So we all know about Mel Gibson getting busted for Drunk Driving. Two stories are emerging from a PR perspective out of this. The first, obviously, is the LA County Sheriff’s office, and the fact that they might have, according to TMZ, offered preferential treatment to Mr. Gibson, as well as going back and changing the police report to make it reflect less badly on Mr. Gibson. Lessons out of this are simple – Hollywood gets a different set of rules – that’ll never change, and that’s not so concerning. It’d be nice to see him lose his license, just like any other idiot who DWI’s, but it wouldn’t matter, since he probably has a fleet of limos and drivers [...]

So that little "light" seems to have cancelled my flight. So I sit here near the gate, having already been rebooked on a 1:30am flight, getting me home at 5am, in time for my 8am pitch meeting. And I’ll be friendly. I promise. Anyhow, I get to watch crisis management unfold in front of me. On the plane, the captain came on with the news that flight 455′s plane was going out of service. Before the collective groan could even finish, he followed up with "but, we have a 737-800, a bigger plane, coming in to Palm Beach from Newark." My first thought was, "great, it’ll be in tomorrow morning, and there goes my meeting." He then continued with, "It’s [...]

What do you do when a legally blind reporter asks you a question at a press conference? Well, I don’t recommend, from a PR perspective, asking if he’s going to ask the question with "shades on." Granted, Mr. Bush didn’t know the reporter was legally blind – but still – makes for an interesting "cringe moment" for Mr. Bush’s handlers.

A first-time tandem skydiver was killed on Saturday when she fell from her harness. Using the comments section below, feel free to answer any or all of the following questions: 1) What do you say to a first-timer who is now thinking of cancelling his or her reservation for a tandem skydive? 2) The USPA keeps detailed statistics that show that Tandem skydiving, while risky, is still incredibly safe comparitively. How do you put that forth to a student? 3) If you were to start a safety campaign or poster highlighting why a Tandem Skydive is still an amazing thrill and something everyone should try, what would you do?

Wanna tell me what genius in marketing let this one slip by? Thank you, State of Florida. I must go cool off now.