Russell Brand In the TV Idustry

Popular Movie Talent Russell Brand is now taking his talents to the small screen. FX announced on Thursday that Russell will host six half-hour installments of an unscripted as-yet-untitled show in front of a live audience. This will be Brand’s first dive into the Television industry, however with as much success as he has found on the big-screen it is hard to envision him having a troubled time on TV. He is loved for his personality and his ability to draw attention to himself. This could turn out to be a great career move for Brand, and it is not uncommon to see Movie stars making the jump to television and having great success.

Sorry Charlie, That’s Not Winning

Just when the world thought that we had gotten over the Charlie Sheen saga, a new event hit recently. Although this one did not have any run ins with the law, it is till hard not to shake your head and ask “what was he thinking?” About a week ago Charlie Sheen felt the need to send his number to Justin Bieber. However, when he tried to send it through a private message on Twitter, he accidentally posted it instead. Within minutes Sheen was receiving calls from anyone who is his follower. For a while the actor got into the joke, answering by saying “Ray’s Pizza,” “Winning!” and other greetings. But eventually he had to turn the phone off and later change his number.

Flo Rida now a Drunk Driva

The rapper Flo Rida will be participating in the “Back on Track” program which requires him to perform community service and take DUI classes. This is because of a recent traffic stop that lead to a drunk driving arrest. The report says the rapper, whose real name is Tramar Dillard, failed a field sobriety test. It also says he blew twice the legal limit to drive into a device to measure his blood-alcohol level, had bloodshot, watery eyes, and slurred speech.

Rogen nominated for a Golden Globe

Seth Rogen is known by many as that “funny guy” from a lot of the movies he has starred in. However, his latest film 50/50 has reached a plateau he never saw coming. The movie has been nominated for a Golden Globe in the best picture category. On hearing the news, Rogan responded with “I make movies for people to see them,” he says. “I don’t talk about them getting nominated for awards, nor do I expect it. … If I tied my happiness with getting nominated for awards, I would have been pretty miserable up until now.” Although optimistic, Rogen is excited about the nomination and feels that it is a great step in his career.

 

Howard Stern: New Job. Still Rollin in Dough

Having been a successful radio host for well over 20 years now, Howard Stern is adding to his list of thing to do as a judge on “America’s Got Talent.” What makes this an even larger announcement is that Stern will be earning 20 Million for his role on the show…..or so we think. When asked how he felt about making $20 million, Stern said “do I work for that little?” It is easy for Stern to talk so jokingly when it comes to his finances, seeing how he just recently signed a new contract with Sirius XM radio for $400 million dollars over the next five years.

Just Another Reality TV Star

The MTV show, Teen Mom, was one of the most watched reality TV shows when it was on air. Since the mother’s from that show have moved on and continue to live out their lives as mothers. However one star Amber Portwood, has been unable to stay out of trouble. Amber was already on probation and now she could be facing jail time.

This is clearly not Amber’s first run in with the law, however after violating practically all the term of her probation, she is now facing up to 2 years in the jail. Amber’s story is just adding to the endless list of celebrity TV stars who can’t seem to stay out of trouble.

 

Celebrity equals…. Power?

           Does celebrity equal power? If you would have asked me this at the beginning of the semester, I would have answered with a simple no. I mean just because someone is a celebrity doesn’t give them power right? Well in a lot of ways, this actually is the case. I did not realize how many celebrities in the world have the power to do a lot of things just because of their celebrity status. Some of these can be good, but others just don’t add up. For instance, Donald Trump is a billionaire entrepreneur that made his own fortune in the real estate business. He has had continued success over the decades and he is a man that gas rightfully earned his power. This is what led to him considering running for president of the United States. Now some people blew this decision out of proportion, however although he had no military background, or government for that matter, he was someone who clearly had a feel for what people wanted and if there is anything we need right now in this country, it is change. This in my opinion, was a form of celebrity power that was going to be used for a good cause.

Now on the downside of celebrity power, there are some classic celebrity train wrecks out there such as Lindsay Lohan or Charlie Sheen, who clearly let their celebrity stature get the best of them and clearly thought they had too much power. Although each had numerous run-is with the law, they seem to keep falling into trouble because they must feel they are above those who abide by the law.

So I would have to saw to some degree, being a celebrity does equal power. However, there are different kinds of power and that is why even in celebrity world, there are different classes of celebrity.

PR: In it for the long haul

Technology has shown that it is going nowhere and it is only going to keep evolving and showing continued progress. How can we deny that it will affect everything we do? This includes public relations. The public relations world will be just like the rest of the world and will continue to adapt to technology as it continues to change the way we live.

Some ways that I feel this is going to happen is through the continued use of social media’s. Social media’s have impacted the way we use public relations forever. We no longer have to wait for the paper in the morning or the evening news. When something happens and there is information to be shared, it can be found almost instantly on Facebook or Twitter.

Another direction that public relations is headed is also the continued use of search engines. Google is obviously leading the world in that department. However, is it that far off to say that individual businesses and companies may not have their own search engines to making finding information even easier for consumers and employees?

Finally I feel that public relations is going to excel in the coming years through decreasing newspapers and relying more on the web and mobile usage. From an economic stand point, by cutting down on newspaper printing and relying online, it is more efficient and it will save costs. From the outlook of someone who will be searching for news and information, technology has made the decision for us. With smart phones, Ipads, and laptops it’s almost impossible to assume that in the future these are only going to become more normally and soon everyone will have some version of one of these.

Public Relations will always have a place in the world because people are always going to want the latest news and information about everything. It is our choice as a society to steer it in the direction that will allow for everyone to be on the same page.

Too Much Power

“In them, the panic for status has become a professional craving: their very image of self is dependent upon publicity, and they need increasing doses of it”  – C. Wright Mills

Three days ago, a trade proposal was made between three teams in the NBA. It was the Las Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Hornets. It was a trade that would surely rock the NBA world and make the Las Angeles Lakers instant title contenders yet again. However, with an iron fist, Commissioner David Stern rejected the trade claiming it was better that some of the players stay where they are. This was a lot of money and a lot of talent that was going to be traded and suddenly the Commissioner felt the need to step in. This is too much power for one man and it is unhealthy for the NBA. Seeing how they just settled a long, painful lockout which eliminated a third of the season, it is not good for player and commissioner to not agree. This could lead to much more if further acts continue.

You’re on T.V. Big Deal.

“Prestige buttresses power, turning it into authority, and protecting it from social challenge.” C. Wright Mills

There have been tons of reality T.V. stars in the last two decades, but for some reason America can;t get enough of Jersey Shore and the colorful cast is has. America’s favorite meatball Snooki, has had her fair share of embarrassing moments, some including being arrested. In one incident she was arrested for public intoxication as she stumbled over her own feet all over the beach. Is it because she is a T.V. star that she know is exempt from being told that when you are drunk on the beach you may need some help? I guess Celebrityrerally does equal authority.