The Kardashian media machine kind of amazes me. I get it, we talk about them and we’re part of the problem, but even though most of us are mocking them they’re still churning out stories about their lives and cashing in with so many endorsements, products and appearances. It’s like they’re selling us an easy gossip target, and they’re a whole family so there are that many more people to talk about.

Kim is engaged as you know, and she has a disgustingly garish 20.5 carat diamond ring, hopes to outdo the royal wedding, and is going to pay for it all by putting it on television and selling the rights for just about everything to just about anyone. There will be an insane amount of product placement at Kim’s wedding, and it will be obvious, just wait.

The Hollywood Reporter has the news that Kim got $300,000 from People Magazine for her cover story and the photo spread last week just about her engagement. That figure is really standard for the Kardashians, who allegedly earned Kourtney $300k for her baby stories and Khloe got $300k for her wedding photos.

The new issue of The Hollywood Reporter can reveal that Kim Kardashian, newly engaged to New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries, sold exclusive pics of her engagement party (with accompanying confirmation) to People for a cool $300,000.

According to an insider, the issue underperformed on newsstands, selling below its average. A People spokesperson and a rep for Kardashian had no comment.

The $300,000 payday is par for the course for the Kardashian family, which earned $65 million last year, as detailed in a Hollywood Reporter cover story.

News of Kourtney’s 2009 pregnancy was sold in a package deal for $300,000 to Life & Style magazine. That included multiple stories: the pregnancy announcement, sex of the baby, birth announcement, first baby photos and body-after-baby reveal. (Life & Style declined comment to THR in February.)

When it came to Khloe’s marriage to Los Angeles Lakers forward Odom, she did even better. OK! Magazine received the official photos and announcement for just shy of $300,000.

Kris also had everything from the Lehr & Black custom invitations to Khloe’s 9-carat engagement ring “donated” for the lavish affair; sources say she promised vendors massive product promotion that would come from the media circus surrounding the wedding. In the event that an item wasn’t gifted, E!, it is believed, picked up the tab (E! declined comment).

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

At least People didn’t do that well with Kim’s engagement on the cover. She’s probably annoyed she didn’t snare a more famous guy, but it was time for her to get engaged since her sisters are outperforming her in the baby and partner departments. (As if scoring Scott Disick is in any way preferable to perpetual singlehood.)

Meanwhile Kim has refuted that OK! cover story suggesting she could be pregnant, “I’m Having A Baby,” which was really all about how she’ll have kids someday as she’s said in the past.

Kim also reportedly wants to change her last name to her would-be husband’s name, Humphries, so she’ll be Kim Humphries instead of Kim Kardashian. Her momager is annoyed at this, and says “She needs to be Kim Kardashian because she’s worked so hard to get where she is.” You can read that as: “she’ll mess up our family’s brand if she ditches our name.”

Life & Style reports that Kim is going to get married in the next two to three months, before basketball season starts for her fiance, Kris. L&S’ insider claims “The wedding is going to be at the end of July or the beginning of August. The reason they’re rushing it is because they want to do it before the basketball season starts again, so that they have time to have a romantic honeymoon!” You know that it’s timed for business reasons and has nothing to do with Kris’ kareer. This whole thing has been orchestrated by the other Kris, the one pulling the strings and making the deals and selling us her daughters’ lives. They’re the famous equivalent of the trashy, tacky family down the street that we all cluck over while we’re having drinks with friends.

Photos are from 5/27/11. Credit: News Pictures/WENN.com