Huffington Tries Reproducing the Big Blog Bang

A Boldface Name Invites Others to Blog With Her

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

LOS ANGELES, April 23 - Get ready for the next level in the blogosphere.

Arianna Huffington, the columnist and onetime candidate for governor of California, is about to move blogging from the realm of the anonymous individual to the realm of the celebrity collective.

She has lined up more than 250 of what she calls "the most creative minds" in the country to write a group blog that will range over topics from politics and entertainment to sports and religion. It is essentially a nonstop virtual talk show that will be part of a Web site that will also serve up breaking news around the clock. It is to be introduced May 9.

Having prominent people join the blogosphere, Ms. Huffington said in an interview, "is an affirmation of its success and will only enrich and strengthen its impact on the national conversation." Among those signed up to contribute are Walter Cronkite, David Mamet, Nora Ephron, Warren Beatty, James Fallows, Vernon E. Jordan Jr., Maggie Gyllenhaal, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Diane Keaton, Norman Mailer and Mortimer B. Zuckerman.
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The New York Times tells us to get ready for the next level in the blogosphere.

Yeah, that's just what we need--a group celebrity blog.

The great thing about the Internet is how empowering it is. Anyone with a computer can get their views out, potentially to far corners of the world. Fame is not required. An agent and a publicist aren't necessary. Multiple cosmetic surgeries are not a prerequisite.

The Internet levels the playing field. There are no call screeners or opinion page editors to act as filters. That's the beauty of the blogosphere. It's very grass roots.

Now, Huffington and her band of the country's "most creative minds" are going to offer up their celebrity-tinged brilliance.

Jumping on board a moving train is easier said than done. Air America is proof of that.

Huffington is trying to reproduce a phenomenon that naturally evolved. She plans to create the illusion of the spontaneous energy of blogging through a contrived, artificial, celebrity-driven site.

The Huffington Report is a reproduction, not an original creation.

One wonders if the enthusiasm that drives an unknown person in America's heartland, tapping away at a lap-top, could be generated among the insulated, over-paid, privileged elite.

We'll find out May 9th.

As Drudge would say, "Developing..."