There has been considerable commentary lately about the new Tom Cruise, complete with detailed promotion of the Church of Scientology, extensive disclosure about his love life, and a bit too much exposure, even for an A-List actor.
Reuters describes the dramatic shift from entertainment PR diva Pat Kingley, who used to keep a tight rein on Cruise's image, to Cruise's sister Lee Anne Mapother De Vette who now has a somewhat looser control over the star's pronouncements.
Frankly, I'm appalled to read about Kingsley's bullying tactics that froze out entertainment reporters and media outlets that covered Cruise in a way she didn't approve. Her methods may have worked, but I think it's totally unethical to withhold access to certain media because they haven't played the publicity game with you. I'm not saying publicists have to bend over backwards to help journalists and critics who have burned them, but blackballing journalists from access to a wide range of celebrities strikes me as an inappropropriate use of power in a business that has relatively little oversight by regulators.
Having replaced his dragon lady PR person with a fellow Scientology evangelist, Cruise is shooting himself in the foot, and learning (as if Michael Jackson hasn't already taught us this lesson) that celebrities can only push the public's sense of propriety so far.
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