Bragman and A&E to Showcase Celebs "Coming Out" This Fall

Media Bistro announced today that well-known Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman has been working with JUMA Entertainment and A&E to produce a one-time special about public figures coming out of the closet. Bragman is no stranger to this feat, as he has helped celebrities such as Chaz Bono and Meredith Baxter come out.

The special is due out some time later this year, but there are few other details available as the producers are currently in the throes of casting. Bragman tells Media Bistro that the title of the special as of this moment is Coming Out.

While some may view this publicizing of a very sensitive time in a person's life as exploitative, Bragman makes it clear that his motivations are purely innocent. He emphasizes that, "(t)his is the first chance I had to do something that I found empowering and that could change the world a little."

To those who are still a little shell-shocked at the idea, read up on Bragman and you will find you should not be so surprised. One of his 10 Commandments of Public Relations (via his web site) is There is No Wall Between Public and Private.

Howard Bragman founded Bragman Nyman Cafarelli PR and Marketing, which was bought by Interpublic in 2001. He founded the Fifteen Minutes PR agency in 2005.

To read the Media Bistro article, visit http://bit.ly/aCKQ5p.

The photo above is not my property and was taken from the Fifteen Minutes bio page.

Elizabeth Wadsen Joins "The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric"

CBS announced today that Elizabeth Wadsen will begin working this fall as the Director, Communications on "The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric." This appointment will officially take place August 2.

Wadsen joins a team that already includes, as Media Bistro points out, Senior Vice President of CBS News Communications Jeff Ballabon and Couric's personal publicist Matthew Hiltzik.

You can read the Media Bistro article about Wadsen's appointment here: http://mbist.ro/ceE81i.

We do not claim the rights to the photo of Katie Couric.

Design Intervention: Which Designers Will Grace the Silver Screen This Fall?

What would you do if Georgina Chapman and Damon Salvatore shared drinks on an episode of The Vampire Diaries? Or what if Donatella Versace gave Brooke Davis fashion advice on One Tree Hill?

Seem too awesome to comprehend? Well, rumors have it that some of our favorite fashion patrons will be gracing the silver screen on some of our favorite shows.

To address the most outlandish rumor I’ve heard, it cannot be confirmed nor denied that Karl Lagerfeld will be appearing on Gossip Girl this season (even though he has been spotted strolling around with the lovely Blake Lively).

However, you might be able to catch a glimpse of Diane von Furstenberg next to Serena and Blair – the cast has been spotted filming outside her Meatpacking District store this past week. As the show is equal parts fashion and drama it is no surprise that a famous face in fashion might make an appearance every now and then – especially since Tory Burch made it on-screen last season.

But until we know for sure, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Which fashion designer would YOU love to see and on which show? Send your answers to msmpr24seven@gmail.com. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter (@msmpr24seven)!

The photo is the property of Harper's Bazaar.

Who Doesn't Want to Be a Guest Editor for HollywoodLife.com?

Speaking of awesome things going on via Twitter, BFFs of HollywoodLife.com are in for a real treat.

The web site is hosting a "JCP Teen Guest Editor Contest" as I type, with the winner nabbing $100 gift card to JCPenney, the opportunity to "create a haul video showing off your sweet new look and dish on the hottest trends in a column on HollywoodLife.com!"

All you have to do (according to HollywoodLife.com) is:
"Tell us about your personal style, your favorite fashion icons and what you’re looking forward to most this school year and you may be chosen to become a JCP Teen Guest Editor on HollywoodLife.com! Don’t forget to upload a photo of yourself too."

But act quickly! The contest ends tomorrow, July 23!

To enter, visit http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2010/07/15/jcp-guest-editor-contest/. For more of HollywoodLife.com, follow the site on Twitter (@hollywoodlife).

Get a Free Michaels Kors Tote!

Although Michael Kors is relatively new to Twitter, he is already giving his followers what they want: free swag.

All you have to do is go to this link: http://ow.ly/2eDbC and enter in three valid email addresses of friends you think would like the offer. It's that simple! You don't have to buy anything, follow anyone, or Retweet a tweet!

Plus the bags are super cute (see the picture above)!

Just be sure you enter soon! The offer ends July 25, and you have to be able to pick up the bag at a participating MK store by that day.

What are you waiting for? Go snag one of these awesome totes!

To follow Michael Kors on Twitter, search @MichaelKors.

The pictures of the tote belong to Michael Kors and his company; I do not own them.

Because Real Life Isn't a Lifetime Movie or Hello, I am a Modern-Day Abolitionist

Sorry I'm keeping you waiting til late tonight, readers. (I know, I know - but hey, I'd like to pretend there are some readers waiting patiently on their laptops for me to update).

Confession: I just finished watching Jennifer Love Hewitt's Lifetime original movie The Client List.

First thought: Wow, that's pretty convenient that "Sam" has perfect recall and can remember all 69 of her clients. (Isn't it also convenient that Sam has 69 clients?)

Second thought: I wonder what implications this has on young girls who are watching this movie.

While I thought the movie was fine - pretty predictable storyline with a neatly resolved ending - I have to wonder: does this glorify the prostitution industry?

Spoiler alert: All the women got off with a fine and 30 nights in jail in exchange for giving up the names of the "johns" they saw regularly.

As I'm sure none of you know, human trafficking is a cause very close to my heart. Because I know it is a term often thrown around, I'll paste the definition of sex trafficking (taken from the 2010 Trafficking in Persons report):

When an adult is coerced, forced, or deceived into prostitution – or maintained in prostitution through coercion – that person is a victim of trafficking. All of those involved in recruiting, transporting, harboring, receiving, or obtaining the person for that purpose have committed a trafficking crime. Sex trafficking can also occur within debt bondage, as women and girls are forced to continue in prostitution through the use of unlawful “debt” purportedly incurred through their transportation, recruitment, or even their crude “sale” – which exploiters insist they must pay off before they can be free. It is critical to understand that a person’s initial consent to participate in prostitution is not legally determinative: if they are thereafter held in service through psychological manipulation or physical force, they are trafficking victims and should receive the benefits outlined in the Palermo Protocol and applicable domestic laws.

It should also disturb you to know that as many as 2 million children are sexually exploited as trafficking victims at any time around the globe.

I understand that it's probably a tad bizarre that that is what I'm thinking of as I relax and watch the Lifetime channel, but it is what it is. I think the movie didn't explore the women's backgrounds realistically enough. One woman loved sex and described this as her perfect job, while one (supposedly legal) girl said she ran away from home to audition for American Idol and couldn't return home to her Pentecostal family. Now, that's all fine and dandy for a Jennifer Love Hewitt movie, but in the real world, things are nearly as picture-perfect.

If you want to learn more about human trafficking, please visit The A21 Campaign's web site at www.theA21Campaign.org. To listen to the 2010 TIP Report (and to see the supporting documents), please visit: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2010/142747.htm.

I know that's a lot of heavy information to leave you with so late at night, but it's an issue that people need to know about - and one that doesn't stop when the night falls.

@ClaireMBiggs

Little known fact: Did you know you can see human trafficking portrayed in such music videos as Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and Mr. J Medeiros' "Constance"?

P.S. - That's not me in the photo. Credit goes to http://feelingelephants.wordpress.com/category/polaris-project-fellowship/.

“The blunting effects of slavery upon the slaveholder’s moral perceptions are known and conceded the world over; and a privileged class, an aristocracy, is but a band of slaveholders under another name”–Mark Twain

Support the Third Coast: Because America Doesn't Just Run East and West

So I was sure my next post was going to be about something food-related because a) who doesn't love food? and b) I'm snacking while I write. I was sure, until I took a blog-break to browse through Perez Hilton's latest posts.

As you know, I live on the Third Coast. Now, that term may not mean anything to you. You may not have heard it before. You may be under the impression that the only coasts America claims are the West and the East.

But you'd be wrong.

The Third Coast is unique. Its inhabitants are some of the most generous, talented, and resilient of our nation. I grew up here, I work here, I learn here, and I can honestly say that I'm proud to be from one of the states along the Third Coast: Louisiana.

But I don't claim the Louisiana the rest of the United States seems to focus on: I don't claim the Louisiana that can only boast of being the birthplace of Britney Spears (why doesn't anyone mention the Mannings? Ellen? Randy Jackson? Ian Somerhalder?); I don't claim the Louisiana that only empowers corrupt businessmen and politicians; I don't claim the Louisiana that is lacking in health care and education but gaining strides in crime and childhood obesity.

I claim the Louisiana that boasts food you can't even imagine tasting (have you heard of Emeril? Yeah, I claim him). I claim the state that has withstood Katrina and Rita and the oil spill - offering neighbors a smile and a helping hand. We may be tired, worried, and fearful, but we are nothing if not hopeful.

This video Perez posted is beautiful - and I'm not just talking about the people and the scenery. The message itself is one that I was fortunate enough to grow up hearing but that many seem to forget: your one voice counts for so much more than you know.

Please watch the video, take in the message, and sincerely consider signing the petition. On behalf of my home, the entire Third Coast, and every other resident of the US who has had to face natural or man-made disasters, please sign the petition.

Everyone who signs the petition during the next few days (I'll give you a Sunday deadline), I will post your names (or hometowns if you wish) in the blog that night. Please be sure to send me your name via Twitter (@ClaireMBiggs of @Msmpr24seven) or via email (Msmpr24seven@gmail.com) with what you want to be listed as on the blog and a short message of why you're signing the petition. (Ex. - one of the celebs signs for the pelicans).

I don't know about you, but I'm signing for beignets. And crawfish. And gumbo...See, I knew I'd sneak food in here somehow.

But in all seriousness, I'm signing for hope for a better, cleaner, safer future. Please consider doing the same.

@ClaireMBiggs @Msmpr24seven

Special thanks to Perez Hilton for posting the video as well as the people who spent the time to lend their voices. (Some include: Blake Lively, Sandra Bullock, the Mannings, Dave Matthews, Lenny Kravitz, etc.) To watch the video, visit: http://perezhilton.com/2010-07-20-save-the-gulf-be-the-one. To sign the petition, visit http://www.restorethegulf.com/.

Thank you.

Lindsay Lohandcuffs

The wait is over (again).

Lindsay Lohan was taken to jail today serve her prison sentence for violating parole. While it's unclear how many days she will actually serve in the slammer, it's clear that we're not going to be able to about much else considering everything will be documented - who is going to visit her, if she's receiving special treatment, etc.

If you have nothing else to do and, for whatever reason, can't get enough of Lindsay's drama, I'd say your best bet for the most timely information is HollywoodLife.com. They were outside the courthouse this morning, have been breaking news on her case (and Mel Gibson's) before anyone else, and Bonnie Fuller will be on your TV discussing the insanity following Ms. Lohan's predicament.

I know I may sound a bit harsh, but honestly, I have nothing against LL. I've never met her, and I wasn't at any of her court dates (and I certainly didn't follow her to her alcohol classes or to the clubs). However, it wears on me when all I hear from her camp is that her prison sentence is the reflection of some grave error in the justice system. As far as I'm concerned, Lindsay violated her probation and is serving out the consequences. While I do feel sorry that she's going to be spending time in jail - something, thankfully, most of us never have to face - I'm not going to sit here and pretend like she didn't do anything or doesn't deserve this treatment because she's a public figure.

Anyway. All ranting and raving aside, there are more important things happening as we speak! Check the next post for more details, and I'll promise to try to keep the Hollywood prison shoptalk to a minimum.

@ClaireMBiggs

What's better than being on the set of Gossip Girl?

Sorry I've been MIA since Friday, readers! Continental has unfortunately not equipped their planes with wifi - they also don't have pillows or blankets on any of their flights, just so you know.

Before I start the rant, I mean blog, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who read the blog and voted in the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World contest. I would also like to wish a sincere congratulations to GGG for winning the competition. Even though I still believe Eleisha Eagle should have won, it is an incredible victory nonetheless.

Now, to the heart of the matter: last Thursday was a banner day for this blogger; so many exciting things happened that it was hard to concentrate on things like packing, sleeping, or anything else that was vital to my sanity during the past three days.

First, I got offered a job during the semester. I know, why should you care? Honestly, you shouldn't care too much about my new job. But, you should care about the importance of keeping in touch with potential employers. Last year I applied for a position on my school's campus with Verizon. Although I didn't get that position, I kept in touch with the woman in charge of hiring and voila! New job! Sometimes I believe PR stands for persistence - so I thought I would share the necessity of being patient and persisting.

Second, I got to hang out on the set of Gossip Girl for the latter part of the day. There are too many fabulous - and confidential - details to explain here, but let me just say for the people that think Gossip Girl is losing its edge: you could not be more wrong.

Finally, while I thought there could be nothing more exciting that getting to hang around Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester, I found out there was: the news that BP had (finally) managed to stop the oil leak - for the time being.

As a Louisiana native, I've got to say that this news brought a bizarre rush of emotions: relief that the leak had stopped, anger that it had taken this long, worry that the cap wouldn't hold, etc.

Even now, it's hard to sit here and not shake with anger with all that is wrong with the oil leak and the way it has been handled in the past few months - by the media, government, BP, etc. I'll try to leave out my own personal opinions, but as a Louisianian, I can say that we're not holding our breath that the problems in the Gulf are going to be solved any time soon. Plus, there's always hurricane season to look forward to...

I would like to thank all the celebrities that helped with the Gulf telethon and in raising awareness through their charity work, social media sites, etc: Sophia Bush, Ian Somerhalder, Alyssa Milano, Jenny McCarthy, Chelsea Handler, Austin Nichols, Kathy Griffin, Nicole Richie, to just name a few. It's easy to care about something when nations and other governments are concerned, but it speaks volumes when you lend your names and voices to a cause when it is not timely, newsworthy, or popular. Thank you all so much.

@ClaireMBiggs

P.s. - I've been hearing that our comment box on the web site is malfunctioning. For the time being, please send me your comments, thoughts, complaints via Twitter and I will address them as best I can.