“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

Not too long ago, I reported on the new fragrance, Lolavie by Jennifer Aniston, The Sweet Smell of Celebrity. Though she surely is not the first, and clearly not the last movie star to multi-task while branding, this disturbing trend has taken another bow with a celebrity men’s fragrance, called The Secret by Antonio Banderas. Gee, I thought The Secret was a spiritual quest for garnering wealth. Perhaps it still is…but in case…just for Antonio…as opposed to the betterment of mankind. Seems like the new scoop is, in order to be famous, you have to be brand-able. Well, I said famous, not amazing. You won’t see Meryl Streep for Kohl’s anytime soon. Or in the case of her daughters Mamie or Gracie, you won’t see Gracie Gummer for Candie’s…I hope. Sure, fame gets you endorsements…every Golden Age of Hollywood star was whored out by the studio. But there are really no more studios, so these choices are made by business managers and agents. Endorsements is a valid business…but one just has to be prepared for the jokes.