Did MJ's 1984 Accident Signal Identity Change?

It took 25 years for us to see this footage.



In 1984, Michael Jackson suffered second and third degree burns while filming a Pepsi Commercial. His hair was damaged, as well as some parts of his face.

So, could this have been the catalyst for him to change his skin color and hairstyle?

Yes, it is true that he still wore the "wet look" or "jheri curl" for at least 10 years after this accident. But could his trauma have led to an identity crisis?

We may never know...

Runaway Groom?

People have always said that NBA star Richard Jefferson is a "stand-up" kinda guy.

Well, he put that description to use when he ditched his bride last weekend!!!!!!!

This is definitely a PR issue for Mr. Jefferson, who decided at the last minute that his mother should be the only Mrs. Jefferson in his life.

HOW CAN HE "BOUNCE BACK" FROM THIS?

* Acknowledge Wrongdoing

There's no way to put a good spin of standing somebody up on your wedding day. He owes his former bride a BIG apology.

* Lay Low From The Dating Pool

Right now, he definitely needs to reinvent his image in the dating pool. There are plenty of women who want to marry a ball player, but almost none who want to be disappointed on their big day. Plus, such behavior is indicative of other questionable characteristics that Mr. Jefferson may have.

* Seek Counseling

He could use a little counseling. If he changed his mind about getting married, there is much more that he could be unsure about.

I think that because his public image matters so much to others- except him- this could be the reason why he did such a thing.

He must regroup, reevaluate, and respect himself enough to put his own happiness first.

[UPDATE: I just found out that he did radio interviews this morning, denying allegations that he was scheduled to be married. In fact, he says that he broke up with his bride the weekend BEFORE the wedding.]

I didn't want to waste a perfectly good blog, so that's why I didn't take back my suggestions.

The Homeless Partner With Lobbyists

No offense intended, but homeless people are used to standing in lines.

Now, a group of clever lobbyists have found a way to put the stamina of those people to use. This has led to critics accusing lobbyists of "buying" seats to important hearings.

Well, the lobbyists are not directly purchasing seats; instead, they are paying homeless people to hold their spaces in line.

This is a PR issue because it changes the way the public views the political system.

My suggestion is that those same lobbyists should train those homeless people to take over their jobs one day. But don't tell the part about paying folks to stand in line.

Anything worth having is worth WORKING for, not PAYING for.

When Veteran Journalists Defy Ethics

Barbara Walters is a legend in broadcast journalism.

While some have made fun of her speech impediment, most people will give her credit for lasting almost 50 years in a business that is truly "cutthroat".

But she used another object to do her own cutting yesterday, when her producer used a Flip cam to capture some unauthorized footage at Michael Jackson's memorial- from a very convenient place in the building.

She was confronted by TMZ (of all news organizations, at that) and used the old "everybody else was doing it" defense.

The interesting part of all this was that nobody cared about amateur footage. If anything, such footage took away from her report. The AEG feed was quality enough, that nobody wanted to see anything else.

Yet, even the veterans can fall prey to "being exclusive for the sake of being exclusive".

While this is a PR blog, I tend to cover journalism-related topics because the two industries go hand in hand.

I wonder if ABC allows ordinary citizens to record THEIR broadcasts from inside the studio?

Wait....I'll let Barbara Walters answer that question.

Turn Swag On, Brain Off

All it takes is 140 characters for people to make a fool out of themselves.

Just ask rapper Soulja Boy, who called music executives "crackers" in a recent Tweet- that has since been removed.


Yet, he forgets that we live in the age of screen capture. All you need is something like Adobe Acrobat Reader or the "Print Screen" function on your computer to save anything that appears on a screen. Plus, Google saves pages in its cache for up to 45 days after deletion.

So, celebrities must be very careful before they post a Tweet.

Twitter accounts are intended for promotion and self-branding- not venting!

I've written before that journalists are paid to dig up your dirt, so don't grab a shovel for them.

But I have also admitted to posting an emotional status message on Facebook. And I have yet to find a job. (Methinks this has something to do with it)

But I saw this coming. Soulja Boy always posts crude videos on YouTube, filled with cursing and risque behavior.

I just hope he turns his brain back on, along with his swag.

Swag doesn't put food on the table; thinking does!

How To Get Tickets To MJ Memorial

I predicted it (somewhat) correctly- if you see the post below.

The ticket distribution system will be random, BUT fans will be eligible for TWO tickets instead of one. (The family is being more generous than expected)

Here are the rough details:

There will be 17,500 tickets made available for the service next Tuesday (July 7, 2009).

11,000 tickets (Staples Center)
6,500 tickets for remote viewing(Nokia Theatre)

Fans registering at staplescenter.com until 6 p.m. Saturday, July 4, 2009.
The system will randomly draw 8,750 names- 2 tickets each for Staples Center or Nokia Center.
On Sunday, from 11 A.M. and 8 P.M those selected will be notified, receive a code, go to Ticketmaster, and receive info about where to go for tickets and wristbands.

NO TICKETS SOLD. Issue wristbands to ensure validity.

No distribution at Staples Center. No outside broadcasts.

No funeral procession.

Ken Sunshine Brightens The Day

The Jackson family wanted privacy, so they went for the best in the business.

They hired PR mogul Ken Sunshine.

You (and I) might not have heard of him before today, when it was announced that his firm- Sunshine Sachs & Associates- would be representing the Jacksons at a special press briefing later this morning.

Mr. Sunshine is known for protecting the privacy of its clients. This is what makes him stand out in the PR industry.

I have a feeling that tomorrow's press briefing is going to upset a lot of tabloid journalists. Sunshine is already a known foe to folks that he calls the "stalkerazzi" (a pun on paparazzi).

It will be interesting to see what Sunshine says.

I'm assuming that the tickets will be offered lottery-style, due to the competitive nature of the situation. You have people flying into L.A., just like they did for the inauguration back in January. So, you definitely don't want to get folks' hopes up.

The lottery might involve going to a website, which has already been set up to handle a large volume of traffic. The website will be setup on a "https" address to protect visitors against hackers. Then, visitors will enter some personal information- which will be screened immediately. (At this time, word verification seems like a must)

But people will definitely be limited to 1 ticket per ISP address. Yet, I hope that folks aren't meeting up at computer labs/Internet cafes to put a monopoly on the process.

I don't want to do anymore guessing. We shall see...