Not Everyone is Smiling at Pat Kingsley’s Methods

When Pat Kingsley arrived in Hollywood, I was already an independent public relations, an alumnus of 20th Century Fox, where the late Harry Brand (husband of Sybil) taught us to befriend the press (“Don’t Let the Smile Fool You,” by Hilary de Vries, Sept. 14).

Kingsley showed us another approach: Protect the stars from the press. Decide when and where they will be interviewed. Keep a distance between their lives and the lives of those in the media. Give these celebrities more time for a life away from the press.

Is Kingsley right or wrong? During the 20 consecutive years I’ve been teaching entertainment public relations at UCLA Extension (and since 1991 at Loyola Marymount as well), not one of my 150 speakers has endorsed her approach.

Julian Myers

Century City

Thanks for outlining publicist Kingsley’s efforts to keep Hollywood journalists in the category of “good children.” It’s no wonder that the major media’s star stories are tamer these days. The celebrities have traded accessibility for independence.

Undoubtedly, tabloid coverage isn’t dependably accurate, but at least there’s a degree of honesty about it.

Gordon Frevel

San Miguel, Baja California