Pushing back on the "celebrity" label

If Obama had suggested Cindy McCain should compete in a topless Miss Buffalo Chip contest while her husband campaigned in Sturgis the outrage would probably end his bid for the White House - he's not a big enough celebrity to weather that backlash - but John McCain gets a chuckle from the Harley riders and a pass in the press. Why? Because he's a powerful, influential celebrity in DC. But you've got to wonder: Why does he want us to think Obama is, too?

Let’s face it, the best defense is a good offense, and sex sells. A money scandal pales compared to a juicy, salacious story involving a celebrity, after all - just ask Senator Larry Craig - and McCain's campaign needed to distract from that gaffe so we wouldn't all stay focused on Cindy McCain's bosom. So let's grab attention with names like Paris Hilton and try to connect Barack to sexy young celebrities.

The organizations that provide us “news” are driven by their need to pay for their staff and buildings just like any other business. They benefit from increasingly timely, now near-instantaneous feedback about what people who use their “service” want to learn about. Higher ratings translate rapidly into higher advertising revenues, and so they cater to the whims of whoever drives their audience share up, so despite the conflict of interest, commercial media organizations are well-served by echoing even mis-information about the campaign.

John McCain said he’s proud of his ads comparing Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. He wants you to think you’re just caught up by a “celebrity” and don’t really want change in this country. If that’s the sort of leadership you want for the U.S.A., if giving a consummate D.C. insider even more power - and celebrity - matches your view of where this country should go for the next four years, you should vote for him in November.

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"Club Paris" and Paris Hilton - What Happened To Club Paris?

If you do a search on Paris Hilton, one result that comes up is a reference to something called "Club Paris." What that is -- or was -- or kind of is, I guess, is a set of nightclubs, the first of which opened in Orlando in 2004 and then in Jacksonville and just around the time that city was hosting the Super Bowl.

But then both closed in 2007. Why?

Well from my peering around, it seems that Club Paris' death was due to a disagreement between a club entrepreneur named Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian and Paris Hilton. Reportedly, Hilton was paid seven-figures for Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian to gain the right to place her name on what was to be a string of night clubs starting in -- of all places -- Orlando. (The photo shows Paris and Fred in happier times.)



I mean, nice try there, but let's face it, Orlando's not the first city anyone associates with Paris Hilton or nightlife. I guess catching the resort / Disney World crowd was the idea, but then why not try to negotiate with the Disney people? Oh well.

The first Club Paris opened in Orlando in 2004, but I can tell from the press release (see the link before this sentence) that there would be trouble simply because even though Paris is mentioned extensively, there's no -- not one direct quote from her. There's one from her lawyer, but not her.

So it's no wonder Hilton failed to show up on time for the grand opening. For that, Paris said she was "skiing in the Swiss Alps and got caught at the airport with holiday travel." A reasonable excuse in my view, but then I'm a Paris Hilton fan. (Why? Because she has a head for business -- she's an entrepreneur and a great one at that. She's not living off family money and has done well making her own cash, yet is not recognized for that, which is a total shame.)

That behavior and subsequent episodes where Hilton did not show up to planned Club Paris events was the straw that broke the camels back for Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian. Accord to an agreement contract, Hilton was to come to the club twice a month..

Look out Orlando , the 2005 New Year’s Eve Party to attend is the grand opening of "Club Paris," the first of a handful of clubs worldwide to be named after socialite Paris Hilton.

Seems like Paris Hilton knows something about nightclubs, so it makes sense the hotel heiress is the latest inspiration for a series of clubs that will bear her signature name.

Club Paris, named after "The Simple Life" star, plans to open on New Year’s Eve in Orlando. Local businessman Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian hopes to open other Club Paris nightclubs locations include Las Vegas, New York City, Miami Beach, London and Paris.

Rumors leaked stated that Hilton will earn a "seven-figure" signing bonus for lending her name to the club. In return, she is contractually obligated to appear at the club at least twice a month. Hilton also helped select the interior design and is scheduled to attend the opening.

It opened and lasted for one year, then closed. Some point to the fallout between Paris and "Fred" as the reason for the closure, but I think it was more than that. The Club has a $20,000 back-rent debt and Consolidated Investment and Capital Corp., which loaned the money to Club Paris LLC to acquire the liquor licenses, is still owed $526,240.65 on a liguor license that was up for sale in February of this year.

On top of all that, Fred was arrested twice -- once for sexual assault, then for an old warrant of assault on a law enforcement official. The details aside, its clear that Fred's pissed off a number of women in that area, as more than one have complained of his boorish behavior. In fact, the anger is such that someone made a MySpace page devoted just to his sexual assault problems.

But it seems that the rape charges were indeed questionable. Khalilian was released from jail after two witnesses, a a guard and a cab driver cast doubt on a rape allegation, according to his lawyer, Mark NeJame. The Florida attorney's website reports that "Both men said the woman appeared happy and content after spending 70 minutes in the nightclub owner's home. And a text message she sent afterward to Khalilian's cell phone asked him to send her some clothing and thanked him, NeJame said.
Khalilian was required while on bail to wear a GPS tracking device, abstain from drinking alcohol, and stay out of his nightclub between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., NeJame said.

Whatever the case, it's clear someone does not like Khalilian.

Meanwhile, Paris presses on.

A year after her celebrated DUI problems, the heirress still finds herself near the top of Internet searches and was the star attraction in South Africa recently for the My Coke Fest Rock Festival. Also, her singing album, started with Scott Storch, who Paris met through Khalilian, is still available.

Paris Hilton's Club Paris - What Happened To Club Paris?

If you do a search on Paris Hilton, one result that comes up is a reference to something called "Club Paris." What that is -- or was -- or kind of is, I guess, is a set of nightclubs, the first of which opened in Orlando in 2004 and then in Jacksonville and just around the time that city was hosting the Super Bowl.

But then both closed in 2007. Why?

Well from my peering around, it seems that Club Paris' death was due to a disagreement between a club entrepreneur named Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian and Paris Hilton. Reportedly, Hilton was paid seven-figures for Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian to gain the right to place her name on what was to be a string of night clubs starting in -- of all places -- Orlando. (The photo shows Paris and Fred in happier times.)



I mean, nice try there, but let's face it, Orlando's not the first city anyone associates with Paris Hilton or nightlife. I guess catching the resort / Disney World crowd was the idea, but then why not try to negotiate with the Disney people? Oh well.

The first Club Paris opened in Orlando in 2004, but I can tell from the press release (see the link before this sentence) that there would be trouble simply because even though Paris is mentioned extensively, there's no -- not one direct quote from her. There's one from her lawyer, but not her.

So it's no wonder Hilton failed to show up on time for the grand opening. For that, Paris said she was "skiing in the Swiss Alps and got caught at the airport with holiday travel." A reasonable excuse in my view, but then I'm a Paris Hilton fan. (Why? Because she has a head for business -- she's an entrepreneur and a great one at that. She's not living off family money and has done well making her own cash, yet is not recognized for that, which is a total shame.)

That behavior and subsequent episodes where Hilton did not show up to planned Club Paris events was the straw that broke the camels back for Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian. Accord to an agreement contract, Hilton was to come to the club twice a month..

Look out Orlando , the 2005 New Year’s Eve Party to attend is the grand opening of "Club Paris," the first of a handful of clubs worldwide to be named after socialite Paris Hilton.

Seems like Paris Hilton knows something about nightclubs, so it makes sense the hotel heiress is the latest inspiration for a series of clubs that will bear her signature name.

Club Paris, named after "The Simple Life" star, plans to open on New Year’s Eve in Orlando. Local businessman Fereidoun "Fred" Khalilian hopes to open other Club Paris nightclubs locations include Las Vegas, New York City, Miami Beach, London and Paris.

Rumors leaked stated that Hilton will earn a "seven-figure" signing bonus for lending her name to the club. In return, she is contractually obligated to appear at the club at least twice a month. Hilton also helped select the interior design and is scheduled to attend the opening.

It opened and lasted for one year, then closed. Some point to the fallout between Paris and "Fred" as the reason for the closure, but I think it was more than that. The Club has a $20,000 back-rent debt and Consolidated Investment and Capital Corp., which loaned the money to Club Paris LLC to acquire the liquor licenses, is still owed $526,240.65 on a liguor license that was up for sale in February of this year.

On top of all that, Fred was arrested twice -- once for sexual assault, then for an old warrant of assault on a law enforcement official. The details aside, its clear that Fred's pissed off a number of women in that area, as more than one have complained of his boorish behavior. In fact, the anger is such that someone made a MySpace page devoted just to his sexual assault problems.

But it seems that the rape charges were indeed questionable. Khalilian was released from jail after two witnesses, a a guard and a cab driver cast doubt on a rape allegation, according to his lawyer, Mark NeJame. The Florida attorney's website reports that "Both men said the woman appeared happy and content after spending 70 minutes in the nightclub owner's home. And a text message she sent afterward to Khalilian's cell phone asked him to send her some clothing and thanked him, NeJame said.
Khalilian was required while on bail to wear a GPS tracking device, abstain from drinking alcohol, and stay out of his nightclub between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., NeJame said.

Whatever the case, it's clear someone does not like Khalilian.

Meanwhile, Paris presses on.

A year after her celebrated DUI problems, the heirress still finds herself near the top of Internet searches and was the star attraction in South Africa recently for the My Coke Fest Rock Festival. Also, her singing album, started with Scott Storch, who Paris met through Khalilian, is still available.

Paris Hilton's Grandfather Barron Gives 97 Percent Of Wealth To Charity

The Internet is buzzing over the news that Barron Hilton's pledging 97 percent of his wealth to charity. But in their silly frenzy to trash Paris over the idea that she's not going to be rich, they forgot one little detail: who's going to manage all that money?

Barron's currently the chairman of the foundation, but he could easily hand that role over to Paris.

Not so fast, folks.

Paris Hilton's Baptism By David Letterman Is Wake-Up Call

I kind of avoided this issue but after reading all of the blogs about it, I couldn't help it. As you know if you follow celebrities, Paris Hilton was on David Letterman last week, Wednesday and was given the royal post-jail baptism by David himself. If you've not seen the YouTube video of the event, it's here:



Now David was totally hard on her, and reportedly she's not going to appear on David Letterman again. Indeed, the Internet headlines don't look good: "Paris Humiliated", "David Letterman Mocks", "David Letterman Grills" , and so on.

What I'd like to learn is how Dave came to decide he was going to treat her that way. I'd like to be in the production meeting when that went down. Well, what he did falls in line with my YouTube video when she got out of jail:



Paris did handle the Letterman episode well, and now -- and on the same day that she was on Letterman -- annouced she was going to travel to Rwanda , saying There's so much need in that area, and I feel like if I go, it will bring more attention to what people can do to help."

So Paris is on the right track. But I'm not sure America will let her get over the "jail" part of her life. Let's face it, she was treated terribly and she's got to feel a little bad right now, but she can fight back by helping people and being successful, and not getting upset about it, because that's what people want to see.

Venessa Hudgens! Vanessa Hudgens! Who's Vanessa Hudgens?

Ok. I've never heard of Vanessa Hudgens until Techorati introduced me to her and (of course) some kind of sex-related content. So, ever the student of Internet Marketing, I decided to dig in and see what the fuss was all about with the idea that I could learn a thing or three.

Who's Vanessa Hudgens?

Well, she's...

Vanessa Anne Hudgens, (also known simply as) Vanessa Hudgens, (born December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California) is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in 2003 and appeared in the Hollywood films Thirteen and Thunderbirds, before reaching fame in the 2006 hit Disney Channel film, High School Musical. Hudgens also began a music career and released her debut album, entitled V, in 2006. In 2007, Hudgens became the spokesperson for Neutrogena.[1]...

According to a Wikiepedia entry -- at least the part that doesn't look doctored, if you know what I mean.

And ShowBuzz says "Hudgens portrayed Gabriella, the brainy love interest of Zac Efron's basketball star in the first two "High School Musical" made-for-cable movies. The two are said to be dating in real life.

"High School Musical 2" attracted more than 17 million viewers for its Disney Channel premiere in August, the most-watched television program of the summer."

Wow! 17 million viewers!

But a look at the blogs reveals a lot more juicy stuff.



TMZ.com reports that she took nude photos a while back and they surfaced on the Internet. Apparently, TMZ liked her body so much the labeled the report under the tag "Hot Bodies." Meanwhile, a new report claims that Vanessa sent nude photos of herself to some guy named Zac Efron

For all the huff, Vanessa's MySpace page contains no visible appology, but a lot of fan sympathy.

Ok, for me, this is a story of a desire for Internet visibility. Yep. That's right. It should come as no surprise that with this stunt Vanessa's broken out of her teen-pop-culture roots, right as she's turned 18 years old. Think about it.

Now, she can secretly approve the "leak" of nude photos of herself, then sit back and watch as her Internet traffic numbers rise up -- which if you look at the Alexa graph and focus on September, has happened.

Vanessa's the latest in a long line of young women who've bared it all online and reaped the rewards, from Paris Hilton and Britney Spears (who really just bared the beaver) and a certain Louisville Cheerleader. The list goes on, and it will keep going on.

What's interesting to see is the number of teenage copycats on YouTube who dance wiggling their butt to the camcorder, or showing other parts on more risque sites, or those that join the i-Friends network, then spam the hell out of people who want nothing to do with their webcam activities.

I'm serious about this.



What Vanessa, Paris, and other pop-teen stars are doing is saying to their fans -- girls -- it's ok to show off before the camera and tease society for attention and in some cases profit. You'd have to be naive to say I'm making this up. Heck, you're reading about Vanessa to start with, right?

This is Internet Marketing at it's pure form best -- controversial, viral, unfortunate, and culture changing. It's too late to say we don't want this to happen -- we not only allowed it, we created the technology to cause it. Blogs, websites, YouTube, Blip.tv, and other systems have raised the bar of what can be shown quickly and publicly. The "me" culture has morphed into the attention culture, and we're all a part of it.

We're either making content, or consuming content, and the content we want most is generally that showing someone else doing something..sexy.

But now that I know who Vanessa Hudgens is, I'll tell you what -- she can sing!

I Like Paris Hilton For The Same Reasons You Hate Paris Hilton

Jack Myers inspired me to write this short post because it's important for you to know why I think Paris Hilton is worth paying attention to. The reason is simple: she knows how to market herself and build attention. In a world where everyone is trying to do that in some way, or frustrated that they can't, Paris Hilton's figured out how to get herself known. Anyone in PR would be stupid not to pay attention to her, but guess what, that's what we get in some corners, dumb behavior.

But, as I wrote in my webpage article The Marketing of Paris Hilton" she holds a lesson for anyone in the attention-getting industry:

Paris Hilton is an international superstar. And what did Paris Hilton do? Well, nothing. "I came to New York when I was 16 years old, and I got invited to all of these parties all the time." Indeed, this was the case. Think about it for a second..or a minute. Paris Hilton is not an actress. She's not a politician. She's not an athlete. She's a young, attractive heiress with a yen for partying. And she did this in the media capital of World.

But even more, Paris made herself available to the people she met "out-and-about." Stars, agents, photographers, and anyone who was someone--and that was just about most of the people -- at an A-List party.

Then, just as Paris was planning to launch a TV show that has since become one of the most popular in America, the infamous "sex tape" video was released and became perhaps the most sought after amateur product on the Internet. Instead of reducing Paris' star status, it increased it dramatically. Now (and aided by the steamy Carl's Jr. commericial) Paris Hilton's name is the most looked up online according to the Lycos 50, which tracks the most popular keywords looked up. As of this writing -- June 13, 2005 -- It's currently ranked number one. It's been on the list for 82 weeks. Think about that. There are 52 weeks in a year. Double that is 104 weeks. That means Paris Hilton has been on the Lycos 50 Elite for almost two years. That's longer than all but a few established stars.

Paris' status as a celebrity is unquestioned. But the question is, what can a sports marketing specialist learn from this? The answer is everything.

To learn more, read my article.

But the bottom line is that the reasons I like Paris Hilton are the same one you hate her for. That's terrible. But when you wonder why you don't get noticed for the good work you do, think about your ill-will toward Paris Hilton and consider a change. You'll get what you want if you do.

Paris Hilton Released From Jail - Some Advice For Paris - Video

At 11:58 PM on Monday, June 25th, 2007, as I was checking website stats and watching CNN, CNN announced that Paris Hilton was being released from jail in LA County.

As I watched the events unfold, I could not help but think that "the system" had unknowingly planted the seed for a person who could become one of the most politically powerful people in the World...with just a bit of a push.

This video contains advice which, if Paris heeds it, will cause her to become that person. She's 22 years old and at the perfect place in her life to start political organizations and a political action committee and direct money toward elected officials that can effectively change the system for the better. If Paris does this, mark this day as the start of a new star in politics.

Paris has been through alot , from thinking she was going home under house arrest, to her medical condition and of course, the unfair and silly media misrepresentations of her. The 45-day sentence she received for driving on a suspended license and violating probation was deemed excessive by even representatives of the LA County Sherriff on CNN Monday night.

I really believe God caused this to happen for a specific reason. A window has been created that, if Paris steps into it, will lead to the kind of changes we need to see and could see in 10 years. She can be an effective force for those who are under-represented and powerless.

Paris Hilton - LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's Wife Drove On Suspended License For Nine Years

Wow. LA City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, who wanted Paris Hilton to serve 45-days in jail for driving on a suspended license, now suffers from the public knoweldge that his own wife drove on a suspended license for nine years -- and counting. Here's the news report:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The wife of the city's top prosecutor has an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to appear in court nine years ago on charges of driving without insurance, with a suspended licence and in an unregistered car.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo got Paris Hilton jailed for violating probation for driving with a suspended licence, then condemned her early release. Now, he says he's embarrassed about the outstanding warrant for his wife, Michelle, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.

Rocky Delgadillo said he didn't know about it until this week and has urged his wife to remedy the situation.

"My wife is embarrassed about this, and I am embarrassed as well," he said.

Well, should his wife receive the same treatment as Paris Hilton? This really brings home my point that Paris Hilton was being punished for being Paris Hilton.

Paris Hilton Had Bad DUI Lawyer - No Communication

I just ran accross this blog that essentially says that had Paris Hilton enjoyed better communication with her lawyers, she would have likely stayed out of jail.

This New Jersey law firm, working to draw clients itself, explains that poor attorney / client comunication was the reason for her jail time and that a responsible lawyer would make sure their client was following the law and staying out of trouble.

Paris Hilton - Paris Hilton WIll Not Appeal Judge Sauer's Decision - TMZ.com

Paris Hilton issued this statement, according to TMZ.com: Also, she' not eating in jail at all.

"Today I told my attorneys not to appeal the judge's decision. While I greatly appreciate the Sheriff's concern for my health and welfare, after meeting with doctors I intend to serve my time as ordered by the judge.

This is by far the hardest thing I have ever done. During the past several days, I have had a lot of time to reflect and have already learned a bitter, but important lesson from this experience.

As I have said before, I hope others will learn from my mistake. I have also had time to read the mail from my fans. I very much appreciate all of their good wishes and hope they will keep their letters coming.

I must also say that I was shocked to see all of the attention devoted to the amount of time I would spend in jail for what I had done by the media, public and city officials. I would hope going forward that the public and the media will focus on more important things, like the men and women serving our country in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places around the world."

As much as I disagree with Judge Sauer's decision, perhaps this will go a long way toward ending the stupid ways people treat Paris Hilton. Several news accounts quote people calling her "a stupid dumb blonde" which itself is totally racist.

Paris Hilton - LA County Sherriff Lee Baca Says Paris Hilton Has "Severe Problems"

According to TMZ.com , LA County Sherriff Lee Baca says that Paris Hilton has "severe problems." TMZ reports:

In a statement to the press, Baca said, "There's 20,000 inmates the largest jail system in the united states ... It's very overcrowded."

According to Baca, 90% serious felons -- many in his jail on murder charges or attempted murder charges.

Baca also said that he reassigned Hilton based on "her severe medical problems." Baca said that her "increasingly deteriorating problems" were evaluated and add, "This lady has some severe problems."

Paris Hilton - LA Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer Orders Paris Hilton Back To Jail Today - CNN

In a bizarre turn of events, Paris Hilton was ordered back to jail by Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer, according to CNN and other news sources. It seems the Judge didn't sign the documents that allowed her release from prison as the LA County Sheriff's Office had sent her home under house arrest, and the LA City Attorney signed a petition demanding to know why Hilton was released.

I think Judge Sauer's right in that he didn't sign the release and so procedure had to be followed. But I don't think Paris needs to be in jail. Hey, when Judge Sauer originally sentenced Paris to 45 days, he got a standing ovation in his church, so he feels emboldened to do this.

The basic reason I favor Paris Hilton going home is that it would be a direct negative reaction to the rise of this police state. It seems that we -- some of us -- want to see those who have more money than we do "get it" but aren't even considering the laws and the way they're enforced.

Look. Drinking and driving is dangerous and wrong. But we've taken things a little too far in how we allow constitutional rights to be smashed on. Paris had no business flouting the law, but the punishment doens't seem to fit the crime. Plus, and what I rail against, is that there's a weird lynch mob mentality out there, one that hungers to see Paris punished, at any cost.

Let's take some of the blogger's commentary, particularly angry ones like this one at "Boo-Hoo Paris" where the writer asks Paris to "Shut her mouth." Okay.. "No seriously" wants to know what's up with Paris head, although the writer seeems unmoved by her return to jail.



Or how about this angry post , which reads "Paris Hilton: Is she for real. Let's all of us common folk defy a judges order and see where that leaves us. I did and it landed me in PRISON for 30 months ( same Offense ). Jail--a drop in the hat, She could sleep for 45 days and leave. She's isolated--what could be better. Read a book or two if you know how to. Oh I forgot --there isn't a menu. Showers are refreshing but don't bend over. Give me a break. This spoiled rich Bitch thinks she can do anything she wants and buy her way out because she's rich. Hoo-ray for a judge who sticks to his gun's. Don't tell me that money doesn't buy freedom--just ask the idiot sherrif who released her because she didn't feel good or was he afraid of HOLLYWOOD. That's a whole different topic."

See? All these posts -- or most of them -- exhibit anger over the very mention of Paris Hilton. Do we have that many slackers in the USA, now? People who are so lazy and unambitous they'd rather see others dragged down to where they are, rather than be on a socially upward path? Well, not everyone thinks that way. Frank Paul supports Paris Hilton, stating "even though the Paris home is like super luxury...it would still be a punishment *For Paris* to be home-bound for 42 days.
I think that to a certain degree, celebrities should receive special treatment when it comes to matters like this becuase they are treated as special people of our society."

I agree. But only in the case of non-violent offenses. For example, who's going to protect Paris from the photo seekers in jail? I understand the LA Sherriff's office stands to gain $500,000 from any pict taken while she's in custody. That's not something which happens to "normal people" so the idea that Paris should be treated "normally" is silly because if she were "normall" no one would even have to make that statement. She's not common, so we should respect that; we can't change it and the very act of trying is proof that we can't.

Paris Hilton Gets House Arrest - Transfered From Jail Today

On Thursday May 17th I wrote a post called "Give Paris Hilton A Break - Why Not House Arrest?" Well, it seems the LA County Superior Court was reading my blog, because today she was released and placed under house arrest. The reasons given in the report were for "unspecified medical conditions" which could very well be claustraphobia. Hey, some people don't take to being in confinement.

Whatever the case, this in my view rights a real wrong of massive injustice -- the court seemed to give in to a kind of mob rule directed by jealous, poor, unhappy, resentful people who wish they had Paris' money and celebrity. They're going to holla back that she should be treated like everyone else. My retort is that she wasn't really treated like everyone else -- even in this case, she was treated like Paris Hilton.

That means she was subjected to jokes, an unsusually harsh sentence, people who wanted to make money off her jail photos, and that includes the LAPD.

In fact, I'll bet the real reason for her release had something to do with that. The LAPD is legally barred from profitting in such a matter, thus Paris mere existence in jail placed them in a bind.

See, the point is that because she's Paris Hilton, she's got the problem -- the blessing and the curse -- of being treated like Paris Hiton.

But for me this keeps the meritocracy intact. If you want to be Paris Hilton, you've got to work at it. Period.

Give Paris Hilton a Break! - Why Not Just House Arrest?

ALERT: Paris Hilton released to...house arrest!

Ok. I know some of you want Paris Hilton to go to jail. But the reasons are a little perverse to me. So she's rich? Big deal. Many of you -- and you know who you are -- use that reason, as if it's a badge of honor. I've got news. It's not.

Paris Hilton should not go to jail.

Paris Hilton is not one of us. She's a celebrity with a personal brand , and in the prison system that could equal harm. I know some of you point to Martha Stewart, but that was a totally different setting -- not a common jail at all. And I'm glad you brought that up, because Martha Stewart did more time for a greater offense than Paris. This is Paris first "taste" of jail -- why not just house arrest? Why 23-days or 45 - days in a jail? What's the deal?

Jealously. That's the deal. And that's stupid.

Look, just because someone has what you and i both know you and I want -- don't lie -- is no reason to want to punish them. Indeed, why not celebrate them? Isn't that what it means to be a celebrity? If that's what you want for youself, know what you should do? Make videos. Get a business card set. Meet as many people as possible and maintain those relationships, regardless. If you don't do that, don't complain. It's the game.

Keep Paris out of jail. Send her home.

Paris Hilton Supporters Have Petition To Protest Jail Term

As you may know, Paris Hilton was sentenced to 45-days in jail for violating probation. She's to appear at the LA County facility before June 5th, which gives her about a month or so.

A group of supporters is circulating an online petition to keep her out of jail. I'd wish they'd do the same for others who have less money.

You think Akon will get 45-days for what he did? Nope. Just shows you how screwed up society is.

"1984" - Hillary Clinton Video / Fictional Video Of Mit Romney With Paris Hilton?

I was talking with a person who's been following the story behind the now famous "1984" Hillary Clinton video and had some questions for me regarding it's impact on the 2008 Presidential Race. One of the questions was what this watershed video meant for the future of political campaigns.

My response was that the real concern is that we're in an era where someone can create a video that in effect "distorts history" by showing a political candidate doing something that in point of fact they never even did. Say a video showing Mit Romney grouping Paris Hilton in Las Vegas. The question is should such a video be removed from the video distribution system -- say, YouTube or Blip.tv -- it was uploaded to?

My answer is yes it should. But I think we should have a public discussion on this matter before it happens.

CAA Taking A Bath On Sports Division? - Buying Matt Leinart, Tom Condon, and IMG

Someone -- perhaps Leigh Steinberg -- is reading this with glee. But if Hollywood Reporter Nikki Finke's any indication,
Creative Artists Agency , the super-firm of talent agents started by Ron Meyer and Mike Ovitz in 1975, and recently the epicenter of Hollywood's move into athletic talent mining starting with players like Arizona Cardinals QB Matt Leinart, may be losing money in its sports division.

To understand, read this post from Nikki's blog:

If CAA agents this week are looking inconsolable, it's because they now have to give up flying first class. (Those conversations you're trying to overhear at lunch in Century City are the CAA tenpercenters kvetching about it.) So what happened? My sources tell me that CAA called a big all-agents meeting and read the riot act to its spendthrift tenpercenters. To cut expenses by a whopping 20%. To start flying just business class instead of first class. And to take to heart this warning: If you want to get paid, then get your clients jobs.

I hear the motion picture agents are the most upset about the new edicts because they live the high life more and so got hit harder. Look, I've been saying this for a while now: CAA can't keep spending like drunken sailors without having cash flow issues: buying a bevy of agents from other shops and wooing clients by the hundreds, and moving into swank new headquarters while still paying rent back at the I.M. Pei building, and starting a money pit of a sports division where most of the endorsement deal money will be heading back to IMG for years, etc. Now CAA is having the same woes every other agency in town has been having: for instance, William Morris last year asked its departments to slash spending by 20%. What's next? Richard Lovett on Avenue Of The Stars with a metal detector looking for loose change and lost jewelry?



If it's true that CAA's gotten into a deal where it's giving most of its' cash from sponsorship deals back to IMG, then it's officially taking a bath in its sports division. Everyone in the sports business knows its the sponsorship deals that drive the industry, and this is especially true for NFL agents, which are limited to 3 percent takes of an athlete's contract.

By contrast, CAA comes from the world of the 20 percent deal, where they can get as much as that for an actor or actress. So they're giving up 17 percent of a deal, plus a big chunk of endorsement money? Wow. All that plus the fact that CAA and the other Hollywood agencies aren't savvy enough in new media to promote their talents to such an extent they make up for this. One firm I will not name has an extensive website, but you can't find it on Google! (They need to use SBS-ON!)

At first, I thought CAA's foray into sports would restructure the industry and cause a shakeout of some of the small-time -- at least in behavior -- agents. But given the appearance of their business model, I remain skeptical. It's now logical to me why IMG would give up its NFL operation to CAA without the appearance of a fight; they're getting paid! Moreover, it seems everyone, from Leigh Steinberg to Matt Leinart's trainer Steve Clarkson of Air 7 (which has a better website now), to IMG, and Tom Condon (who was lured from IMG to CAA) has been paid by CAA just so it could leap -- head first -- into the sports business without a battle.

In other words, CAA really did create a money pit!

Let's give it five years, and then review. Unless CAA starts making a ton of sports movies with Matt Leinart and Paris Hilton as the stars, they may see the NFL and sports as a waste of money. It's not, really. It's just that they don't really understand what they've gotten themselves into.

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