Amypee’s Weblog

With the surplus of adept PR professionals abound, I am amazed that some celebrities still manage to come off as anything but gods and goddesses among us mere, imperfect mortals. I would think it impossible, in fact, for anything but droplets of pure gold to fall from the lips of our apotheosized stars. I just assumed that what comes out of their silly heads passes through some Wonka-like Hollywood PR machine, and all the shrill shrieks, inane drivel, and that which is generally incomprehensible comes out shiny and new. And who are the men and women behind the curtain? The specialists.

We’ve become so spoiled by Hollywood’s finest public relators that we are conditioned to expect a certain level of polish. So when a celebrity’s image, which includes what they have to say for themselves, falls short of perfection, I find it difficult to ignore. Take, for example, a disturbing article about recently reemerged former boy bander JC Chasez from PerezHilton.com. As a judge on MTV’s new hit series “Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew,” Chasez is in the public eye more now than he has been in several years. And naturally, with that, comes media attention– both unwanted and not. According to People.com, Chasez has been less than thrilled with the recent speculation that he and close pal Chase Crawford are anything but close friends.

But it’s not the unwarranted gay rumors that disturbed me so. Rather, it was JC’s sad attempt at a dignified response. Here’s how he put it:

“The fact of the matter is I’m a straight guy and I’m allowed to have [guy] friends. I don’t care about [people's] assumptions or anything, but when people outright lie, that’s wrong. So I think that part of the rumor is outright stupid.”        

First of all, the guy uses the word “outright” twice within the span of two sentences. That is atrocioius. That is outright atrocious. I also think he meant to say “downright” that second time around. The fact of the matter is that he shouldn’t start off his defense with “the fact of the matter.” It sounds defensive, and we all know what that means. And peppering speech with additional phrases like “or anything” is useless and annoying. 

Despite JC’s good intentions here, his unprofessionalism loses him credibility.  This is an incredibly talented, handsome, and classy guy with years of experience under his belt. But he comes off as anything but that when he fails to go through that ever-important PR machine. A specialist could have easily helped tidy his thoughts because it’s what they are best at. And that would serve not only to enhance JC’s image as he deals with the issues addressed in the articles that continue quoting him, but it would also set the tone for him as he reenters the world of celebrity. 

So, to all the not-so-perfet celebrities out there, I say never let us see you sweat. Please. Instead, have a nice man or lady with a big heart of gold and an even bigger vocabulary (and preferably a communications degree) stand by your side. And if you can’t find one, “I have no comment at this time,” is just fine, thanks.