Features
Odds & Ends: “Glee,” Chris Brown & The Brit Awards
No ‘Glee’ In 2012
The cast of Fox Television’s “Glee” won’t be hitting the road this year.
The “Glee Live! In Concert” tour is taking the summer off, according to published reports. However, Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) and other cast members might appear at a one-off performance at the Hollywood Bowl, according to E Online.
“Glee Live! In Concert” placed 28th on Pollstar’s Top 200 North American Tours for 2011, playing 28 shows in 19 cities for a final North American gross totaling $27.1 million.
Dial It Down, Chris Brown
When your attitude and offstage antics make more news than your music, than maybe it’s time to consider a few changes.
That’s part of the free advice aimed at Chris Brown via Reuters. The news service recently talked to crisis management expert William Moran who handles public relations debacles involving sports figures and celebrities.
Moran says there are three golden rules when a celeb is in the news for all the wrong reasons. No. 1 is “Time heals all rules,” followed by “Winning solves most problems” and “People are forgiving.”
Brown’s press problems date back to 2009 when he violently assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna. Brown, who pleaded guilty to felony assault and was sentenced to five years probation and six months community service, won a Grammy for best R&B album last week for his 2011 release, F.A.M.E. So it looks as if he’s nailed down Moran’s first two golden rules.
However, Brown doesn’t appear to be quite in sync with rule No. 3. Shortly after his Grammy victory, Brown boasted to the world via Twitter, saying, “HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY Now!…”
“People are angry because he’s being obstinate and not showing remorse,” Moran told Reuters. “If he were my client, I would say that he should be expressing remorse for what he did, rather than defending himself.”
Moran wasn’t the only damage-control expert offering free tips to Brown. Howard Bragman, vice chairman of L.A.-based management firm Reputation.com said Brown needs to do more than make a few superficial changes to his public persona.
“He needs life lessons, not PR lessons,” Bragman told Reuters. “He needs to change his thinking. Once you change your thinking, your behavior will change.”
Brit Awards To Honor Amy and Whitney
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that this year’s Brit Awards is cooking up something special for Amy Winehouse. After all, the British music industry’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards has had more than six months to plan a proper tribute to the singer who died in July 2011.
But it appears the Brit Awards is now planning two tributes – one to Winehouse and another to Whitney Houston, who died in Beverly Hills, Calif., Feb. 11, one day before this year’s Grammy celebration.
Quoting those ol’ reliable unnamed sources, London’s Telegraph newspaper says the Brit Awards program has “been adjusted” to handle tributes to both performers.
“Whitney and Amy are two of the biggest female stars in the history of music,” the Telegraph’s source said, adding “Something would be missing if both their legacies weren’t remembered at the show.”
Winehouse won a 2007 Brit Award for best female solo artist while Houston received her Brit honor in 1994 for best soundtrack/cast recording for her film “The Bodyguard.”
The Brit Awards take place Feb. 21 at the O2 London. Click here for the event’s website.