Idol cuts a strong contestant

Michael Johns was sent home this week on American Idol even though according to MSN, he was “one of the stronger men in the competition.” This past week was “Idol Gives Back” week and the audience raised over $60 million in donations. There is always a surprise cut during the season and Johns is the first one for the current season. MSN talks about Johns future saying, “The Australian-born performer wasn’t the favorite to win, and his future probably lies with a band instead of as a solo act anyway.” Simon was even sad to see the singer go saying, “I’m going to miss you. You’re a very good singer, and a very, very nice guy.”

Johns can be scooped up right away by a record label and they will need to promote his image that he created on Idol. The way he left the show will have people wanting more, and a good publicist can instantly capitalize on a great fan base. The publicity can include the statements made by Simon who is known for his truthfulness. This credibility will be of great value to Johns in the future and a publicist should work fast to make sure his name does not die out of idol coverage.

Nicolas Cage wins an apology

Nicolas Cage has finally received damages from Kathleen Turner for libel remarks she made in her autobiography “Send Yourself Roses.”  According to Reuters, Turner blasted Cage explaining how “he had been arrested twice for drunk driving and had once stolen a Chihuahua.”  Turner’s claim appeared not only in the autobiography but in the Daily Mail’s website titled as “Why I detest Burt Reynolds and Nicolas Cage.”  In 1986, Turner and Cage worked together on the set of “Peggy Sue Got Married,” and this is the basis for the claims.  Cage won the case and Reuters explains the court decided Turner “would pay the 44-year old Cage’s legal costs and make a “substantial” donation to charity.”

Cage’s publicist had this story under wraps and the outcome of the story only makes Cage look even better.  The resolution of the case and the donation to charity gives the off the perception that Cage was not looking to get revenge on Turner but to get an apology.  I would also have advised Cage not to attend the court hearing because it would make the hearing a bigger news story than it should have been.  Other publicist should learn to keep their celebrities out of the courtroom as much as possible because it seems that the outcomes are usually more beneficial for everyone involved.

Jamie Lee Curtis, an inspiration in growing older

AARP The Magazine, shows a shirtless Jamie Lee Curtis in on the cover of the May/June issue which will be available on Monday.  On her birthday, Nov. 22, Curtis becomes eligible for AARP, the non-profit organization dedicated to people 50 and over.  MSNBC News reports that Curtis is excited about becoming older and “is shown sporting gray hair and wading in water up to her chest on the cover of the magazine.”  Curtis told the magazine that “I want to be older.  I actually think there’s an incredible amount of self-knowledge that comes with getting older. I feel way better now than I did when I was 20. I’m stronger, I’m smarter in every way, I’m so much less crazy than I was then.”  As Curtis gets older she just becomes more of an inspiration and role-model to women.  She continues to stay active and works at being a healthy eater.  “I get up at (5 a.m.) every day, filled with energy. I play tennis three times a week, and I do yoga,” explains Curtis. 

Jamie Lee continues to work in Hollywood and the need for publicity continues.  I think that by agreeing to grace the cover of AARP, Jamie Lee is moving on with her audience and even capturing some additional seniors as fans.  Her publicist found a new story to tell about Curtis and people will be able to connect with the story of embracing her 50s.  The magazine and publicity gained from it will help Curtis continue to remain in the spotlight.

Crisis Communication case study: Jason Wahler

Laguna Beach heartthrob, Jason Wahler was sentenced to a 60 day jail sentence in March 2007. Jason plead no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge after an arrest during September 2006. During the incident, Jason assaulted a Department of Transportation officer and a tow-truck driver accompanied by racist remarks and “all this while blowing a 0.22 on the Breathalyzer, nearly three times the legal blood-alcohol limit,” according to E! News. This bad boy received jail time which was delayed, a ticket to a one-day program at the Museum of Tolerance for using racial slurs and E! News reported he was also “sentenced to 36 months’ probation, 36 hours of anger-management classes and 104 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.”

The mainstream media does not at all seem surprised but has only been reporting the facts in a short story without a follow-up. The reporters did not seem to want to add any back-story or Jason’s take on the situation because they left out any quotes from either side of the altercation. The only part of the story that the Fox News reporter quoted and referred to the racial slurs and justified the punishment for Jason was that “Wahler is white. Two of the victims are black, authorities said.” Most mainstream media coverage is pairing the story with a picture that positively portrays Wahler. After watching Laguna Beach and The Hills the pictures show the scruffy, appealing bad boy just as we normally see him on the show. People and ABC News did add his mug shot which made the story a little more surreal for the readers.

The blogs covering Jason’s arrest and jail time is a harsh attacking his behavior on Laguna Beach. TVSquad explain the incident by saying “Jason Wahler will spend the next two months in jail. No, you can’t lock him up for simply being an idiot. He actually had to do something, like punch a city employee and a tow truck driver.” The blogs accompanied the story with enticing, hot pictures of Jason. The pictures with the story just made the bad boy that more appealing to the young girls who watched him on MTV. Although TVSquad claims Jason “sounds like a great role model for the impressionable MTV crowd.”

The blogs were definitely a little harsher on Jason than the mainstream media. The mainstream media only provided the facts in a short story that quickly died down. The blogs attacked Jason’s past and brought up all of his past legal troubles. TMZ referenced another problem of Jason’s saying “Wahler was arrested just this past weekend after cops say he “resisted a public officer” during a raid against underage drinking in a North Carolina nightclub.” The mainstream did not debate Jason’s status but the blogs questioned if Jason had enough celebrity status to warrant a lot of coverage. Buzznet asked “Is Jason really famous enough to be put into the protective custody of the celebrity tank?”

Jason’s publicist apparently handled the situation very well since there were no follow-up stories on either the blogs or by the main stream media.  I think as the publicist should try to keep Jason out of the spotlight and off of MTV until he cleans his act up.  Jason’s several altercations with police need to be handled and quietly reported on.  After Jason takes responsibility, the publicist should have him apologize to the young audience of MTV for being a negative role model.

 

Mainstream Media: http://www.usmagazine.com/jason_wahler; http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,257344,00.html; http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=4782cb2d-8fa9-4b0b-a8da-33b6f2d904b5; http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20014216,00.html; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17498874/; http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=3024389

Blogs: http://www.tmz.com/2007/03/06/laguna-beach-star-will-go-to-jail/;

http://www.tvgasm.com/newsgasm/news/the-hills/guess-whos-in-rehab;

http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/03/07/mtv-reality-star-headed-to-jail/;

http://www.buzznet.com/web/popculture/journals/entry/130422/

Lohan apologizes for her troubles

Following a stint in rehab, Lindsay Lohan has revealed her feelings to Paper magazine. Even if Lohan’s words seem to be memorized straight from her publicist at least she is giving America apart of her heart rather than her body. Lohan finally realized that the drinking and using drugs was affecting her work, and places the blame on her troubled past that has been run through press over the past few years. The actress confessed “I had a lot going on in my life and that was a way of hiding from it. I hadn’t seen my dad; I had a lot of work stress ‘cause I was constantly working and never took time to stop.” AOL then sarcastically remarked about her progress in rehab by stating “Reality then hit Lohan hard. ‘There’s not really much else to do when you’re sitting in a treatment center. It’s like, ‘Why am I here? Let’s think.’”

Lohan is trying desperately to get back into Hollywood and begin to work again. Lohan’s publicist has made a strategic move by getting an interview where she can bare her emotions. The best part of the interview was her finally taking responsibility for all of her troubles over the past few years. America can finally begin to forgive the young actress and Lohan can possibly start her career again.

Trying to protect Britney

In Jamie Spears’ new role in Britney’s life, he has quickly worked to extend the restraining order against Sam Lufti. A federal judge has changed the timeline of the restraining order and now Lufti must follow the restraint’s orders until Mar. 10. On Feb. 1, Britney’s parents moved to keep her away from Lufti. Lufti is being accused by the Spears’ of trying to control Brittney’s by any means necessary. According to E! News the motion regarding Lufti’s involvement in Britney’s life stated, “He has cut Britney’s home phone line and removed her cell phone chargers. He yells at her. He claims to control everything—Britney’s business manager, her attorneys, and the security guards at the gate.”

With a restraining order, Britney’s people are doing the right thing by not playing up or responding to all of the coverage on the extension. Britney’s camp needs to stand down and simply let Lufti deal with the coverage until the news turns against the Spears. At this time no comment or a simple quote from Britney’s publicist would be appropriate and should boast of Britney’s progress without Lufti in her life. Maybe for now Britney’s parents are trying to protect her from a boy and not from herself, which seems a little overdue since she is a mother and should be protecting her own sons.

Miley Cyrus caught without a seatbelt

Thousands of young teens have become enamored with Miley Cyrus the star of Disney’s series Hannah Montana. In order to capitalize on an overwhelming amount of interest in her concert tour, Miley filmed a movie “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour.” Consumer Report Magazine called out Miley and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, for not wearing seatbelts in a scene of the new movie. The magazine is holding her responsible for seatbelt education because she is a role model for thousands of pre-teens. Her father has apologized for the incident and states, “We got caught up in the moment of filming, and we made a mistake and forgot to buckle our seatbelts.”

There is an abundance of coverage with people and journalist, including an article in People,  who simply think the Magazine is being a little bit ridiculous and should give the girl a break. Miley’s publicist was correct in quickly responding with a simple statement and apology. Often it is better to admit a wrong and let the media move on. The attempt at ruining Miley’s image has backfired on the magazine which is a positive for Miley’s camp. 

Winehouse Banned From Grammy’s

A major message is going to be sent about celebrity drug and legal problems at this year’s Grammy awards. Amy Winehouse has been denied a visa which will keep her from attending the event. Talks are being led by Winehouse’s label, Universal Music to allow her to perform via satellite for the Grammys. The artist’s absence may be a message from the organizers of the event to not promote celebrities when they are dealing with personal issues. Reuter’s made the point “Even with a beamed-in performance, Winehouse will not be shown on the red carpet or in the cutaway shots of the audience, which may underscore her absence.”

Winehouse’s people are working to gain her as much coverage as possible, but also stating that she is working on her recovery. Possibly they should simply accept the awards but pull any performances in order to focus on her rehab with drugs and legal issues. Winehouse can continue a comeback and will still gain a great deal of coverage at the Grammy’s due to the combination of how many awards she is nominated for and also her absence from the event.