In reading the celebrity rags after Cathy tosses them on the nightstand, we’ve come upon a media battle as politically charged as the daily dust-up between Fox News Channel and CNN.
Only in this case, it’s not about right vs. left, Republican vs. Democrat, anti-abortion vs. pro-choice.
It’s about anti-Britney vs. pro-Britney.
US Weekly is in the role of Fox News — all mean-spirited anti-Britney-ness, in the same way that FNC is relentlessly anti-Democratic.
People is in the role of its Time Warner cousin CNN — more empathetic to the plight of Britney (the Democrats) and willing to report an occasional positive story.
Just check the June 26 issues of both pubs (the first one after Britney’s interview with Matt Lauer) to see the extent of this political divide:
People
Headline: Britney: “I Know I’m a Good Mom”
Subhead: In a tearful interview with Matt Lauer, Britney Spears defends her marriage and parenting skills and blames the paparazzi for making her an “emotional wreck.”
Description of Britney’s pre-interview stroll with husband and baby: “Kevin would talk to Sean and then break out into a song, making up the lyrics as he went along,” says a witness. “It made Britney laugh.” At one point, Spears leaned in and kissed her husband on the mouth, with Sean snuggled in between them like a big baby sandwich.
Choice excerpt: When Lauer pointed out a magazine photo caption that said, “Oops, No. 3,” Spears responded, “There will be an ‘Oops, No. 100.’ There’ll be plenty more oopses. I’m not perfect — I’m human.”
US Weekly
Headline: “I’m an Emotional Wreck”
Subhead: In a new Dateline NBC interview, a stressed Britney Spears defends her husband. But is she being totally truthful?
Description of Britney’s pre-interview stroll with husband and baby: The moment seemed a little too picture-perfect. Was it a casual outing or calculated image control?
Choice excerpt: Cry her a river! In 2003, Spears sobbed “strong, Britney,” when Diane Sawyer inquired about her “rough year” and split with Justin Timberlake. On Dateline, she gets misty about her critics. “You have to realize that we’re people.”
But US Weekly was only warming up for its full-scale assault on Britney’s Lauer interview in the July 3 edition, which is just hitting the stands.
This one includes the following features:
1. An US poll (of 100 people) in which 60 percent of respondents say that Britney was not telling the truth in the Lauer interview.
2. A second US poll (of 100 people) in which 87 percent of respondents say they “respect Britney less” after the interview.
3. A two-page story in which “body-language experts” and others break down the interview and conclude, on balance, that she’s lying.
Hmmm. Two straight weeks of bashing Britney’s legitimate complaints about unfair coverage and paparazzi harassment from publications like US Weekly? Wethinks US protests too much.
US Weekly‘s anti-Britney campaign is nothing new. It’s relentless — every week — with nary a nice word said about the woman. Obviously there is an audience for this, just as there is an audience for the hate-filled stylings of Hannity, O’Reilly, et al.
If we spewed that kind of negativity every day, we’d be filled with self-loathing. Oh, well — to each his own, we guess.
Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Britney
Tags: Britney Spears, Us Weekly
This doesn’t surprise me in the least.
She made a valiant effort, but just did not do a very good job with the questioning.
However, I think one of the most important reasons for her failure, was her appearance.
She looked horrible. Makeup, outfit, the damn gum in her mouth. How are you going to convince people you are worth something when you look like hell?
The whole thing just didn’t work for her.
Except…that an MSNBC poll showed the public reaction 80-20 in her favor.
I’m not a big fan of gum chewing and misused air quotes, but I do think she came off as a real person who deserved some empathy and respect.
I lost all respect for her when she turned 18.
Based on your theory, that “If we spewed that kind of negativity every day, we’d be filled with self-loathing,” a lot of bloggers must repel themselves. I completely agree with the theory, by the way.
I think democrats should resent you for metaphorically aligning them with Britney Spears.
Oh, and she’s sinking her own career, the mags are just in it to watch the ship go down, no matter how negative or positive they are about her. Misery is what sells those magazines. I should know. I buy them.