War for Control

Example

No. I’m not obsessed with Tom Cruise, just with the manner in which his sister (or whomever) conducts his PR. Now I realize that confiscating all guests’ cell phones and pocketbooks at the multiple “War of the Worlds” premier events seems a bit draconian. (How many premieres can a movie have anyway?) The official explanation: to prevent scenes from the sci-fi film from being pirated.

While this seems plausible on the surface, I suspect the real concern lies in the piracy of unapproved Tom ‘n Katie images. This comes on the heels of Mr. Cruise’s PR reps requiring journalists to sign agreements to avoid certain lines of questioning during the film’s press junket.

The efforts to overtly manipulate journalists rubs me the wrong way. What’s sad is that too many members of the fourth estate will agree to a little manipulation in exchange for access to an “A” lister.