This week the Syfy Channel aired its much-hyped, campy B-rate movie Sharknado, which triggered a social media feeding frenzy that included 318,000 tweets on Twitter (for a laugh check out #sharknado).

As PR professionals we’re intrigued by anything that garners the public’s interest on this level. The obvious appeal of Sharknado is the creative genius behind the idea of combining one of the most feared creatures on earth with one of its most devastating natural disasters. It’s stoner level brilliance mixed with meteorological whim and a touch of Jacques Cousteau. The concept is simply hilarious.

It’s been a rough several years for the public. The deep recession, two costly wars, political infighting, international upheaval, strained race relations, and a general WTF? vibe have taken a toll on the American public. We’re tired of being serious. We’re worn out. We need a break. As all PR experts know, timing in this industry is everything, and the timing for Sharknado could not have been better. Flying sharks attacking Los Angeles as Tara Reid and Ian Ziering defend the human race?

Yes please. Read more

What’s in a name?

J. K. Rowling has written a crime novel called The Cuckoo’s Calling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, and by doing so has proven two things: Rowling’s writing earns rave reviews no matter what name under which it’s published (because a rose by any other name would smell as sweet), and that her real, Harry Potter-associated name is a veritable gold mine of a brand.

The novel, which was published in April, is set in London and features a one-legged private detective named Cormoran Strike, who is hired to investigate the death of a supermodel called Lula Landry. The book was welcomed with rave reviews, including a piece in Publishers Weekly, which stated that “in a rare feat… Galbraith combines a complex and compelling sleuth and an equally well-formed and unlikely assistant with a baffling crime in his stellar debut.”

Before the news about the author’s real identity broke last week, The Cuckoo’s Calling had reportedly sold around 1,500 copies. Since Rowling was unmasked, however, the book’s Amazon sales have risen more than 150,000%. Let me just spell that our for you for the sake of reiteration: one hundred and fifty thousand percent! Read more

Ubisoft, makers of the historical action-adventure video game franchise Assassin’s Creed, have created a decidedly artistic and original campaign, titled “Defy History“, to promote the next installment of its popular series — Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag.

Playing off the game’s historical setting and furthering the concept of video games as art, the promo urges fans to “become part of a masterpiece” by digitally placing their own faces in a painting crafted by artists from L’Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris.

The website associated with the campaign states that users can “get a chance to have your face in an epic painting crafted by one of Europe’s finest cultural institutions.” The painting, which can be seen on the site, features a battle scene from the “Age of Piracy,” the time period during which the game is set. Using a webcam, fans can put their own faces on characters from the painting, and the most popular faces will be immortalized on the canvas. The final work of art, complete with fans’ faces, will be displayed in Le Musee de la Marine this November, just after the October release of the game. Read more

In the PR industry, where personal careers are built upon others’ reputations, it’s often necessary to make compromises. Protect the client, right? Not always, says Marvet Britto who has repped stars like Kim Cattrall and Mariah Carey:

I always tell people, “It’s not what you say yes to, it’s what you say no to that builds equity.” So, for me, I’ve had to stop working with A-list clients. I knew that I was being asked to compromise my morals or my character or integrity to protect them or to work with them, and I wasn’t willing to do so. I’ve always run my business from a place of truth. There are a lot of people that believe that being a publicist means that you’re supposed to protect your client at any costs. I don’t subscribe to that school. I subscribe to the school of being completely transparent with media and being completely transparent and truthful because, at the end of the day, truth is what elevates brands. When you are a truthful brand, you will create an organic connection to your consumer.

To find out how Britto built her firm with zero experience in the industry, read So What Do You Do, Marvet Britto, President and CEO of the Britto Agency?

– Sherry Yuan

Kellie Pickler accepting the Mirrorball Trophy as winner of this year’s ‘DWTS.’

After the craptastic couple of weeks Paula Deen had, where in the world would she go? Disneyland? Home to Savannah? Off the grid to the outback of Australia maybe? No. Dancing With the Stars.

Word is that Paula Deen could be on the next season of the dance program. The Huffington Post went to ABC directly with the rumor. Their response: “We don’t comment on casting until we officially announce.”

As that story points out, DWTS has a history of bringing on controversial stars. Kate Gosselin and Bristol Palin are noted. In an interview with Rob Shuter that we’ve previously linked to, Jon Gosselin, now reeling from accusations that he’s responsible for the fall of the house of Ed Hardy, says he would consider a spot on the show.

In fact, the show has become a place for both exposure and redemption. Andy Dick, who has been arrested for allegedly dabbling in drugs and groping underage girls, was on this season. Nancy Grace, known for her bombast on HLN as much as her “journalism,” was on a previous season. David Hasselhoff, whose drinking problem reportedly cost him a television job and fueled an appearance on Entertainment Tonight in a home video shot by his then-16-year-old daughter, has also been on the show.

So what is it about DWTS that brings out everyone in need of, not just a career revival, but a reputation revival?

Read more

Alec Baldwin on “Late Night with David Letterman”

The Daily Mail has removed the story it posted stating that Alec Baldwin’s wife Hilaria was tweeting during James Gandolfini’s funeral on Thursday. After further investigation, it turns out that the reporter, George Stark, who’s in Los Angeles, didn’t take the time difference between the East and West Coast into account. The tweets actually went up after the funeral.

The Daily Mail has apologized “for any distress caused,” but the Kraken was already released and Baldwin had some apologizing of his own to do.

Read more

Jennifer Lopez took her show on the road to Turkmenistan this weekend, performing at an event organized by the China National Petroleum Corp. In the audience: Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the leader of the former Soviet country. And, what do you know?! It was his birthday. So JLo did her best Marilyn Monroe and busted out her rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Unfortunately, Berdimuhamedow is the leader of a government that Human Rights Watch calls “among the most repressive in the world.” Whoopsie!

JLo’s rep told the Associated Press that if she’d known about the human rights violations the government is accused of, she never would’ve performed.

And remind us again why she didn’t know about them?

Read more

Celebrity and fashion have a few things in common. One of those things: You can be super hot on Monday, and D list on Tuesday. One day, you’re sipping Champagne in Cannes. The next, you’re in a gutter crying in your malt liquor.

At one point, Jon Gosselin was actually on a yacht in Cannes. And what do you wear when you’re hanging out on a fancy boat in a fancy place? An Ed Hardy t-shirt, of course. According to the man behind those ugly shirts, that’s exactly what led to the downfall of his momentarily successful clothing company. Read more

So that happened yesterday. In case you missed the storm that blew through the Internet yesterday, Paula Deen issued two apologies but still got the ax from Food Network. This shouldn’t be entirely surprising given the unbelievable stories and comments that made headlines this week. Deen admitted in a legal deposition to using the N-word. A discrimination lawsuit filed in 2011 against Deen and her brother Bubba by a former employee, Lisa T. Jackson, outlines other loathsome allegations (read: racism, sexism, harassment, and remarks made that are offensive to anyone with ears).

Deen made public two videos after she failed to show up for a scheduled appearance on the Today show. In the videos, she offered awkward apologies to Matt Lauer and to “those who I have hurt.” The question (with a fairly easy answer) is whether her career or reputation can be salvaged after all this.

Read more

Life isn’t fair. Some people are born smarter, better looking and more talented than others. It stinks, but that’s life.

So the hard-working public naturally experiences a certain level of Schadenfreude when a beautiful woman with enough confidence to appear in the Miss USA pageant goes down in flames because she flubs a question about the underlying issues of why women are paid less than men. That is an important cultural and economic question, and one that even experts struggle to explain.

But Miss Utah handled that question like a flying squirrel in the cockpit of an airborne plane. She just didn’t know what was going on or what to do. She freaked. It was painful to watch, and riveting, of course. We’re human after all. In less than a minute Miss Utah’s bungled answer to such a complex question underscored the pageant’s rocky relationship with the American public. Read more