Swanky Tale
It had to happen.
For gentlemen who like the swank of wearing a ponytail but can’t actually commit to growing their very own ultra-bohemian hank of hair, there is a solution: the ponytail cap.
The blue baseball cap with 12-inch ponytail attached comes in three hair shades and is featured in the new Harriet Carter mail-order catalogue. The catalogue photo shows the ponytail appearing to be come out of the crown of the wearer’s skull, but for $12.95, one can’t exactly expect a flowing Jose Eber mane.
Skewering the Hype
Remember when the saying “I don’t care what they say about me, as long as they spell my name right” used to be the prevailing attitude about publicity? That, of course, was back before publicists demanded cover stories for their clients, announced which reporter they wanted for the interview and specified what questions could and could not be asked.
As a guide to this new era of promotion, there is “The Zen of Hype: An Insider’s Guide to the Publicity Game,” a new book by Raleigh Pinskey, described as a veteran publicist. (Notice we did not refer to her as a flack .)
According to a press release, the author asked several media types, “What is your pet peeve in working with publicists?” That got the Social Climes crew thinking about some PR types who have approached us over the years, including one who, during the course of pitching a story, said: “So what do you do there, anyway?” Then there are those who routinely guarantee a guest list including everyone from President Bush to Madonna and Elvis’ ghost. And we especially appreciated the publicist who desperately tried to get us to cover an event by pleading, “You’ve got to do this. My job is on the line.” So much for a kinder, gentler world of hype.
Essentials
What you need to maneuver the L.A. scene: Your kitchen is stocked with such accouterments as a cappuccino maker, microwave, pizza stone and bread machine, and you think it’s complete? Hardly. No self-respecting consumer these days is without at least one item purchased from an infomercial. And who can resist them when glitzy, glossy half-hour sales pitches are broadcast on TV 24 hours a day, sometimes on several different channels simultaneously? While juicers are currently the rage, there are countless other items to choose from, including ovens that cook with hot air, food dehydrators and knives that can cut through a freeway overpass and still slice a tomato. We haven’t placed our order yet--we’re still waiting for a contraption that cleans the house, has dinner on the table when you get home, does the dishes afterward and tells you what a nice person you are.
