Madonna v Guy: Mudslinging in Vogue as war begins By CLAIRE SMITH Scotsman WHEN their divorce was announced earlier this week, celebrity commentators queued up to tell us that Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s break-up would not follow the muck-raking Mills-McCartney model. Publicist and media analyst Mark Borkowski said it was common practice for stars to…
It’s been a frenetic 48 hours, dealing with the Times’ article, printed today, which suggests that Maynard Nottage is a hoax. Well, he’s not. Or, as I was quoted in the Times, “Did I consider I was being hoaxed? Of course I did. But I don’t think so.” The reason for my belief is this:…
I had a busy but invigorating weekend at the Cheltenham Festival of Literature, promoting The Fame Formula on Saturday and discussing my favourite book with Sue McGregor and Terry Jones for BBC Radio 4’s A Good Read in the great stone wedding cake that is Cheltenham Town Hall. I was astonished at how busy it…
All the madness engendered by the slumping, declining, crashing money markets has thrown up some interesting residue. One of the most immediate changes is the way that Gordon Brown seems to have reverted to his ruffled, dishevelled old skool persona and has dumped the carefully spun version like so much laundry – and I think…
Johanna Schneller and I were speaking on the Canadian CBC network’s Q arts, culture and entertainment show yesterday, about the ways to maintain a celebrity brand, alongside Suzanne Somers (who is mentioned in The Fame Formula thanks to her association with Jay Bernstein) on how to maintain life as a star brand and Pulitzer Prize-winning…
Absolute Radio, the rebranded Virgin Radio has launched a multimillion-pound TV campaign,today . The station introduces the catchphrase “That’s good, that’s real good.” All a bit predictable, I remember the Dutch pirate station that ran an ad campaign with the tag “ We’re FUCKING GREEEAT. The series of ads touched the psyche and got straight…
I have been in a reflective state, bordering on shock, since I saw the Johnny Rotten Country Life butter advert. It really has been a long time since 1976, when the punk movement’s anarchy and infamy – and Lydon and the Sex Pistols in particular – caused popular outrage nationwide. Well, obviously the former punk…
Please watch the BBC 4 doco on Lee Atwater the Darth Vader of the Republican Party. Atwater’s tactics were legendary described as unethical and dirty, he was widely regarded as a near-brilliant political operative who helped the likes of Bush Pt1 and Reagan get into power. Its currently on the BBC IPlayer
Last December, Burger King generated some positive PR chatter when it signed an EU undertaking to end fast-food advertising aimed at the under-12s. Well, that hasn’t lasted. I have just noticed that the food behemoth is preparing to launch a global campaign for kids next month with a toy promotion featuring characters from The Simpsons….
In only a matter of weeks the political panacea that was Sarah Palin, the untried Governor from Alaska who seemed to be rejuvenating the fortunes of the republican cause, has morphed into a PR nightmare. Firstly, her unorthodox outburst about the mining initiative in Alaska left many feeling burned. Then came an enquiry into whether…