They Fought The Law Alert™: The Globe wants killers to stay in prison.

Publication: Globe
Date: 24 Oct. 2011

The Globe does a grab bag story about famous killers who did not get life sentences who may be released outright or get out on parole. (Fat chance for the parole.) Here are the headlines.

• Outrage! Keep these monsters caged
• Charles Manson: parole hearing next year
• John Hinckley free next month?
• Susan Smith free age age 53
• Sirhan Sirhan just four more years
• Mark David Chapman could be out in months
• David Berkowitz Son of Sam killer parole bid 2012
• Yolanda Saldivar wont serve life sentence (Selena's killer)
  

She Fought The Law Alert™: Amanda Knox goes free.

Publication: People, OK!
Date: 17 Oct. 2011

Both People and OK! have cover stories about Amanda Knox and the overturning of her 2007 murder conviction in Italy. From what I've read, if you can get a re-trial in Italy, overturned convictions are pretty common. Nancy Grace thinks it's a gross miscarriage of justice, which tends to make me think Amanda Knox didn't do it.

In any case, here are the headlines.

• People: Amanda Knox goes free
  Inside her prison ordeal
  cleared of 2007 murder
  Exclusive details about her agonizing years in an Italian jail, how her family kept her spirits up - and what's next for the 24-year-old
• OK!: Amanda Knox is free
  Emotional journey home

She Fought The Law Alert™: Chaz Bono's fiance arrested!

Publication: Star
Date: 10 Oct. 2011

Star claims an exclusive with a story that Jennifer Elia, referred to as Chaz Bono's fiance, has been arrested. Though the cover does not mention Dancing With The Star, I assume the show is the reason for the recently increased interest in Chaz and his life, so it gets a label.

She Fought The Law Alert™: Casey Anthony's life in hiding.

Publication: People
Date: 3 Oct. 2011

The majority of the stories about Casey Anthony have been in the Three Wicked Step Sister tabloids - The Enquirer, Globe and the low rent Examiner - but this week it's People's turn to keep her name in the public's mind. Here are the headlines.

• Despised and alone
• Her plan to leave the country
• Estranged from her parents
• Afraid for her safety
  

She Fought The Law Alert™: Casey Anthony's escape to Mexico!

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 19 Sept. 2011

Fresh trash tomorrow! Last trash of the week... right now!

Here are the latest Casey Anthony headlines from the Enquirer.

• Her new life after she flees country
• How she financed her getaway
• Caylee's monster mom is never coming back!
  

While several gossip rags paid attention to the Casey Anthony story when the verdict came out in July, two months later it's only the Three Wicked Step Sisters - the Enquirer, Globe and the low rent Examiner - that have any interest at all. Even so, her story is trending upwards and she might break into the Top Ten most popular celebrities this year if it keeps up, though she will have to pass a couple minor Kardashians, Sarah Palin and Justin Theroux to get there.

Formidable competition to be sure.

She Fought The Law Alert™: Casey Anthony's death car scrapped!

Publication: Globe

Date: 5 Sept. 2011



The Three Wicked Step Sister tabloids, the Enquirer, Globe and the low rent Examiner, have been the main carriers of headlines about Casey Anthony now that her trial is over and she has been found not guilty. The Globe headline reads "Auto used as Caylee's coffin crushed at junkyard!" To my mind, this says they are really stretching to find anything interested or new about the situation.



Casey is not quite in the top ten of popular cover stories of 2011, but it's possible she could get there before the end of the year.

She Fought The Law Alert™: Stripper bank robber exposed!

Publication: Globe

Date: 29 August 2011



Globe put stripper turned bank robber Lee-Grace Dougherty on the cover this week, promising to tell the Dougherty Gang gal's violent secrets.



The only story that warranted more space on the cover of the Globe was Sarah Palin snorting coke. Of course, Sarah is a better known shady operator and almost all her money making schemes are legal as far as we know.

She Fought The Law Alert™: Casey Anthony's letters from prison.

Publication: National Examiner
Date: 8 August 2011

Casey Anthony makes the cover of a supermarket rag for the ninth straight week by appearing on the low rent Examiner. They allegedly have excerpts from the letters she wrote in prison. Here are the headlines.

• "I was a great mom"
• Why she wants another baby
• Her lust for tattooed men
  

She Fought The Law Alert™: This week's Casey Anthony stories

Publications: National Enquirer, Globe
Date: 1 August 2011

Two of the Three Wicked Step Sister tabloids are trying to keep the outrage over the Casey Anthony verdict fueled. Here are the headlines.

• National Enquirer: Casey loses $5 mil blood money deal after bitter public backlash
  Caylee's revenge!
  Plus: her new look revealed
• Globe: Casey Anthony: Proof she got away with murder!
  Former prosecutor's bombshell charge!
  Five key piece of evidence HIDDEN from jury
  PLUS: Judge banned shocking Casey video
  

Meanest story nominee: Della Reese and missing church funds.

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 25 July 2011

Welcome to gossip hell, Miss Della Reese! The Enquirer has a story about the 80 year old singer and actress "caught up" in an IRS probe of her church, where funds have gone missing. I have found no independent confirmation of this story online, so I'm assuming they are way over the line.

Just in case anyone from the Enquirer reads this blog, let me quote The Wire to express my disapproval. You just shot the Sunday crown off of a colored lady. If you ever run into the ghost of Stringer Bell, I'm sure he'll let you know how inadvisable that is.

This is a nominee for Meanest Story of the Week.

She Fought The Law (and won) Alert™: A passel of Casey Anthony stories.

Publications: National Enquirer, National Examiner, Globe, Star, In Touch
Date: 25 July 2010

If we ignore the Sun, which is usually about the end of the world, the five meanest gossip rags are the other four published by AMI (National Enquirer, the low rent Examiner, Globe, Star) and In Touch. All five of those have Casey Anthony stories this week. Here are the headlines.

• In Touch: Casey and her lawyer: getting physical!
• National Examiner: Casey Anthony verdict: what do you think?
• Globe: Casey Anthony marked for death!
  Chilling threat targets Monster Mom
• Star: Casey Anthony ca$hing in (OUTRAGE!)
• National Enquirer: Casey Anthony Wedding Bombshell
  Secret new life of America's most hated woman
  Another baby to replace Caylee
  $50K plastic surgery makeover
  Where she'll live and more

For a little outrage overspill, the Enquirer has a picture of the judge in the case and a story from his mistress blabbing about his cheating.

This is a lot of stories, but only counts as a single week's coverage by my way of counting. We will see if she remains gossip-worthy as the year continues.

He Fought The Law Alert™: The woman who brought Whitey Bulger down.

Publication: National Examiner
Date: 18 July 2011

While most of the crime news has centered on Casey Anthony, the low rent Examiner devotes space on the front page to the arrest of Whitey Bulger, the gangster who had been missing for 16 years. His longtime girlfriend Cathy Greig was a key to his being discovered in Santa Monica, not because she ratted him but because she was still doing the same job she did before (dental hygenist) and had the same hobby (dog grooming).

She Fought The Law Alert™: Casey Anthony found not guilty.

Publication: People
Date: 18 July 2011

The verdict in the Casey Anthony trial came out on Tuesday, which makes it hard for the supermarket rags to include it in this week's edition, which needs to be ready to ship around the country on early Wednesday to hit the news stands Thursday morning. Only People did the necessary work to get the story in this week's edition.

She Fought The Law Alert™: Inside Lindsay's house arrest.

Publication: Weekly Life & Style
Date: 4 July 2011

For only the seventh time in six months, Lindsay Lohan lands on the cover of one of The Only Ten Magazines That Matter. Weekly Life & Style has exclusive interviews and photos of the star who is now under house arrest.

As much drama as Lindsay produces, the supermarket rags just barely care about her. To give you a rough idea, there are four young women from the reality TV nightmare Teen Mom that have more cover stories this year than Lindsay Lohan.

She Fought The Law Alert™: Casey Anthony may get away with murder!

Publication: People
Date: 4 July 2011

In early June, the Enquirer had a story in a week full of stories about Casey Anthony that said the mom accused of murder might walk. I considered the story far-fetched then, but now that it's in People, it has a little more weight. I also have to say that recent expert testimony about the sloppiness of the autopsy might sway the jury, and the prosecution's use of a jailhouse snitch might backfire.

This blog is not big on prediction, so we will wait and see what the verdict is. Recall that this trial is taking place in Florida, a legal cesspool of a state rivaled only by Louisiana and Texas.

Meanest Story nominee: Casey Anthony tortured Caylee before killing her.

Publication: National Enquirer
Date: 27 June 2011

The dogs from the AMI kennel are still making hay at the murder trial of Casey Anthony. The actual news reported by the legitimate press is already compelling, but the Enquirer still needs to spice things up and tell us Casey Anthony tortured her daughter before killing her.

Because obviously, killing a little girl won't make us hate her enough already.

This is a nominee for Meanest Story of the Week.

She Fought The Law Alert™: Casey Anthony's drunken party!

Publication: Globe
Date: 20 June 2011

While several gossip rags have had stories about the murder trial now taking place in Florida, the Globe is by far the most invested in the story. They have photos from a drunken party they say took place just four days after the little girl was murdered.

Let's recall that the National Enquirer had a headline to the effect Casey Anthony will walk free. The trial isn't over yet, but this looks like as bad a prediction as has been made all year, and I'm including Dr. Harold Camping.

Meanest Story nominee: Jeff Conaway - it was MURDER!

Publication: Globe
Date: 20 June 2011

Last week, the Globe asked what killed Jeff Conaway. This week, they supply the answer.

Girlfriend Vicki Lizzi.

Here are the headlines.

Who fed him fatal drugs?
"I did nothing wrong" girlfriend (Vicki Lizzi)

This is a nominee for Meanest Story of the Week.

She Fought The Law Alert™:As the trial starts, the gossip rags pay attention to the Casey Anthony trial.

Publications: People, National Enquirer, OK!
Date: 13 June 2011

Fresh trash on Thursdays! Before this week, all the news about Casey Anthony, the mom on trial for her life for allegedly killing her daughter, has been in the Enquirer and Globe. Now that the trial has started, both People and OK! get in the game and the Enquirer takes a new tack. Here are the headlines.

• People: Caylee Anthony murder case
  Secrets & Lies
  Mom's shocking defense
  Bombshell testimony, new claims of sexual abuse inside accused killer Casey Anthony's trial strategy
• OK!: Casey Anthony caught in a lie
• National Enquirer: Casey Anthony will walk free!
  Killer mom's plan to escape death row!

As usual, if everyone else is saying x, the Enquirer feels duty bound to say "NOT x!"

Call it a marketing strategy.

Or lying. Whatever.

UPDATE: let's me eat some crow. The Enquirer's experts got it right. Her defense team did enough to create reasonable doubt in the jury's mind and she was found not guilty of murder.

She Fought The Law Alert™:Monster mom's defense falls apart.

Publication: Globe
Date: 30 May 2011

The story of the murder trial of Caylee Anthony continues in the AMI tabloids. Now, the mom's defense has fallen apart.

In the real world, the trial actually began this week, so all the stories in the tabloids so far have been premature.