• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 26, 2010

   If you want to sell magazines and create a little controversy (to sell even more magazines), you can't go wrong with putting naked skin on the cover. And maybe some blood. Rolling Stone has grasped this timeless principle, judging by the magazine's latest cover. It features the lead cast members of HBO's vampire soap "True Blood" wearing nothing but sultry looks and a liberal helping of what appears to be ketchup. Otherwise, the trio is completely nude, in a pose that somehow manages to preserve their modesty while at the same time suggesting a ménage a trois.

The cover is intended to stir controversy and has succeeded, including some industry buzz that it may be banished from newsstands, or at least covered up to spare innocent children and little old ladies the spectacle of so much nude, bespattered flesh.

However, by the standard of contemporary American culture (and magazine covers) it is at best mildly naughty: getting down to brass tacks and body parts, you can see the side profile of two character's posteriors and -- again, in side profile -- one breast. No genitals or nipples are on display -- making it less revealing than some fashion ads in mainstream magazines.

As for the blood -- well, it's kind of gross. But the show is about vampires, and features gruesome murders at the rate of at least one per episode, so the cover is "accurate" -- or rather, only gratuitous and sensational to the degree that the show is. Rolling Stone could use some vampire-like resurrection. Over the last half-decade, total ad pages plunged 45% from 1,704 in 2005 to 932 in 2009, according to the Publishers Information Bureau. The magazine was flat at 386 ad pages in the first half of 2010.

Heeb Folds Print Edition

Heeb, the journal of all things Judeo-hipsterish, is folding its print edition after eight years of publication. However, the title will continue to publish the same range of content online, including the tongue-in-cheek cultural critiques and analysis that have won it fame, or at least occasional mentions on "The Daily Show."

The online magazine is also getting a new editor in chief: Erin Hershberg. Also on staff are culture editor Jonathan Poritsky, creative director (former music editor) Arye Dworken, humor editor David Deutsch, and comics editor Jeff Newelt. Heeb also plans to continue hosting events including its signature Christmas Eve bash, Heebonism, this year in Palm Springs and New York.

ASME Names Best Cover Nominees

The American Society of Magazine Editors has unveiled the list of nominees in its annual competition for best magazine covers. To be eligible, magazine covers had to appear on issues published from June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010. The list of nominees this year includes GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated and Vanity Fair. Continuing last year's innovation, ASME is letting readers choose the best covers by voting online at Amazon.com beginning Sept. 1. According to ASME, winners will be announced October 3 during an awards gala at the MPA's American Magazine Conference in Chicago.

Successful Farming Incorporates Video Ads in Print

Proving that you don't have to be big to be innovative, Meredith's Successful Farming is set to become the second magazine ever to feature video advertising in its print edition. Some of Successful Farming's August issues include an eye-catching four-page ad spread from Bayer CropScience, featuring a thin, battery-powered video screen (created by Americhip) with an introductory ad touting its Votivo product, as well as four more videos which readers can watch to learn more.

The ads were sent to a select group of 17,000 subscribers, based on their subscription information and previous purchases of Bayer CropScience products. The unusual print-digital combination was first pioneered by Entertainment Weekly, with an ad combining promos for CBS and Pepsi last year.