Launched in 2005, TMZ, owned by Time-Warner, has quickly risen to the top of the celebrity news blog heap as one of the most highly visited Web sites in America. Named for the slang term for the 30-mile zone surrounding Hollywood’s film studios, its reach exceeds far beyond Tinseltown, and the site is one of the most-often-cited celebrity gossip sources on the Internet. A TV show, “TMZ on TV,” launched in 2007.
Sheer gossip is the name of the game at TMZ. While users won’t necessarily find out what’s hot at the box office or who’s guest-starring on their favorite show that week, they will know who got arrested, who won a heated custody battle and who left home without his or her underpants.
Updated several times a day, TMZ posts celebrity news as it breaks, and it’s not unusual to see articles posted with a time tag of 2 a.m. The site prominently features a phone number and e-mail submission form for users to submit gossip they have heard or candid photographs. TMZ also delivers breaking news via iPhone and Android apps or text messages to users who sign up for the service.
Photos are an integral part of the TMZ site, organized under a series of hot links. The “‘Memba Them” gallery features then-and-now photos of long-forgotten celebrities, and the “Mug Shots” section archives pictures of luminaries at their very lowest. “Hot Bodies” and “Hot Mamas” deliver what they promise, with bikini and body-baring photos of current celebs.
TMZ is noted for being the first news outlet to report several hot celebrity news stories, including Mel Gibson’s DUI arrest and Britney Spears’ divorce from Kevin Federline. The death of Michael Jackson was scooped by TMZ three hours before it was reported by mainstream media outlets.
The site has faced legal troubles over the publication of some items. The Los Angeles Police Department complained about the publication of singer Rihanna’s photo showing the results of her altercation with Chris Brown, saying that the photo was still considered police evidence. TMZ maintained that the photo was obtained by legal means.
Other media sites and celebrities themselves have criticized the site for primarily showing the stars in a negative light, but the site’s popularity proves that it is filling a public desire. As the Washington Post said of the television version, “You might feel like taking a long, hot shower after watching the sleazy new daily entertainment show ‘TMZ.’ But you also might find yourself slathering on more muck the very next day.”
