Crowd Control: DMX riot errupts at Indiana University.

Wednesday evening, a riot erupted during a DMX rap performance at the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at Indiana University. According to the Indiana Daily Student, the fraternity made an agreement with campus police to end the concert by 9:30 due to a noise ordinance. Apparently, the rapper was supposed to arrive at 8:30 but arrived an hour late. After DMX played three songs, police escorted him off stage. Immediately after, the crowd began to shout profanities and rush the stage and police maced several students.

What is more interesting about Wednesday’s incident is that the concert was a charity event. According to MTV’s online newsroom, the concert was raising money for Children Uniting Nations, an organization that provides mentoring for at-risk kids. Lambda Chi Alpha should have done better research when they were picking a performer for the event. DMX is not the best role model for kids. On the rapper’s Web site it says, “It’s no secret that DMX is a troubled man. With his constant run-ins with the law putting his reckless behavior on the front page, it’s hard to remember that DMX’s fame used to be all about the music.”

This points out the importance of selecting a celebrity to represent your organization. It’s important that the celebrity comply with the values of the organization, and not act against them. Otherwise, the celebrity will decrease the organization’s credibility.

This is not the first time a DMX concert has gone out of control. In October 2006, fans began to throw water bottles on stage when there was technical difficulties. The rapper’s entourage threw items back, including a folding chair that hit a woman in the head. The woman had to go to the hospital, but didn’t receive any severe damages.

As a entertainment publicist, it is important to always have a contingency plan for your client. Particularly music performers who deal with large crowds need to be aware of the worst case scenario. If a crowd begins to get out of control, the performer needs an exit strategy. More importantly, the entertainer and his entourage should not instigate the crowd even more.

Being a publicist in the hip hop/rap world must be a tough gig. Drugs and violence are part of the culture. Depending on the client, this can create a job of constant damage control and crisis communication. On the other hand, going to jail might be something that would enhance an artist’s image, making the artist look tough. Of course, this all depends on how the story is spun.

Visit Perez Hilton to read the full statement DMX’s representative issued after Wednesday evening’s incident.

Should Larry Rudolph give Britney Spears a second chance?

This Tuesday, E! News reported that Britney Spears is working again with former manager Larry Rudolph, whom she had fired last year. TMZ reported that Spears had fired Rudolph for having a hand in her short stay in rehab. Rudolph was Spears manager from the pop star’s beginning success. His MySpace page reports that he discovered Spears in 1995, and managed her for the majority of her career.

Should Rudolph represent Spears again? Rudolph has his own reputation to look out for as well. The client-publicist relationship is a symbiotic one. Not only does the publicist represent the client, but the client also influences the publicist’s reputation. Spears’ own erratic behavior can make Rudolph look bad.

Spears’ unpredictable behavior escalated in 2007. It began last February when she shaved her own head at a Los Angeles hair salon after the stylists refused to do so. Last March, Spears checked out of rehab and mysteriously broke a tooth. The rest of 2007 consisted of a custody battle between Spears and her former husband Kevin Federline. The custody battle escalated this January when Spears was hospitalized after refusing to turn her children over to Federline.

Perhaps Rudolph is an old friend who wants to help Spears get her life back on track. Rudolph has a lot of work cut out for him, regardless of his reasons for representing her. So how can Rudolph help Spears create a new image for herself?

Below are a few ideas for redeeming the pop star’s reputation:

1. Encourage Spears to go to a mental rehabilitation facility for “rest.” Help her understand that it is not rehab, but a sort of resort spa that she is going to.

2. After six months rest, put Spears in a media training program. Here she can learn how to present herself to the media, and learn to communicate a clear message that she is back and healthy.

3. Place Spears on Oprah where she can talk about the pressure the media put her under. Fame can result in strange behavior.

4. Get Spears a personal trainer so she can get in shape.

5. Tell Spears to stop wearing wigs, so she can have a natural look.

6. Get Spears back in the studio for a real “come back” album.

The downside to representing celebrities is that they’re sometimes unpredictable. There is no guarantee that Spears will agree to what her manager wants. Rudolph must set guidelines for doing business with Spears, and state exactly what he expects from her as a client.

Owen Wilson sits out interviews with the media

According to the Los Angeles Times, Paramount Pictures decided to take Owen Wilson out of interviews with the media during the release of his film “Drillbit Taylor.” The movie, which is about three high school freshmen who hire their own personal bodyguard, premiered last Friday.

Paramount’s decision was influenced by Wilson’s suicide attempt last summer. The studio was worried that interviewers might steer conversation with Wilson away from the movie and ask about his suicide attempt. It is likely that promotional interviews would steer in that direction, since Wilson has not yet talked to the media about his suicide attempt. The only information that Wilson gave when the incident happened was a statement his publicist made on his behalf, “I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.”

Paramount did ask Wilson to record “Drillbit” themed introductions to Fox’s Sunday night prime-time lineup, which includes the shows “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill,” “Family Guy” and “Unhitched.” Wilson also appeared on Comedy Central with costar Danny McBride in a series of 30-second television spots called, “30 Seconds on Bullies.” In the spots, Wilson relates scenes in the film to his own adolescence. According to the Los Angeles Times, Paramount said that Wilson has done all that the studio asked of him.

It was wise for Paramount to ask Wilson to sit out of interviews with the media, and instead participate in pre-recorded promotional videos for the movie. In these videos the movie promoters have control over what is said. In live interviews there’s less control, and unless Wilson has extensive media training there is a chance that reporters will steer him away from his message.

‘Sex and the City’ star Kristin Davis handles nude photos scandal

This week nude photos that are allegedly of “Sex and the City” actress Kristin Davis leaked on the Internet. Celebrity Web site TMZ did some investigating, and claims that the pictures were taken in 1992 by her then-boyfriend Eric Stapelman. It is rumored that the pictures are photo stills from a sex tape that was made.

An analysis of seven mainstream media articles reflects how much control Davis and her publicist had over the situation. Five of the articles quoted Davis’ representative who made a statement saying, “This is not a photo of Kristin Davis. There is no sex tape.” The Washington Times and TMZ referenced the representative’s statement, but did not directly quote it.

With the exception of TMZ and The Washington Times, every article featured pictures of Davis smiling and fully clothed.  TMZ and The Washington Times also created headlines that played on the words “Sex and the City,” and “sex tape.” The headlines for the other five articles state that Davis denied the photo stills were of her.

Overall the mainstream media coverage of the alleged sex tape scandal was positive. Newsday and OK! Magazine suggested that the pictures were part of a publicity stunt for her new “Sex and the City” movie. Us Magazine and “Access Hollywood” actually plugged Davis’ upcoming movie. Most of the headlines read that Davis denied the photos were of her. Not to mention, the photos used in most of the articles were flattering. One photo even featured Davis at a red carpet event called “Viva La Cure,” which benefited the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund on Oct. 17, 2007, in New York City.

An analysis of four blogs reveals a better insight of what fans actually believe to be true. Perez Hilton photos NSFW, Hollywood’s top celebrity blogger, thinks that the pictures were photoshopped by a jealous ex-boyfriend. Celebrities.com also sided with Davis stating, “When the second image was released by the Blogger on Monday it was painfully obvious that the girl in the shot only bares a passing resemblance to Kristin, from certain angles, and in dim lighting.”

The Hollywood Rag referenced her representative’s statement, and a quote from Ron Jeremy that reads, “Any celebrity that is not doing so good, they jump by having a good sex scandal.”

Davis has public opinion on her side. Three of the four blogs suggest that the photos were either photoshopped, or of a woman who closely resembles Davis.

There are some differences between the blogs and the mainstream media articles. The blogs all feature the sex photos, while most of the news articles do not. The news articles also do not suggest that the woman in the photos is Davis or is someone else. This is no surprise, as traditional news is unbiased.

It seems that Davis and her representative handled the situation well. They responded to the media shortly after the rumors began to spread, and were able to get media hits with flattering pictures of Davis. Public opinion is sacred in show business, and it seems that Davis was able to salvage hers.

Additional Sources: TV Guide blog Fox News article

Diablo Cody: ‘Rags to Riches’

Diablo Cody, a former exotic dancer, won an Oscar Sunday for her screenplay “Juno.” Her rags to riches story has been picked up by the media, even before she won the Oscar. If Diablo were not a stripper, would her career be as celebrated? Probably not.

Diablo has taken what could have been a public relations problem, and turned it into a public relations opportunity. She has chosen to embrace her past, saying in 2006 on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “If this writing stuff doesn’t pan out, I’m getting right back on the pole.” On the show, Diablo talks about her book “Candy Girl,” an autobiography of her life as a stripper.

Now that Diablo has won an Oscar, nude photos of her past have surfaced on the Internet. Diablo states in her blog that she was the one who posted them, so what’s the big deal? If Diablo hid her past, the media would have found out at some point and turned it into a scandal.

It is a smart public relations move to accept responsibility for your own actions. Was it as smart to post your own topless photos? Chances are these photos were going to surface from someone else, so why not beat them to the punch? In her case, she probably saved herself from future damage control.

What is a Bandarazzi?

So how can an up and coming band who has just been signed, boost their fame? The Southern California band “A Cursive Memory,” has chosen to make what they call a bandarazzi. The bandarazzi is a music video for their new song “Everything.” In the music video, the band chases down their favorite celebrities with the paparazzi, and gets seen with some of Hollywood’s A-listers for free. According to the band’s Web site, the members spent over 300 hours filming on the streets of L.A.

It definitely was no easy task. During the filming of the video the band members came across some angry celebrities. TMZ posted footage of the band trying to get “Entourage” star Kevin Connolly to pose with them. Connolly would not have it.

It seems that over all the video paid off. These kids worked very hard to make it, and I give them props for chasing celebrities. Their MySpace page has over 23,000 friends, which is 23,000 more than Kevin Connolly’s page. Oh wait he doesn’t have a page.

Keep up the good work guys.

‘Be Kind Rewind’ generates internet buzz

Jack Black and Micheal Gondry have cleverly used the Internet to get people talking about their new movie, “Be Kind Rewind.” The movie is about two friends who decide to re-enact and re-film all of the movies in a movie store after every movie gets erased. If you visit the official movie site, you will see that once you enter the site the characters all become magnetized and what once was a professionally done Web site gets erased. A warning message appears saying “Internet is erased: Rebuild internet?” When you click “Rebuild Internet,” a homemade Google page appears. The homemade Web site allows you to create your own web page and paste your face and name on the cover of a movie.

That’s not all, a video is circulating MySpace that features Jack Black introducing a trailer for the new movie. The video Black introduces on MySpace is not the original movie trailer, but a home made video that re-enacts the original trailer. The use of actors talking to fans via MySpace is nothing new. Micheal Cera and Jonah Hill did this for their movie Superbad. However this MySpace message is different, because it features a trailer that is exclusive to the internet.

Gondry and Black have certainly done a great job incorporating the movie concept into its promotion. The Web site is entertaining and engaging, and certainly gets the main idea of the movie across. Using MySpace to promote a movie creates a connection with the MySpace audience, especially with the personal message to “MySpacers.”

The internet is playing an increasing role in promotion for movies and entertainment. It’s not just movies that need a good website these days. Any brand that wants to do business also needs an attractive Web site. It will be interesting to see if this Internet campaign affects ticket sales when the movie releases.

“Be Kind Rewind” opens in theaters February 22.

iTunes commercials expand artists’ fanbase.

You know those indie bands that iTunes uses in their commercials? It seems that Apple is not the only company using indie bands in advertising. It’s possible this trend has been perpetuated by the service Pump Audio. This service connects independent artists with advertisers, to give advertisers a new sound and artists more publicity. Bands such as Feist, CSS, and the artist Yael Naiim are just a few independent artists that have gained public attention from this type of partnership. While these artists expand their fanbase through this type of exposure, what kind of affect does it have on the independent music genre?

Perez Hilton applauds Yael Naiim for her song in the new ibook commercial, while others speculate the effects this new trend may have on Indie listeners.

LaRue Cook from Entertainment Weekly’s Popwatch argued this, “I myself prefer creating my own sense-memories for a song: what the season was, what year I heard it, what was going on in my life at the time, whether I was in a car or on the subway or at a front-porch house party. I don’t like the idea of songs evoking cars or cell phones or baby back ribs. Do you?”

So are these artists selling out big time, or are they just trying to make a living?