Paper Monitor
A service highlighting the riches of the daily press.
There's a bit of a tradition when Britain does well at the Oscars for Paper Monitor to note how the hard-nosed national press adopts a sort of local paper mentality, championing the achievements of our plucky home-grown underdog in the face of all that Hollywood glitz and glamour.
But let's take that thought a little further this time. How does a genuine local paper respond to one of their brood clutching the prized gold statuette?
Cast your mind back to the days before Kate Winslet got all gushy and moist of eye at award ceremonies. Then she was just humble old Kate from Reading, as the Reading Post reminds us today.
"Kate Winslet's Oscar Triumph" is the headline (in the online edition at least) and no time is wasted in making the local link.
"Reading's most famous daughter Kate Winslet finally fulfilled her childhood dream as she scooped the best actress Oscar for her role in The Reader."
What's more, La Winslet revealed some of that homely Kateness of old in a press conference by actually name checking the Post.
"After her triumph, Winslet... found time to mention her favourite local newspaper the Evening Post and The Retreat pub where her mum won the top prize for her pickled onions in this year's contest, featured in last week's paper.
"My mum won a pickled onion competition in the local pub just before Christmas and the Reading Evening Post sent me a picture of her holding her jar. Well, Reading Evening Post, here's your next Winslet picture!"
Oh this is better than Paper Monitor had anticipated. What else has the Post done on this prodigal daughter of Royal Berkshire? An interview with the pickled onion judge perhaps... Let's type Winslet's name into the search engine and see.
Ah, there it is - the very story our Kate was referring to, and then some:
"Kate Winslet's mum scoops onion crown"
"Kate Winslet 'I'm still a Reading girl'"
"Kate Winslet scoops two Bafta nominations" which might go unremarked upon but for this sensational example of micro editionalising: "West Reading's Kate Winslet - a double Golden Globe winner..."
And Paper Monitor's own favourite:
"Kate Winslet's uncle gets in a muddle"
Grazers of Paper Monitor's meadow may like to suggest their own favourite local paper takes on past Hollywood successes, using the comments button below.
Comment number 1.
At 23rd Feb 2009, Candace9839 wrote:One of our local news stations is asking for photos from celebrity look-alikes. So even if you are not related to one, it may be good enough to just look like one...
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Comment number 2.
At 26th Feb 2009, Justin Furiated wrote:The Exeter Express and Echo is always keen to report on the fortunes of "local boy made good" Chris Martin of Coldplay, eg...
(BTW, I'd be willing to bet that the village of Whitestone is considerably smaller than "West Reading"!)
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