Charlie Sheen's Publicist

Charlie Sheen's publicist resigns respectfully after latest round of actor's media outbursts.

Veteran Hollywood publicist Stan Rosenfield who has represented Charlie Sheen through through the actor's rehab attempts and breakup with his employers on the hit sitcom "Two and a half Men," abruptly resigned on Monday.

"I have worked with Sheen for a long time and I care about him very much," Rosenfield wrote in a brief statement. "However, at this time, I'm unable to work effectively as his publicist and have respectfully resigned." In a follow-up e-mail, Rosenfield said he had represented Sheen for at least seven years.

The news came on the same day that Sheen turned up in another round of interviews on ABC, NBC, TMZ and elsewhere, attacking everyone from CBS to his father, former "The West Wing" star Martin Sheen. Since CBS and Warner Bros. decided last week to halt production on "Two and a Half Men" after Sheen attacked his boss, Chuck Lorre, the actor has gone on a manic round of media interviews. It's unclear what role, if any, Rosenfield played in setting up those interviews.

But, the public relations man was still working on the Sheen account Monday morning, when he dispelled an e-mail hoax that said Sheen had retired from acting.

As a fellow PR professional, I feel for Rosenfield. It's hard to work with someone who is not working with you, listening to your advice and setting up their own media relations efforts, spewing their own key messages - which in my opinion is sending Sheen into a downward failure spiral. Right now, Sheen doesn't care a thing about his own PR. He wants to do and say anything he wants and is not thinking about the repercussions. This is all fine and dandy, as long as Sheen keeps his fan base. Once that's gone, it doesn't really matter anymore if his TV show comes back or not. No one is going to want to pay Sheen the money required to keep his fancy lifestyle going. I wish him well.

The Early Show Makes Drastic Change: CBS Fires Whole Team

Last week every single member of the CBS Early Show was let go. Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez are out, even the weatherman Dave Price. The decision was made after the announcement that the morning show again placed last in the rankings, coming in third behind the number one spot the Today Show and second place Good Morning America.

Sean McManus, the president of CBS News said it was important that the network do something 'dramatic.' So instead they brought in the team hosting the show the other part of the week, Chris Wragge and Erica Hill, who are on "The Early Show" on Saturday. CBS doesn't think the change will make viewers want to check out the new guys, but it will start something different.

Broadcast television is a business built on habit - no more so than in the morning, when viewers mindlessly flip the television on with their first cup of coffee. The inertia is profound and cuts both ways. An object in motion, in this case the Today show, with nearly twice the viewers of The Early Show will remain in motion. It will get the hot bookings, the big guests and the tune-ins.

My question though, is if CBS wants to do something different, why keep the show the same and just change the players? If broadcast behavior is built on habit, CBS will need to do something bigger because I'm not sure this change will do any good. Here are some great ideas from a reporter at the New York Times for the producers at CBS:

Make a show for people who have not reproduced. Instead of running after the other networks and going after the American housewife on the verge of her impossibly busy day, why not try a show for young, new viewers. Something that showcases young talent and goes beyond family issues.

Move around. Where is it written that the three morning shows aim at Middle America must emanate from the same 10 blocks around Times Square? Booking traditional guests might be a problem in Chicago, but The Early Show is not getting that worm as it is. Look at Oprah.

Take a lesson from failing sports teams and hoard your draft picks and plan for the future. Make something truly Webby. "ABC New Now is a test project for a network that is trying on some digital and social media approaches to news, albeit with not many resources.

Create a more hybrid version of a morning show, something that is more portable, more adaptable to the Web and mobile devices. This would be a nice muscle to develop going forward.

Palin's 'Sarah Palin's Alaska' Is Interesting PR

I've been holding back writing about this because I'm not a fan of Sarah Palin or her family, but I think it's time to address the PR her show, Sarah Palin's Alaska (8 p.m. Central Time on TLC), is doing. It's clear that Sarah Palin is not going away, even though I hoped after the 2008 election. Instead of falling off the earth, it's obvious that Sarah Palin is running for the 2012 Republican party's presidential candidate nomination, especially with her book launch, public speaking events, tea party leadership and now a reality TV show.

The show was created to build up Sarah Palin's public relations efforts. She's been beaten up many times in the media, and this TV show is suppose to help change that goofy, disrespected image of hers. It allows Palin to work with a controlled media outlet and show the American people what her life in Alaska, and outside of politics, is really like.

The show is a hybrid of adventure travel, in documentary style. Despite Palin's protests, reality TV - the eight-episode series follows Mama Grizzly encountering brown bears, Sarah Barracuda hauling in freshly caught halibut, and Caribou Barbie mingling with moose, bison and caribou.

The show is about halfway through the series, but you can still tune in and check it out. What do you think? Is it a good PR idea for Sarah?

Can You Use a Trademarked Logo Without Permission? State Fair Asks for Logo to be Removed from Bachmann TV Ad

During Minnesota State Fair time, if you were watching TV, you may have seen the Michelle Bachmann ad criticizing Tarryl Clark for 'raising taxes on a variety of State Fair goodies.' The ad was criticized for not only slander, but for showing the Minnesota State Fair logo twice during the chimerical.

"I know, I know, it's State Fair time and you don't want to hear about politics," says Jim "The Election Guy," a character in Bachmann's TV ads. "But while you're at the fair, you should know Tarryl Clark here voted to raise taxes on your corn dog. And your deep fried bacon. And your beer."

While Clark did vote 'yes' on a bill that would increase taxes on liquor sales, Bachmann's claims about corn dog and bacon taxes are a bit misleading. Her campaign says Clark favored a transportation bill that included a metro sales tax hike, which affects corn dogs and bacon but does not specifically target those things.

The State Fair was upset because their logo appeared twice in the TV ad and Fair officials asked the image to be removed. "The State Fair does not endorse any candidate running for political office," said a State Fair official.

Bachmann's campaign said that although they believed they have legal right to keep the image in the ad, they would switch it out for a generic one "out of good faith."

This got me to thinking, what is the proper usage for logos? I think of this issue as almost like a product placement the State Fair did not ask for. The American Advertising Federation (AAF) believes product placement is a good way to advertise, but says it is when everyone benefits from it: the placement source, the company being promoted and the consumer. Also, it is alright if the placement is disclosed in some way. Also, product placement is always agreed upon by both parties involved. That is the issue here. It may not be illegal, but if you're not going to ask for usage permission, don't complain when the party in question doesn't like it and asks to be removed from the situation. I think the Bachmann campaign should be lucky they didn't get into more trouble.

For more questions and answers regarding ad usage, look to the AAF's website here.

Even though you like the Old Spice ads, do they make you want to go out and buy Old Spice?

How do you make an 'old' brand look new and young, especially when the word 'old' is in the name? It's hard. The brand Old Spice has been around for decades, and most of us think of it when we're looking for a gift for our dads. However, recently ad agency Wieden + Kennedy attempted to reshape the brand by creating a new ad campaign and I think they did a great job.

Old Spice's "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" ads, staring former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa as a chiseled dreamboat moving through surreal landscapes while brandishing Old Spice body wash, launched in February and have been gaining popularity on TV and the internet ever since.

The entire campaign is great. The ads are hilarious, Mustafa's overall presence is fantastic, and the ads are doing an excellent job attracting the attention of their target audience, the younger generation.

Now the question is, whether or not the target audience will go buy Old Spice products. Yes, I like the ads and pay attention enough to remember the name, but will I run out and buy Old Spice body wash for my boyfriend? I'm not sure.

If you haven't seen the ad, you should, check it out here.