I know I sound a bit anachronistic, but today’s story in the New York Post about the new breed of “paparazzi” out east (i.e., the Hamptons) speaks volumes about the sad state of celebrity in which we live.

These aren’t the kind of stalking paparazzi Ron Galella first made famous with Jackie O., or the present day versions who give the Lindsay Lohans of the world a run for their money. Rather, these are a new breed of FAUX-paparazzi who have no US, People or Star Magazine from which to earn a respectable wage acting disrespectful. Their source of income: the owners of the clubs-of-the-moment. Their photo subjects: nobodies wishing to be somebodies!

“There are grades of vanity, there are only grades of ability in concealing it.”
–Wm. Shakespeare, Richard II

The lure of TV exposure, no matter how deleterious to one’s persona, is strong indeed. I’ve never understood why one would agree to rehash on national TV his or her misdeeds as a means to re-build a broken image. Take, for example, the latest example of a celebrity low-life who has been awarded a TV show. Landing this new starring role wasn’t based on musical talent, but rather on jail time served, drug use and wife-beating. (No Tara, not you.) When will we see Joey Buttafuoco and Jennifer Wilbanks sharing a house on the beach in prime time? I guess this is what America craves, and thus what TV programmers are happy to serve up.

The New York Yankees organization is never bereft of drama. The latest involves one of the Bombers’ high-paid stars Gary Sheffield. What are the PR implications here?

Well, the Yankees floated the notion that Mr. Sheffield was potentially up for grabs by the team’s crosstown rival, The Mets. Sheffield, not wanting to be traded from his high-profile squad, took the ball into his own hands. During a media interview, he warned prospective suitors that there would be “repercussions” should he be acquired. The Times called it a “calculated attempt” to silence trade talks. I call it good old fashioned PR.