** UPDATED 2/1/2015:
NEW YORK TIMES STAFFER CYBER-HARASSES/ VIOLENTLY THREATENS AUTHOR FOR UNVEILING ALLEGED NY TIMES IMPROPRIETY
A New York Times staffer at the center of the controversy has issued multiple malicious messages and physical threats against author Abbe Diaz, since the release of PX Me – The Sequel to PX This in July of 2014. The apparent motives and complete timeline of the cyber-harassment and physical threats are HERE. **
GREATEST HITS: theForum@px.this
PX This hereby presents The Forum’s Greatest Hits, a thread-by-thread archive of the most fascinating discussions from "theForum@px.this" — our online F&B oriented community IP.Board (founded in 2007) made virtually obsolete by the re-launch of theBlahg, pxthis.com, on August 31, 2009.
[theForum@px.this will be fully and permanently dismantled upon the definitive completion of its archive.]
THE HOSTESS DIARIES CONSPIRACY
Started: May 27, 2008. 12:47 PM by (Forum Administrator) *jo* • Closed: June 22, 2010 11:56PM • Archived at 15,935 Views
PRIMARY SUBJECT : New York Times article "My Year at a Hotspot" by Coco Henson Scales, July 11, 2004
ADJUNCT SUBJECTS : Former gawker.com Managing Editor Choire Sicha, Former New York Times food critic Frank Bruni, Former Hue hostess Coco Henson Scales (and friend, William Diggs)
GIST OF TOPIC : Did Choire Sicha and/or Coco Scales (along with Frank Bruni) "conspire" to misappropriate the subject matter in PX This for their own glorification and/or personal gain?
SIGNIFICANCE: In June of 2004, Abbe Diaz purchases a short-running advertising spot within gawker.com to help publicize her book, PX This – Diary of the "Maitre d’ to the Stars" [nee Diary of the Potted Plant]. Within several weeks of that advertisement, the aforementioned article in question, “My Year at a Hotspot,” appears in The New York Times, ostensibly written by former (prominent PX This "character" Karim Amatullah‘s) Hue hostess, Coco Henson Scales.
Gawker Editor Choire Sicha declares the article the "best celebrity venality exposé ever!" and goes on to exhort, "if Gawker had a required reading syllabus, it would consist entirely of this article." He then further exalts the article by declaring Coco Scales "The People’s Hero" on his personal blog as well, choiresicha.com (now semi-defunct).
Within hours, "fans" of PX This ("anywhere from 15 to 35 people") send e-mails to Sicha drawing attention to Diaz’s book, with at least one pointing out Diaz’s status as a former Gawker advertiser. Diaz herself forwards a mention of her book in the Daily News to Sicha. Sicha responds via e-mail to Diaz (and at least one "enthusiast") but, despite referring to himself as a “big fan,” fails to publicly acknowledge the existence of Diaz’s book in any way.
It is later discovered the climax of Scales’s riveting narrative is completely fictional.
Upon speculation as to how a fictional essay (by a previously unknown/unpublished writer) could possibly appear in the New York Times as a non-fictional feature in the first place, it is discovered Choire Sicha "dated Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni for a few months."
Scales has written nothing since.
RATING: ★★★★
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: Ratings range from zero to five stars and reflect the discussion’s entertainment value, from amusing to hilarious, with edification taken into consideration. Hyperlinks contained within are subject to change.
The archives of theForum@px.this have been edited for the sake of clarity, brevity, and squeakiness. [If you require an original unedited copy of the discussion, please e-mail px.this@gmail.com]
* * * * *
*Pictured (from boston.com): Choire Sicha, Former Gawker blogger, Emily Gould
** See also:
• THE CURIOUS CASE OF COCO HENSON SCALES
• MEDIA COLLUDES IN COVER-UP OF JOURNALISTIC MISDEEDS
• Freelance Writer Wanted (for investigative piece on The Hostess Diaries Conspiracy)
For more information on the media’s unscrupulousness toward PX This and its author, Abbe Diaz, visit http://www.pxthis.com/tag/corruption-in-the-media/
or read PX Me – How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous, and Married a Millionaire – Coming Soon in Winter 2012 April of 2013 July of 2014.
Tags: CHOIRE SICHA, COCO HENSON SCALES, CORRUPTION IN THE MEDIA, FORUM ARCHIVES, FRANK BRUNI, GAWKER, JEFFREY HENSON SCALES, KARIM AMATULLAH, NICK DENTON, PX THIS THE BOOK, SCOOP
= "personne extraordinaire"
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:20 PM
yeh i think this one is my favorite ever
scumbags
June 22nd, 2010 at 5:51 PM
That thread deserves 5 stars.
June 23rd, 2010 at 11:29 AM
That William Diggs email is classic! What a dipshit. It actually sounds like the email is written by Coco Scales and not the article. That’s why she never wrote anything else, she’s a moron.
June 24th, 2010 at 10:58 AM
“Re: Emily Ghoul
This is actually the photo of emily gould
you want to use whenever you reference her.
Unfortunately, the youtube video it’s from was removed.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pxthis/sets/72157624222931697/
September 1st, 2010 at 9:57 AM
Does anyone know if Choire Sicha is still Frank Bruni’s boyfriend?
October 1st, 2014 at 1:37 AM
You all are srsly nutcase. Coco is a good person. You are not. I am so sorry I found your shitty website. I’m going to send this horse garbage to her. And I hope she sues the dogshit out of you. You are truly nothing.
February 16th, 2015 at 9:28 AM
NEW YORK TIMES STAFFER CYBER-HARASSES/ VIOLENTLY THREATENS AUTHOR FOR UNVEILING ALLEGED NY TIMES IMPROPRIETY
A New York Times staffer at the center of the controversy has issued multiple malicious messages and physical threats against author Abbe Diaz, since the release of PX Me – The Sequel to PX This in July of 2014. The apparent motives and complete timeline of the cyber-harassment and physical threats are HERE:
http://www.pxthis.com/PXthisToo/2014/12/ny-times-staffer-continues-to-harass-threaten-author/#more-8827