Monday, February 26, 2007

Spears and Seidlin: Is Any Publicity Good Publicity?

There’s an old saying that goes, “Any publicity is good publicity.” This theory of maximum exposure has worked well for some. Paris Hilton can credit her constant tabloid presence for much of her notoriety. It was the leak of her sex tape that brought many curious viewers to the first season of The Simple Life. Even Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev said any publicity is better than nothing when questioned of Sacha Cohen’s Borat, which “portrays Kazakhstan as a country where people drink horse urine and whose national pastimes include incest and shooting dogs,” said Bloomberg in Business Report. This week I decided to see what the blogosphere was buzzing about. Two stories managed to get almost as much publicity as the Oscars: Judge Larry and shaven Britney Spears, as seen in the photo to the right. Both are rather bizarre spectacles. Find my comment on a blog concerning Judge Larry Seidlin’s strange behavior here, or read my thoughts below. A clip of his famous tears can be found at the bottom of this post. I also shared opinions on Britney Spears in response to the blog Celebrity Mound and how this attention may hinder her custody battle. Is this publicity “good” publicity?

Many people share in your distaste for Judge Larry Seidlin’s erratic behavior. Blogs and news articles joked he was a possible threat to “Days of Our Lives,” and called him ringmaster to a circus, even “Judge Crybaby.” Yet, coverage of that Florida courtroom made ratings soar. Judge Larry’s strange actions became center of attention in the media. Most of America was disgusted, but they were nonetheless enthralled. Despite the hundreds of criticisms, and universal mockery of this man, he will still most likely get his television show. Viewers watch shows like Dr. Phil and Judge Judy and hate the hosts but love the drama. As demonstrated last week, Seidlin has a flair for the dramatic. Embarrassment by those in his field makes no difference; his “circus” honored him widespread publicity. If Judge Larry is in fact looking to start his own show, this hype is exactly what he needed.

In the case of Britney Spears I cannot see how this publicity would be good for anyone but her ex-husband. Unforgiving tabloids paint Spears’ volatile behavior as bizarre and unstable. A favorite photo they use is one where her hair is half shaved and a desperate insanity is conveyed in her eyes. Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline are in the midst of a custody battle over their two sons. This widespread, unflattering publicity for Spears may make her fight increasingly difficult. For Federline it does just the opposite. This is the perfect opportunity to use her negative attention for his benefit. “Kevin continues to be a very focused father with his children with hands-on management.” Kevin was sympathetic enough to postpone the court date and also brought his sons to visit their mother in rehab. It is hard to say whether Federline’s sincerity is genuine. But sincere or not, he is looking like the better parent.

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