That's when Janice Min took over as editor.

Coincidence? We think not.

The magazine offices of Min and her happy staff in New York have a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere for an enterprise concerned with the absolute latest trends, coolest people and most outrageous paparazzi photos.

Under Min's leadership, Us takes its celebrities seriously, but not too seriously. And unlike some of the magazine's competitors, Us under Min has an identity - a women-centric mag that tries to make women feel better. It's not as shmaltzy as People, not as trashy as a tabloid, not as cheesy as some of the cheaper checkout-counter glossies.

As Tattle headed out the door Tuesday for the Toronto Film Festival, we caught up with the married, Columbia-educated, Manhattan-mom Min to find out what's up with Us.

Q. What would you say the big events of summer were for Us Weekly and the gossip universe?

A. Last summer you had the summer of the bad girls. You had Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and [this summer] we actually had one of our best sales of the year off the Olympic gymnasts. I thought the interest in the Olympics was unusually large, especially among young women, and I think the interest in politics and politicians continues. At least until November I feel like they'll supplant some of the smaller celebrity stories.

Q. So what about Bristol Palin? Is Bristol fair game?

A. Well, Sarah Palin is our cover [this week] and the Bristol component definitely put the story over the top for us. She's not featured on the cover - the mother is on the cover - but I think Bristol Palin's story is a compelling part of her mother's story, given her mother's staunch anti-abortion and pro-abstinence teaching positions.

Opponents of Sarah Palin and abstinence teaching would tell you it doesn't work, that sex education is far more effective, so the position that Bristol Palin is in now, I think, exemplifies the debate over those issues.

Q. As the magazine delves into politics, are you concerned at all about a backlash?

A. I think we covered Sarah Palin pretty even-handedly on the issue. . . . The way we presented it was not a judgment or condemnation of Bristol Palin, but rather about the choice John McCain made. We definitely told the story through the human perspective of Sarah Palin, but the theme of the story is that Sarah Palin is a human being and she has her family and her personal issues to contend with, but the fact is she was chosen by someone who wants to lead the country. . . .

But for most people who will buy Us Weekly this week, they're still trying to figure out just who is Sarah Palin.

Q. Aside from the election, what might be the big events of fall?

A. I think we made our way through this latest round of babies, thankfully. I think the networks are pretty nervous about the fall lineup of shows. As of now, no one is really predicting a big break-out, so it's hard to know what's going to come down in that regard. Honestly, I think there's just going to be a lot of interest in the election. You're basically sprinting to the finish now, and the drama of that is going to take some interest away from Hollywood celebrities. *

E-mail gensleh@phillynews.com