Music, Movie and Entertainment

People are looking for authenticity when it comes to autographs and other celebrity collectibles and memorabilia. Regardless of the side of the game you are on, buyer or seller, you need to have a good working knowledge of the factors that contribute to the valuation of autographs and other celebrity items. If you are a celebrity memorabilia investor, you may be keeping the items for the future to pass on to children or grandchildren. Whether this is the case or you want to sell them years down the road you will want to be sure that you are buying and accumulating quality authentic autographs.

For many people their love for autograph collecting began at an early age when they weren’t even aware of the value of an item. Sometimes these people grow up to be some of the most prolific and sought after collectors and dealers in the industry because they have been involved for so long that they have learned a vast amount about the industry throughout their entire life.

One of the hardest things to do in the autograph collection industry is finding the time to meet the celebrities, TV personalities, and politicians who may or may not be running for office. Of course one of the most important factors that is used in the valuation of an autograph is that of supply and demand. This should be no surprise since this is one of the biggest factors in the valuation of anything. An item that is in short supply will bring more money that something that is not if other factors are equal. Sometimes even if the document is in poor condition it can still be valuable just because of the authenticity and rarity of signatures that are on it.

The autograph is also important as it needs to be legible and readable so that one does not need to imagine that it is truly the name that they think it is but that it truly is what it is supposed to be. It cannot be blurry or damaged by stains or it will be greatly reduced in value. With autograph valuations the signature itself is the single most important factor and they should be done in ink as well. Autographs done in pencil are not worth much, the earlier documents were done in pen and ink and the ones that are valuable today are ball point.

Ink has and always will be the medium of choice when it comes to autograph collecting because it is durable and long lasting and not subject to easy forgery as those signatures done in pencil. In addition, pencil writing tends to fade and blur with age so you can not keep it for long periods of time which is not beneficial in long term autograph collecting.

A PR event can be great for generating free media coverage for your client. One thing which can make it even more successful, however, is the presence of a celebrity or two.

By their very nature, celebrities seem to be followed by the limelight, and anything which they are seen to endorse or choose to be a part of automatically becomes more successful by association. This is why advertisers use celebrities to endorse products in print media advertisements and television commercials.

There are three main ways of attracting celebrities to your event, and which one you choose to take will depend primarily on the nature of the event itself..

1. Rent a Celebrity

Many celebrities are happy to show up at an event in return for a fee. Whilst few clients can afford the fees demanded by ‘A List’ celebrities (movie stars, gold-medal athletes, and so on), there are many more ‘B List’ celebs (soap stars, daytime TV presenters, etc.) who charge more affordable fees for an appearance.

While these individuals won’t necessarily have journalists from the gossip magazines following their every move, they almost always make it easy to get local television and newspaper coverage, which would normally cost much more than their fee.

2. Invite a Celebrity Customer

If your client has worked with or for a celebrity in the past then this prior association might encourage the celebrity to volunteer his or her presence at the event. For example, if a celebrity uses your client’s product with great enthusiasm, he or she might be more than happy to attend the event for free, or perhaps in return for a year’s supply of free product. The more enthusiastic the celebrity is about your client or his product, the more chance you have of having him attend.

3. Liaise with the Charity

If the event in question is being held primarily for charitable purposes, you might find it most useful to speak with the PR department of the charity concerned and find out if they already have some celebrity supporters who may be willing to attend. If they do (and most recognized charities have at least a few) then the charity’s own PR department should do the rest and ensure that someone comes to support the event you are organizing.

Although attracting celebrities often increases the effectiveness of a PR event, this doesn’t mean that an event which doesn’t have such high-profile support will be a failure. Certainly not. If any PR event is well organized and promoted properly, it will almost always prove to be a success as far as generating publicity for your client is concerned. Celebrity presence must therefore be viewed as the ‘icing on the cake’ rather than essential for success.

With Oscars round the corner, one wonders whether we will get to see any wardrobe malfunction. Of late, it has become a usual occurrence where some celebrity or the other is caught on camera having the most embarrassing moment of her life. When something like this happens, you get celebrities claiming that it was an accident. However, many believe that these so-called accidents are nothing but publicity stunts.

One wonders what the truth is about celebrities and wardrobe malfunctions. Celebrities do have sufficient money to ensure that they are well dressed. Even a simple dress worn with proper accessories can look ravishing and appealing. So, there is no need for the celebrities to wear skimpy or ill-fitting clothes.

When Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction during a Super Bowl performance along with Justin Timberlake, one wonders whether it was really an accident as claimed by the two performers or was it on purpose. After all a record 140 million were watching the show. Although the organizers apologized for the fiasco, there were claims that it was a stunt performed for publicity. Nonetheless, viewers were shocked.

In 2008, during the MTV movie awards, Lindsay Lohan was left red faced after a gust of wind blew her short dress and allowed cameras a hay time. This was embarrassing, but a situation not in her control. Or was it? Maybe she could have worn a longer dress rather than a short one.

Then there is the famous incident with Tara Reid that occurred in 2005 during Diddy’s birthday party. Reid posed for the photographers waiting outside the venue wearing an ill-fitting dress with straps. The strap fell off and exposed her completely. It took Reid some seconds to realize that she was flashing herself for one and all.

These few incidents really speak a lot about celebrities and their wardrobe malfunctions. Maybe they are really publicity stunts and not accidents.

Collecting autographed celebrity photos can be a passion for many. They offer the chance to express the devotion of a fan while still being stylish and interesting. Having a piece of memorabilia with the autograph on it can be quite impressive and many people make a hobby out of collecting these sorts of items, whether they be autographed movie stills or autographed baseballs from famous players. Some of the items are easier to come by than others, however, and obtaining these more obscure ones can provide quite the challenge. However, if something is challenging, that usually proves that it is worth the chase and this can be quite a delight for people who make a hobby out of these things.

Rare autographed celebrity photos often come in the form of old time celebrities who have since died. Since the famous figure is no longer alive, that puts a limited number on the amount of autographs which exist from this person, making the item rare. If the photo is something from an older film, the autographed celebrity photo can still be rare. The item is not as rare, however, for if that celebrity is still alive, they still have the potential to sign the photo. This is different from having a signature that is 40 years old, but it is still possible. If the star is dead, however, they can never again give an autograph, making the piece much more valuable.

Finding these items can be somewhat tricky. One of the best places to start the search is simply on the Internet. Auction sites are popular to find autographed celebrity memorabilia because people are always looking to make a little money. However, one must be warned before approaching these auction sites. With the more rare items, the price will greatly increase. If someone is looking to supplement their collection with a very rare piece, they must be willing to potentially pay a good deal of money for it.

Websites also exist which help to put collectors of rare celebrity memorabilia in touch with each other. Often, collectors like to show off their collections and finding someone with a certain piece can be done through one of these websites. In cases like this, these collectors are often willing to make a trade, one rare piece for another. Sometimes the pieces can be bought outright for the correct price.

It will simply take a lot of patience to find the rare pieces which a person might be looking for; this is why the pieces are rare. Local collectible shops might be able to keep an eye out for a person, alerting them which a piece matching the criteria might be found. With enough money and patience, however, any pieces might be discovered and the person could then complete their collection. It must be kept in mind, though, that half of the thrill is in the chase and searching for these autographed celebrity photos can often be as rewarding as actually finding the desired pieces.

Cougars! The latest description of women who like younger men.

[At least it's no longer called "robbing the cradle" or "perverse."]

Throughout history, there have been older woman-younger man pairings but without the surrounding publicity we now have via celebrity news and instant media. And because of this, the use of the term cougar has gone from a pejorative term to one that is positive and has hit the popular mainstream of today’s media love of anything sexual.

Historically men have been involved with younger women [often very much younger women] and that was acceptable. But women involved with younger men had not been so well received; that is until now. [And the younger man in the relationship was never belittled as much as the older woman.]

So – you want to be a cougar? Yes? Then go for it!

The 1st step in being or becoming a cougar is to not worry what others might think of you. If you worry about how those “others” view you – you need to develop some tough skin as there are some, maybe even your friends, who will not approve of your “going cougar.”

The 2nd step is to look your best. I’m one who thinks we all “look our age” because we are our age and that’s how we look. But that said – the more general population has myths about how older woman look.

Can we look younger? I’m not sure of that in reality, but we can meet the societal mythology of “you don’t look your age.” And we can do that by looking the best we can look.

And how do we look our best? And especially, how do we do this if we are over 40, 50, 60 or even 70?

Not by trying to look “young” in teenage type clothing! Sorry – but teen clothes are for teens – not grown woman. Few of us can carry off that skin-tight-belly-hip-showing style without looking like – well woman trying, sadly, to look like teenagers.

Instead be a great example of who you already are! Be as lean and lithe as your body will allow by exercising and stretching by doing yoga. Wear clothing that complements your body, take care of your skin, keep your hair trimmed and neat – even colored if you wish – and try wearing some soft eye makeup. You’ll look and feel good and you’ll be ready and set to go.

Get out there and be a cougar!

In her autobiography, “Home: A Memoir of My Early Years,” Julie Andrews reveals the all too often kept dark secret of sexual abuse. Andrews reveals that when she was fifteen, her stepfather, who was drunk lunged toward her saying, “I really must teach you how to kiss properly.” He then kissed her full on the lips. Andrews states, “It was a deep, moist kiss – a horrible experience.” He tried to repeat his endeavor to teach Andrews how to kiss properly, she fended him off. She also, installed a bolt on her bedroom door and managed to avoid being alone with him.

Andrews does not reveal if she told anyone. One might wonder if she did tell, what was done. Since she did not reveal that she told, my guess is that she did not. Not telling about the sexual abuse is a sad state of affairs, because it leaves the person, as well as others, vulnerable to being abused. Yet, this is a common response to this horrific experience.

Girls are scripted and rewarded to not cause a scene and to be cute and demur. Boys are scripted and rewarded to be strong, and to exhibit bravery in every situation. The typical child sex offender molests an average of 117 children, most do not report the offense – National Institute of Mental Health. 1988 This statistic has remained consistent for many decades.

Child sexual abuse is the greatest hidden epidemic in the world. U.S. statistics reveal as high as 62 percent of females and 31 percent of males will be sexually violated before age 18.

“If a disease affected our children in these enormous numbers we would declare a national emergency. Monies for research to find a cure would be made available immediately.” States Claire R. Reeves, President/Founder/Chief Executive Office of Mothers Against Sexual Abuse – MASA

Prevention has eluded all of society, even passionate and committed prevention advocates, because society concentrates the majority of efforts entirely on repairing the damage. Over the last several years many informative and educational books have been written about incest and child sexual abuse. That this heretofore taboo subject is being addressed is of the utmost importance to enlighten society regarding this heinous crime against our innocent children. While this terrible crime has been expounded on extensively, little has been offered in the way of preventing it.

Children, as young as two or three years old can thwart a would-be sex offender if they are
armed with the permission and knowledge. Parents need to empower their children and support them in the ownership of their bodies and their lives.

Hiding behind all the glitz and glamour and what may seem like unusual celebreties are those who get bankrupt fairly frequently, though it’s also the case that they come through it quite often as well.

This could quite well be the reason behind Clarissa Dickson Wright being bankrupt not once but thrice! It was said that the first time was due to the champagne bill at her mother’s funeral!
The list of bankrupt celebreties is extensive and consists of celebreties from all walks of life from senators to TV stars to football players and movie stars. Often the reason for these bankruptcies is that money is aquired quickly and when the checks come in, it doesn’t seem like they will ever stop. It’s like a dream and many celebreties don’t know how to deal with it and accordingly end up in excesses that they can’t afford.

Take for instance Kim Basinger who was said of all things to have bought an entire town! Kim Basinger bought the entire town of Braselton, Georgia for 20 million dollars and after being sued for a breach of contract not only had to sell Braselton but also file for bankruptcy.

While in her case it was one major expense that led to her demise, in cases of most celebreties it is a series of excesses and regular expenses that they can’t afford once their good times end and the checks stop rolling in as they once did.

Mike Tyson was said for instance to need $400,000 a month to maintain his life style but after filing bankruptcy now lives on a modest rented house in Phoenix.

Although it might seem unusual the reason why many celebreties go on this spending spree is that they genuinely assume that it is never going to end. Imagine; you are making money and getting a certain amount of salary and would think that this is an end less stream of money that you will continue to generate through out life. In your case in normal circumstances it will be true because as you gain experience and advance in your career your salary will only increase.

However, think of it from the point of view of a celebrity as they also think along the same lines. They also think that their earnings will be an endless stream which will not end. Although, what they do not realize is that unlike a normal salaried person their golden period will end and what they are making at this time is probably highly skewed and can’t keep on making it for the rest of their life. This is true for actors as well as athletes. They can’t really expect a 10% raise on what they are making till the end of their life. When money comes and comes in fast, it’s difficult for celebreties to think that it will ever stop. To such an extent that they even start ignoring the bad news. For instance an actress might ignore a bad review of her movie when she should probably take stock of it, see if something is wrong and then takes care of it.

The problem of bankrupt celebreties is so acute that it has sprung up an industry of its own with professionals who advise these celebreties to manage their wealth and to basically keep a check on their excesses. These financial tamers watch over the back of their clients and prevent them from buying things which can spin out of control like late comedian Rod Hull who bought an Elizabethan Mansion in 1987 for 387,000 pounds and spent another 500,000 pounds in restoring it. The house was soon repossessed as he faced massive tax arrears and was in a problem that he couldn’t quite control.

While celebreties may even add a little glitz to what is indeed a dark problem, one must keep in mind that there are lessons to be learned from them and like them we also feel the need to indulge in excesses too often. While indulgence is not bad and may even be necessary some times, be sure that you don’t end up in something that becomes disease like and more than that be careful that you don’t spend on something that requires monthly pay checks. What was probably a 20 million dollars town to Kim Basinger could well be a 100,000 dollars sports car for you!

Celebrities live a charmed life, or so we think. We read about their luxurious lifestyles in the celebrity gossip magazines. We look at their attractive partners, their sparkling jewelry and their posh houses. Many celeb gossip readers fancy living such a life in the lap of luxury. But do we think how they are missing out on the little things in life that make live livable? I mean, no celebrity can go out and hang around with friends when he becomes the darling of entertainment news columns. His private life practically ends there. He’s then just a normal person trying to trick the paparazzi and protect whatever he can of his privacy.

There are two questions here. Do the celebrities really want the celebrity gossip sites to talk about every little aspect of their life? The answer is a yes and a no. They want the celeb gossip sites and other publications to talk about them because that gives them publicity and visibility. Being splashed all over tabloids and entertainment news portals have a strong impression on the celebrity’s fan following. When the tabloids and magazines talk about them at length, the celebrity knows that he is interesting enough and popular enough to get people talking about him. When they see the paparazzi on their tails, they know they have achieved something important. It’s like a yardstick to measure their success.

The answer is a no when we talk about celebrity gossip sites probing deep into their private lives. Celeb gossip sites beep date alerts even when a male celebrity is just hanging around with a celebrity of the opposite sex. The constant scrutiny and a life under the microscope of the paparazzi- that’s what celebrities get as a byproduct of fame. They can’t go shopping with their family, they can’t sneak out with their partner for a quiet dinner, they can’t even go to town partying! It’s like whatever they may do, the entertainment portals and tabloids will write about them. Exaggeration is an essential enemy here! There are very few publications which actually authenticate a news story about a celebrity before going viral with it.

The second question is: do the celebrity gossip sites help the celebrity? This answer is an emphatic yes! Celebrities use the celeb gossip sites to promote their movies and music. They court journalists who write for these entertainment portals to get favorable movie reviews and music reviews. They like to answer tons of inane questions about their life and lifestyle to please the yellow journalists. They deliberately plant the paparazzi at their favorite haunts so they can be clicked. They know they can’t stop the news stories to trickle out, so they make sure that they use these sites and portals as vehicles and media to further their cause.

So the next time you find a celebrity lambasting a celebrity gossip site or threatening to sue an entertainment portal, be sure that he will do a double flip when it comes to using these celeb gossip site! It’s all a case of mutual understanding and existence. And as long as no one is seriously complaining, their honeymoon can go on a extended period!

Nearly everyone with a connection to the World Wide Web utilizes the free screensavers and wallpapers that seem to flood the net today. Pop-ups and flashing banners on your favorite websites and SPAM in your e-mail all claim to have the latest and greatest free screensavers available. But with all of the hearsay and worry about spyware and adware possibly attached to the free downloads invading your computer, just whom are you supposed to trust?

The truth is simple- free screensavers and other downloads are only as good as the websites that provide them. If you choose a quality, trustworthy site that clearly states that their products are spyware and adware free, you can feel more secure about utilizing such Internet freebies. If you’re unsure about the ulterior motives of such a website, do a bit of research and see what those who downloaded their screensavers and such had to say. The best free screensaver sites will be proud to display all of their comments, both positive and negative.

Now that the safety and security issue have been covered, we’re going to touch upon some of the “bonus features” for downloading free screensavers and wallpaper!

First, variety is the spice of life, especially when it’s free! Think about how many times you’ve changed your mind on tiny details that don’t matter very much, never mind the things you look at every day. Nothing spices up a boring computer screen more than a flashy new screensaver, complete with your favorite movie, celebrity, or inspirational quote to liven up your day. And since they’re free in cost, spyware and adware, you can change your mind (and your screensaver) as often as you like.

Are you a big fan of the seasons and holidays? Do you begin to wear your Christmas socks the second that Wal-Mart puts up their holiday décor? Do you put up Halloween decorations as soon as you take down your 4th of July ones? The holiday screensaver trends are here, perfectly designed for you to follow and change as you’d like to, even daily if you have the time and desire. Put up your favorite star one day, followed by a New England winter scene the next. Many screensavers are available in both home and workplace editions, and different formats and sizes to adapt to your computer.

Of course, modern technology brings us new and exciting things every day. Flash animation makes for some interesting conversation between co-workers. And you’re not limited to screensavers for your laptop and/or desktop PC, as Personal PlayStation (PSP) has it’s own variety of screensavers made especially for this compact device.

Vanity is a mortgage that must be deducted from the value of a man”  – Bismarck

Received wisdom proclaims the death of jazz, opera, and other “high-art” forms.   As if not disturbing enough AdWeek now reports a sponsored internet survey that infers that celebrity endorsement is at best irrelevant and at worse dead.  If true the secular forces in play may be the same. Primary is the fragmentation of media channels, and pari passu the consumer’s attention, all of which seem to be changing exponentially, to wit even rumors of Twitter’s death now abound.   To be sure this fragmentation co-varies with demographics rendering optimal media planning  a challenge.  So the putative irrelevance of celebrity endorsement is to be expected and perhaps embraced.

AdWeek asked nearly 4,800 consumers whether a celebrity helps influence a purchase decision, or not.  A surprising 78% answered it has no effect while nearly equal numbers either were turned off or encouraged by their inclusion.  While overall 12% were inhibited by celebrity endorsement the rate rose to 24% with older consumers (>55yro).  The proportion who were more likely to purchase a product due to celebrity endorsement declined steadily as a function of age, while men profess more celebrity purchase inhibition than women.  If true, the value of male celebrity endorsement is at best gratuitous, or at worst potentially damaging to trial.

Licensing executives seem to agree with consumers.  When asked one Manhattan guru reported to us that male celebrity endorsement is a non-starter:  “no man wants to smell like another man; men do not seek to imitate other males with the single exception of top-ranked sports stars”.   [Quick!  Name one product a male celebrity currently endorses who isn't a top athlete.]  Women on the other hand are more susceptible to female celebrity endorsement in a joint quest for shared style or  à la mode glamour.

First case:  Sunglasses….a quick scan of the aisles demonstrates that many designer lines use the name of a female celebrity as their mark.  Few, if any, carry a male celeb’s name, even Oakley’s vaunted sports lines.  One recent attempt to interest a sunglasses manufacturer in a male celebrity failed for lack of relevance to the purchase demographic.

Second case:   Last week P&G announced a deal with the NFL to exclusively promote 13 P&G brands.  Think of this as “dual bundling”, that is P&G buying access to 32 teams and 1,700 players while the NFL is endorsing 13 brands.  So this deal supports the premise that male sports stars are indeed the exception particularly when the cost of the endorsement is spread across many individuals and brands so it’s cheaper and less risky.   On the contrary single-player deals assume risk that the brand will be tarnished if a sports celebrity is raided, traded, faded, or otherwise compromised.  This exclusive P&G deal is smart in that it dilutes risk and manages cost while it adds tremendous marketing flexibility.  P&G’s latest effort is another step up from its “Champions” male grooming campaign which featured four top athletes from four differing sports. 

Third case:  Compare P&G’s approach to Icy Hot’s single celebrity endorsement by the NBA’s Shaquille O’Neal.  Although this too fits the accepted notion that a super star athlete is the best candidate to appeal to males that is also the point.  Given AdWeek’s data not only will the majority of users not be readily influenced by any celebrity but further any mismatch between the celebrity’s appeal, the product positioning, and the demographics of the brand’s users can only serve to further reduce purchase interest by mainstream users.  In this case if one assumes that topical analgesics are often purchased by women, elderly arthritis sufferers, and older run-of-the-mill back pain sufferers then the endorsement by an intimidating male athlete, while perhaps appealing to a sub-segment of male weekend athletes, will distort the brand’s positioning and narrow trial.

If male celebrity endorsement is dead then the good news is that the bulk of advertising seems to do fine with no-name actors doing jobs the consumer needs done.  Arguably there is an advantage to that since actors bring no baggage, no risk, and a lower cost with them.  Besides the average user will relate to them.  While beauty care consumers will always be influenced by female celebrity the male of the species will remain somewhat disinterested and unfazed by what his male competitors are up to, or even how they smell.