Shanghaiist Reads: that's Shanghai and Shanghai Talk

How does the other half live? Shanghaiist is talking about our print media counterparts — you know, the ones that have actual deadlines and office space to fuss over. We won’t pretend to put ourselves in their shoes (well, some of us might, seeing as how we occasionally swing both ways — in the non-biblical sense, of course), but we can, at least appreciate an alliterative headline, a punchy lead, and some slick, savvy reporting. Oh, and artsy photos — we like those too. So without further ado, we bring you Shanghaiist Reads, where we tell it like they tell it — only better. And without costing you a dime. (Just kidding ... we love our local rags. And they’re free.) Think of our summary of what's in the local mags as a tribute to our print brothers and sisters who fight the good fight — and still have time to come to our website when their bosses aren’t looking.

First up on the chopping block: the monthlies. (Don't worry, SH/8 Days and City Weekend — you'll get your turn.) Oh, and be forewarned: we get linky ... though, in some cases, not as linky as we'd like, due to the fact that Shanghai Talk still doesn't have a website.)

that’s Shanghai: Three larger-than-life figures are profiled in the October edition of that’s: Superman Returns’ producer Chris Lee, opera legend Jessye Norman, and —gasp— Jane Goodall. Yes, that — gasp — Jane Goodall. The first lady of the animal kingdom gushes about her youth animal enlightenment program “Roots and Shoots,” talks about the westernization of China, and waxes poetic on her landmark voiceover in The Simpsons. (OK, not really. Just this: “You can’t imagine the number of people who have talked to me about [my character on The Simpsons].” Elsewhere, we find out from filmmaker Antti-Jussi Annila that his Jade Warrior, a hybrid wuxia pic set in Finland, will not be starring Zhang Ziyi, and that the Finnish (assuming that one man can actually represent an entire nationality) also think John Woo’s The Killer is badass. David Laris, the face of Laris Shanghai on Three on the Bund, wants you to know that he’s leading the charge in Shanghai’s Delicatessen Revolution. Wagas better watch its back. According to food critic Apple Mandy, shark’s fin mooncakes are actually quite delish (though it’s probably safe to assume that Yao has never tried them). Halloween in Shanghai — who knew? Summer Block from that’s, that’s who. Speaking of Halloween, something tells us the owners of Club Show 5 are fans. But don’t take our word for it: “the club’s color scheme is black and orange, making it a great place to organize a spooky Halloween party.” The swanky, overpriced 239 is so amazing that it warrants a Second Opinion. Now it’s … still swanky and overpriced? And in Parting Shot, Kent D. Kedl does a cost/benefit analysis on foreign nosiness versus local nosiness. His verdict: nosy is as nosy does.

Shanghai Talk: You all remember “Killer,” don’t you? That game where everyone closes his or her eyes and poof — someone’s dead. Then, everyone else has to figure out who killed him or her. (You might know it as “Mafia.”) Well, Shanghai Talk certainly does — in fact, they’ve made it their latest cover story. (p. 10) Clubs devoted to the game are popping up all over China, though “Shanghai is a bit behind the eight ball compared to Beijing and other northern cities.” Where do we sign up? Fall is here, and its grumpy cousin winter is right around the corner. Style Talk (p. 28) makes the case that looking fab and marvy is leaving everything to the imagination — sweater dresses, anyone? Extra extra, read all about it! That token white guy you see in, well, almost any Chinese film with a token white guy, is Jonathan “Cao Cao” Kos-Read (p. 44), who had a bit of an appendix problem. As in, it burst. But don’t worry — after days of being poo-poohed and refused painkillers (and yes, there are plenty of grisly details), he’s all better now, though he probably has a few doubts about hospitals in Yunnan. Dining Out (p. 48) begs the question: If you list five things you like about a restaurant, and five things you dislike, do they cancel each other out? The restaurant in question is Embre — and we’re still not sure whether to recommend it or avoid like the plague. According to Night Talk (p. 50), the live music scene in Shanghai may be on life support, but hey, it’s pretty swell in Beijing! And Pop Stars (p. 53) confirms what teenyboppers on MySpace have known for some time now — that Benji (no, not the canine one), he’s so hot right now!

Photo from www.octoberbooks.org