Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…

         In Hollywood, it seems as though celebrities can never be the perfect weight or size. Under the heavy scrutiny of the public eye, celebrities are called fat, anorexic, and many other derogatory words in regards to weight and body. Celebrities are expected to have perfect figures; however, they are also criticized for undergoing plastic surgery. There does not seem to be a winning situation. Some celebrities’ reps are constantly giving statements that their clients are “under stress” or many other different reasons for weight change. Keira Knightly, Nicole Ritchie, Kate Bosworth, and Angelina Jolie are some of the many actresses that are accused of having eating disorders. Not everyone gets negative feedback, and some actresses have managed to be inspirations for dieting.

         Janet Jackson is one woman who repeatedly changes her body. Like a chameleon that changes its colors, Jackson’s weight seems to yo-yo in between very heavy stages and very healthy stages. She will put on weight in excess, and when she appears at awards shows she is suddenly svelte. It does not seem that this kind of dieting can be healthy for anyone. Both Jackson and her publicist say that she diets and exercises in a healthy way. Denying rumors of plastic surgery, Jackson appeared 35 pounds lighter at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards looking slender and gorgeous. Jackson shares her dieting secrets with In Touch magazine, and she claims that she does not deprive herself of food, but eats in moderation.

         Over the years, Jackson has had her fair share of problems and gossip to overcome. Will anyone ever forget the infamous wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl? It seems as though people truly respect the fact that Jackson works hard to maintain her shape. She does not lie to her fans and say that she is naturally thin, but admits that it is often hard to keep her figure. No one will know whether or not she has or has not received plastic surgery. Jackson’s publicist does an amazing job representing her as a normal woman that has to work hard like everyone else to stay in shape. 

Paris Who?

            Lately, it appears that everything involving celebrities include scandals or some other negative issue. From the way that many young female celebrities behave lately, it seems like any news is bad news. Whether the bad news is another arrest or rehab stint, one simply has to open any article about celebrity women. However, unlike Paris Hilton, not every heiress gains fame through sex scandals and jail time. Ivanka Trump, the daughter of Donald and Ivana Trump, is redefining the term heiress. She modeled in the past, and she now uses her brains in the business world. She is the Vice President of Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at the Trump Organization. Ivanka is not asking for an easy way into the celebrity spotlight. For example, the producers of The Bachelorette offered Ivanka a role on the show, but she declined because she does not see herself as an heiress. Whenever the media compares her to Paris Hilton, Ivanka explains that she works hard for her money and does not like the comparisons to the party-girl image of the typical heiress.

            In this day and age, it is impressive for a young person immersed in the celebrity world to choose to work when he or she does not need to. Ivanka recently bought her house from her father and pays her own mortgage. Perhaps the difference with Ivanka and any other heiress stems from the way she was brought up by her parents. The Trumps always made Ivanka earn privileges; which gave her such a wonderful sense of ambition and diligence. The choices that Ivanka makes in her press appearances and public image help her to be taken seriously in the business world. Ivanka Trump creates an infallible reputation, and she shows the character of a person that others should look up to. 

Sex and Every City?

 

Lately, it seems as though everyone in Hollywood has created a scandalous tape or one that is lewd in nature. Obviously, a major factor in the so-called anonymous “release” of a sex tape is how the media and the publicists handle the aftermath. The public tends to have negative views of some celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton because of how the media portrays them. When shocking tapes, pictures, and behavior comes up in the media of celebutantes such as these two girls, it comes as no surprise to the public. Every now and then, a questionable tape or picture surfaces in the media and it comes as a total shock.

Kristin Davis, of Melrose Place and Sex and the City, has apparently had about 20 very questionable photos released to the media by an ex-boyfriend. Apparently, her estranged ex-boyfriend took the pictures and sold them to a California businessman. Some suggest that these pictures have surfaced to create buzz for the Sex and the City movie that is coming out in May, or perhaps these pictures did not surface until now because of the sudden increase in demand for compromising videos or photographs. Apparently, a man named Scott Fayner had the pictures on his website in which it was possible to pay for more pictures. According to one blog, after paying for the extra pictures nothing else happened.

Overall, the media at first was using the shock value that a respected actress, and an older one than the typical 20-year-old, had sexually explicit photos. However, as her representative continued to deny that she is the woman in the photos and the existence of a sex tape, the coverage seemed to die down rather quickly. I believe that the picture looks like Kristin Davis, however, there is no proof that it definitely is the actress. She has handled the bad press well, and her publicist has down a good job of denying the reliability of the pictures. Davis has maintained a low profile right after finishing the movie, and before beginning promotional endeavors. As a more mature actress, there has not been the sudden release of her partying all night long or committing other offenses. I believe that this coverage has not affected the Sex and the City movie, nor the actress’ career. 

Crisis Communication

In the beginning of 2008, TMZ was the first to report that Eva Mendes, of Hitch, Ghost Rider, and several other box-office hits, has made the decision to enter the Cirque Lodge rehabilitation center in Sundance, Utah. Mendes, who entered the program at Cirque Lodge in January, has made the decision to get healthy and attend to some personal issues. At Cannes Film Festival, the actress has said that she needed a drink to remain calm during provocative scenes with co-star Joaquin Phoenix in We Own the Night. It was reported by US Magazine that Mendes left rehab temporarily to attend to business, but she plans to return shortly to complete her stay. Within this same publication, it has been stated that she privately battled substance abuse, including alcohol and cocaine.

When observing the mainstream media coverage of Eva Mendes’ current stay in rehab, the reports have maintained a favorable view. Her publicist, Brad Cafarelli, has been one of the only people quoted in every article saying that, “Eva has been working hard for the past year and made a positive decision to take some much-needed time off to proactively attend to some personal issues that, while not critical, she felt deserved some outside professional support.” Most of the reports in the mainstream media have emphasized the fact that Mendes has taken it upon herself to get help. Each report has mentioned several of the movies that she has starred in as well as mentioning that she is the new face of the Calvin Klein perfume campaign. All of the pictures accompanying articles were beautiful pictures of the actress and all of the headlines either simply stated that she was to go to rehab or that she is getting professional help. From the positive angle that the mainstream media covers this event, it is evident that Eva Mendes has made a positive impact on the media with her roles in movies or even her campaign for PETA. It is clear that she is respected for getting help before embarrassing herself in public, as so many celebrities do today.

As with the mainstream media coverage, the blogs have maintained the same positive outlook on Mendes’ stay in the Cirque Lodge rehabilitation center, and have emphasized the fact that she has decided to get help on her own. Similarly, the headlines have continued to simply state that she has gone to rehab or that she has left temporarily for business, but plans to return. One of the only things that had a negative aspect was the fact that Lindsay Lohan also stayed at the Cirque Lodge, and it may not have been a successful endeavor. While Lindsay Lohan has been mentioned in many of the articles as one of the celebrities to stay at the Cirque Lodge, this is the only writing that points to the negative facets of her reputation. Almost all of the pictures show beautiful images of Eva Mendes, and the pictures do not relate to the articles. The only picture that is somewhat related to the article in a negative way is her ad campaign for the Campari calendar in which she is holding a cocktail.

In both the mainstream media and the blogs, Eva Mendes has been shown in a favorable light because she has taken it upon herself to get help. The reports continue to quote her publicist and the information was simply facts stating that she entered the Cirque Lodge rehabilitation center for basically unknown reasons. As mentioned above, many of the reports mentioned Lindsay Lohan in relation to her stay in the Cirque Lodge center as well, but only one blog, “Idontlikeyouinthatway,” said something negative in response to any mention of Lohan. Overall, Eva Mendes and Brad Cafarelli, her publicist, have handled the crisis professionally and successfully. Mendes, 33, is not included in the same generation as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, and her career seems to be taken seriously by the media and public. She has not embarrassed herself or her family in public, and it seems that she has taken action to get help on her own. While keeping a low profile in rehab, there have hardly been any reports on her except involving business and her upcoming movies. There does not seem to be anything else that could have improved this situation, and an overall opinion seems to be hopeful that Mendes recovers successfully.

 

Mainstream media:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/01/eva-mendes-in-rehab_n_84475.html

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20175467,00.html

http://www.usmagazine.com/eva_mendes_takes_a_break_from_rehab

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7224082.stm

http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/eva-mendes-in-rehab/2008/02/05/1202090375960.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,327575,00.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22955420/

Blogs:

http://www.pagesix.com/story/eva+mendes+rehab

http://www.tmz.com/2008/02/01/eva-mendes-in-rehab/

http://thesuperficial.com/2008/02/eva_mendes_in_rehab.php

http://www.idontlikeyouinthatway.com/2008/02/eva-mendes-is-in-rehab.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=24097

The Nude and the Beautiful

Nudity is an interesting thing in the land of Hollywood. Those that pose nude in legitimate movies can still be considered great actresses, however, this cannot happen when they are too young in case it is seen as child nudity. Many actresses have had nude scenes and continued to have successful careers, including recent Oscar winner Marion Cotillard.

Lately, there has been an entirely different group of actresses, such as Paris Hilton, who have earned fame from nudity. Now, many of these lovely ladies have earned infamous reputations rather than famous reputations. This is not to say that these ladies are not talented. It is hard to see past some of the adult tapes that have been mysteriously “released,” thus leading to a sudden increase in publicity for these young women. Are these women so desperate for publicity that they do not care if it is in a degrading sense that people are watching them carefully and waiting for them to do something else ridiculous? Paris Hilton’s fame hit the ceiling and suddenly she was photographed by the paparazzi constantly after her tape hit the media. It has continued to lead her to several terrible movies and reality television shows. Kim Kardashian has had not one, but TWO tapes released into the media. Since her rise to fame, she has been asked to pose in Playboy, and has gained her own reality show. Kim was even interviewed for her “professional” opinion about fashion on the Entertainment Red Carpet for the Oscars.

In light of all the fame that these women gain from this x-rated footage, perhaps they are using that as their step up into the celebutante world. 

Be a Mommy, Ditch the Nanny

Nicole Ritchie, who recently gave birth to daughter Harlow Winter Kate Madden with Joel Madden, was seen partying throughout the entire Grammy weekend. Where was Harlow Winter Kate Madden, and why does she have so many names? I find it interesting that all of these “celebutantes” have been having children and then these prodigies are suddenly missing from the picture. I do not have any problems with these young mommies hiring nannies to help with the children, but these mothers and fathers should play a role in their children’s lives. While Britney Spears was still allowed to be with her children, there were more pictures of her sons with the nanny rather than Britney.

Let’s return to Nicole Ritchie. She is known for having stints in rehab for a heroin addiction, maintaining an eating disorder, as well as having a feud with former best friend Paris Hilton. (Are they or are they not friends again? Was it a publicity stunt? We may never know the truth.) After the news of her pregnancy with boyfriend Joel Madden spread, Nicole’s image became somewhat more wholesome as she put on weight and kept a low profile throughout the pregnancy. She and Joel even donated all of the things from their baby shower to charity and made appearances at other charity events. I was just beginning to take Nicole seriously as a mother, but she may want to tone down her partying again so that people don’t associate her mothering skills to those of Britney Spears.  

One word: Driver

Where do I even start when talking about reputation damage with the Hiltons? Well I could start with the fact that Paris Hilton’s career began with a night vision home video, the stint in jail for multiple DWIs, or even the fact that “Paris Hilton’s billionaire grandfather Barron Hilton” gave away 97% of his $2.3 billion dollars to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Rumor has it that he gave away most of his fortune because he did not like the way that the grandchildren have represented the family name. Even though all of Paris’ sexcapades and ludicrous actions are fascinating, the real story of the moment is the DUI and fake ID arrest of Barron Hilton, the 18 year old brother of Paris and Nicole.

Paris Hilton must have a relatively good publicist who was correct in trying to help with the attempts at changing her party girl image after her few hours in jail. Now this publicist has a new person to turn her services on. Barron Hilton was seen wandering around a gas station and offered various bribes to the arresting officers, including his sister Paris. With information like this, Barron will have some trouble wiping this one off of his record. Even though the family fortune was given away, this family is by no means destitute. They have more than enough to get every member of their family drivers. You would think that after his sister embarrassed the family by going to jail in 2007 that he would have learned his lesson and rode in the limousine like the rest of his family. People make mistakes, but seriously? If I were his mother, I wouldn’t even know what to say to him. It seems that this family’s advice needs to be to take away the kids’ keys after a night out. 

Publicist Nightmare

It is rather common knowledge by now that Britney Spears seems to have reached her breaking point between shaving her head, dating paparazzi, losing her children, and being an overall disaster. She is a representative’s nightmare overall and it shows since many of those in her entourage have abandoned her. Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney’s 16-year-old sister, seemed like a publicist’s dream as the wholesome star of her own show on Nickelodeon, Zoey 101. This image was shattered when Jamie Lynn announced that she was pregnant with her “longtime” boyfriend Casey Aldridge (18), whom she originally met through a church. My original thought was, “How longtime could the relationship be if she is only 16?”

If all of this were not enough, there were many rumors that Jamie Lynn and Casey were not really dating or that he may not even be the father. All of this was followed by research into her background of drinking and partying, while also saying that she may leave her baby with “the mother of the year”, Lynn Spears. The Superficial reported on this and included Casey’s myspace page (http://thesuperficial.com/2007/12/jamie_lynn_spears_will_probabl_1.php). There was even speculation that her show, which had already taped the next season, would not be released. It is already difficult to be a representative for a girl who is pregnant so young, but then the rumors come out about the child’s paternity. Jamie Lynn has handled it well considering she has simply laid low in her house, supposedly studying for the GED. 

Basically, everyone has to wonder whether Jamie Lynn’s career is over and whether or not she is following the same downhill path that Britney continues to follow. The rest remains to be seen and good luck to Jamie Lynn!

Hello world! About me!

My name is Sara Delarosa, and I am an Advertising major at the University of Texas in Austin. I am writing this blog as part of an assignment for a Public Relations and Entertainment class. I am originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but I moved to Texas to go to school. I eventually hope to work for a larger Advertising or PR agency somewhere in Texas. This is one of my first blogging experiences and I hope that it is a good one!