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Cathy Seipp is a local journalist and columnist whose work has appeared in places from Penthouse to the Wall Street Journal and pretty much everywhere in between. Currently you can find her writing a weekly column for the National Review Online, and also on her blog, Cathy's World which usually gets between 60-100 comments per post.
A member and contributor of the mostly-conservative Pajamas Media, there was little surprise that when Ann Coulter was in town earlier this summer, she accepted the invite to Cathy's teenage daughter's backyard birthday party; not because they both lean Right, but because Cathy is an intelligent, classy, quick-witted woman who is easy to like when you meet her.
One of Cathy's best friends is the controversial local journalist Luke Ford, whom you might have seen on the cover of the LA Weekly's "LA People" edition this April. Luke is so controversial, in fact, that Pajamas Media let him go just days after hiring him, before he even wrote one word. Some presume that Luke's resume was brought to the attention of some at PM who probably should have seen it before accepting him. Luke, you see, is probably the world's best journalist in the adult video world.
With only a few more days to go before Cathy is "honored" with a roast by her closest pals, Luke asks his BFF twelve silly questions:
Do you believe that if people knew you better they'd like you more?
I feel well enough liked by enough people already.
How keen are your perceptions of whether people like you or not? Are you shocked when they don't?
I've been told I'm kind of oblivious when people don't like me, so I guess my perceptions aren't all that keen.
Though he's too nice to admit it, I don't think Kevin Roderick likes you too much?
Is this a sorority slambook or an interview? I'm sure Kevin Roderick worships the ground I walk on. Actually, he probably likes me better than Drudge likes me but not as much as Romenesko does.
What's a wing nut and are you one?
The definition of a wingnut, in Los Angeles, is anyone slightly to the right of center, so that would be me. A better question is why there seems to be no such thing in L.A. as merely right wing. You're either a wingnut (that is, far right) or default normal (that is, liberal.)
Can you honestly say that your relationship with Amy Alkon is strictly platonic?
I can honestly say it's odd that even two middle-aged lady columnists who happen to be friends make you think of lesbian porn, but I suppose Amy and I should be flattered.
Are the press critics tours more or less fun than they used to be?
I always have fun at these things. It was particularly fun for me this time because Moxie and Emmanuelle drove me there for much of it. It was less fun when I began going there a few years ago only because I didn't know so many of the characters.
Did you have to develop a thick skin or does it come naturally?
I guess it just came to me naturally, although naturally we all become less sensitive to what others think of us as we grow older. Or at least, we should. The alternative is to remain forever a sensitive adolescent, and that's kind of pathetic.
Did you have to develop your self-confidence to write as fearlessly as you do or did it come naturally?
Again, I think most people naturally gain confidence as they age, if only because we develop a sense that we finally know what we're doing. What puzzles me is why so many people are scared of so many ridiculous things.
Did you ever back off stories because you were afraid you'd get hurt?
No, never, but then I'm not in that kind of business. I'm not covering crime in Colombia or anything like that so I'm flattered if anyone thinks I'm fearless, because really, what has someone like me got to be afraid of?
Which persons you've written on have most scared you?
None. I think I told you once that Bill O'Reilly made me a little nervous once, but that was because he was very tall and took so long to order his Irish oatmeal.
How do you like it when lesbians hit on you? Do you take it as a compliment?
I'm afraid lesbians have never hit on me, as far as I know. I guess I'm not their type.
Do you ever agonize over your stories and blog entries?
I used to take a lot longer to write them before I started blogging. As the years have gone by, it's gotten much faster and easier. But I'd never say I agonized, just procrastinated a little.
Which of your friends is the most weird?
Oh, Luke. You, of course.
Are you proud of your heterosexuality?
Why would anyone be proud of something that they just are? What a silly question!
photo by Jim Lowney
