Chanel, Louis, Fendi, The Row, Hermes… what do these designer names mean to you? Are you part of the elusive 1% who can drop a king’s ransom on a handbag without the blink of a well placed false eyelash, or are you like the overwhleming majority of America, who feels that they should be sporting what the hottest celebs are toting around but it’s a toss up between that must-have handbag or paying the mortgage this month? Or, are you comfortably paying all of your bills and you could spring for that handbag that US Weekly and Vogue says you have to have to feel complete, but you know that you really should add that disposable income to your 401K, your IRA or to plan that much needed vacation where you may actually have a meaningful experience with memories that will last a lifetime?

I know I sound a bit snarky here, but what’s the deal with handbags that cost $5,000, $10,000 or even $20,000 a pop? Are they serious? And what is in it for us, the consumer? Being a publicist and an entertainment journalist I can attest to the fact that many of today’s most photographed celebrities are “gifted” with these off-the-wall items just so that they can be randomly photographed wearing them, promting Jane Doe to feel inadequate if she doesn’t go blow her week’s or month’s salary on the same bag.

I have to call bullshit here.

Here’s the thing, I have poor friends, working class friends, middle class friends and rich friends, and not one of them feels any happier or sadder in direct correlation to a material object of any kind. Sure, we all want a cushion in the bank, a fullfilling career, a nice quality of life, but I have never seen anyone actually feel happier or more at peace because they are carrying a Birkan bag as opposed to a Coach bag or even a LeSport Sac fanny pack.

I always equate it to my three year old son. He gets a shiny new toy, he feels elated and plays with said toy ad nauseum, a week or two later that same much coveted toy is collecting dust at the bottom of his toy chest or he simply tosses it aside in favor of something new. The chase after the next best thing never seems to end. It’s a bottomless pit. Experiences, however, seem to stay with him forever and continue to put a warm smile on his face and that makes me happy to see.

Before you hand over your credit card for a pricey designer handbag because you saw Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie snapped wearing it in some celebrity magazine, ask yourself if you’re simply mirroring society’s expectations of you and fallling prey to the advertising industry’s snowjob on your delicate female psyche, or if this is something you genuinely want or need in your life.

We all like to have nice things, but how do we determine when we are trading in our soul as layaway collateral?

Kathy Hilton on Family, Fashion &
Her New Collection of Special Occasion Dresses
By Allison Kugel

Dresses from The Kathy Hilton Collection

PR.com (Allison Kugel): Since you grew up in a home filled with girls how did that affect your personality and your style sensibilities?

Kathy Hilton: I would say growing up with two sisters, and my mother, who I loved and adored, and who was so elegant and loved fashion, we all love fashion yet we all have different tastes and style.

PR.com: What did you learn from your mom, and what do you emulate about her sense of style to this day?

Kathy Hilton: She was very glamorous. There are times I like to dress glamorous but then there are times I like to just be a little bit more… a little simpler. I have many different personalities, as you’ll see in my collection (The Kathy Hilton Collection).

PR.com: I’m not much of a fashion person. I’m usually in sweats and a tank top (laughs), but when I saw your dresses I wanted to reach through the computer and grab them. They are so beautiful! Your collection doesn’t show too much skin. The dresses are just very feminine and ethereal.

Kathy Hilton: They are very lady-like and feminine, and there are some that are very sexy. But I’ve also traveled a lot and I understand different styles. This all started because we have to go to a lot of events, and going into the stores and seeing the prices and how expensive things are; everybody is cutting back from this economy. I really wanted something for me, for my nieces, for my sisters, for my daughters, for all of their friends and for women that love beauty [and] quality. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to travel and wear all of the very wonderful designers and go to all the shows, and so I really love fashion. But I wanted something for everyone.

Read more of the interview with Kathy Hilton at PR.com

Allison Kugel Interviews Henry Louis Gates Jr. From PBS’s “Finding Your Roots” for PR.com

by Erica Teller

Allison Kugel interviews Danny Masterson for PR.com:
Danny Masterson Stars in Men At Work on TBS, Talks That ’70s Show & Married Life with Bijou Phillips
By Allison Kugel, Senior Editor - May 21, 2012

PR.com (Allison Kugel): My fellow Long Islander! I saw that you were back there visiting the other day. You posted a Twitpic of Bethpage State Park.

Danny Masterson: I played Bethpage Red yesterday (referring to the famous Long Island golf course). I only started golfing a year and a half ago and now I’m totally obsessed. I’ve been trying to get to all of the great courses, wherever I can find them. They close Bethpage Black on Mondays, so I was like, “Bethpage Red it is.” That’s a phenomenal course as well.

PR.com: Is golfing your outlet when you’re not acting?

Danny Masterson: Golfing is my new softball. All through Junior High and High School and into my mid-twenties I was obsessed with playing ice hockey. I played in three different leagues, four nights a week. I also played softball and I always had one or two softball leagues. Then I actually blew out my knee, tore my ACL and burst my bursa. I couldn’t do anything for about six months. I stopped playing hockey after that, kept playing softball, and then started golfing about a year and a half ago. I’ve probably played about 200 rounds in a year and half.

PR.com: I have never golfed.

Danny Masterson: It’s pretty fucking fun, man! I took my wife (actress and model Bijou Phillips) out a few times and she’s kind of digging it now, too.

Read the entire Danny Masterson interview

Jesse Metcalfe Shares Inside Stories from the New Dallas on TNT

By Allison Kugel, Senior Editor – May 10, 2012

PR.com (Allison Kugel): Being that I’m a huge fan of the original Dallas series, I thought it was pretty cool that rather than do a “remake,” you’re really just doing a continuation of the original story. How do you feel about the way your writers approached the new Dallas series?

Jesse Metcalfe: My thought is, that is the only way it could have worked. I think the reason it hadn’t been revived sooner is because they couldn’t find the right formula to do so. Our head writer and creator, Cynthia Cidre, she understood the original tone of the series and really maintained that tone with this continuation. And [she] stayed on the original themes of loyalty, betrayal, ambition and greed, which are very classic themes. That’s in large part why this new series works. We also have a great mixture of the original series [and cast], and some new lifeblood has been pumped into the series.

PR.com: Some 21st century-based storylines are seamlessly mixed in.

Jesse Metcalfe: The new Dallas is very current and contemporary. They did that in part with a new young cast which I am very happy to say I’m a part of, and they also did it with plot points that are relevant. Specifically, the plot point that centers around my character…

PR.com: Focused on new clean forms of energy as an alternative to oil…

Jesse Metcalfe: Exactly, with developing alternative energies and moving the family business away from drilling. It’s very of-the-time, and politically and socially relevant. That’s probably the main concern that some of our critics have, and are going to have. Is it a good idea to remake such an iconic show? How is Dallas, that was so quintessentially 80s, going to be relevant now? And how are they going to find a new audience?

Read Entire Jesse Metcalfe Interview

Staying Strong for Giuliana

Last month E! News anchor Giuliana Rancic stund her fans when she announced on The Today Show that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram. Rancic underwent a double lumpectomy in October and returned to work at E! shortly thereafter. All seemed somewhat back to normal as the Italian news beauty resumed her duties as top news anchor at the E! Network, but a significant decision had been made by Giuliana and her husband Bill, which they announced this morning on The Today Show. Instead of getting six weeks of radiation therapy, Giuliana will undergo a double mastectomy to remove her breasts, altogether.

After discovering that all of her cancer had not been successfully removed by her lumpectomy, Giuliana Rancic is electing to undergo a double mastectomy to err on the side of caution, and our prayers and love go out to her and her wonderful husband, Bill Rancic.

Due to Giuliana Rancic’s young age, according to her home network E!, Rancic will have “immediate reconstruction” following her mastectomy. Though her husband Bill Rancic, who has been Giuliana’s rock of support, expressed that he does not care about her physical appearance, but just wants her around for the next 50 years.

Giuliana told the Today Show, “First, I would like to take the stigma away. ‘Mastectomy’ the word seemed so scary to me at first. After doing research and seeing the advancements, the surgery has come a long way from 20 years ago. The results can be incredible. Not only can it save your life, but you can come out feeling healthier and with a positive self-image. Second, I want to encourage everyone to be proactive with their health and get checked out.”

Here is a clip from Giuliana and Bill Rancic’s Today Show appearance, discussing Giuliana’s impending double mastectomy surgery:

Frank Sinatra "Best of the Best"

Frank Sinatra’s only son. Frank Sinatra Jr. recently sat down with Spinner to discuss the holiday release of Frank Sinatra’s latest music compilation, Best of the Best. Sinatra Jr. also shared why he feels his legendary father lived to be 82, while most iconic legends meet their tragic ends prematurely.

Frank Sinatra, Jr. told Spinner, “[Frank] Sinatra always had both feet on the ground. He never believed, or allowed himself to believe, any of the fame that surrounded him. He never took the adulation seriously.”

Frank Sinatra’s son and namesake, Frank Sinatra Jr. went on to explain that it was his father’s down to earth outlook on fame and his close ties to his family that helped him to avoid the kind of early tragic end that had befallen other icons like Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.

Frank Sinatra Jr. explained to Spinner, “They were tragic figures in the sense that they didn’t have their feet on the ground and they died that way. Isn’t that interesting, that all three of those people died alone?”

Praising his legendary father, for whom he composed music and musically directed until Sinatra’s death in 1998, Frank Sinatra Jr. says one thing he wants Frank Sinatra fans to know about his father is that “he never lost the concept of the reality of life. That is something I believe that people should know. And I believe that is the reason why he lived to be 82-and-a-half-years old.”

Not too long ago I had the opportunity to interview Frank Sinatra Jr’s older sister, Nancy Sinatra, for PR.com and Nancy and I discussed Frank Sinatra’s legacy from the point of view of his first born (Nancy).

Here are some clips from the Nancy Sinatra interview on PR.com:

PR.com: Your father was around to see the first inklings of the power of the Internet back in the late 90s, shortly before he passed. What did he think of it?

Nancy Sinatra: He was thrilled. He would read the questions that people would write in, and then he would tell me what to say in response to their questions, and he said, “This is great. Please keep in touch with my supporters.” And I said, “I promise.” I have ever since.

PR.com: For your Sirius XM radio show, Nancy for Frank, how do you go about scripting each show, and how do you determine what Frank Sinatra stories should remain private and what stories about your father you care to share with the public?

Nancy Sinatra: It’s all up to the music. We’re recording a show tomorrow and the album we’re playing is the Strangers In The Night album. I haven’t seen a script yet. I send the songs to my producer and he takes the songs and puts them into a script that includes the composer, lyricist, and if possible, when it was recorded originally. Whatever nerdy kind of technical information we can get, we put it into the script. If there are any stories, they come about as a result of a song.

PR.com: Your sister Tina does a great deal as far as managing, I guess what you would call the Sinatra brand. Is that an equal three-way partnership between you, Tina and Frank, Jr., or does Tina take the lead with business matters pertaining to your father’s work?

Nancy Sinatra: Tina’s a producer, so we rely on her for that sort of thing. We are all absolutely involved, of course. We all meet once a month, or once every two months if we’re traveling. We discuss the projects that are coming up and what we are going to do about them, and who’s going to do promotion. I liken it to a family farm. The products are usually recordings, sometimes films, and you take them to market and market them as best as you can. It’s not easy anymore. The music business is pretty much history. It’s generally via downloading, and mostly the younger people don’t want to pay anything for music. There are also so many expenses involved in putting out CDs, and you have to be very sure that everything you put out is of quality. If there is a mistake at the printers or there is someone along the way who misspells a composer’s name or puts in a wrong date, we get clobbered by the Frank Sinatra fans who know every detail. When that happens it’s embarrassing for us, but we can’t be there every second of every day with this stuff as it goes through. We can license and hope (laughs)… that they do a good job and not let us down.

CLICK TO READ MY ENTIRE NANCY SINATRA INTERVIEW ON PR.COM

This story is brought to you by Allison Dawn PR

the beginning of the end for Kardashians?

Despite an avalanche of negative publicity surrounding Kim Kardashian’s hasty and ostentatious wedding, and even hastier divorce, and an anti-Kardashian petition which boasts an estimated 165,000 disgruntled signatures, last night’s season 2 premiere of Kourtney And Kim Take New York held its own in the Nielson ratings, with just under 3.2 million viewers tuning in.

Whether it was morbid curiousity, the Kardashians’ loyal hardcore fanbase, or a little bit of both, just shy of 3.2 million people felt compelled to watch Kim and Kourtney Kardashian’s New York exploits, but more importantly, to watch the beginning of the implosion of Kim’s doomed marriage to NBA star, Kris Humphries.

According to a news report from the E! Network, this season’s premiere episode of Kourtney And Kim Take New York “exceeded last season’s premiere by +6%.” E! also points out that the show does very well among females ages 18-49, which is kind of stating the obvious. We could all assume the basic demographics of Kardashians fans.

While just under 3.2 million viewers is generally considered a very respectable rating for a basic cable television show, it is actually a slight disappointment to E! if you consider some of the ratings that the Kardashian franchise has pulled in over the past few years. Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event scored E! a whopping 10.5 million viewers in total, over the two-part television special’s first run in August of 2011. Kim’s wedding provided E! with their most watch television program in the history of the network. Last season’s installment of the Kardashian flagship series, Keeping Up With the Kardashians was in the lead among cable network shows, taking in an average of 4.3 million viewers during its Sunday night slot.

I would guess that, pre-divorce fiasco, E! was anticipating at least 4 million viewers to tune into Kourtney & Kim Take New York. If Kourtney & Kim Take New York continues to hold firm at over 3 million viewers per episode we would consider the second season a solid hit for E!. However, if the show tops off at just under 3.2 million in the cable network Nielson ratings and takes a downward slide as the series progresses over the next two months, it could spell trouble for the Kardashian television empire.

If you think late night show, Chelsea Lately is hilarious, the behind-the-scenes mock-umentary, After Lately, will make you laugh yourself cross-eyed! I love how far Chelsea and all ofthe Chelsea Lately comedians are willing to go in the name of comedy, ranging from “that’s just wrong” to “I can’t beleive this is even on TV!”

I spoke with one of Chelsea Lately‘s most popular comedy writers and roundtable fixtures, Heather McDonald, for a very candid interview about the absurdity of pop culture celebrity, her friendship with the Kardashians, working for Chelsea Handler, and being a Republican in Hollywood.

Here are two exclusive advance excerpts from my Heather McDonald interview:

on where and how they shoot After Lately:‘
“Oh, yes. Those are our desks and we’re right in the studio. So we’ll finish taping Chelsea Lately, and then it’s like, “Your call time for After Lately is six o’clock and then we’ll shoot scenes at night or on a Saturday. It’s hectic but it’s a lot of fun because I’m so close with everyone. It really is like a family. Definitely people get on our nerves and there might be little snide remarks, but for the most part everyone loves each other and wants each other to succeed and have a good time.”

On sudden reality TV fame::
“I definitely see the absurdity of the instant fame that pop culture and reality shows have done for people. I do really enjoy the Housewives. The Beverly Hills Housewives are so much fun, definitely my favorite. They take these women who probably always wanted to be an actress, and now at 45 they’re on the cover of Us Weekly.”

My interview with Heather McDonald will post on Friday, November 25th!