The business of celebrity gossip is still going strong, but happy endings are now the fashion. As doom is foreshadowed on the news, the public wants to see brighter things from the tabloids, and it may be in the best interests of the stars and their publicists to indulge the fans.
"I think that celebrities realize that it's more in vogue to have your life together," says Lori Levine, chief executive of talent brokering firm Flying Television. She feels stars may be more aware that if they act inappropriately in their private lives, they "actually won't be able to make money and in this economy, that bottom line is very, very seductive."
That doesn't mean everyone's cleaned up his or her act. Take Kanye West, the musician who made headlines this year for two scuffles with paparazzi photographers. West cleverly tried to take control of the spin by posting about the incidents on his blog, protesting the invasive danger that photographers pose.
Another celebrity who took the headlines into her own hands was Bai Ling, who was arrested last February in the Los Angeles International airport for stealing magazines and batteries. She claimed the incident was the result of a bad breakup and plead guilty to disturbing the peace but not before posting on her blog, "Life happens to you, either you liked it or not; sometimes I feel you have to be so brave to stand in front of the world and just hope that people will have a tender heart toward you," which some saw as a veiled response to the incident.
First person recounting of the ups and downs of fame seems to be one more tactic that stars have used recently to connect emotionally to their fans. The candidness becomes even more effective when stars show a desire to turn their lives around.
"We love second acts," says Howard Bragman, chairman of Fifteen Minutes, a strategic media and public relations agency. "We're willing to forgive bad behavior."
That's certainly the case with Josh Brolin. In July, while filming the Oliver Stone biopic "W," Brolin was arrested for getting into a bar fight in Shreveport, La. Charged with a misdemeanorfor interfering with police, he's scheduled to appear in court Dec. 2. While his mug shot was plastered across celebrity media pages, the incident hasn't slowed his streak of roles in critically acclaimed films. Up next in limited release: "Milk."
Amy Winehouse is banking on fans' hope for a second act after repeated rounds of drug abuse, violence and divorce rumors marred the musician's reputation. Authorities held her this past year for allegedly slapping a man and for suspicion of possessing a controlled substance. While neither incidents ended in formal charges, her husband Blake Fielder-Civil was sent to jail for assaulting and attempting to bribe a barman in 2007 and was recently released for rehabilitation.
While the "Dark Knight" buzz was still building, star Christian Bale was arrested in London after allegedly assaulting his mother and sister. The charges were subsequently dropped and any public memory was likely shadowed by the pic's industry-saving box office pull.
Levine says some Hollywood stars have hit a period of reputation rebuilding. Fame in America often means a progression of rising fast, falling fast and then an inspirational climb back to renewed fame and success. "We're tired of the bad news," says Levine. After watching the press highlight panty-less nightly escapades and DUI charges, the public wants some positive news. "We're tired of the roller coaster."
But, as the paparazzo isn't backing down, it's up to the stars to keep their illicit deeds out of the tabloid papers and blogs. "The only way you can control the press is to control your behavior," says Bragman.
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