We were alerted to this item by NPR's public relations department, and we relay it to you with all deliberate speed: Justin Timberlake was photographed wearing an NPR t-shirt. Carl Kasell was then photographed wearing an 'N Sync t-shirt.


Keith Kelly has news about our favorite unnerving British ex-flack/ ex-celeb mag editor, Rob Shuter, former executive editor of OK!, is hooking up with the AOL pop culture site Popeater as a new Hollywood columnist. His column, Naughty and Nice, is slated to appear Tuesday through Friday." Rob Shuter has the evolutionary persistence of the cockroach!


News-and-museum combo The Newseum is laying off 13% of its staff, the second round of job cuts since the place opened just in time for the total collapse of the newspaper industry. These are the most predictable museum layoffs since...whatever is the auto industry museum. They probably had layoffs recently, too. [Related: the Miami Herald is down to a church bulletin.]


Rupert Murdoch is keeping busy: News Corp just finalized a deal to buy a 10% stake in Rotana, a Middle Eastern media conglomerate owned by Saudi Prince Waleed. Pay no attention the Australian behind the curtain, Middle Easterners! I guess this makes MSNBC and Al-Jazeera spiritual cousins.

And today in Mediabistro news:

Richard Desmond, CEO of the company which owns OK!, is still sorting out how he'll put out a magazine after he canned general manager Kent Brownridge and editor Susan Toepfer because the magazine's circulation was dropping. For now, former editor-in-chief Sarah Ivens is in charge. But she now lives in Kentucky and doesn't plan on moving back to New York. So she's only sticking around for a few weeks.

Not only does Desmond need a permanent EIC, there's also the matter of replacing the 10 or so underlings that went with Brownridge. So Desmond is interviewing candidates next week, including Shuter.

[A correction here]

Late yesterday it was looking like Brownridge was probably toast following Toepfer's departure, and indeed he was. He had been feuding with parent company CEO Richard Desmond, reports Keith Kelly of the New York Post, as circulation plummeted from an average of roughly 600,000 copies to one of roughly 350,000 copies. But then, what did Desmond expect would happen once he stopped paying top dollar to put A-list celebrities on the cover?

Now Desmond apparently has a "do or die" profitability plan and is firing all of Brownridge's hires, except literally one person. He's even bringing back Rob Shuter, the "editor" whose job is to shamelessly pander to celebrity whims to get their pictures into the magazine, exclusively.

The magazine's chances don't look good but its next few months should at least be an entertaining shitstorm.

Shuter was a celebrity flack before he came to OK. So when he got the job, some of the esteemed journalists at the magazine were angry at this publicist interloping on their territory. But really, a PR guy is much better suited to the job than someone with a history on the editorial side.

The editor of OK essentially works to broker deals with celebrities and their managers and publicists. That was Shuter's gig before, on the other side of things, so he knows just how to make this work. His competitors, who came up as reporters and editors, will never have that experience. He could be functionally illiterate. No problem!

Celeb magazines are driven by photos—exclusive photos. Who fucking cares what OK's brain damaged stories say? People want to look at pretty photos of famous people that they can't get anywhere else, and that's what they get from Shuter. Plus, appearance on shows like ET and Access Hollywood usually materialize only after the exclusive magazine deal has been closed, meaning that celebrities have to deal with one of the mags no matter what. And since OK is the friendliest and one of the most financially generous, bingo.

Rob Shuter is a shameless man in a shameless job. Many lesser people would be embarrassed to be him. But Shuter can say with a straight face that he's "proud of the product" and dismiss competitors as "haters" and be totally genuine. He's worth every penny.

"Celebrity-fair" is the new "right-sizing."

1. Liz Rosenberg: Lied about a poor African child, of all things. If she turns out to have lied about the divorce as well, she will only solidify her top spot here.

2. Stephen Huvane: Kirsten Dunst's rep assured everyone that Dunst was "fine," shortly before the actress checked into rehab. Then assured everyone that Dunst "is not being treated for cocaine or any drug." Yea.

3. Rob Shuter: A serial manipulator who invented a relationship between client Jessica Simpson and crooner John Mayer, which then blew up in his face. Now edits OK! magazine, appropriately.

4. Rachna Shah: The Interview magazine flack scolded us for printing a scurrilous rumor that editor Ingrid Sischy would be leaving the magazine. A rumor that turned out to be true. A conscious lie, or just internal miscommunication? Either way, we were right.

5. Edelman: An anonymous media trainer at the mega-firm was outed by a tipster for telling clients, "Sometimes you just have to stand up there and lie." This brought an angry response from CEO Richard Edelman, who has himself lied on behalf of Wal-Mart.

6. Scott McClellan: Rotund former Bush lap doggie who wrote a book being sad about all the lying he did. Not that the PR industry cares or anything.

7. Danielle Perissi: Time Warner's fibbingest flack. Not a good person to call with questions about Time Warner, oddly enough. Now she's gone.

Hey guys,

I just read your article about Rob Shuter and I have my own story on this guy that you might find interesting, useful or not.

I met him first at a party where he told me he wanted to talk business. He came over to my apartment several days later and after a few minutes, I understood that it was nothing about business, the guy was just horny. Nevertheless, he went into a long "proposal" to work on the project with me and Naomi Campbell which would be "groundbreaking." I am a very ambitious person, but I am also realistic so I didn't even listen and was thinking of how to get rid of the liar. When the guy made a move, I very politely declined.

Since then, this guy has done everything in his power to make me suffer for that.

I was always a guest at Heatherette show but I am no longer welcomed any longer. Lately, I found out that this was Rob's doing. Apparently, he has or had something to do with Heatherette's people.

During another fashion week, I was a guest of Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and was sitting in the first row for the Huricane Relief fashion show. The next day, there was an article in Page Six accusing me of "hiding under a makeup table backstage for hours to get in." When I asked someone I knew at the New York Post how such an article could come about, he told me that all information was provided by Rob Shuter. Indeed, I was behind the stage that night, but not to sit under the makeup table. I had a very good time socializing with Carmen Dell'Orefice (who I later had a photoshoot with for Korean GQ), Timothy Sanders, and others. I also saw Rob, who came over to me and told me that he was Naomi Campbell's manager and that she would like to take a picture with me. He brought me to her table where she was giving interviews while getting her hair done and told me to wait. After 30 minutes of waiting, I decided to go back to my seat, as the show was about the start. Mr. Shuter was just enjoying my waiting while he knew the picture with Naomi Campbell would never happen. He just kept saying, "Michael, just another minute!"

I rarely meet such a vicious person as Rob Shuter who put so much energy toward making others miserable. And with his looks, shouldn't he be used to rejection?

Who is Rob Shuter? Once upon a time, he was one of the most powerful celebrity flacks in America, repping clients like Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson. Eventually he got fired from his agency, Dan Klores Communications, lost his big clients, and ended up at OK!, which is really where he belongs. What went wrong?

• Shuter planted a fabricated item in Page Six about his client Paris Hilton being attacked at a club by a supposedly "jealous" Zeta Graff. Graff subsequently sued for $10 million, which compelled Shuter to give legal depositions demonstrating his sleazy method of doing business (plant fake shit on Page Six, specifically). It was all very entertaining. Paris Hilton ended up paying $2 million for this transgression.
• He treated his work on behalf of vapid singer Jessica Simpson like he was a Cold War CIA operative behind enemy lines. He planted nasty items about Simpson ex Nick Lachey. Then he decided to help Simpson get some press by fabricating a big romance between her and singer John Mayer. He convinced People and Us Weekly to put the story on their covers, and then made them all look like fools when the celebs themselves admitted there was no big romance at all. In one masterstroke, Shuter had shattered his own credibility (ha), made his own client look like a desperate liar, pissed off fellow celebrity flacks, and, perhaps worst of all, made enemies of some powerful celebrity magazines. He was then fired by Joe Simpson, for all of the above reasons.
• Having established himself as an untouchable dirtbag that no legitimate PR agency would hire and no smart news outlet would trust, Shuter was scooped up by OK!, first in a consulting role and then as entertainment editor. And now as the top guy. Just perfect.

In unrelated rumormongering, there was gossip earlier this year that Shuter may have been somehow involved in a purported FBI investigation of In Touch magazine for "payments to at least one editor in exchange for prominent placement of certain B-list celebrities." Supposedly some shady British cabal of celebrity flacks and gossip reporters was under scrutiny. We hoped Shuter was wrapped up in it! Alas, no evidence ever confirmed the rumors. And to be fair, he even has some admirers among the gossip press, who say he's friendly and witty.

So what will Shuter be doing for OK!? A good guess: helping them continue to spend big with no apparent monetary return. We hear that OK! is the leading bidder in the war for Angelina Jolie's upcoming baby pictures, with a sum rumored to be around $15 million for worldwide rights. That's in line with the magazine's history of profligacy; we also hear that they've yet to turn a profit, despite an investment in the nine-figure range.

And Shuter, the fabricating flack, will fit right in. One of the best quotes I ever heard while working at PRWeek was from an editor at OK! who gushed on and on about how nice the mag was to its friends in PR, summing it all up by explaining, "We work directly with publicists and celebrities themselves to get the real story." Sure. All together now in the race to the bottom.

Breaking: Uber-Publicist Rob Shuter Lands at OK! [Jossip]

Earlier: Everything 'OK' With Rob Shuter?

It's been a year since Jessica Simpson's split from ex-husband Nick Lachey, and the 26-year-old doesn't seem to be reveling in her singledom. She's been avoiding the party scene. According to several reports, it's because the singer is depressed over her current life status. Her latest album didn't make much of a dent on the pop scene, and her love life has stalled. Jessica also doesn't have a lot of close friends. The short list includes her wardrobe and hair stylists Jessica Paster and Ken Paves, her sister Ashlee and her pet pooch Daisy. "Nothing is lifting her spirits," a source tells OK!..

JESSICA SIMPSON: The sultry singer is struggling to be happy [OK!]

Last week, both People and Us Weekly ran cover stories trumpeting the "romance" between Jessica and sorority lothario John Mayer; People even provided the truth-affirming "I'm in love!" quote. Mayer was displeased to see what was probably just a sloppy blowjob turned into a self-promoting mini-frenzy for Simpson; poor Jessica was left alone, without the help of a mouthpiece, to publicly dispute the romance on The View. A celebrity speaking for herself? That, friends, cannot stand — and so Rob Shuter is without a big chunk of bread money. (For extra measure, Joe Simpson snatched Ashlee away from Shuter as well, but that's probably more of a relief.)

And now, for the happiest ending: Without Shuter planting anti-Minnillo propaganda about town, Nick Lachey is finally free to love again.

Joe Simpson Fires Rob Shuter [Radar]
Exclusive: Jessica's Publicist Fired [TMZ]

On the last name of a companion named Terry:
"It is like a weird Greek name. Like Douglas."

On whether or not she knew the Graff story had spread to UK publications:
"No... there is stuff in London." Hilton's lawyer, Larry Stein, jumped in: "London is a U.K. publication." Her retort: "Right. U.K. Whatever."

On why she never saw the republication of the original Page Six article:
"I was in Europe the whole summer, and all there is is like French — I didn't see anything because I wasn't in America."

Did you catch that? If it's not written in American, Paris wants nothing to do with it. She may be borderline retarded, but at least she's a goddamned patriot.

Legal Papers Prove She's No Einstein [TMZ]
Earlier: From Paris to Publicists to Page Six
Paris Hilton Writes the Songs That Make Page Six Sing

1. Jessica Simpson (209 photos)
2. Jennifer Aniston (183)
3. Angelina Jolie (98)
4. Paris Hilton (95)
5. Nicole Richie (90)
6. Lindsay Lohan (89)
7. Brad Pitt (87)
8. Britney Spears (69)
9. Nick Lachey (61)
10. Katie Holmes (51)

Roughly translated for public relations relevance, this puts Jessica Simpson's publicist Rob Shuter, shady lady of Dan Klores Communications, in first place, with Aniston's man Stephen Huvane in second. Seeing as Jolie has no official publicist that we can seem to track down, that puts Paris Hilton's unfortunate flack Jack Ketsoyan in third place. Well done, boys!

Who Gets the Most Pics in US Weekly? [Media Orchard]

And yet, something doesn't quite ring true.

Now, we would never suggest that Shuter's lying. And we would never suggest that perhaps he's the one who made up the whole story. We're just saying that there certainly seem to be a lot of Barry Manilow-linked coincidences at play.

Let us walk you through the whole thing, won't you?

Part I. Let's flash back to the Page Six item — now acknowledged to have sprung from a manufactured story — that started it all. It's from July 2, 2005:

PARIS NECKLACE-SNATCH FOILED

PARIS Hilton was attacked on the dance floor of a London nightclub Thursday night by a jealous ex-girlfriend of the hotel heiress' fianc , Paris Latsis.

Zeta Graff, who dated Latsis for two years before he dumped her for Hilton, went berserk at Kabaret, where she had to be restrained by security men who escorted her from the club.

Graff suddenly flew at Hilton and tried to remove her necklace. "She was screaming and it looked like she was trying to strangle Paris," said one source.

What set Graff off was partly the music, and partly the necklace. ...

Plus, Paris and Paris and some friends were dancing to Barry Manilow's 1970s hit "Copacabana." As Manilow sang the last verse, Graff, who is 40ish, thought they were laughing at her.

The song goes: "Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl/But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show/Now it's a disco, but not for Lola/Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair/She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind/She lost her youth and she lost her Tony/Now she's lost her mind!"

Graff, an actress who had a small part in "The Fifth Element" (1997), reportedly pocketed $15 million from her divorce. Despite recent flings with Val Kilmer and Robbie Williams, she is said to be still pining for Latsis, who recently removed the "Z" tattoo honoring her on his wrist.

"This is a woman who is older and losing her looks, and she's alone. She's very unhappy," said our source. ...

Part II. It's convenient, isn't it, how the lyrics of "Copacabana" so nicely track the "40ish" Graff's life? To refresh your memory, take a look at some relevant lyrics from the Barry Manilow classic, and substitute Graff for Lola (with Paris and Paris as some ambisexual combination of Tony and Rico):

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She would merengue and do the cha-cha
And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar
Across a crowded floor, they worked from 8 till 4
They were young and they had each other
Who could ask for more? ...

His name was Rico, he wore a diamond
He was escorted to his chair, he saw Lola dancin' there
And when she finished, he called her over
But Rico went a bit too far, Tony sailed across the bar
And then the punches flew and chairs were smashed in two
There was blood and a single gun shot
But just who shot who? ...

Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl
But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show
Now it's a disco, but not for Lola
Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair
She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind
She lost her youth and she lost her Tony
Now she's lost her mind!

Part III. Now ask who wrote "Copacabana." Well, Manilow, of course. And two others are credited. One of whom is Bruce Sussman.

Part IV. And who's Bruce Sussman?

Let's turn back to our ur-text, Page Six. This time from August 27, 2004:

Sightings... BARRY Manilow songwriter Bruce Sussman and his partner, publicist Rob Shuter, checking out Martha Stewart's $7 million apartment for sale in the Richard Meier building in the West Village."

Shuter, of course, had nothing to do with inventing Hilton's story about Graff, or shaping it for Page Six. It was solely Paris, just like he said, who even passed along the "sourced" quotes that fit the Copa narrative so well. It just happens, it seems, that Paris, too, is conversant in Barry Manilow.

It's all just a big coincidence.

Earlier: From Paris to Publicists to Page Six