MEL Gibson faces a battle of Lethal Weapon proportions if he is going to overcome the career-threatening damage of his drink-drive, anti-Semitic outburst, allegedly made to the Californian police officers who arrested him. He quickly put into action a powerful PR offensive.
He put forward a grovelling apology and checked himself into rehab in addition to asking the very Jewish community he insulted for help to overcome his fight with the demon alcohol.
What Mel and his advisors understand only too well is that Los Angeles is the power base of the US movie and TV world, and crucially it is still dominated by the Jewish community. Already it's reported that the ABC TV network has cancelled a new series it was co-producing with Gibson, all about the Holocaust. He'll need all his acting skills to convince the Jewish TV and film moguls it was purely a drunken rant, which in no way reflects his real feelings.
Talking about battles: few would doubt the massive task facing Steve McClaren as the new England coach. The role of the England manager is second probably only to that of Prime Minister in terms of interest from Fleet Street's finest. My role with regard to Steve is strictly as media advisor to his management company, Key Sports.
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Of course, we all know that Steve's success depends on just how successful the England team is under him. But hopefully, I will be able to make the job less painful for him than it has proved to be for recent occupants of the hot seat — whose views on the way they were treated by the British media have to be heard to be believed, but when speaking privately have been consistent in their content.
The Daily Mirror had a great front-page exclusive last week concerning my client, Simon Cowell. They had pictures showing an attractive 21-year-old model, Jasmine Lennard, turning up at Simon's house at midnight. For some reason, best known to themselves, they assumed that the few hours she spent with Simon were of an intimate nature. Jasmine, who has appeared in Make Me A Supermodel, and Simon were, in fact, discussing potential TV projects with other friends of Simon's that the Mirror's surveillance team failed to spot.
The fact that Jasmine was wearing a fur coat on a baking hot night was purely about fashion and I was surprised that the Mirror team would suspect any other motive. Fortunately for Simon, his girlfriend Teri Seymour is a real romantic — she understands Simon's late-night meetings are because it's the only time he gets after a frantic day's scheduling. Thank goodness for romance. One over-enthusiastic journalist suggested to me that the whole thing was a cover-up to disguise Simon's real leanings — which would have given him automatic membership of the Lib Dem party. I was able to tell him straight not only has Simon definitely no Lib Dem leanings, but the meeting was purely of a TV business nature.
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