This is what we remember about these famous singers – their causes of death. And it’s not entirely our fault that we suddenly link these talented artists with the substances that killed them. It’s all over the papers, on Twitter, Facebook and countless other social media websites. Comedians make jokes, bloggers make assumptions and drug habits make headlines.

But if celebrities expect to reap only the benefits of fame, they have another thing coming. With the money and outpouring of fan love, comes the public scrutiny. It’s a deal with the devil. For fame, a celebrity gives the public their privacy. Personal moments as mundane as eating a meal, running errands or enjoying a legal joint (I’m looking at you, Rihanna… actually, everyone is) are tabloid covers and gossip blog headlines. “Can you believe what she looks like without makeup?” “She was such a bitch at the club.” “Did you see that video where he was an a–hole to the valet?”

Now with smart phones, everyone’s a paparazzo. And celebs need to adapt. The first thing I’d say is “You’re always being watched.” I know it’s creepy, but it’s true. A star’s every move is captured on an iPhone and blasted all over the internet in a matter of seconds. Because – let’s face it – the public has an attention span of a goldfish, no one will remember your Academy Award when there’s a picture of you snorting lines in a club. No one will remember your triple platinum record when there’s footage of you blowing off fans for an autograph.

So here’s my advice to celebrities out there: keep your mouth shut (unless you’re reading from a script) and keep your head on straight. A bad choice may be your last impression.

The first electronic mail was sent in 1971 between two computers sitting on the same desk.

That is simply amazing.

Forty-one years later we can text every single person in our address book with a phone the size of a credit card, “Happy New Year,” and it doesn’t matter if they are standing right next to us or if they are in the middle of China. The growth of technology has been non-stop and it is crazy how far it has come since 1971.

Along with the advancement of technology, the media landscape has been constantly changing as well. Since 2002, when Friendster (remember that?) was launched, social media sites have taken over our social lives, news outlets and free time. As a student of public relations, my coursework has been all over the place since my freshman year of college. When I entered college in 2007, I took a couple of journalism and public relation classes, and most of my assignments were to read the paper every day because of a current events quiz that would be held at the beginning of every class. We practiced writing articles, pitch letters and news releases.

Now nearing the end of my college career, none of my peers touch a real newspaper. We read our RSS feeds, open up a news app on our smart phones, listen to a podcast or check our Twitter feeds for instant updates. Yes, we still write articles, pitch letters and news releases, but we also have classes specifically geared to teach us how to write a professional tweet, Facebook update, blog and text – it’s harder than it sounds. Every year there is a new platform or tool that is introduced and we are expected to use most of them in our daily lives.

We are still taught the fundamental rules of public relations, so don’t think the next crop of public relation professionals are just a bunch of kids glued to their computers or smart phones. We know our theories. We know what goals, objectives, strategies and tactics are. We know that no press is bad press. We know how to pitch a story or client to a media outlet. And yes, we know who Edward Bernays and Ivy Lee are. We’re just a new generation of public relation professionals who want to bring a fresh and exciting aura to the public relations world. With the ever changing media landscape, it seems like there is always something new to do as a public relation practitioner.

That’s just my quick outlook on public relations from a student who is about to enter the workforce. Cheers to the future!

And now the latest crisis to rock the boat – more than 100 passengers on the Ruby Princess, operated by a unit of Carnival, have picked up the nasty Norovirus that triggers vomiting and diarrhea for 1-3 days. And this was after ANOTHER ship was hit with the same bug the week before. So it’s no picnic for Carnival right now.

Talk about a PR crisis. First a luxury ship that sends passengers scrambling to lifeboats and then two ships that send passengers running to the toilet. They need some cruise control ASAP.

So, what should the cruise industry do to regain its sterling image and rebuild its brand? Where’s the crisis communications? One thought is a message about the relative safety of cruising versus driving or flying. Another idea is to implant feature or travel reporters and DJs on cruise ships to help promote the positives including rock climbing, ice skating, gambling, Rodeo Drive-like shopping, musicals, food and so on. Carnival Corp, or another large cruise group, can also book a travel expert on radio and TV shows to talk about not only what a deal cruising is for the whole family right now, but what a great vacation it is.

Personally, I’ve been on 11 cruises – 10 on really big ships – and except for one day of rough seas where I wanted to be helicoptered to the nearest spit of land, it was pure fun. I never had the slightest fear that the boat might leak or cruisers might debark with Depends.

I do think cruising is still safe and that it’s a great time to book. And no, I don’t work for the cruise industry. But, I do pack lots of Purell.

That’s right; you don’t have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday to catch these comical commercials featuring celebs like Matthew Broderick in a spin-off of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for Honda and the ever-whiney Jerry Seinfeld who’ll do anything for a new Acura. Companies such as Honda, Kia, VW and Acura have been teasing audiences with “pre-ads.” Think of them like trailers for Sunday’s main feature-length event. In fact, Acura isn’t even waiting until Sunday. They’ve already premiered their Super Bowl ad, with even an extended version!

The commercial “pre-release” is becoming a growing trend to create buzz around the product and boost viewers. With the popularity of Super Bowl commercials, the ads have gone viral and in turn, are driving consumers to social media sites. Companies upload the ad on their YouTube channel or Facebook page, and we do the rest; sharing or “liking” the content. It’s a very smart marketing strategy on their part and we’re making the advertisers very happy – spreading the company’s message for free, which is what they were hoping for.

It’s not just about a one-time-watch during the Super Bowl anymore; it’s now about watching, and re-watching, and forwarding and tweeting and liking and sharing and so on. Social media has taken Super Bowl ads to a whole other level. Audi’s 60-second spot has already generated 2 million views online and Jerry Seinfeld’s Acura commercial is at 1.2 million views… and counting. The buzz is more viral than pneumonia and kickoff hasn’t even happened yet. I’d call that a social media blitz that’s a touchdown for advertisers.

So, I sat down with a friend, a bowl of chips and salsa, carrots and dip, turkey sandwiches, a little wine and 60 inches of testosterone HD-style. Big games deserve a big screen.

When the Ravens’ Billy Cundiff hooked his field-goal attempt that would have had them flying to Indy, I was heartsick. Not that I’m necessarily a Baltimore fan, but because I thought no one could feel any crummier at that moment than him. What happened in the locker room after that major miss? Did his teammates slap his pads and say good try or did they just slug him?

Next game – Eli was no bologna when he overcame six sacks in his record fifth playoff win. And nothing like overtime to crack out some IPA beer and Ben & Jerry’s chocolate cookie cake-something in my perfect woman cave. This time a foot made the difference. Lawrence Tynes’ foot that is. He booted the football up and over to clinch the 20-17 win with a field goal, taking advantage of San Francisco’s Kyle Williams’ fumbled punt (say that 10 times fast).

Just like the millions of other people watching the Big Game, I can’t wait, even if I am most excited about the commercials. Let’s see what Bud, Coors, Doritos and Snickers are up to this year.

Speaking of the Big Game, zcomm has a big contest. We want to know what it is about the game that reels you in. Is it the commercials? The viewing parties? The out-of-bounds food? Or maybe you’re rooting for your home team! Comment below and let us know what you’re most excited about, and we’ll choose one lucky fan at random to win a Big Game Party Pack!

It’s almost game time, so hurry up and enter for a chance to win. This contest ends Thursday, Feb 2 at 3 p.m. ET.

Yesterday Deen appeared on ABC to reveal the diagnosis, along with name-dropping the Novo Nordisk drug. She added that she and her family kept the diagnosis private while they figured out what to do. This was an excellent PR move, as her livelihood revolves around her high-fat Southern cooking. My guess is that during this time, which she claims was a few years, she was also shopping offers from diabetes drug companies. Deen was very PR savvy in waiting to reveal her diagnosis after lining up endorsements.

Like Deen, other celebrities are cashing in on unhealthy habits. Jessica Simpson recently signed a multi-million dollar deal with Weight Watchers to be their official spokesperson. Simpson, whose weight has fluctuated over the years, explained that she’s eating for more than two at the moment, which isn’t just an investment for her baby, but is also a surefire way to get a dramatic before and after result for Weight Watchers.

There are even rumors that Deen will be on the next cast of “Dancing with the Stars.” The woman is raking it in for being overweight! The producers love her “likeability” factor and know that the audience will get hooked on a good backstory.

One person who is not enamored by her “likeability” factor is fellow chef, Anthony Bordain. Bordain and Deen have publicly feuded on Twitter about her recipes in the past, with Bordain even calling her “The Most Dangerous Person in America.” Yesterday, in a very thinly-veiled tweet, Bordain wrote “Thinking of getting into the leg-breaking business, so I can profitably sell crutches later.” Well Bordain, looks like Deen’s getting the last laugh when she looks at her bank statement.

I’m sorry Blue Ivy Carter, but according to Twitter, more people wanted to watch Jesus bring home a “W” than those who were excited about your birth announcement.

So how does one determine who’s more popular on Twitter? It’s actually measured in TPS or “Tweets Per Second.” I have a fear that’s now going to be included in middle school Physical Science equations… Tim Tebow received an unbelievable 9,420 TPS while Beyonce’s announcement received 8,868 TPS. Not only that, but both were at the top of Twitter’s worldwide “Trending Topics.” This list appears on the side of every one of twitter’s 360 million account pages, and is updated constantly based on what topics people are discussing on the social media site.

Twitter’s “Trending topics” have even become a news source. Instead of visiting different websites to hear about a celebrity death, new movie, political scandal or geographic event, simply click the link on the side. Twitter’s become a one-stop shop for social interaction and news. Shira Lazar has capitalized on this trend with her internet news and talk show “What’s Trending.” Like the name implies, Shira and her team of internet researchers follow what’s trending, usually focusing on what’s trending in real-time on Twitter. The trending topics are determined by mentions in tweets, specifically hashtags.

Now I’m going to go make #zcomm happen, people!

Last week, Minhee Cho ordered a small pepperoni pizza from her local New York City Papa John’s only to find that they messed up her name. But she found something very different. Under the “name” section, the Papa John’s employee put down “lady chinky eyes.”

Lady chinky eyes? I haven’t heard that phrase used… ever! And as horrible as that was, it just kept getting worse for Papa John’s. Unbeknownst to the cashier, Minhee works in PR.

With social media use at an all-time high, companies today need to realize that when they screw up, they’ll get exposed – big time. With Smartphones, we have access to digital cameras at the touch of a button. And on the same device, we can upload these pictures or videos to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, WordPress, Blogspot, you get the picture. And that’s exactly what happened. Minhee tweeted at Papa John’s saying “Hey @PapaJohns just FYI my name isn’t ‘lady chinky eyes,’” and attached a photo of the receipt.

Papa John’s responded to the tweet. The pizzeria, like most companies now, have a specific PR and marketing team that handles issues via Twitter and Facebook and I’m sure took time to make sure the “complaint” was real, similar to the now infamous Domino’s Pizza video. They informed Minhee and other followers that the employee was promptly fired, and contacted Minhee personally through a Twitter direct message to offer their apology. As bad as the situation was, it could have been worse. Papa John’s social media rep neutralized the issue. In a world where information is out there in a millisecond, time is the biggest factor in avoiding a scandal. Will Papa John’s be remembered for its racist snafu? Probably, but they’ve also used social media to let everyone know what they’re doing to improve their company.

For a while Vegas tried to be a “family” retreat – easy on the wallet with low-cost rooms and enough food on the buffet line for even Calista Flockhart to qualify as freight post-meal.

But that didn’t quite work for the Las Vegas tourism folks, so they went back to “naughty.” Ad agency R&R Partners came up with “What Happens Here Stays Here” and then a woman pulled a fast one and trademarked “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.” What a kerfuffle among the agency, tourism board and copycat copywriter. No matter, the brand slogan is pretty accurate. Whether it’s “stays here” or “stays in Vegas,” there’s lots that should just stay there.

First, I didn’t know people smoked anymore until I walked across the 135,000 sq. ft. of Newport-stained carpeting to get to the elevator to my suite. There was smoking at the slots, at craps tables, at roulette… at every game that I love to play. There was also smoking in the lounges, bars, restaurants, shops, rooms, etc.

Second, how do these women wiggle into those glittery unitards? They strolled the casinos and lounges selling cigars and drinks like something out of the 60’s. I was waiting for Frank Sinatra to come up to one of the walking Christmas tree ornaments for a smoke and a scotch.

Third, OMG those suites! Mine had remote-controlled blinds and I almost went blind from the three (count ‘em, THREE) TVs. I even think Liberace was tinkling the keys in some corner, and the bathroom could have slept eight.

Fourth, the good food was really good. All the top chefs from “Top Chef” have joints in Vegas and they’re packed despite the $50 tab for a steak. Good thing I won some money, but I don’t know what the losers do for food. Oh, yes I do, the buffets.

Fifth, the shops. My hotel alone looked as if Rodeo Drive had switched zip codes. I tried my best to look straight ahead and I was pretty good. Only once or twice did I look into the light and buy a pair of shoes or jeans. Not so bad.

Last, Kim Kardashian was at a club in my hotel for New Year’s. Talk about this year’s biggest trending topic. And her trend looked even bigger in her next-to-nothing Herve Leger stretch-to-kill dress and Louboutin 6-inchers. The club paid about $600,000 for her to just schmooze the booze crowd. She was on the radio, she was on video, she was tweeting, she was texting. Now this is the kind of PR to die for. She was there for a whopping three hours… but I doubt Kim stayed in Vegas.

Let’s take a closer look at five PR disasters from the past year:

Cain was Cheesy – So this wind-up toy of an ex-Republican Presidential Candidate went a bit too far when he denied affair #1, then affair #2 and then long term affair #3. What was he thinking? Where were his advisors? When his wife stopped talking to him, he decided to get off the election train. Maybe he should get back to business and put his sausage on his pizzas.

Facebook Loses Face – Facebook hires big time PR pros to question Google’s use of personal data, and then tries to get away with “no fingerprints.” Facebook was outed by Newsweek’s Dan Lyons in The Daily Beast. Bet Mark Zuckerberg wished he were transparent when the egg splashed on his face.

Kim, Kris and Married Bliss – Couldn’t the infamous duo have waited just a few more months to announce their divorce? In a year when there’s a huge divide between the rich and poor, why shove an 18 million dollar wedding in Americans’ faces? Couldn’t Kim’s best friend, PR Guru Jonathan Cheban, have given her better advice?

Charlie’s No Angel – OK, so maybe we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the screen watching Charlie Sheen rant and rave about everything from his Two and a Half Men producer, Chuck Lorre, to his own two goddesses. I was always taught to keep things amicable in this business. Not sure Charlie had that in mind when he called Lorre, “A stupid little man.” Good luck, Charlie.

Ice Cream Balls – You’ve got to give Ben & Jerry’s credit for coming up with off the chain names for its ice cream over the years, but things got a little warm for the brand when they churned out “Schweddy Balls” after the infamous SNL skit. While this made some folks laugh, my guess is that Ben & Jerry’s wasn’t laughing when big grocery chains dropped its ice cream like a hot potato.

Here’s the good news: 2011 is basically over, the folks noted above have gotten their due and it’s a clean slate for all of us. There will always be PR headaches, and that means there will always be PR. Here’s to a good year, everyone! Happy 2012!