Stacey Kumagai is the BrainGASMing Southland's Media Monster....

THE MEDIA CIRCUS
By Stacey Kumagai

When I was a child, I was no different than
most seven year old girls my age. I bought
all the gossip rags,teen magazines and my
bedroom had poster-clad walls with Tiger
Beat's latest heartthrob. There was
something exciting about Hollywood, the
happenings and news circulating around
these personalities of music, TV and film. It
was then and there, I decided I wanted to
enter the world of entertainment feature
journalism, specifically working at 7060
Hollywood Blvd. for the Laufer Publication
Company. Of course this never happened.

In Jr. High School, I ran for the position of
feature editor of my school newspaper. And
stepping outside the box of the rules which
required candidates to interview someone, I
opted for an unconventional position of
creating a so-called celebrity 'Mock
Interview.'   It worked. I got the job. And I
enjoyed the position immensely.

But my interests soon went past doing
movie reviews and entertainment features
and I soon found myself writing editorial
content at age twelve, about 'The
Ramifications of Divorce' in compilation
journalism with two of my other classmates
and wandered into the arenas of more
intense media focus on the real stories of
life.

In high school, Journalism took on a
different spin,penning my own column on
the fund-raising efforts and activities in my
mission to escalate the quality of the
yearbook for my graduating senior
classmates, in my presidency. However, I
found myself writing about leadership,
participation, teamwork, unification,
non-exclusion of the rest of the student
body and the types of things we would be
accomplishing by taking actual qualitative
research surveying, publicizing, spirit
movements, recycling of newspapers and
aluminum cans and glass, and initiating
canned food drives and other various
events inside the gates of academia.

How ironic I would find my way to public
relations, dealing with media entities and
working with clients intertwined in the
entertainment arts, yet with an educational,
inspirational and/or a humanitarian and
philanthropic edge.

With the recent death of Anna Nicole Smith, I
found myself as a publicist and former
journalist, sitting in front of the television
and the computer - in disbelief,
jaw-dropping nauseated awe-factor at what
was happening with media, who can thank
Ms. Smith for timing her death in the middle
of February Sweeps. How lucky for the
greed-driven media outlets fighting for
stories and advertising dollars for the
ultimate bastardization of journalism in the
juiciest capitalistic form. Shame, shame,
shame!   And yet, flip-side, if you're the
outlet left behind... are you going to be
celebrated? Probably not.   Double-edged
sword!

While her death is news and the business
person in me can appreciate pushing forth a
stagnant economic time toward profit for hot
stories... the person with integrity inside of
me asks the question, IS THIS REALLY
NEWS? And at whose expense? Her poor
daughter will have to view this awful
footage the rest of her life, every year the
anniversary of her mother's death is
mentioned. How sad! Her life has barely
begun, but look at what media has mapped
out as a time capsule recap of things to
remember her mother by.

Don't get me wrong, responsibility is on
both ends. And people in the arts who say
that they only want to be in this industry for
their craft and didn't sign up for this/realize
that media coverage comes along with the
territory are obviously living in a bubble. I
don't damn Paparazzi (they have to make a
living, too - and my experience with them
has only been positive).   But we do have to
examine the whole picture - we as the
public who keep spending money on all the
wrong things for all the wrong reasons.

While I wonder just which movie studio is
going to crank out her life story first, while
her body still isn't even cold yet. At what
point is the line crossed for journalism/news
to pure media circus hype?   Where is the
real content and why are we like other
drivers on the freeway, staring at the
accident scene, further blocking traffic just
by watching? And are we not responsible -
as people, as human beings to (thank you,
Susan Powter) .... "STOP THE MADNESS" of
this sick, sad, circle of what we label today
as 'news?'

I left the field of journalism because, I felt
like our freedoms are now taken away, the
news is a dictatorship - telling us what the
heck news IS or IS NOT- all based on ratings,
publication sales, and promotion as
opposed to depth of content.

Scandal has mystique and while all of us
love a good mystery, where is the rest of
the world wanting a GOOD story? Many
years ago, I escorted a news crew at the
Orange County Fair who were trying to get a
pilot for 'Good News' off the ground.   It
didn't fly. Ditto for Dean Cain's production
company's series for "Off-Camera" - a TV
show which highlighted the good things that
celebrities do off-camera, like charity-driven
work to benefit others.   And I have to ask
the question.... are we no longer interested
in the good of this world, or the good things
that can come about when people work
together to benefit those less fortunate?
We spend more time viewing so-called news
about the latest celebrity getting a tattoo or
drinking a latte, than we do finding out
about the people who are pro-actively
rebuilding their communities after Hurricane
Katrina, or the people who are doing things
to make this world a better place with the
work they are doing or the lives they are
affecting in a positive light.   Don't get me
wrong... entertainment fluff news has its
place and can often take the serious edge
off our displaced worldly events for awhile,
bringing much escape and relief, even if
temporary.

I have to often cringe as I tell my clients,
"sorry, even though your story about your
event which benefits cancer victims is
important, we have to be prepared to be
'bumped' for coverage when XYZ celebrity
orders a full-calorie soda in broad daylight
or when someone's new wardrobe choice
becomes the hottest fashion-don't faux pas."

That's Hollywood. That's so-called news.
Bring on the bearded lady recently
laser-treated and the one-trick-pony, who
now has his own website and reality show....
because sadly, this is the media circus we
now live in.

ARE YOU PARKED IN JUDGMENT
MODE?
By Stacey Kumagai

My mother didn't really believe in coloring books, because
she felt a child shouldn't be 'forced' to color inside the
lines. While she was a firm believer in discipline and
obeying rules and being respectful, it was never at the
expense of stifling ones creativity or mode for thinking,
particularly at an impressionable age.

I had a friend in Kindergarten who wanted to color a little
kid's hair blue in a picture. My mother applauded this - and I
did, too. We saw someone who could think outside the
normal mode of thinking and was gleefully expressing it,
freely and organically.

While structure, standard operating procedures and such
are part of normal business dealings, I dislike the 'judging a
book by its cover' by those who lack vision, can't see
outside the lines and choose to pre-determine a person's
capabilities or 'being right' for a job before given the
chance.

I experience this everyday. However, I've been fortunate to
work with a number of people who CAN SEE AND THINK
OUTSIDE THE LINES, who realize they get 'much more' with
me and my level of expertise from a very unique arena and
know they can get individualized, customized performance
packages and greater attention and focus on their goals,
from ME, not an intern or an assistant, but me, the real deal.
Yet there are those in the other camp who think because
they are with the same firm representing a bunch of
so-called A-listers, that one day, they will be one, too...
again, misplaced judgment which shouldn't exist.

Media is also judged. I've seen lots of publicists snub
certain media outlets one over the other for coverage. The
bigger, better name recognition-more factor. Which I think
stinks. It's something I don't understand. Someone else's
poor judgment should not punish the rest.

I have heard 'horror stories' from many people about how
judgmental the career marketplace is. Many investigative
media stories have proven this - from appearance, ageism,
gender,etc. Equal Opportunity Employment, honestly does
not exist. And in some cases neither does Affirmative
Action. In Hollywood, probably more so, but this exists
predominantly in the United States, not so much overseas...
WHY?

I am a firm believer of leaving judgment aside. Instead,
assessing on substance, integrity, content, and so much
more. A person's track record can mean everything or
nothing, depending on how you look at things and until you
know the entire story.

There is a VERY FINE LINE between capability and will.
There is a VERY BOLD LINE between potential and being
proactive. And there are no lines when it comes to WORDS
vs. ACTIONS. Someone either steps up to the plate or
doesn't.

Going 'through the motions' doesn't cut it. But seriously
neither does judgment.   You are either in PARK mode or
you are the driven one, in action, motivated and determined
to show what you are made of in every arena.

Save parking mode for vacations. Not judgment. Hopefully
you won't be misjudged and get a ticket for the wrong thing.

By Stacey Kumagai

The musty smell of the library. The tranquility inside the
aisles of a book store. What is all the hype about? BOOKS!
Remember those?

For people all over the world, books are the magical
escape, the gateway to knowledge, food for the brain and a
journey well- traveled in the land of reference, fiction,
non-fiction, mystery, romance, comedy, how-to, and
unlimited choices of topics covering the spectrum of fun,
fantasy and reality.

As I watch my industry change, 'reading' has taken a twist
from traditional books, magazines and newspapers to a
world of Ezines, On-line publication sites and information
and features delivered to an iPod, cell phone or other
electronic device. The information is becoming more
concise. The text is limited to a few choice bullet points
and words.   People are filling their brains with more, yet
reading less.   And gone are the days of 'relaxing with a
good book' as a way to spend leisure time.

When I was a child in elementary school, we had reading
programs - seeing how many books you can read PER
WEEK. Yes, you heard me correctly.... BOOKS PER WEEK!
Imagine that if you can in a world today 'too busy for books.'

While my book shelves are dusty, the books in it are not...
as it remains a resource for me time and time again.   While
I admit, it's been a long time since I have read a book for
pure entertainment pleasure only, and not for
work-related/client or industry reference material, books
are a celebrated thing.

People in Los Angeles do not read like people in other
cities across the United States. Most of the hours are
spent in sig-alerts on the freeway, in cars and not with
noses inside of a book on a subway or bus. This just puts
people that much more behind in catching up with all the
books there are to read. And while none of us will live long
enough to read every book that has ever been written, yet
more likely to write one in our lifetime, I look at books as a
source of joy and inspiration, a long-lost artistic trek in our
culture - to enjoy the gift of reading.

Part of why I represent authors and have participated in
numerous reading program or literacy events is that I
believe so much in the power of words. They can indeed
transport us to new discoveries, give us information - and
as we all know, information is indeed power. But reading is
also an opportunity to eliminate ignorance, bring about
tolerance, understanding, a chance to think about things
from another perspective or perhaps enlighten or
invigorate one's creative spirit. There is so much we don't
know... perhaps all it takes is a little reading.

Reading. Indeed, a novel idea!