|
May 7, 2007
The Reputation Doctor Says Alec Baldwin and David Hasslehoff Have Reputations In Crisis
PHOTO: Actor David Hasslehoff Drunk On Tape
It's hard to say which is more cringe-inducing - the Hoff train wreck or the recent revelation that Baldwin, a respected and talented actor, is Hollywood's least likely candidate for father of the year.
According to the Associated Press, it's hard out there for a celebrity. Just ask Alec Baldwin and David Hasselhoff, two more examples of famous guys caught doing really, really embarrassing things.
Both actors - divorced dads of a certain age - were publicly humiliated by leaked tapes of them behaving badly. Celebrities, whose reputations can be destroyed in an instant on YouTube, seem to be pawns in the multimedia revolution that chews up this behavior - seen in regular people, too - and gleefully spits it out to the masses.
Hear that, Hasselhoff? Here's some advice: Trust no one.
The ex-'Baywatch' star, 54, was in full-on damage control mode Thursday when a videotape - a public relations nightmare, really - made by his daughters three months ago found its way to several syndicated entertainment shows. It depicted the recovering alcoholic in an awful state: drunk, shirtless and slurring, lying on the floor of a room and awkwardly snacking on a hamburger while one of his daughters lectures him.
(Wanna see it on YouTube? Type in 'hasselhoff' and 'drunk.')
'I thank God for the love and concern from my daughters,' he said in his statement. 'The tape was never meant to become public, but got into the hands of individuals who are not worthy of mentioning, who maliciously released the tape for their own self purpose. I hope that someone else will learn from the tape, as I have.'
It's hard to say which is more cringe-inducing - the Hoff train wreck or the recent revelation that Baldwin, a respected and talented actor, is Hollywood's least likely candidate for father of the year.
Baldwin, 49, railed at his 11-year-old daughter on a leaked voicemail, slamming her as a 'rude, thoughtless little pig' for missing his call. A tape of the message was obtained by celebrity Web site TMZ.com and broadcast worldwide.
PHOTO: Alec Baldwin in happier days with daughter Ireland and his ex-wife, actress Kim Basinger
The '30 Rock' scene-stealer suddenly found himself front-page news over the message and his bitter custody dispute with ex-wife Kim Basinger, who denied leaking the tape. He did not attend a hearing Friday as part of his ongoing court battle, but has issued an apology on his Web site and desperately tried to explain himself on 'The View' to Barbara Walters and Rosie O'Donnell.
Again, damage control - a requirement these days for celebrity foot-in-mouth disorder (recent offenders: Don Imus and fallen 'Seinfeld' star Michael Richards). All these unintended-for-primetime bloopers and subsequent mea culpas drive Village Voice critic Robert Wilonsky up the wall.
'Are people completely unaware of the fact that there are TMZ.coms out there and Perez Hiltons and myriad other sources that delight in the profound idiocies of famous people - hell, un-famous people?' asked Wilonsky.
'At the end of the day, I think, the upshot of all this is,' Wilonsky said, 'is maybe we become better people in general because we realize that our e-mail rants, our phone blowups, our video screw-ups will one day come back to haunt us - and by one day, I mean TODAY.'
PHOTO: Because Your Reputation Is Everything!
A few comments from the Reputation Doctor regarding David Hasselhoff and Alec Baldwin both with reputations in crisis:
Both Hasselhoff and Baldwin failed in putting their children and family FIRST.
David Hasselhoff took an indirect dig at his wife for allegedly releasing his drunken video tape to the press and Alec Baldwin also accused his ex-wife, actress Kim Basinger, of releasing his audio rant to his daughter on her cell phone. Alec Baldwin included a goal to start a campaign for Dads who have been wronged in divorce proceedings. Sounds more like revenge against his wife to me. He needs to remember only he called his daughter a pig and more in anger. In my estimation, he spent about 10% of his time apologizing to his daughter publicly and 90% of the time, thus far, blaming his wife for his behavior. His focus needs to be 100% of the time on his daughter and the damage he caused her and also learning to become cordial and friendly with his ex-wife for the rest of his life, because that is also what is BEST for his daughter. Hasselhoff needs to do the same for his daughters, who live with a drunken father and the public embarrassment.
A True apology includes no IFs or BUTs!
As I have said for many years counseling clients and also in many media interviews, a true apology must include no IFs or BUTs. When we take fully responsibility with no excuses or rabbit trails blaming others, we melt the steal trap on our own hearts and we also melt the steal trap on the hearts of those we have harmed with our behavior. It will take time to become a habit, but remembering this rule is so important to healing hearts, which repair reputations.
Reputation repair is like a 12-step program for your reputation. And it always starts with being honest with yourself and focusing solely on your own behavior.
Putting the focus on anyone other than yourself when you are suffering from a reputation in crisis will only continue the crisis, and many times act like gasoline on a fire. Most people have reputations in crisis due to fear. They avoid doing the right thing because of fear. They become angry because of the fear they are feeling underneath. They hurt others because of fear, but most importantly, they hurt themselves because of fear. To overcome fear, we all need to think of someone bigger than ourselves. Being humble enough to ask yourself the following question is a good place to start: how am I hurting and affecting other people, especially my family, with my behavior? The time to start is now! Oh, and the best answer is not trust no one. The solution begins by learning to trust yourself. I hope these tips provide some guidance for help.
Remember, do the right thing when your reputation is in crisis and seek the counsel of an experienced reputation management expert. It will be a major challenge, but ultimately the rewards of repairing your reputation will be great. Why? Because Your Reputation Is Everything! ™
About Mike Paul
Mike Paul is editor of The Reputation Doctor blog. The Reputation Doctor is a nickname given to him by various clients. Mike's blog is located at www.ReputationDoctor.com. He appears regularly on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, Court TV, ABC News, ESPN, CBS News, BBC, and others as a weekly contributor and expert in the global news regarding corporations, CEOs, celebrities, athletes, politicians and other public organizations and public individuals with reputations in crisis. Mr. Paul is also president and senior counselor of MGP & Associates PR (www.mgppr.com), a leading strategic public relations and reputation management firm based in New York. For interview requests, speeches, senior counseling or other business opportunities with Mr. Paul, call 212-595-8500 or email info@mgppr.com.
Technorati tags:
reputation doctor myspace youtube hasselhoff baldwin mike paul crisis PR reputation
Read comments
Trackback address for this post:
http://www.mikepaulblog.com/blog/htsrv/trackback.php/93
Comments:
Leave a comment:
Copyright © 2005 – 2009 MGP & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
