the “dawn for a day” contest winners

The sun also sets, and as Robert Frost said in his bid for headline contest fame:

So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay at the Post.

It’s a beautiful piece of work, but Bob didn’t win. And so it goes with so many outstanding headlines and injected articles. I’m flattered that you participated, overwhelmed at your numbers, impressed by your excellence, entertained by your wit.

But there can be only one –or in this case two. So without further ado, congradulations to Award-Winning Headline Writer Pablo, and Rabidly Anti-Abortion Copyeditor Jon Sanders. I am pleased to present to the New York Post and to the world a revised Page Six headline and article:

Six’ Sicks Sic Smitten Gurl for Eden Violation*

Eve: There is truly nothing new under the sun

February 13, 2005 — READERS of George Gurley’s full-term writeup of terminated copy editor Dawn Eden in the New York Observer might assume the reporter went foetal with love for his 36-year-old subject, whose main claim to fame was that she was extracted from The Post for improper curettement of a news story in utero of its rabid pro-abortion views. “Here was my idea of perfection: she was pretty, witty, vivacious, ultra sound …, ” Gurley wrote, also mentioning her “plump rump.” Gurley reported that Eden lost her virginity at the 23rd annum and that she “hasn’t had a relationship reach the first trimester for the past year or two.” But Gurley - who plans to spend Valentine’s Day with his girlfriend of three years, Hermes publicist Hilary Heard - told PAGE SIX his bonding with Eden was only “cerebral, not fully formed.” “I was doing my job. I always fall in love with my subjects,” said Gurley, who named Ann Coulter, Lauren Hutton, Georgette Mosbacher and her sister Lynn Paulsin, Jan Amory, and Rita Jenrette. “Maybe Dawn Eden’s not quite viable enough for me,” he laughed.

Congradulations to both of you, Pablo and Jon. Thanks to everyone for particpating.

* THE MAKING OF THE WINNING HEADLINE: Pablo’s headline seems to carry in it the arc of a story which, in my mind, goes something like this: some poor, underexposed copyeditor (probably a new hire) saw “Six’ Sicks Smitten Gurl For Eden Violation” and pointed out the syntactical problem with using “Sicks” in this context. “Did we sic Gurley on Ms. Eden?” He asked in the margin, somewhat rhetorically, adding, “I thought Gurley was an Observer reporter.” Naturally the writers of the story and headline never even glanced at his notations, but upper management was watching him like a hawk for signs of blogging, and spotted the rabid, anti-error sentiments our hero tried to inject. The poor fellow was called on the carpet and yelled at for being an uppity copyeditor. He was fired on the spot (officially, for mentioning the Observer on company time). But the error still bothered the young copyeditor, so as he walked out with the cardboard box of his belongings under his arm, he yelled out to the copy chief: “Six’ Sicks [sic] Smitten Gurl For Eden Violation!” The copy chief grinned and yelled back, “Good luck, kid!” and then wrote down the headline Pablo presented. That’s what I think happened. Do I have a nose for news or what?