Jezebel: public relations

Anne Hathaway's Lips Are Moving... But What Is She Saying?

Sadie — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:20:00 EST

We know celebs are great at talking a lot while saying nothing, but even by those standards...what the hell is Anne Hathaway talking about in this Today show segment?

In response to Meredith's sympathetic, "You had a great year last year, but also a trying year....on the personal front," the Bride warrior launches into a bizarre, nervous monologue on "experimentation in life and curiosity" but not to the point of "hurting yourself," none of which seems to have much to do with oily Italian scam artists in clerical costumes, anal sex rumors, or indeed anything.

The Worst PR Pitches Of The Week

Dodai — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:30:00 EST

We get hundreds and hundreds of emails every day, and sometimes there are terrible, annoying missives from public relations people which trigger angry, emotional responses we usually keep to ourselves. Except for today:

E! Exclusive
Pete Wentz's Favorite Thing: Ashlee's Breasts

I DO NOT NEED TO KNOW THIS.

The wild success of Sex & the City. The marriage of Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon. The constant attention paid to Jennifer Aniston’s love life. The selection of Halle Berry as the “Sexiest Woman Alive .” And now the re-launch of Urbancougar.com.

The approach of the Four Horsemen. Wait, we're naming signs of the apocalypse, right?

WHAT MIGHT YOU HAVE IN COMMON WITH OPRAH WINFREY AND CAROLINE KENNEDY?
IF YOU ANSWERED JIGGLY ARMS FLABuLESSU.com HAS THE SOLUTION

What could I possibly have in common with successful women? Oh, right: Arm fat. Fuck you. Wait! This one comes illustrated, with a helpful red arrow:

Brain exploded, brb.

Spitzer Hooker Apologizes To Wife

Ryan Tate — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:27:48 EST

Ashley Dupre appears to be at the forefront of a media blitz: In addition to sitting down with Diane Sawyer for a 20/20 segment set to air Friday, the call girl who brought down former Gov. Eliot Spitzer granted an interview to People magazine, which in turn has been excerpted in today's Post. Dizzy yet? Here's the money quote: "If she could say anything to Silda Wall Spitzer, it would be, 'I'm sorry for your pain.'" Other highlights:

Dupre had no idea her client Spitzer was the governor, on account of his clever alias "George Fox," Dupre's professionalism ("I was there for a purpose, not to wonder who [he] could be") and Dupre being "not really a TV person... I was wrapped up in my family, my music. I knew the name, but [not] the face."
Spitzer wasn't chatty like some clients: "It was more of a transaction. Strictly business."
Dupre has been in "intense" psychotherapy since March.
She ran away from home at 17 and was soon in Florida "drinking a bottle of Grey Goose vodka at a time and partaking in a "'lot' of marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine." During this period, she was raped.

Despite the seemingly coordinated burst of publicity, Dupre does not indicate she has a book or any other such project to promote, telling People (for publication in Friday's issue) she wants merely to "get on with my life." Maybe the new publicity will finally temper public interest in Dupre — or maybe it will spike and shape that interest in a way more appealing to book publishers and other media dealmakers. It's entirely possibly Dupre will have some options in how she "gets on" with life.

(Image from ABC)

Smoke And Mirrors

Sadie — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:40:00 EDT

Big Tobacco, Feminist Hero? In the early 20th century, smoking was regarded as unladylike. In the 1920, realizing they were missing out on millions of potential customers PR expert Edward Bernays encouraged the American Tobacco Company to play on women's nascent sense of modern independence. Casting it as a political stunt, Bernays got a bunch of respectable women to publicly light up during the Easter Parade...and the smoking feminist was born! The gambit was employed again during Women's Lib, when Virginia Slims coined the iconic, "You've Come A Long Way, Baby" campaign, guaranteeing equal opportunity emphysema for all! [NY Times]