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Press ReleaseNeal Pollack Joins CRACKEDOnce Up-and-Coming Author Now Seen as Exceedingly Desperate for Cash and FameNEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2005 -- Officially forming the most startling alliance between a midlist author and a startup humor magazine ever, or at least in the last four or five years, CRACKED Magazine announced today that writer Neal Pollack has joined as an Editor-at-Large. The announcement comes just three weeks after Pollack announced on his website that he was completely broke and would now have to work as a street hustler, or brochure copywriter, to support his family. CRACKED did not know this, of course. But Pollack was able to fake his way through his job interview even though he was so high he couldn't stand up when it was over.CRACKED relaunches in January 2006 as a "humor lifestyle" publication aimed at an older demographic. Publisher and CEO Monty Sarhan, a stunningly handsome enigma who previously worked as an attorney, bond trader and private investigator, says he wants to make CRACKED "the magazine for people who watch The Daily Show," adding "and also, I hope, chicks." Pollack agrees. Pollack's duties will include writing funny things, editing things to make them seem funny, persuading 'zine publishers that they're not selling out by working with CRACKED and introducing an atmosphere of danger to the office by forcing staffers to play with poison-tipped darts. He also will give off a faint whiff of drugs and pornography and will make everyone feel horny all the time. Heard fourth-hand through - in descending order - Pollack's spokesperson, attorney, translator and massage therapist, he intends to turn CRACKED into "a combination of the old National Lampoon, the old Spy, the first season of Saturday Night Live, the second decade of Good Housekeeping, the fourth season of Diff'rent Strokes (after Mrs. Garrett left) and the Hapsburg Dynasty." Aiding him in this task will be his constant companion, the ghost of "Funky Chicken" creator Rufus Thomas. There will also be rockin' parties. "I just hope we can be as cool as Vice," Pollack says. "Those guys are f****** cool as s***." "We're very excited to have Pollack as part of the CRACKED team," Sarhan said. "Without him, we'd be completely screwed." Pollack has written three books of satire, including the cult classic "The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature" and the rock-n-roll novel "Never Mind The Pollacks." He regularly contributes to Nerve, Slate, Salon and various sections of The New York Times, and has written political satire for Vanity Fair. His memoir, "Daddy Was A Sinner," will be published by Pantheon in the fall of 2006. Nevertheless, he says this job is his last chance to pick up the splinters of his shattered life. Pollack lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, his son, and their pet elk, Humphrey. "After I was dropped by McSweeneys," he says, "I didn't know if I'd live to see next week. Now, I have a chance to make my own legend and create my own media empire. I can think of no better way to do that than by taking a part-time job at CRACKED." About Cracked Entertainment, Inc. Based in New York, Cracked Entertainment (http://www.cracked.com) publishes CRACKED Magazine, one of America's oldest and most well-known comedy magazines. The company's redesign of the 47-year old CRACKED Magazine is already underway, with an all-new website slated to come online sometime in October and the magazine making a return to newsstands in early 2006. Contact: Dave Welty Maloney & Fox 646-356-8306 dwelty@maloneyfox.com or Giles Hanson Maloney & Fox 646-356-8315 ghanson@maloneyfox.com |
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