Plenty of Ink

What’s with the tattoo thing? Do ink-lovers really think it looks good creeping out from a t-shirt neckline or slithering from a sleeve? What’s up with that? I’m in the ink biz (other ink) and think the whole tattoo concept is freaky.

The latest brew-ha-ha over blue centers around Chris Brown and his neck tattoo. It kinda looks a lot like his bruised and battered ex, Rihanna. But, Brown calls it “art.” More specifically a blend of “a sugar skull” linked to the Mexican celebration of the dead and “a MAC cosmetics design.” huh?

I don’t even get a heart, cupid or some lover’s name living on the side of your neck, let alone a giant battered face. If I woke up with that thing I’d be running to DC doc Tina Alster real fast to try to get it lasered off.

I really get “to each his own,” but don’t think I’ll ever learn to remotely like tattoos. I connect tattoos with Jews who were sent to concentration camps…not a pretty picture.

Chris Brown isn’t the only celeb with colored ink. There’s Angelina and Johnny Depp and Jesse James and David Beckham to name a few. Speaking of a few, Beckham’s arms, neck and back are coated with blue ink. And Audrina Partidge has a huge red strawberry and blue-greenish snake on the base of her neck. nice.

I asked my 26 year-old daughter if she likes guys with tattoos and she said, “doesn’t bother me.”

Maybe I can see (or hopefully not see) a really small tattoo on some covered body part, or an Olympic symbol if you actually make it to the Games, but what’s the gain for the pain?
I say get a custom decal made and live with a temporary tatt for a while before ever going near a tattoo parlor. Or, if you’re in love with ink, try a fountain pen.

PR is not a piece of cake

This post is part of a series written by zcomm interns. Be sure to check back each week for their take on the latest in the public relations industry. This week, Hailey discusses the negative impact of Rihanna and Chris Brown recording a song together.

Photo: eonline.com

Who can forget the Chris Brown and Rihanna scandal that happened back in February 2009? No one. We all remember hearing about how Brown assaulted Rihanna and left her with a black eye, a classic case of domestic abuse. Now why, a few years later, are they working together? While “forgive and forget” may be a great motto for some situations, it definitely should not be the case with these two.

They’re celebrities. They have tons of fans that look up to them.  They should be acting as role models for the children who idolize them. Brown obviously lost that title, but Rihanna still had a chance. In my opinion, she blew out her candles by collaborating with Brown to make “Birthday Cake.”

The death of privacy

Whitney Houston. Amy Winehouse. Michael Jackson. Xanax. Alcohol. Propofol. Valley of the Dolls.

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.