Starcrossed

Dakota Fanning: Diva or Darling?

samlynn — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:22:17 +0000

All grown up and causing trouble?

Dakota Fanning is preparing for the release of “Winged Creatures,” a film about a group of strangers that have to deal with surviving a shooting in a diner. Her director, Rowan Woods, was recently misquoted

At The Secret Life of Bees premiere. (photo by people.com)

on Fanning’s behavior. The misquoted information was taken from random remarks he supposedly made at the Australian Directors Guild conference. According to Defamer, Woods supposedly said that Fanning “could be a diva on the set,” among many other unflattering remarks of this nature.

Thank goodness for publicists. The day after these remarks were posted on Defamer, a follow up blog was posted correcting the attitude Woods has towards Fanning. Needless to say, he does not feel like she is a diva and

This article could have discouraged many people from working with Fanning. Her publicist made the right move by keeping up with coverage on her and correcting this statement as soon as possible.

Another Lohan in the making? Only time will tell.

She’s just being Miley

samlynn — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:36:50 +0000

Miley’s 16^th birthday party ended with a bang, literally.

Miley Cyrus recently had her 16^th birthday party at Disneyland in Southern California. Her and her guests celebrated all night until 11:30 pm, when there was a fireworks display in her honor.

The Sunday night fireworks display angered nearby residents

Miley at her birthday bash photo by: people.com

who had to be at work early Monday morning. With all of the bad press she had been receiving lately I have to ask, what is she thinking?! Fireworks displays at Disneyland usually happen at 9:30 pm so that they do not disturb residents. Her publicist should have looked into this concern and made sure that they were launched no later than this time.

This only perpetuates the ongoing rumors that she is bratty and rude. There should be some major damage control done in the form of an apology to the residents of this community.

It’s her party and she’ll ruin her image if she wants to.

Leighton Struts Her Stuff

samlynn — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:09:22 +0000

Leighton on the runway in NYC (photo by Just Jared)

Fashion and philanthropy, a PR dream come true.

Leighton Meester, one of the stars of Gossip Girl, walked the runway yesterday for Marshall’s “Shop til it Stops” campaign. The campaign will bring awareness to domestic violence and Marshall’s will donate $1, up to $150,000, for every shoe purchased from Oct. 2 to the 16.

Not only is Leighton sticking to something her fashion following crowd would pay attention to, but she is generating positive buzz by supporting a worthy cause. Her publicist did a good job pairing Leighton with this campaign. It helps boost her image as a fashion forward starlet who cares about more than just clothes.

The timing could not be better. She just came out with her first song, so she needs all the publicity she can get to possibly bring more attention to her other projects, like her new album.

Good move, Ms. Waldorf, good move.

Daddy’s Little Girl

samlynn — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:26:44 +0000

Hayden out and about in Hollywood; photo by aol.com

Hayden Panettiere described her family as “wonderful” in an interview with Extra last month. Since when did a ‘wonderful’ family equate to a misdemeanor battery charge for your dad?

Alan Panettiere was charged for misdemeanor battery when he allegedly slapped Lesley Panettiere across the face. Hayden maintains that it was a misunderstanding that was “blown way out of proportion by a sheriff who wanted his 15 minutes of fame.”

Now, while it could be a misunderstanding, the majority will agree that when you slap someone across the face, your message is pretty clear. Rather then try to disclaim the law enforcement official, her publicist should have advised her to release a different statement. The statement should discuss in detail either what actually happened or what I suspect to be a not so perfect and ‘wonderful’ family incident.

Family issues happen. Ask Linsday Lohan, Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie and a whole slew of other stars who have had family problems throughout their lives. If there is a problem in Casa de Panetierre, Hayden should realize that it is perfectly alright to seek help and to let the public know.

Chances are that people will appreciate the honesty more and speculate less about whatever the Panetierre’s are going through.

9021 Double 0?!

samlynn — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:22:51 +0000

The new “90210″ is out, and the verdict is in on some of the female members of the cast.

When stars, especially young female stars, look too thin questions arise about their diets and the possibility of eating disorders. The program that they are on will also be questioned as to what message they are trying to convey by casting girls that could fit into their childhood clothing. Such is the case with the new cast members of “90210.” The female leads from West Beverly High have moved down a couple of dress sizes since the days of Kelly, Brenda, and Donna.

The publicist of one of the leads on the show, AnnaLynne McCord, has already released a statement about his client’s diet. Gary Mantoosh said that his client dines on “whatever she wants.” Getting this statement out was a good preemptive move on Mantoosh’s part to try and avoid the next topic that will follow the ‘they are too thin’ conversation: eating disorders.

Whenever there is speculation about a star’s weight, the topic of eating disorders will follow suit. In some cases they are true, in others just a rumor. Either way, this is not the kind of publicity that these blossoming young actresses need. If I were the publicist for any of these girls, I would make sure that they are dieting correctly and if there was a health issue, it would be addressed right away. This would include a statement to the press about my client’s health.

We can only hope that these girls have a high metabolism and a not so high tolerance for hunger.

A Different Ending for Lohan

samlynn — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:57:37 +0000

We all know the story.

It is the one that we hear when a Hollywood starlet gets led astray. They achieve success at a young age and the pressure makes them turn to alcohol, drugs, rehab and finally, they find true love with their gay lover. Ok, so maybe Lindsay Lohan’s ending is a little different, but that is why the media have become infatuated with her new relationship.

Her girlfriend, Samantha Ronson, is a disc jockey from the Los Angeles area and has made Ms. Lohan look extremely happy over the past few months. The two have been photographed constantly since they started dating. Whether they are riding in the car or talking about having a baby, news about the couple has been all over the entertainment news scene. If I were Lindsay’s publicist I would be beyond ecstatic about this. It would help me sleep easier knowing that now when I pick up a magazine I’m not going to be expecting to see a mug shot of my client in it.

I would be pretty excited to be Ronson’s publicist as well. The last time we heard her name on a national news scale she was hanging out with another misguided starlet, the one and only Britney Spears. In that kind of company, I think we all know what kind of first impression we had of Ronson. Now that she is dating Lohan, Ronson should invite her to more of her shows to draw a bigger crowd and of course give the paparazzi the chance for some more photo ops.

As a publicist I would instruct Lindsay to use this positive media exposure to let the public know what her current projects are. She could do this by having Samantha visit her on the set of her latest movie or escorting her out of a recording studio. This way, when the pictures find their way onto the internet, and they always do, her new movie, record or whatever she happens to be working on will get the exposure too. I would also encourage her to take an active role in the gay community to try and create a more positive public image. This may also attract a whole new fan base.

Well, I hope that Lindsay uses her second chance at a positive public image to do some good for her career, we all know she needs it.