Los Angeles, CA - News of Leslie Neilson's death has already spread like wildfire, and we'll all spend the next few days honoring his memory by quoting movie lines, posting clips on our profile pages, and for some of us, dusting off our old "Naked Gun" VHS tapes and watching them again. Leslie Neilson may not have made any blockbuster movies over the last couple of years, but he made us laugh, and over the next couple of days, he will- deservedly- be the talk of the town.
We live in a celebrity culture. And let's face it, nothing does more for a celebrity's career than the act of dying. This is why celebs have started turning to CDP's (celebrity death publicists), who help them time their deaths for maximum exposure and success.
"We're dealing with people who have had very successful careers during their lives, and don't want that to change just because of death," says Kika Buckett, president of Grinning Reaper Publicity, "Essentially, we're redefining the meaning of a crossover artist."
"Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed MacMahon died in the same three day period, and it was a PR nightmare for MacMahon," explains Buckett. "The networks were obviously focused on Michael and Farrah, and because of that, poor Ed MacMahon was largely passed over, excuse the pun. Just imagine, an entire career buried because of bad timing."
On the same day Jackson passed, old time jazz singer Merv Goldblum had been on his deathbed, but fortunately, Goldblum had been working with Buckett, who rushed to his side and warned him that this would be awful timing for those highly coveted post-mortem record sales.
"I decided to wait it out," Goldblum said. "I mean, you only die once!" Goldblum is planning a widely anticipated demise early next spring.
While some celebrities try to plan for their own unique days of departure, other lesser known celebs (soap opera stars, celebrity chefs, state senators) vie for a chance to piggyback their deaths with a better known celebrity, in hopes that this will help elevate their careers. 1970's adult film star Jennie Hooter, for example, arranged to kick off on on the same day as Elvis Presley, "...and she got a restaurant named after her!" says Buckett proudly. Hooter was one of Buckett's first clients.
It is well known that famous artists, singers, and authors experience skyrocketing sales immediately following their deaths. Many sell more after death than they did during life. Some artists, such as Tupac Shakur, even continue to release successful new albums for years after they pass on. ("If that's not the benchmark of a great career, I don't know what is!" Buckett exclaims.)
The death of a celebrity is a time of much publicity, and obituaries are often used as the final barometers of a celebrity's accomplishments. "A bad obituary is the death knell of any career," explains Buckett.
At the same time, a good obituary can resurrect even the most forgotten celebrity. After-death comebacks are nothing new, according to Buckett ("Jesus made the greatest career comeback of all time!") and are quickly becoming accepted as the hottest Hollywood trend.
"Just like a movie release or a political campaign, we just want our client to get the most out of his or her release from this earth," says Buckett. "With the right help, any celeb can be tremendously successful in his or her post-sunset years."
The one drawback for Buckett? "No matter how good a job you do for a client, they'll never hire you again."
- Joe King for the Unassociated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment