Microsoft Launches Wonderwall Celeb Site

Microsoft's MSN network has teamed with entertainment production company BermanBraun to launch Wonderwall.com, a celebrity-focused Web site that aims to compete with the likes of Eonline.com and TMZ.com.

"Wonderwall offers a clever, thought-provoking, and amusing voice to fans of celebrity and is a great addition to MSN's portfolio of entertainment content," said Rob Bennett, general manager of Network Programming for MSN, in a statement.

"Partnering with BermanBraun helps us deliver this unique experience and original and refreshing perspective. We believe Wonderwall will strike a chord with people that will have them laughing out loud and coming back for more," said Bennett.

As of Friday, the site prominently featured a lead story about marijuana-using Olympian Michael Phelps, as well as items on Val Kilmer, Patrick Swayze, and Christian Bale.

Microsoft says 84% of people in the United States visit entertainment-focused Web sites at least once a month, making the category one of the Internet's most popular. Instead of the vertical scrolling used on most Internet sites, Wonderwall.com allows users to flip through its pages horizontally in order to emulate the look and feel of a physical magazine.

"We saw an exciting opportunity to aggregate and program MSN's celebrity/pop culture content in a dynamic and visually arresting way," said BermanBraun partners Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun in a joint statement.

Wonderwall's content will be featured on the Wonderwall.com home page, and also on sites within Microsoft's MSN network. The site will be edited by Alex Blagg, who was the founding editor of VH1's "Best Week Ever" blog.