Thanks to buyouts, resource shifts and other assorted changes for the worse, the folks who put together the Rocky Mountain News' Spotlight section have had to rely on the newspapering equivalent of smoke and mirrors to fill its pages on a daily basis. Today's edition provides a zany example: an apres ski fashion feature whose supersized photos and teensy text eat up five of the section's 16 pages. Most hilarious of all is a two-page centerfold -- what's known in the trade as a double-truck -- featuring a supersized version of the photo seen here stamped with the caption, "After a long day on the slopes, it's time to heat things up by the spa or fire pit. Pack your cutest coats, your most stylish vests, your coolest hoodies. And, of course, your favorite bikini. Now, this is livin'."
If adolescent boys still looked at newspapers, they'd take these pages straight to the bathroom -- where they'd somehow manage to go through half a bottle of shampoo without taking a shower.
By the way, online visitors can generate more laughs via a video accessible at the link above; it features behind-the-scenes footage of the shoot underscored with chill-out music. The result seems like an excerpt from a Skinemax movie sans the Vaseline-on-the-lens sex scenes and tasteful moaning. In other words, the good parts. -- Michael Roberts
