Rihanna is turning into quite the celebrity industrialist. She has a new super cheap-looking fashion line, her perfume and now her branded MAC cosmetics, which she claims to have co-designed. MAC made the announcement that they’re going to put out four different collections from Rihanna this year. This is a new trend in celebrity endorsements, to give them some kind of ownership and creative control. Rihanna did a new interview with Women’s Wear Daily to talk about the project and I have to say she sounds very professional and excited about it. She says she’s used MAC cosmetics for years, that she’s excited to be working with them, and that she tried out her new makeup on all her friends to make sure the colors worked with different skin tones. Here’s more, with more at the source:

“The only thing the media really can get in the way of is my privacy,” said Rihanna — fresh from taking her runway bow in a cavernous former post office sorting space in central London after the Rihanna for River Island show last weekend. “Privately, yeah, it’s a pain in the ass, but at the same time they help me to get my message across. My creativity — I’ll never let anyone interfere with that — because that’s something I love. And if I’m not doing that, I’m wasting my time.”

The MAC agreement — which Rihanna called “a no-brainer” — will help her be even more creative. In an unprecedented deal for both, MAC and the Grammy winner have collaborated on multiple collections of color cosmetics that will roll out later this year.

The first product to launch will be RiRi Woo, a lipstick inspired by her favorite MAC red, Ruby Woo. Its release will coincide with Rihanna’s Diamonds Tour concerts on May 4 and 5 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where MAC will open a pop-up shop on the first night to showcase the line.

“When you think of makeup, the brand that pops into your mind — for something legit — is MAC,” said the singer, who was dressed in a black, strappy, curve-hugging dress of her own design and matching Manolo Blahnik heels during an exclusive interview with WWD. “Whatever color you want, it’s like ‘Let’s go to MAC.’ I’ve been using MAC on tour for such a long time it was a natural fit for me. I have always loved makeup, and I always said that if I do it, I want to do it with a credible brand…”

Rihanna argues that creating makeup is no different from making songs — or clothing, for that matter. “Being creative is something that I love, so I can put that into different outlets. Music happens to be the first thing that I gravitated to, and now music opens doors to just so many different opportunities, and they all tie in. My makeup looks, my fashion looks…they help me to express myself as an artist. I think it helps people to understand me or my mood, my story.”

Although MAC has collaborated with myriad brands and celebrities in the past, this is the first time the brand has worked with a famous person for more than just a one-off project. “We always say that MAC likes to go on a date but doesn’t really want to go into a relationship,” said John Demsey, group president of the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc., MAC’s parent company. “This relationship with Rihanna is a long-term one that involves the development of four distinct color initiatives.”

[From WWD]

I just have to call bullsh*t on her first quote about the media getting in the way of her “privacy.” She’s tweeting and instagramming constantly. She’s the one getting in the way of her own privacy.

Getting back to this announcement, I’ve tried MAC in the past, but it’s very expensive and I stick to more affordable drug store brands now. There’s not shame in it! MAC has great eye shadow shades especially, but I can’t see spending that kind of money on a single shade. Plus what if I don’t like it? I just dropped over $10 on one color.

In terms of Rihanna as a spokesperson/collaborator, this is a great deal for both of them. MAC is edgy, they don’t care if Rihanna is tweeting photos with her ass hanging out while she’s smoking a blunt. Mac is known as a high end kind of punk rock brand. They’re not like Nivea, whose CEO who called Rihanna trashy, basically, and severed their relationship with her. MAC knows what they’re getting.

The MAC spokesperson was asked specifically about Rihanna’s relationship with Chris Brown and he had a pretty sophisticated response, “She’s a grown woman, and whatever makes her happy makes us happy. Life’s complicated. Far be it for us to judge.”

Also, as Kaiser said to me it’s nice that MAC is trying to create makeup for women of color and this collaboration with Rihanna speaks to that. Sure she’s a trainwreck in her personal life but she’s massively successful and she loves makeup. As long as she stays away from Chris Brown (not likely) and stays safe she should be ok. She isn’t drinking and driving, getting in fights or trash-talking anyone besides Karrueche. I’ve developed a kind of tolerance and understanding of her. She acts like she’s super risky and hardcore while she does all her professional duties and cashes in bigtime. Her image is very calculated.

Rihanna is shown on 2-16 (white sneakers)and 2-10 (Grammys). Credit: WENN.com

Blake Lively is the celebrity spokesperson for Gucci Premiere perfume. You may have seen her commercial in which she struts around in gorgeous dresses while applying perfume like she’s trying out a new vibrator. As part of her promotional duties she did a long video interview with fashion and beauty blog, Refinery 29. (You can watch the video there. I tried to embed it, but it’s auto-play.) Blake really knows how to give interesting beauty tips. I’m not sure they’d work for everyone, but Blake wants us to know that her style is “effortless” and will work for you, too. I’m sure she had a full blowout and a professional makeup application before she said this.

On her sense of style
You look at Katherine Hepburn and her pant suits or you look at Grace Kelly and her incredibly feminine gowns that look like a princess – very fittingly. I look to women like that because I always look for style and not trends.

There are two very different things. One can be iconic in any time period. I always want to wear things that my kids can look back on and say ‘mom, you look amazing.’ Not like ‘I can’t believe you wore that.’

On the paparazzi trying to get a money shot
It’s never comfortable when there are a million people with cameras that are screaming your name. A lot of them really want to get that embarrassing photo. You’re getting out of your SUV and there’s a guy on the ground trying to shoot up your dress and then it’s your fault later…

Leading up to it is never really stressful. You make it a fun process like going to a costume party.

On caring for her nieces and nephews before a premiere
The last premiere I went to I had my nieces and nephews I was babysitting them, they were at my hotel at the pool all day… I was getting dressed, I had my dress, my sister hadn’t shown up yet. She was late, so I was like ‘ok you guys you’re coming to the premiere…’ so I’m holding the babies I have them in the car with me, I walk the red carpet. I get back in the car and continue to watch them until my sister shows up and then I can continue with my night.

On her hair
I’m actually a pretty shy person by nature so it’s very much a safety net for me. I love to have my hair down and I love to have it full. I always like it to look really relaxed. [Structured hair] just makes me feel stiff and uncomfortable. If I have my hair down, there’s something romantic about it. I feel like it looks lived it… it has a story.

Her haircare tips
When I wash and dry my hair I have naturally wavy hair so I’ll dry it where it’s still a little bit wet and then I’ll put it just in a ballerina bun and then when I take it out it has a really nice natural deep wave… If you have any sort of natural bend in your hair, if you let it dry in that bun… make sure the bun is really tight then it will come out with really pretty waves.

Her beauty tips: improvise
It’s always about ‘are there any accidents that are going to happen… let’s use eyelash glue’ [to glue down a dress so it doesn't ride up]

My mom is very clever that way… always thinking of odd things in a pinch. My mom used Advil as blush once… she didn’t have blush, so she licked the Advil and took the pink off of it.

On fragrance
Fragrance for me is actually one of the most important things that I live by daily, as well as on the red carpet. I like a more natural, effortless look so I often don’t wear much makeup in my life if any, so fragrance is something that really defines you and it tells your story. It brings back so many emotions and so many memories. When you smell the smell of someone you love… the flood of emotions, the power that has is incredible.

Fragrance is something that can be your signature for life.

[Transcribed from video on Refinery 29]

I have long naturally wavy hair around Blake’s length and I doubt my hair would look cute if I put it up damp in a bun like that, but you know that I’m going to try it. I’ll probably be blowing it out again and then curling it to fix it afterwards. I don’t like my hair to look messy.

Blake also went on about how Gucci Premiere was “the perfect fragrance” because they were able to blend feminine floral notes with masculine wood notes and hints of citrus or something. This women is possibly the perfect spokesperson. She’s enjoying the hell of out that fat contract with Gucci.

I have to call bullsh*t on her “I’m actually a pretty shy person” comment. Blake is not shy. The interviewer was noticeably shy and reserved and it took her a while to warm up. Blake is always ready with an animated story about how she wrangles babies while attending move premieres and uses clever tricks to get her incredible hair and dewy skin. Blake’s brand of “shy” is anything but. She gives a great interview. She really knows how to make it all look “effortless.” Also, I got the sense that she’s looking forward to having kids soon.

These photos are from 12-12-12 and 10-9-12. Credit: FameFlynet and PRPhotos

Last June, there were some seemingly legit reports about Jennifer Aniston being offered an 8-figure endorsement deal to become the face of Aveeno. I thought it was a good match at the time, although nothing came of it at the time, and I thought Jennifer seemed to give up that possible deal to associate herself with a line of MIT-invented haircare products. That was last October – Jennifer got in on the ground floor, and I believe she owns a stake in the company. Well, now Aveeno has come back to Jennifer and it seems like she has signed on to do an Aveeno campaign after all!

Jennifer Aniston takes great care of her skin—and now that loving relationship is paying off.

The oft-glowing actress has signed a deal to be the new face of Aveeno skin care, E! News exclusively confirms.

“We can confirm that Jennifer Aniston will be partnering with Aveeno for skincare,” the superstar’s rep, Stephen Huvane, confirmed to E! News. “You can expect to see the results of this collaboration later this year.”

Whisperings of such a deal first sounded last summer, but Aniston’s work for the brand is just getting under way.

Previous Aveeno spokesmodels have included lovelies like All My Children actress Daniella van Grass, but Aniston would by far be the brand’s most famous face yet.

The former Friends star has also appeared in campaigns for SmartWater, L’Oreal hair care and her own eponymous fragrance.

[From E! News]

Well, Jennifer makes mostly smart decisions about her endorsement deals – that SmartWater deal has been good to her, from what I hear. Although her perfume (“Jennifer Aniston by Jennifer Aniston” – for real) was a big dud. Honestly, I was completely fine with Aniston’s haircare thing. She’s known for her hair, and I thought the product line sounded really cool, and like an interesting investment/endorsement deal. And while I know Aveeno is known for their “clean living, clean products” etc and that’s what Jennifer’s image is too, I can’t say that I’m more likely to buy skincare products with her face attached to them. I don’t associate her with good skincare. I associate her with boozing, smoking and tanning.

Photos courtesy of PR Photos.

I’m really getting burnt out on the Kardashians. It’s like a constant barrage of inane news about these twits, all converging to push their latest crappy products in our weary faces. So I’m torn on whether to even report on them today, but part of me still yearns to mock them. Kaiser calls them “gossip junk food,” and that really captures the sick-to-my-stomach feeling I get when I read too much about them, but here goes.

First we have a photo shoot they did with Annie Leibovitz to promote their new clothing line with Sears. The resulting lingerie promo photo, above, looks pieced together and Photoshopped to hell. They look like plastic dolls, basically. It also looks like someone did something to Kim’s face to highlight it so she stands out from her sisters. There’s a video of the moments they captured the raw footage for some of this mess. (Also above.) My favorite part is when Khloe looks sexy-scared. Here’s a screenshot of that moment.

Also, in the video Khloe looks like a total giant compared to her sisters. She towers over them and is about a head taller than Kim. Here’s a screenshot of that:

The ad photo shows Khloe as only a smidgen taller than Kim though. Ridiculous.

This is just what they do every day. They show up for stuff, try to act like they know fashion and styling, and put on their best sexy faces to sell stuff. Then some kid works some heavy-handed, very obvious Photoshop magic to try and make them look like “models.” It would be funny if it wasn’t so predictable.

In news about the Kardashians that’s easier to cover, Kim’s new husband-of-the-moment, Kris Humphries, had an awkward run-in with her sex tape partner, Ray J, in the first class cabin of a recent flight. Kris tried to act like he didn’t know who Ray J. was, but Ray J. called him out on it.

Also, yesterday I mentioned Kim’s really obnoxious cliche honeymoon photos in US Weekly. It gets better. There’s video, in which Kris plays grab-ass. The comparisons to her sex tape just write themselves.

Here’s Kim out yesterday in a hideous belted shirtdress in a jarring pattern that I wouldn’t even display as a hand towel. Kourtney looks slightly better in that full cobalt skirt and lace shirt, but check out her makeup!

Photo credit: Fame

Hailee Steinfeld, the 14 year-old Oscar nominee and True Grit star, has been named the new face of Miu Miu. She’ll probably do some print ads and be done with this, but this story bothers me. She’s so young and it just seems wrong to pluck a girl barely out of puberty and have her model. It happens all the time, I know, but we’ve gotten to know Hailee on her press tour and she’s so smart yet innocent somehow. I just want her to act and focus on school and not get involved in all this modeling and brand representation business.

Hailee Steinfeld is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after girls in Hollywood. The 14-year-old Oscar nominee has been named the new face of Miu Miu, Prada’s younger line, the fashion house announced Monday.

The True Grit star has stepped out in the brand on a number of occasions, including the BAFTA Awards in February, the SAG Awards in January and a Miss Golden Globe event in December.

Steinfeld even joined fellow Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence, 20, at the luxe line’s runway show during Paris Fashion Week in March.

[From US Weekly]

Kaiser reminded me that Hailee went to fashion week to the Miu Miu show and as this article mentions she’s worn the brand to The BAFTAs, The SAG Awards and another event. Hailee has a quirky sense of style, and Miu Miu caters to that. I’d rather see her do an ad for neutrogena or something, but she’s better than that and she’s earned a big high fashion modeling contract. I wish I could be happy for her, but I’m just kind of wary. It’s the mom in me.

Hailee in Miu Miu at the SAGs in January:

In Miu Miu at the BAFTA Awards in February:

At the Miu Miu show in February:

In Stella McCartney (bleh!) at the Met Gala earlier this month:

photo credit: WENN.com

Before I recount this story, let me say that the Fresh Diet publicist gave some super bitchy comments to Star, that we are not making fun of Carnie’s weight in any way and that this is about a dumb move she made that ended up costing her an endorsement deal. So Carnie was a spokesperson for a food delivery service called Fresh Diet. Instead of losing weight with the diet she put some on, which can probably be blamed on the fact that she started a side business making cheesecakes and sweets. (Some of Carnie’s products can be found at Melissa Joan Hart’s dessert shop in Sherman Oaks, CA, Sweet Harts.) The Fresh Diet people are pissed, and they’re not mincing words about it:

Carnie Wilson was let go as spokesperson for food-delivery service The Fresh Diet on Nov. 10 after losing only 19 lbs on the program – and then gaining it all back (plus some) after she launched her own cheesecake company.

“Carnie was promoting her cheesecakes while she was supposed to be only eating our three meals and two snacks a day,” The Fresh Diet publicity Ezzy Duchman tells Star of the 230-lb Wilson Phillips singer, who went from 300 lbs to 150 lbs after gastric bypass surgery in 1999. Although Carnie’s rep tells Star she parted ways with the Fresh Diet because her contract was up, Ezzy says, “We had to take her off the corporate website because she has not been a successful case. She didn’t stick to it, and she didn’t cut weight. We had to cut ties with her…

“It seemed that she was eating more food than just our meals. We always saw her baking on her reality show. We believe she wasn’t sticking to the plan and she wasn’t losing weight. If you’re baking cheesecake and selling it, then you can’t promote a diet company.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, December 6, 2010]

I get that it’s fulfilling to make your hobbies into a career (which is how I ended up gossiping about celebrities for a living). If you’re endorsing a diet service, though, it’s a no-brainer to realize that you shouldn’t be selling cakes on the side. (Or eating them, although that’s usually emotional.) Poor Carnie. This isn’t her only issue lately. She’s also suing the Game Show Network, which aired her reality show “Carnie Wilson: Unstapled” for $277,500 in unpaid wages. In the first episode of her show with aired in January, she cried to a personal trainer that she was having money problems and couldn’t afford his services. The show was canceled in March.

Carnie is shown on 11/9/10 with fellow Wilson Phillips members Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips. Credit: Owen Beiny / WENN.com. She’s also shown on 6/28/10. Credit: Nikki Nelson / WENN.com

I thought that SNL parody of Jamie Lee Curtis eating Activia and talking about how she couldn’t stop pooping was a total put on, but it turns out it’s not. In a new interview with Starpulse, Curtis admits that’s what the yogurt is for. She also takes a lot of pride in the fact that she’s helped so many people have regular bowel movements by endorsing the brand. I’m not a fan of Activia and designer yogurts because just about any no-name probiotic or active yogurt will do the trick (and you can easily make your own kefir with a culture) but whatever floats your uh, boat. (Dropping kids off at the pool whatever.) Eating more fiber and fruits and vegetables helps too, as does a cup of coffee. Here’s what Curtis says:

As the spokesperson for Activia Yogurt, Jamie Lee Curtis more famous than ever. Now people don’t just recognize her, they share their personal stories with her. Curtis loves all the attention Activia brings her.

“I have a job where I advertise yogurt that makes you poop and that people love and people tell me about their bowel movements every day,” Curtis said. “I do something where people come up to me anywhere I am in the world and they go, ‘Thank you. Thank you for Activia. It has changed my life.’ I know what they’re telling me. They’re telling me that the product that I endorse has helped them.”

Curtis even recorded testimonials on her phone. She played recordings from people all over the country stopping her to thank her for bringing Activia to their attention. “Now, I’m not a doctor but I actually feel the way a doctor gets thanked by a patient and I get it all the time. All I can tell you is I’ve been in a lot of movies, I’m the daughter of very famous people, I’m married to a very famous guy, I do a lot of things. Nothing else in my life, nothing else gets people coming up to me saying, ‘You’ve changed my life. Because of you and that product, it is off the charts, my life is different.’ I’m telling you. Now if you told me three years ago when I started doing advertisements for them that that was going to be the reality of my life, that I would be in airports and people would come up, hold my hand and thank me… You just have to wake up in the morning and know that something is going to happen.”

A lot of celebrities do product endorsement. Curtis just stumbled into the big one. “I never in my life thought when I first was asked by this company, Activia, Dannon, to be their representative, I really don’t think it was just like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a check, I’m going to do it.’ I really thought, ‘Okay, wait a minute. I’m going to go out and talk about bowel movements and about how people’s digestive tracts work. Some work better than others and why and blah blah blah and that this will help.’ I really thought, ‘Okay, is that going to be weird? I mean, is that going to be weird? You’re an actor, you’re a writer. Is that going to just be a weird thing.’ It has turned out to be the most fun thing.”

[From Starpulse]

I guess if you’re going to do a product endorsement you may as well believe in it and be proud that you’re helping people. Who is coming up to Jamie Lee Curtis in airports and holding her hand like she’s some kind of messiah? I guess old people are. Can you imagine? “Thank you, Jamie Lee Curtis. Thank you for convincing me to eat yogurt so I can poop regularly.” I can see her patting their hands and looking at them with a steady understanding gaze. Jamie Lee Curtis, the goddess of regularity. She’s kind of awesome in my book.

Also – after I published this I read Curtis’ remarks again and am wondering – when she says that “You just have to wake up in the morning and know that something is going to happen,” does she mean do you know that you’re going to poop or that she knows that someone is going to tell her about the fact that they pooped?

SNL Parody

Activia yogurt commercial

Did you know that Lady Gaga is a hardcore tea-drinker? True story. I think I’ve read that in various interviews, but I never really thought to myself, “I bet that’s something interesting.” Don’t most singers drink a lot of tea? I know when I have a sore throat, some tea with honey works really well. Whatever, Gaga loves her cuppa tea. And now she’s got tea companies – already dwindling from a growing international consumer base of coffee drinkers – fighting it out to see who will get to sign Gaga to an exclusive endorsement deal. The front runner is Twinings (I have a couple of boxes in my cabinet!), and they want to create a new tea that Gaga can be the “face” of – “The Taste of Gaga”. What does Gaga taste like? Crusty old makeup and boob flames, I guess.

LADY GAGA is at the centre of a bidding war – to save tea from hot water. With sales of the traditional form of the drink falling, oddball GaGa – who famously loves a cuppa – has firms fighting to sign her as a brand ambassador.

In the past few weeks GaGa’s management have received offers from all the major tea brands. But at the moment it’s old English firm Twinings who seem most determined to sign her. The company, which dates back 300 years, has made GaGa a multi-million-pound offer to be the face of their specialist teas. If it comes off, it will be a marketing dream come true.

Apart from the Queen, GaGa is the most famous tea drinker in the world. And I couldn’t resist mocking her up as a traditional tea lady.

A source said: “Her management have received a load of offers from major tea companies but Twinings are the front-runners. They want to launch a new tea with her face on it and discussions are taking place at the top level. Names like The Taste Of GaGa are being batted about. The idea is to have tasting sessions in which she would participate.”

“The tasters are coming up with a tea with an oriental flavour. They want to market tea to a new, younger generation – particularly in America, and GaGa is making drinking tea cool again.”

Lady GaGa – real name Stefani Germanotta – is hardly ever without her trusty teacup and saucer. ELTON JOHN presented her with one of his priceless vintage teapots as a thank-you for performing at his White Tie And Tiara Ball last month. But it was her appearance on JONATHAN ROSS’s BBC1 show last year which made people much more aware of her obsession with the brew. She brought her own cup and saucer on to the show and sipped ginger tea throughout the interview.

Normally GaGa doesn’t like to rush into commercial endorsements – which I admire. She recently knocked back a number of perfume offers, whereas other celebrities can’t wait to get their mugs on a fragrance bottle.

[From The Sun]

I give Gaga credit for not going down the perfume route too – and I like what Gaga has chosen to promote thus far. She’s already taken a major role at Polaroid when she signed on as their global ambassador. Becoming the face of tea bags everywhere (giggle) could be an awesome move. I would buy “Taste of Gaga”. But only if it tasted like Lemon Zinger, or green, of Earl Grey.

Twit-pics courtesy of Gaga’s Twitter.

I get a lot of promotional e-mail that I usually ignore. It’s often for things like a kind of haircare product that a reality star allegedly uses or a brand of expensive jeans that several celebrities were seen wearing. When I got an e-mail detailing some products seen at Tori Spelling’s daughter Stella’s second birthday I thought it was just another one of those promotional e-mails where a company touts the fact that a celebrity chose to use their merchandise. (Often because the stuff was gifted to them.) Then I saw the photos of Stella’s party at Entertainment Tonight and decided to go back to the original e-mail. Tori and Dean didn’t just happen to use a particular product that they either picked out or had comped – they had her entire party sponsored. Check out the photos and read this press release and tell me this isn’t a sponsorship. However, the PR Firm that sent me this message wrote in a follow up that “We’re uncomfortable saying the party was sponsored by BornFree as it is inaccurate.”

This Saturday, Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott celebrated their daughter Stella’s 2nd birthday with a celebratory combination of Barbies, bright pink and BornFree products at their LA home. Infant and toddler partygoers were treated to an all pinked-out party replete with a several foot-high Barbie cake, BornFree Trainer Cups and the latest BornFree Twist’nPop Straw Cups.

BornFree is the world’s leading Bisphenol-A-free (BPA-free) baby brand and is adored by celebrities including Halle Berry, Heidi Klum, Naomi Watts, and Matthew McConaughey among others. Its safe materials range in infant and toddler products from baby bottles and cups to pacifiers and sterilizers.

[Received via e-mail]

A couple days ago, I received another e-mail from a PR company with a photo of Dean McDermott clutching another product while his son, Liam, gave him a thumbs up sign. That photo is below, and the e-mail accompanying read, in part “It was father/son bonding at the Muscle Milk Fitness Retreat on Saturday for Dean McDermott and his adorable son Liam. After eating too much birthday cake at daughter Stella’s 1st [sic] birthday party, Dean stopped by the Muscle Milk Fitness Retreat to burn off those extra calories and to get in a quick workout to kick off his special Father’s Day weekend.”

Ok, so in that instance Dean may have legitimately visited a gifting event and then he gamely posed for a photo with the product afterwards. That’s fine, and a lot of celebrities do that in order to get free stuff and services. The e-mail for the Muscle Milk came from a gmail address and the other was from a PR firm, so maybe those two recent product placement incidents for Tori and Dean aren’t related.

Is it ok to accept a sponsorship product placement for your two year-old daughter’s birthday party, though? I’m positive that’s what’s happening here because the damn cups are laid out prominently in every photo, including giant signs with their logo on them. The party’s color scheme even matches the cups.

We had a nice party for my son’s second birthday with friends and a cake and I remember it was the first time he really seemed to process everything and understand that it was his birthday. He wouldn’t have realized if the party was sponsored as what mattered to him was that his friends were there and he had a good time. Does Stella look like she’s having a good time? Hopefully these pictures were taken before the guests arrived and the kids started playing. They really make it look like Tori and Dean were more concerned with making a buck than making their daughter’s day special, though. Maybe I’m just being too skeptical. There’s something awesome yet scary about that giant Barbie birthday cake.

A Colorado pop artist who staged a stunt printing out clear “unfaithful” stickers and slapping them on Gatorade bottles in the Denver area is now facing federal charges. The guy could have better avoided being caught if he didn’t stupidly send a email to Gatorade announcing his plans and asking for cash. He also put his e-mail address on the labels, or at least an e-mail address of a “friend.” The “friend,” Jason Kay, granted an off camera interview to a local news station and claims it’s all the work of an “artist from out of town.” Kay is now facing federal product tampering charges, and this also brings up the worrisome issue of whether the drinks were tainted or not.

If all publicity really was good publicity, then Gatorade probably wouldn’t have minded so much about the unsolicited—and, as it turns out, totally illegal—ad campaign a Colorado pop artist launched this week.

But that axiom pretty much bit the dust yesterday, when bottle bootlegger Jason Kay was slapped with a felony charge and two misdemeanor counts after tampering with the labels on the sports beverage by affixing custom-made stickers featuring Tiger Woods and the word “unfaithful.”

The 38-year-old Kay, who apparently fessed up to the FDA investigators just as quickly as he did to the local news crews, could get five years in prison for his backfired experiment in pop art.

Not that he went down without a fight…

According to the police affidavit, obtained by the Smoking Gun, Kay exchanged emails with a rep for PepsiCo, Gatorade’s corporate overlord, on Sunday, asking to work out a closed-doors deal with the drink giant in which they would give him a per diem and pay his travel expenses to cities around the country to facilitate further label hijacking, all while publicly denying any connection to the viral vandal.

As for what would be in it for Gatorade? “Positive press,” of course.

In his email to the company, Kay said the project’s continuation would be “good for Gatorade and good for art.”

But not, it turns out, good for his personal freedom, as the company didn’t exactly bite on his offer.

Instead, he now faces charges of introducing adulterated or misbranded food into interstate commerce, mutilating or destructing a food label, and tainting a consumer product with the intention of causing serious injury to a business.

He faces five years in federal prison if he’s convicted of the offense. Guess you don’t have to be a tiger to sport stripes.

[From E! Online]

In a way it’s really clever to re-make Gatorade bottles mocking Tiger, but the guy and his “friend” should have sold them on eBay or made a parody website. Instead, they got the feds on their case by stupidly forcing them on an unsuspecting public. Maybe this incident will help bring the point home to Gatorade and Tiger’s other sponsors, even the ones who have defected, what an expensive public relationship disaster it is to be associated with him in any way. I see the Tiger Woods scandal as a wake up call to companies not to rely too much on a single spokesperson to define their brand.