vh1.com : person: lindsay lohan : movie feature | Mon. 06 20. 2005 4:09 PM EDT
Tom Cruise is in love! In love! IN LOVE!!! And he wants Oprah, Access Hollywood, Leno, you, your neighbor, and every potential War of the Worlds ticket-buyer to know it. When he's not gushing over Lady Katie, he's pimping Scientology or
The jury is out on the calculations behind the whole thing--there are moments when it seems as authentic as his "Seduce and Destroy" sex guru from Magnolia. Will his rep recover? Fortunately for Cruise, he's in good company. Showbiz has a rich tradition of celebrity PR stunts that don't always go as planned and leave publicists scrambling for excuses. We've rounded up the ten most embarrassing. 1. "They look like boobs, but they're my knees!" (2005) Give Britney Spears credit. With Chaotic, she did the impossible - made a show so spectacularly dumb, that suddenly Jessica Simpson looks like a genius. Brit-Brit used to own the steaming-hot PR stunt, but Chaotic bumped her from A-List hottie to a candidate for The Surreal Life. Where's Madonna when you need her? 2. The Star Spangled Crotch Grab (1990) Roseanne's always been a bitch. That's her charm! Her potty-mouth launched her sitcom; her bluntness gave her appeal. But when she butchered the National Anthem, spitting, slurring, and grabbing her nether regions, she learned American could only stomach so much. Ratings slipped. Her image suffered. The nation never fully forgave her. 3. Bennifer (2004) If Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez couldn't make it, what hope is there for the rest of us? B-Lo did more than just sink Gigli. It torpedoed Ben 4. Nipplegate (2004) Sure, Janet Jackson's nipple-shield put her in the spotlight. And it made us all get Tivo. But what appeared to be a victory for spontaneity had a longer-term, substantive backlash: more regulation of content, tighter control by the networks, and an album that was gone quicker than Janet's blink-and-you'll miss it t*ttie flash. 5. Bad Hair Day (1999) Poor Keri Russell. The first season of Felicity scored monster ratings and critical acclaim ... then she got a haircut. Gone were her luscious brown locks, in exchange for a curly mop-head. America was outraged and betrayed. Now the hair is back. Can a Samson-like comeback be far behind? 6. Hit 'Em Up (1996) In a venomous B-side diss, Tupac tells his former pal Notorious B.I.G. that "I f*cked your wife." In hindsight, maybe not the best PR move, for either rapper. Who knows? The bloodshed might have been avoided if 'Pac instead told Biggie, "The jerk store called--they're running out of you!" 7. Oscar & Me (2003) Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine spoke to lefties, moderates, and conservatives alike. His 2004 Oscar acceptance speech did not. When the fiery filmmaker used the forum to shout, "Shame on you, Mr. Bush. Shame on you!" he was booed offstage by the very people Fox will have you believe are Hollywood's liberal elite. 8. Lisa Marie is not my lover (1994) Looking back, Michael Jackson's short-lived marriage to Lisa Marie Presley is when he went from cool-but-freaky to just plain freak. Sure, they could share makeup, but everything else looked radically contrived. And their MTV Video Music Awards smooch had about as much passion as a deli counter. Take notes, Mr. Cruise. 9. Meesah Help You-sa Ruin Da Franchise! (1999) In the last century we've faced three key villains: Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Jar Jar Binks. Why, George Lucas, why? To recruit a younger generation of kid fans, Lucas created this clownish GunGan, who steps in "doo-doo" and speaks in a curiously Caribbean accent (which even sparked some charges of racism). Lucas learned his lesson: not one line in Sith. 10. Lean Girls (2005) Lindsay Lohan is famous for two things, and neither are her acting. But she appears to be losing her, um, "assets" at an alarming rate. Is it PR? A diet? A misguided attempt to look more adult? The beanpole-look might cut it for Herbie, but who knows how the world will react to a less-than-fully-loaded Lohan. |
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