Meet the New Carpetbagger

Updated 3 months, 2 weeks ago

We are very excited to announce that Melena Ryzik will be taking over as lead writer for the NY Times’ Carpetbagger blog, following in the footsteps of media columnist (and friend of AwardsDaily) David Carr.

There are only a scant few of us women on the Oscar beat, so it’s all kinds of cool that Carr is passing the baton to a dame. Let’s hear it for girl power!

Ryzik will take over interviews and general coverage, and will also continue Carr’s video series ...

. She comes highly recommended, so we will be keeping an eye on her as she wades into the Oscar pool. Carr’s announcement is probably a good sign that Oscar season is indeed upon us. I hope you all are as ready as I am.

The full press release, with everything you ever wanted to know about Melena Ryzik after the cut.

MELENA RYZIK TO WRITE THE CARPETBAGGER BLOG ON NYTIMES.COM

Annual Blog on the Hollywood Awards Season to Relaunch December 1

NEW YORK, Oct. 20, 2009 – NYTimes.com announced today that culture reporter Melena Ryzik will be the new lead writer of the Carpetbagger blog beginning Dec. 1, when it is relaunched for the Hollywood awards season. In addition to being a general assignment culture reporter, Ms. Ryzik chronicles cultural life in New York for the UrbanEye video series, and writes the UrbanEye e-mail, a daily guide to events around town. As the Carpetbagger, she succeeds media columnist David Carr, who originated the blog but is retiring his tuxedo from the red carpet beat after four seasons. He will continue as a media columnist and a general assignment reporter.

The Carpetbagger blog is devoted to the ups and downs of Hollywood’s award season, taking its audience behind the scenes of major industry events including the Sundance Film Festival, the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Ms. Ryzik will also continue the Carpetbagger video series, which Mr. Carr launched on NYTimes.com, to cover the film world and give viewers a peek into how celebrity news is made, on and off the red carpet. Additional reporting to the blog will come from several other Times journalists, including the Los Angeles-based reporters Michael Cieply and Brooks Barnes.

The Carpetbagger blog also hosts many additional features to engage readers, from calendars to track the nominations to an Oscar-race scorecard. The blog was launched in fall of 2005 and has appeared every year since, earning a devoted audience of readers and viewers.

Ms. Ryzik joined The Times in 2001 writing for metro and investigative news. She was a contributing writer for The Times’s former celebrity column Boldface Names. The UrbanEye video series will go on hiatus during Carpetbagger season; the UrbanEye e-mails will continue.

27 comments on this story

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Showing 21 relevant reactions out of 27.

somebadideas 3 months, 2 weeks ago on Twitter

Congrats to @melenar on taking over the NYTimes carpetbagger column. She's sharp as a whip covered in blades. http://bit.ly/3HO0aC

glimmer/ i want a bandslam tat... 3 months, 2 weeks ago on Wordpress

don’t think i knew of the carpetbagger thing until i started to hang around here a bit.oh well, i hope melena does a nice job of keeping the mania going.

The Carpetbagger is dead. Long live The Carpetbaggess. « ShareTrain Dot Com 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

[...] and I’m excited to see what she brings to the beat. And not, unlike some of my chromosomal compatriots, just because of “girl power.” Because, really — the game of Oscar yelling is [...]

luisapecora 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Twitter

RT @e_digo_mais o blog do NYT sobre o Oscar não é mais do ótimo @carr2n. Conheçam a nova "Carpetbagger" http://bit.ly/w2n3V

e_digo_mais 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Twitter

o blog do NYT sobre o Oscar não é mais do ótimo @carr2n. Conheçam a nova "Carpetbagger" http://bit.ly/w2n3V (via @AwardsDaily)

uberVU - social comments 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by AwardsDaily: Meet the new Carpetbagger…http://bit.ly/w2n3V…

Cahiers 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

Gah, Carr was the one who really got me into the whole Oscar lead-up thing and introduced me to this wonderful site which I look forward to reading every fall. I’ll admit the Bagger had been slacking the past year or two and the whole basement 30 second swag shows were kinda pointless, but I liked Carr’s grizzled interviews and man on the street pieces. Hopefully Ryzik will get into it ... See all content Hide content

Euan 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

I found her a bit annoying in the urban eye features she did, but she’d make me so happy if she brought the Carpet back to Times Square. Wasn’t that the essence of the thing to begin with? Hopefully she’ll have more time to do fun crap like that (and maybe less time to do the daily updates that lasted like 40 seconds; and he always just ‘had to go’, Why?!) Anyway, new ... See all content Hide content

Flapp 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

Congratulations!

jondaly 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Twitter

RT - @melenar Cat's outta the bag -- I'm the new Carpetbagger! http://bit.ly/1e1Ud0 - You're the talentedest! Watch out for scallywagz!

luca mazzarini 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

Melena is a great writer and I am sure she is going to rock the world!

raquelita 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Twitter

Speaking of congratulations to @melenar (aka Melena Ryzik of UrbanEye fame) on being new @nytimes Carpetbagger blogger: http://bit.ly/1e1Ud0

current_movies 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Twitter

OMFG A NEW NYT CARPETBAGGER WTF IS GOING ON WITH MY WORLD: http://www.awardsdaily.com/?p=14144

daveylow 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

It wouldn’t be surprising if at least two women were nominated for Best Director this year.

melenar 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Twitter

Cat's outta the bag -- I'm the new Carpetbagger! http://bit.ly/1e1Ud0 This will not affect my accessorizing. Probably.

jennydeluxe 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Twitter

lets hear it for the girl! @carr2n passes the carpetbagger baton to the fabulous, inimitable @melenar :: http://bit.ly/2AwkGs

Cliff 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

Women writers are great. Awardcontenders.com has a few really good ones. I think she will do a great job. Speaking of women, will this be the year of the women in the director category?

Sasha Stone 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

He’s decided to concentrate more on the media aspect of the media – the Carpetbagger was never meant to be a permanent thing with him … I think David will still be around doing this or that, just not the regular beat of the Bagger.

melenar 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Twitter

Cat's outta the bag -- I'm the new Carpetbagger! http://bit.ly/2AwkGs This will not affect my accessorizing. Probably.

Magically Delicious 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

Why is David quitting?

Dan 3 months, 3 weeks ago on Wordpress

I’m happy to have her, but I sure will miss David. He was great.

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