Recentely there was an article on someone who'd suffered from anerexia, and it was dealt with very well and it was a touching read. And rather than leaving it there, they followed up her story a couple of weeks later, and it felt like they really did care about her as a person, and didn't follow her story just to fill in the pages.
Something you don't often find in Closer is an interview. I very rarely see an interview with a celebrity, a t.v. star. Usually there's a very small interview in the t.v. guide section, but unlike in Heat!, Ok!, and all the rest it doesn't have "Exclusive interviews with stars". What usually tends to happen is there's an article on the celebrity in hand and there are quotes. I must admit I think this is a good original idea, but I'd much rather read a proper quote interview. It's not as creative (to say the least) but I do find it an easier read sometimes rather than having to read a full article just to read a few quotes.
The favourite part of every magazine I buy is the t.v. guide section. I always love to read the articles on new shows and different things on in t.v. land. The only difficult thing with the t.v. guide section in any magazine is picking the programmes you think would appeal to a few of your readers. With Heat! I feel that everything they pick I like. If they recommend a t.v. programme/film, whatever I will almost certainly watch it if I'm in. Yet, with Closer I won't. I feel that Closer have a different kind of taste in television and tend to pick programmes for a different kind of reader, that usually isn't to my taste. People may feel this way towards Heat! and feel Closer is better at picking programmes, but it's totally just a different way of viewing. This is by no means a disadvantage for everyone else, just for me in particular.
These aren't the only things in the magazine, there's also the usual horoscopes, celebrity columns (Closer have the annoyingly jarry Tara Palmer Tompkinson) and a Agony Aunt page (with the darling Mo Mowlan!). Closer have a lot of things to appeal to a lot of different people and it's content is certainly different and original and doesn't follow the trend which is always a good thing, because originiality isn't something you find in the magazine world these days.
Other Extras
As well as all of that, Closer also holds some brilliant crosswords and quizzes at the end. This is one of the main reasons I buy Closer - the crosswoards aren't too easy or too difficult and can be interesting to do. I always enjoy doing them. There's also The Seven Deadliest Sins questions - which are ther exact same seven questions asked to different celebrities each week. It's harmless fun.
There's the usual body language expert, talking about affection amongst the stars that can be an interesting read too. There's also a very personal editorial note each week which makes the magazine that bit more personal and gives it a much nicer feel. These are only some of the many features included each week.
Closer Vs It's opposition
Seeing it's coming up to it's second year anniversary Closer has obviously shown that it's got the capability to stick. Unlike other new magazines that haven't stuck around Closer has managed to stay on top and it's a favourite of many. Yet , if you could choose out of all the celeb mags which would you choose? Well, I'm ashamed to say I'd pick Heat! but Closer is a close second. A big advantage of Closer is that it is completely different. It's much less trashy and rather than feeling ashamed of reading such rubbish, you actually feel you're reading something worth while - especially with the real life stories.
Hoping to become a journalist myself I can also appreciate the good writing in the magazine. Unlike it's opposition Closer's writing is actually pretty impressive. The true life stories can often be very creative and impressive. You can tell there's hope of a more intelligent audience which is rightly deserved with it's clever, talented writers.
At £1 Closer is one of the cheapest popular magazines. There are cheaper one's still (New! is only 60p) but Closer is certainly the cheapest favourite. With Heat at £1.50, Ok! and Hello! at almost £2 it's fantastic value - and unlike Hello it does hold a very good t.v. guide. At first I began to buy Closer because of the price but now I buy it, not because of the price, but because of the content. The price won me over at first, but now I'm more impressed with the magazine itself.
Why should I buy Closer?
If you are a fan of gossip in celebvile, and like the odd true, heartwarming or amazing story Closer is the magazine for you. Closer is original and rather than being a copy of Heat! or Ok! it's original stuff which is a nice change. It's stands alone, and it's different. As I've already said it's much less trashier than other magazines so give it a chance and you may well be pleasantly surprised. I know I was!
Matt Roberts 2004.
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