Smooth Celeb Moves of 2011

1)     The Royal Wedding:  In late Spring of 2011 there was one event that created quite the buzz, especially in the entire year leading up to it: the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.  It was all anyone was talking about, especially women.  Everyone was so excited to see who would be at the event, what would take place, and how everyone looked- especially the beautiful bride and her sexy sister, Pippa.  Just about every realm of PR was used to hype up this event; Prince Will and Kate graced just about every magazine and even newspaper cover across America and many other countries, as well as trending on Twitter.  Many restaurants opened at wee hours of the morning to gather people together to watch the wedding on TV and have a British-styled breakfast of tea and crumpets.  Bravo, Royals, bravo.

2)     Lady Gaga:  Always transforming herself and staying fresh in the spotlight, Lady Gaga has shone as bright as every this past year.  Yes she does weird things and dresses like a transvestite, but Gaga still remains a positive role model in the celebrity world.  She is an avid activist who believes in fighting for your rights, and is an icon for gays and lesbians across the world.  One particular PR move that made people love and appreciate her even more was this past fall when a 14-year old boy from Buffalo, New York, Jamey Rodemeyer, committed suicide due to peers bullying him for being gay.  Lady Gaga was his number one role model, and when he took his life she took matters into her own hands.  Gaga spoke at the iHeartRadio Festival saying that “bullying must become illegal.  It is a hate crime.”  She also tweeted about it and created a lot of buzz.

3)     Justin Bieber:  This young, 17-year-old pop singing sensation has acted quite mature for his age this past 2011.  When disaster struck Japan, Bieber didn’t hesitate at all to help out however he could.  He was committed to touring Japan, “even if his crew refuses to travel for fear of radiation and the singer has to scale down his act.”  This was a good public relations move on his part, showing maturity and sincerity.

The Almighty Celebs in America

Does celebrity always equal power?  Everyone will have a difference answer and opinion to this, but I think yes.  I think that celebrities, whether they are A-list stars or B-list stars, hold a power over our country that no one else possesses.  For example, let’s take a look at athletes.  They don’t have to be smart, or have gone to college, or have a great background, but I would argue that some people believe that certain celebrities hold a greater power over America than even our president.  Some iconic figures that are popular in the sports world right now include Tim Tebow, Lebron James, and Carmelo Anthony just to name a few.  Americans consume so much merchandise related to sports whether it is jerseys or bumper stickers.

Another way that I think celebrities hold power over this country is in relation to public service announcements.  Many actors, actresses and singers partake in public service announcements to reach out to audiences, trying to make a difference.  One example of a singer who is in a PSA right now is Sarah McLachlan with ASPCA for animal cruelty.  It is such a sad video that touches audiences and encourages them to do something about animal cruelty, and being paired with a decently famous singer helps out tremendously.

Another thing that comes to mind when thinking of celebrities and power in our country is voting.  Every year when Election Day begins to creep up on us, celebrities make sure they “Rock the Vote” and encourage everyone to voice their opinion.  I think that it really does encourage many people, especially young adults, to go vote.

Celebs Gone Wrong

1)     Charlie Sheen:  Earlier this year, the only person it seemed people were talking about was the infamous Charlie Sheen…but not in a positive way.  The coke-sniffing, tiger-blooded actor gone bad was far from “winning.”  Instead of hiring a public relations assistant, Sheen took matters into his own hands and decided to try to convince America that his crazy antics were normal and that we are actually all the crazy ones.

2)     Kim Kardashian:  This big-bootied, brown haired bombshell never seizes to stay out of the spotlight.  This past Halloween she surprised (some of) us again with her divorce from NBA star Kris Humpries.  The marriage only lasted a mere 72 days.  Some might argue that the whole marriage and divorce was one big publicity stunt, which can very well be true.  Kardashian never seemed upset over the divorce and was actually tweeting about other meaningless things during the whole process which was probably a bad move on her part.  What this showed to people was how shallow and materialistic she seems, instead of sympathetic and wholesome.  Also, if she didn’t have a multi-million dollar wedding turned into a two-day television show, then maybe people wouldn’t look at her as such a phony.

3)     Arnold Schwarzenegger:  Actor turned governor of California for seven years, Schwarzenegger was caught in the spotlight this year for having an affair with his maid (all the while still married to the pretty Maria Shriver).  The affair happened about ten years ago, however, the reason it got brought up again this year was because Schwarzenegger actually had a child with the maid…five days after the birth of his son with Shriver!  In fact, “Maria Shriver used to joke that her housekeeper’s son looked exactly like Arnold but never thought anything of it.”  Man, oh man talk about a crazy mess. 

Lohan: In or Our of Jail?

Yesterday, Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to spend 30 days in L.A. prison due to violating her probation terms. She was supposed to be on probation doing community work at a women’s shelter, since she’s been convicted of drunk driving and theft. Lohan failed to show up to work at the shelter nine times, which in turn got her fired. Judge Stephanie Sautner was the one who sentenced “LiLo” to 30 days, but sources say that the actress will mostly spend less than a day.

Jessica Simpson Pregnant

It’s official – the singer Jessica Simpson announced that she is pregnant! There have been rumors surfacing for weeks now of the celebrity carrying a child due to certain pictures featuring what looked like a baby bump. Well, looks like they weren’t rumors! This will be Simpson’s first child, and the father will be her fiancé and former NFL player, Eric Johnson.

Kardashian and Humphries = Splitsville!

What a shocker – superstar Kim Kardashian and NBA star Kris Humpries are getting a divorce! The celebrity couple just got married at the end of this summer, with a lavish wedding that cost close to $10 million. Kim filed for the divorce on Monday, October 31st, 2011 (what a happy Halloween for those two). They were only married for a little over two months; good thing they made sure to have a pre-nup!

Top Celebrity Halloween Costumes

Still stuck in a rut trying to figure out what the heck you’re going to be for Halloween this year?  Don’t worry- just pick a celebrity!  There are so many to choose from, whether you want to go as a blast from the past such as Elvis or Marilyn Monroe, or current such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga or “Pregnant Beyonce.”  The cast of Jersey Shore is proving their celebrity status with Snooki and “The Situation” costumes being sold online and in stores.

BEP: Breaking Up or On a Break?

There have been many rumors surfacing about the alternative hip-hop group, The Black Eyed Peas, breaking up. But is there any truth to this? Fergie and band-mate Taboo say that the group is just “taking a break” and there is nothing to worry about for fans. Will.I.Am also clarified the gossip earlier this month on his Twitter account, saying “we are not breaking up, stop the rumors.”

Lindsay Lohan Posing for Playboy

This child actress turned wild, raging celebrity will apparently be posing nude for Playboy. Lindsay Lohan was offered an initial $75,000 for the photoshoot, which she immediately turned down (apparently this wasn’t enough money for the in-and-out-of-rehab star). She wanted $1 million to flaunt her body, so she and the magazine met somewhere close to that amount for her to “show the world what her momma gave her.”

Kardashians Expanding Their Kollection

Earlier this year, the three oldest Kardashian sisters introduced a clothing line to Sears titled the Kardashian Kollection. The trio now plans to expand their empire to bathroom, bedroom, living room, and kitchen products. Apparently they plan on having their logo on everything from bath towels to window blinds!