Good News Gal

Wedding Publicity

I am signing off for a short period to go get hitched.  That's right... my wedding is only 5 days away.

Having lived the life of a wedding planner for the last six months, I've been exposed to all kinds of wedding stories! A few that really come to mind are the weddings that were designed to capture as much publicity as possible.

Remember these couples who were more than happy to share their big day with media?

• The Bachelorette stars, Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, struck a $1 million deal with ABC to televise their December 2003 wedding. Their wedding turned into a four hour special that 17 million people tuned-in to watch.
• Melania Knauss, bride of Donald Trump, modeled her $100,000 Christian Dior gown on the cover of Vogue.
• During Star Jones' engagement to Al Reynolds, she used ABC's The View to shout out non-stop product plugs for Continental airlines ("Star and Al's official wedding airline"), jeweler Fred Leighton and designer Reem Acra. I can't neglect to mention Al's public proposal to Star when he got down on one knee at the NBA All-Star game.
• And I can't fail to mention our "Runaway Bride" of '05. Jennifer Wilbanks vanished days before her wedding. She purchased a bus ticket out of town a week in advance under a false name and cut her hair in an apparent effort to disguise her appearance. She then invented a tale of being abducted by a Hispanic man and a white woman. Her fiance told the CBS News' The Early Show that he would still marry her. The authorities were considering suing Wilbanks for the thousands spent on her search. I never followed this story to the end, so I don't know what the final chapter entails.  Do you know?

• My all time favorite celebrity wedding was when the royal couple got hitched. Who wasn't tripping over every word that went to press when Princess Diana & Prince Charles got married?

So the big questions is whether or not the "Good News Gal" is going to become a wedding publicity hound herself? The answer is NO. We are having a small destination wedding in a remote location that is beautiful & hopefully quiet.

Shhh! Keep it under wraps. I don't want the paparazzi showing up!

Canning An Agent or Client

Every media outlet that we turn to is carrying stories about Hollywood's latest jail bird, Paris Hilton, who is behind bars for violating her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

Today, news about Hilton's agency, The Endeavor talent agency, hit the wire as they announced that Paris is no longer a client. Click on this here to view the story that was reported in USA Today.

Terminating a relationship with a client / agency is a big decision.  In most cases the it is very evident that the relationship must come to an end or you wouldn't be questioning it.

As a publicist, I know how critical it is to work with an individual (or company spokesperson) who is reliable for and during media interviews, comes across as a good interviewee and relays honest and accurate information.  If your client falls short in any of these areas, then you run the risk of jeopardizing your own relationships with journalists / analysts. 

For those of you who have retained an agent, it is equally important for you to select one that is reputable, reliable and highly ethical.  After all, it is your reputation at stake too.

Publicity Stunt of 2007

I flipped on my TV this evening to catch the latest news only to find Britney Spears' shaved head making headlines everywhere I turned!

From CNN's Larry King, to Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, there was Britney. MSNBC's Scarborough County actually broke with the story tonight. She has even managed to become the number one search on Entertainment Tonight's website, according to Jann Carl.

"Shear Insanity?" The media is calling it a "cry for help." Call it what you will, but I say it's Britney's publicity stunt of 2007!  We've witnessed her display publicly various behaviors that are questionable such as her "chastity empowers women" campaign, locking lips with Madonna at the 2003 MTV Music Video Awards, being named "Hollywood's New Party Girl," and now bringing back the Sinead O'Connor look.

Although she is making headlines, some could argue that she is receiving bad publicity. Good or bad, Britney has captured the attention of this nation.  She still has time to save her reputation, that is if she can just hold off on her next publicity stunt until 2008.

As Larry King interviewed psychotherapist, Dr. Robi Ludwig, psy.d., this evening, she claimed that the media needs to be careful on how they handle celebrities especially in times of crises, and that the paparazzi constantly follows celebrities around day after day nagging them.

I personally don't think that the paparazzi drove Britney to shave her head. And I don't think that this is a story about "poor Britney."  I think it's more like "go Britney!" She must have a good publicist behind her helping to gain all the attention she can get from the masses.