How Publicists Fuel the Celebrity News Fire

Feb. 25, 2005 — -- Perhaps not surprisingly, the stunning growth of celebrity media has increased the power of those charged with protecting celebrities from the media -- the publicists.

"Sometimes you have to be like a Hoover vacuum and clean up the mess, and you have to do it with a very deft hand," says Cindi Berger, a managing director at power firm PMK, which counts Jennifer Aniston among its clients. "And that's where you really rely very closely on the relationships that you have with journalists, columnists, magazine editors."

Producers at the celebrity TV shows are far more dependant upon the cooperation of stars. So after the Brad Pitt-Jennifer Aniston breakup they were far more agreeable to arguments by publicists, who wanted certain aspects of the story -- say, the role possibly played by Angelina Jolie -- kept off the air. That lasted for a few days, until the glossy magazines made the speculation so ubiquitous the TV shows had to mention it.

But why would anyone keep something off air or out of print if they didn't have to?

"They do it because there are arrangements that can be made, depending upon what it is," says Berger. Hollywood insiders say publicists regularly cut deals with celebrity media, making promises of better stories down the line or other "arrangements."

They have a serious task -- one on which billions of dollars ride: protecting their clients' image.

"I definitely felt that there was Brad spin going on immediately" after the break-up, says Bonnie Fuller, the editorial director of American Media Inc., which publishes The Star magazine. "And it was excellent because the first couple of days of the story were all about how it seemed to be Jennifer's fault, that she would not have a baby and he was desperate, and he was this loving husband being thwarted by a woman who was just far into her career."

It is a sign of the times: publicists for actors and singers spinning like presidential campaign press secretaries in the throes of the New Hampshire primary. Brad Pitt, after all, is not just an appealing actor. He is an industry with a net worth of $100 million, and an asking price per picture of $20 million. Aniston has a net worth of $80 million, and makes $7 million to $8 million per picture. A messy divorce is in the interest of neither one.

Stars' Careers Based on 'Salability'

"It is in the best interest of Hollywood and the studios to make sure that it is clean, I suppose," says Pat O'Brien, host of "The Insider" celebrity news show.

Adds Joe Dolce, editor-in-chief of The Star magazine: "These guys' careers are based on their salability, which is based on their appeal and their attractiveness to the big public. And that has to be maintained. If it came out that Brad was having an affair, cheating on his wife, there might be a couple years where Brad couldn't 'open' a movie depending on what that movie was. You know, if his main draw was women and women are angry at him for messing around on his wife with another beautiful, gorgeous Hollywood starlet, they might vote with their daughters and not go see his next movie."

In December 2003, after the nonstop coverage of his ill-fated relationship with Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck said "my relationship with Jennifer has absolutely been bad for my career. The overexposure this year has been really damaging."

Ken Sunshine -- a powerful publicist representing Affleck, DiCaprio and Timberlake, among others -- recalls his initial reaction to hearing the news about Pitt and Aniston: "It'll take some heat off of Cameron and Justin, and Ben and Jennifer," he thought, "because those are the situations that I have to deal with."

"My second response is: look out, because I can see [the celebrity media] licking their chops and they're going to exploit this big-time."

Sunshine takes a somewhat more adversarial approach the paparazzi than other publicists. "I wish the public were a little more cognizant of the means by which some of these photos are gotten and the fact that much of what they're reading is a lie." The role of the celebrity media and their dependence upon paparazzi creates a situation, he says, that "is criminal; it's often way over the top and it involves things like chasing celebrities down the Hollywood Hills trying to cut them off in a car. Seeking to cause an accident. Bumping the car to get the most embarrassing reaction photo of a celebrity."

'Out of Control'

Last December, Leonardo DiCaprio told NBC that the paparazzi "are out of control. They're not journalists. They're not photographers."

Says Sunshine: "Princess Diana is dead, at least in part, because of maniacal stalkerazzis. I predict something like that's gonna happen in the Hollywood Hills unless something's done about this." Sunshine is working with California state lawmakers to make it tougher for photographers to pursue celebrities.

But Sunshine also says it's not just the paparazzi -- or the celebrity media -- who are to blame. He also faults some of his own colleagues. "The publicists are making deals with the publications on the backs of their A-level celebrities. And that's outrageous."

What do they do?

"Pay 'em off," Sunshine says. "Or say, you know, 'I'll look the other way but this is where my A-level celebrity will be tonight. You can get that shot but you gotta print a shot of these B- and C-level celebrities and get it in there."

"Publicists can be very helpful," says Fuller. "Many, many of them definitely understand the business that their stars are in. And they want their celebrities in the magazine and they enable us to work with them in many ways."