More Rory Bremner fun and games..
The furore over Rory Bremner’s spoof call to Margret Becket continues to generate newspaper and radio debate this morning, 24 hours after the story broke in full. I continue to feel the back-draft issues from close quarters. Rory called me last night to say that he had decided, in consultation with his producer Geoff Atkinson, […]
How Rory Bremner spoofed ministers…
It’s been a relentless 48 hours managing the Rory Bremner news maelstrom! If you have not been reading the papers perhaps you missed the news that the brilliant impressionist hoaxed the Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett. Rory tricked her when he pretended to be Chancellor Gordon Brown. Rory phoned her on the day on 2005 general […]
Britney Spears snaps…
So if anybody wonders what its like to be in the public eye watch this film on Youtube. Its little wonder that Britney Spears is finding hard to keep out the press when a pack of jackals are pursuing her. The poor woman must be going through a hard time and needs space but of […]
Is all publicity good publicity?
I was sent this sad and brilliant story from the Reuters bureau in Boogata which provoked deliberation. I have worked in the entertainment industry for many years and my mantra’s has always been, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity!” Sometimes I have a tough time defending that “All publicity is good publicity” as an […]
Genetically Modified Spokespeople
Well trained media spokespeople are now the norm, habituating every nook and cranny in most news programmes. If there is an issue that an editor wants to focus on, then hey presto, the PR handlers offer up a genetically modified human, built in a workshop, to face the foe. These well trained “greys” are regularly […]
Burn Baby Burn
After a weekend away in Amsterdam, I return to find the UK newspapers devouring and obsessing about the Britney Spears’ shaved head moment. The Dutch don’t seem to have this same fixation about a feckless pop star going through career breakdowns in the most pubic way. You don’t have to be a Harley Street shrink […]
VOYEURISM DEATH AND ANNA NICOLE SMITH
It was horrible; within minutes of her terrible demise Anna Nicole Smith made universal headlines. Before the poor woman was cold there was a feeding frenzy for the global media barons. Even as the proverbial ink dried on ” the page” celebrity voyeurs stepped up to paw over her tragic life. This was quickly followed by nodding […]
HUGH GRANT A GIRLFRIEND AND ANOTHER DRESS
Hugh Grant stepped out with his girlfriend, Jemima Khan, to the Premiere of his new film “Music & Lyrics” the other night. As you can see from the way the media picked over it, they were happy to draw comparisons to Liz Hurley and the Versace dress 13 years ago. It all goes to prove […]
Will Bernard Matthews survive bird flu?
The Guardian As he tucked into his own Christmas turkey, Bernard Matthews must have been relieved that 2006 was over. Hit by the the demise of the Turkey Twizzler and the exposure of animal cruelty – two of his workers had been filmed using a turkey as a baseball – his profits fell by 33% […]
Matthew Freud, legendary manipulator, stage manager and fixer
My old pal Matthew Freud is truly a legendary manipulator, stage manager and fixer; a figure, whose undoubted skills as a PR suit, moves in shadowy circles. A regular at Davos, he knows how to knit his contacts together. There is much bitching about him, but not from me. There seems to be some sense […]
Buzz n Shetty
The Daily Mirror has an interview with Shilpa Shetty which takes up practically a third of the paper. I don’t think this will be the full stop on Shilpa’s story, but what is interesting for a media watcher is The Sun’s front page. The cover has been created as a response to losing the interview […]
Shilpa set to cash in after surviving Big Brother ordeal
The Scotsman 29 Jan 2007 AS TELEVISION reality show Celebrity Big Brother finally ground to a halt last night after nearly a month on air, Shilpa Shetty – the Bollywood actress at the centre of alleged racist bullying by other contestants – was poised to convert her ordeal into a string of lucrative career deals. […]
The last noddy on Shilpa Shetty for Radio 5 Live?
I did probably the last noddy on Shilpa Shetty for Radio 5 Live this morning for the breakfast show. What more can be said about this woman who came up with the spontaneous sound bite last night? “This country has given me so much. I just want to thank all of Great Britain for giving […]
She survived Jade, Jo and Channel 4. Now Shilpa reaps her reward
From Guardian Unlimited – UK She survived Jade, Jo and Channel 4. Now Shilpa reaps her reward At 9.46am yesterday, Shilpa Shetty, a Bollywood actor, began applying make-up. Four minutes later she sat down at the kitchen table. At 9.54am she began brushing rubbish from the kitchen floor, before asking if anyone would like to […]
Celebrity Big Brother comes to a head
There is a real head of steam building as Celebrity Big Brother comes to a head. Rumours are circulating that Max Clifford is going to be the representative of Shilpa Shetty. If this is the case then agent John Noel who represents: Chantelle Houghton, Dermot O’Leary, Russell Brand, Davina McCall and Jade Goody will have […]
It’s shocking news for Hollywood
It’s shocking news for Hollywood http://media.guardian.co.uk/diary/ that Sky is going to screen the Oscars in high definition. I suspect this might have got a few famous Hollywood faces scared to death if they’ve undergone a bit of nip and tuck. If the Oscars are shot and shown in HD, then won’t every scar and crinkle […]
Publicity stunt beyond all publicity stunts
This could be the publicity stunt beyond all publicity stunts – are we really to believe that Jade Goody is going to undergo a life changing experience after news that she will visit India to apologise for her supposed racist remarks against Shilpa Shetty. An unattributable source has given this nuggest of information to the […]
It was a Goody weekend for me.
I did a total of 32 interviews on Jade and the best are posted up here. There’s the afternoon programme on Radio 4, Saturday’s breakfast show on Radio 5 Live and the Stephen Nolan programme from Saturday evening which turned into a debate on the state of British Television.
KRUSTY BART AND JADE GOODY- "WHO IS HEINZSTEIN?"
What more can be said about the Celebrity Big Brother chaos, the media world is all consumed by comment. I have found a quote from the Simpson’s that at this time we need to jump too for some comic philosophy as we muse on the cult of celebrity. In an episode called Bart the Fink, […]
Celebrity Big Brother – the fall out
Lets face it Channel 4 are guilty of revenue chasing. I am sure both Endermol and the channel are hoping the tornado will pass before they come up with a strategy rebuild. I think it’s deeply ironic that the totemic Estuary bint that has plundered the post Big Brother universe for revenue should return to […]