Faces: Rolling Stone cover with bombing suspect stirs controversy

July 17, 2013 at 11:08PM
In this July 15, 2013 photo released by Disney-ABC Domestic Television, actor Josh Duhamel, left, appears with co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, right, during "Live with Kelly and Michael," in New York. Duhamel announced during a segment airing Wednesday, July 17, that his wife, Stacy Ferguson from The Black Eyes Peas, is having a boy. (AP Photo/Disney-ABC Domestic Television, David Russell)
Baby News: North Dakota native Josh Duhamel, left, told co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan on Wednesday’s “Live with Kelly and Michael” that his wife, Fergie, from the Black Eyed Peas, is having a boy. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A Rolling Stone cover story on Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev isn't on the stands yet, but it's already generating controversy, with at least two New England-based retailers announcing that they will not carry the issue.

The cover of the magazine's Aug. 1 edition is a photo in which Tsarnaev looks more like one of the rock stars that usually grace it than a suspect in the April 15 bombings at the marathon finish line that killed three and wounded more than 260. A preview on the ­magazine's website says the story by contributing editor Janet Reitman traces how "a bright kid with a charming future became a monster."

Rolling Stone editors said that the story falls within the traditions of journalism and the magazine's commitment to ­serious and thoughtful coverage. "The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens," the Rolling Stone statement said.

Pete Seeger's wife and producer dies

Toshi Seeger, whose husband, folk singer Pete Seeger, has credited her for at least half his success — from helping to organize the first Newport Folk Festival to campaigning to clean the Hudson River — died Tuesday at their home in Beacon, N.Y. She was 91. Pete Seeger, now 94, became famous for shaping modern folk music through prolific songwriting and peripatetic entertaining, and for his activism. Toshe Seeger did his bookings, produced his concerts and executive-produced the 2007 PBS documentary "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song."

In memory: The Cirque du Soleil show "Ka" has reopened on the Las Vegas Strip, 17 days after an acrobat fell to her death at the end of a performance. Tuesday evening's show was marked by a memorial announcement and standing ovations in memory of 31-year-old Sarah ­Guillot-Guyard, who died during the show's climactic battle scene. It has been replaced with a "dressing ritual" scene that Cirque says maintains the story line.

associated Press


In this magazine cover image released by Wenner Media, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appears on the cover of the Aug. 1, 2013 issue of "Rolling Stone."
In this magazine cover image released by Wenner Media, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appears on the cover of the Aug. 1, 2013 issue of "Rolling Stone." (AP Photo/Wenner Media) (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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