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In the wake of Hero Complex blogger Geoff Boucher's departure from the paper, the LA Times has re-hired Chris Lee and moved Gina McIntyre over to be the lead writer and editor on the Hero Complex blog. Lee, a music writer then, had left the paper last year for the Daily Beast. Here are today's memos from arts and entertainment editor John Corrigan.
To: The Staff From: John Corrigan, Assistant Managing EditorPop culture aficionados have long sought out the work of Chris Lee. His keen sense of story and gift for words has led to scores of memorable pieces, including Hollywood foodies, Muslim punk rockers and the “club girls” who prowl the Sunset Strip for celebrity gossip.
His takes on celebrities rank among the very best, and the most eclectic. Zack Galifianakis, Gustavo Dudamel, Angelina Jolie, Jerry Lewis, Kanye West ... all have gotten the Chris Lee treatment, to the delight of readers. He also chronicled Michael Jackson’s attempted comeback, and shared a Times Editorial Award in 2010 for his role in the breaking news coverage of Jackson’s death.
It was a sad day in 2011 when Chris left The Times to sign on with the Daily Beast and Newsweek. But that time has passed.
I’m thrilled to report that Chris has decided to rejoin us as a senior writer on film and pop culture, reporting to Arts and Entertainment Editor Laurie Ochoa. He’ll also be a key contributor to our Hero Complex blog.
A native Angeleno, Chris has a bachelor’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Before joining The Times in 2005, he was a staff writer at Premiere magazine. His work has also appeared in Entertainment Weekly, Details and Vibe.
Chris is perhaps best known for seeing things that others might miss, whether it be sex addiction (a Newsweek cover story that triggered national debate) or Nicolas Cage’s ever-changing coiffure. He will rejoin the Calendar team Oct. 15. Please join me in giving him a warm welcome back.
To: The Staff From: John Corrigan, Assistant Managing Editor I am pleased to announce that Gina McIntyre will be the lead writer and editor of Hero Complex, effective immediately. In her new capacity, Gina will interview filmmakers, visit sets of movies and television series and write about prominent voices in the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror entertainment. A lifelong genre fan, Gina has been involved with Hero Complex almost since its inception, in both a writing and editing capacity. She has overseen the team of reporters covering San Diego’s Comic-Con International for the last two years; she also edited the special-edition Hero Complex magazines produced in concert with that event and other genre gatherings. Gina, who will report to me, has ambitious plans to broaden the scope of Hero Complex to give a greater emphasis to subjects such as video gaming and genre fiction, while also serving up smart coverage of the comic book and superhero worlds. Gina joined The Times five years ago as an assistant entertainment editor after working as managing editor, features, at the Hollywood Reporter. She was promoted to music editor less than a year later, and then was promoted again to deputy film editor in 2010. She’s also remained active as a writer for Calendar and the Envelope. Earlier in her career, Gina served as the editor for “The X-Files Official Magazine” and created her own horror magazine called “Wicked,” which covered film, TV, literature and comics. A native of Indianapolis, she holds a bachelor of arts in journalism in English literature from Indiana University. Gina lives in Silver Lake with her husband, George, their daughter, Violet, and a sizable collection of “A Nightmare Before Christmas” memorabilia.
