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According to Defamer (via the New York Observer and LA Observed), the LA Times has hired former Time and Entertainment Weekly columnist/wiseass Joel Stein as a new op-ed columnist. On the surface, it seems like an odd choice. Stein's favorite topic is himself, though he can be very clever about making you think he's actually writing about something else. Even though his beat will be the entertainment industry, it's a sure bet we'll be reading about it from a, shall we say, personal perspective.
That being said, we remain cautiously optimistic about Stein's addition to the Times team. Stein didn't last too long at EW, and that's probably given him a worse rap than he deserves. Say what you will about him, but anyone who's read Stein's work has an opinion on him. Plenty of people hate him, some think he's hilarious and nobody seems on the fence. He's opinionated, he has a distinct writing style and he's never dull. Isn't that exactly what an op-ed columnist is supposed to be? And if we're wrong, then we'll all just go on not reading the Times' editorial page like normal.
Some of the best opinion writers are people you can't stand. Welcome aboard, Joel!
