Arizona Shooting: Alleged Shooter to Appear in Court Today

Tragedy struck Tuscon, Arizona this weekend when a shooter took the lives of 6 people and attempted the assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona)  at a “Congress on Your Corner” event  Saturday.  The lone gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is scheduled to be arraigned in court today at 2pm MT.

Loughner opened fire on the crowd gathered in the Tuscon Safeway grocery store  parking lot shortly after 10am inquiring 14 and killing 6 people: Chief Federal Court judge John Roll (63) 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, Gifford’s Director of Communications, Gabe Zimmerman (30)and retirees and Arizona residents Dorwin Stoddard (76),  Dorothy Morris (76) Phyllis Schneck (79).  His main target however was U.S. Rep Giffords (40) whom Loughner shot in the head at point black range.  Giffords remains in critical condition following the attack, however her doctors are “optimistic” about her recovery.

Loughner has been charged on three counts: first degree murder, attempted murder and attempting to kill a member of congress.  The state is set to also bring charged against the gunman.

This weekends’ events have also sparked a heated conversation about the climate of the current political rhetoric and what role it had to play in this tragedy.   Oddly enough, prior to her shooting, Giffords felt that the rhetoric did in fact need to be turned down and she expressed this in an email written to Arizona Secretary of State Trey Grayson (R).    In her note to Grayson, Gifford said

“After you get settled, I would love to talk about what we can do to promote centrism and moderation,” wrote Giffords. “I am one of only 12 Dems left in a GOP district (the only woman) and think that we need to figure out how to tone our rhetoric and partisanship down.”

Pima County Sheriff Clarance Dupnik has also been very vocal this weekend.  During an interview with ABC News, Sheriff Dupnik explained his feeling towards the recent events saying:

“We have become a very angry country, part of it very ugly. And that even though we have free speech in this country, constantly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, making the people angry at government . . . may benefit some party, but I think those people have to consider that they may have some responsibility when incidents like this occur and may occur in the future.”

Authorities are still conducting an investigation into what led Loughner to commit this crime and if he did in fact act alone.  There has been no concrete evidence disclosed at this time linking him to any specific agenda.

Stay tuned for emerging details.

Dave Vescio is Taking the Media by Storm

Leading man and LCO Client Dave Vescio is taking the media by storm appearing in several publications this month (and the month isn’t even over yet??)

Dave sat down with Exclusive Magazine, TOMI Magazine, and Geekadelphia to discuss his upcoming role in the Sci-fi thriller “Gemini Rising” (2011).  He also discussed the career risk he took in moving from journalism to acting.  His transition was emotionally motivated.

When recalling his military upbringing (his father was a fighter pilot in the air force) the actor who is also a veteran told TOMI Magazine, “ I joined the Army when I was 18.  I realized Wow I’m not really feeling the emotions of life that these characters in these stories are feeling in front of me.”

And he wasn’t content in hiding those emotions any longer.  Journalism called for him to impartial, stoic even.  He continued by saying, “I just wanted to truly feel life.  All the careers I had up until that point, I just can’t, you know?  In the military you can’t.  In photography you can’t.”

But now with over a dozen Sci-fi roles and nearly 50 appearances under his belt, its pretty safe to say that Dave has finally found his stride.  He can outwardly embrace his emotions and put them into the stories that he tells and the characters he portrays.

Check out these great in-depth articles about this extraordinary talent.  Dave Vescio is definitely one to watch in 2011.

Exclusive Magazine :  “The Ultimate Rising Star”

TOMI Magazine:  “Reinventing Yourself” (on page 42)

Geekadelphia –  Philadelphia’s Premiere Geek Blog:  “An Interview with Dave Vescio of Gemini Rising”

 

Two Interns, Two Stories, Day One

We caught up with two of our new interns to discuss their first day.  They share their hopes, their anxieties, and how they think they’ll do at LCO.  Check out what they have to say.  Click the pictures to jump to their videos.

Megan

Steven

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LCO Takes a Look Behind the Scenes of ‘Family Guy’ and ‘The Cleveland Show’

At LCO, our publicists make sure to get involved with the work of their clients, which means some behind-the-scenes action! One of LCO’s best publicists, Joni Rubin, was able to take a look at the artwork of Family Guy director artist, Joseph Lee. Joni is the publicist for The Cleveland Show’s Kevin Michael Richardson.

Rubin was being given a tour of the Family Guy and Cleveland Show‘s incredible production facilities and was able to view Lee’s art in Cleveland Show director, Mike Henry’s office. Joni instantly became a huge fan of the artwork, and can’t wait to own her own Joseph Lee piece.

Check out this Joseph Lee illustration from the Cleveland Show-one of Rubin’s favorites!

Sex With A Weed Will Not Be Worth It..

Check out this great blog post from The Huffington Post by LCO client Donna Estes Antebi.

Kiss, Tell and Sell: What Every Cheating Celebrity Needs to Know

Buckle up and get ready! Here we go again with another round of celebrity scandals. It seems like week after week, another high-profile couple splits, and another celebrity gets outed for cheating. Gavin Rossdale and David Arquette are in the hot seat, so Ashton Kutcher, Mel Gibson, and John Travolta can all breathe a sigh of relief having the heat off their alleged escapades — for the moment. This week’s Celebrity Troll Award has to go to Brett Farve. A married father of two, Minnesota Viking’s quarterback got exposed for sexting and texting lewd photographs and salacious messages to a sports reporter. Kudos to Jenn Sterger for having the decency not to take Brett Farve’s dangled bait. Why is so difficult for men to understand the connection between actions and consequences?

I spend a lot of my time coaching women, but this time, I am offering up my best advice to men to help them understand the societal paradigm shift that has transformed the consequences of cheating. The change is obvious to women, but for some reason, having that Y chromosome makes it more difficult for you fellas to comprehend. So let me explain point by point just how the world has changed, and why you can now be sure that if you are a celebrity, professional athlete, politician or a hotshot in any arena, and you cheat on your wife, you will get caught. Say it out loud: If I cheat on my wife, I will get caught, and sex with a Weed will not be worth it.

Once upon a time, cheating was a big taboo. So big, in fact, that a lusty couple would go to great lengths to hide their sordid rendezvous, knowing the risk of exposure could be life-ruining. They knew that if caught, terrible consequences would follow, not only from the betrayed spouse, but also from the community. The last thing a respectable woman ever wanted was to be marked with a scarlet letter “A” and labeled a home-wrecker, or worse, scorned, shunned, and basically run out of town by her God-fearing community. But this code of secrecy has now changed for both men and women, thanks to your good buddy, Mr. Tiger Woods.

As we all know, Tiger Woods was extremely sloppy in his philandering and got caught with his zipper down. When the extent of his multiplicity came out, Tiger’s dirty dozen line-up of e-mail waiving Weeds united against him. They stood up, smiled for the cameras, held press conferences, and one by one sold their stories, photos and e-mails to the highest bidder. Soon every Weed in America experienced her own “ah-ha” moment: If they already sold their souls to be with a married celebrity, they may as well sell their stories, too. And thus, a new business was born.

Weeds now understand that if they can sucker a married celebrity, then 15 minutes of fame and a tabloid payday are just around the corner. Weeds love this new opportunity. For Weeds, it’s far easier to nail a married celebrity than to get a decent single man to step up with a ring.

Celebrities, you are now living in the fishbowl of a kiss-tell-and-sell society, and you need to learn that there are no secrets in a TMZ world. You can heed my warning or you can learn the hard way — confidentiality and discretion are quaint artifacts of a bygone era. The Weeds of today have no shame, and if you are not stepping up with a divorce and a ring, then frequent-flying Weeds would much rather sell their stories to the highest bidder than end up getting nothing but the short end of the stick from you. Ouch.

If you proceed with your little afternoon delight and you get caught, your wife may chose to divorce you, or she may stay for the sake of your children. One thing is for sure: she will make your life miserable, and that pain will last far longer than the pleasure of your texting tryst. And while private humiliation is one thing, it doesn’t stop with just your wife.

When you’re a big shot and you get caught, your peers think you are stupid. The men around you will shift from being your good buddies to questioning your selective morality, wondering if your poor judgment and lack of impulse control will cross over into other areas too, such as the business they are doing with you day to day.

If you are reading this and feeling relieved because you are cheating but neither rich nor famous, you’re still not off the hook. You are going to get caught, too. What you fellas don’t seem to understand is that married men are targets for Weeds. Remember, Weeds want you to get caught. Weeds hope your wife kicks you to the curb.

You may not even realize the trail your cheating leaves behind, but your Weed sure does. Your texting, sexting, phone calls and e-mails are not private; they are all being stored and shared with someone. And don’t forget about those pesky little camera phones with instantaneous access to everyone’s favorite brag sheet, Facebook. It’s amazing how much trouble a little Facebook tag can cause. Remember, women like to talk. Shame is now a thing of the past. And where there is no shame, there are no secrets. You will be caught and it will not be worth the price you pay.

The moral apocalypse of America has finally served cheaters with a big reality check. Times have changed, and now you need to remember that what happens in Vegas no longer stays in Vegas; it’s simply sold to the highest bidder, or posted on Facebook. If you really love your wife and children, then show them, and don’t hurt them. Man up! Get rid of the Weeds before you get caught. You’ll be happy you did.

Now start chanting, fellas: If I cheat on my wife, I will get caught. If I cheat on my wife, I will get caught, and sex with a Weed will not be worth it.

Ladies and gentlemen, take this blog and forward it to every cheating man you know. Let this serve as their warning to change their wandering ways. Because if cheaters don’t stop leading double lives, they can be certain that sometime in the near future, they’ll be hit with not only a world of trouble, but a resounding “I told you so” from you.

Follow Donna on Twitter @donnaantebi

Congratulations Sean and Noah!

This past week, we had two interns successfully complete there time here at LCO. We are so proud of all of our interns and appreciate the time and hard work that they invest into our program. The Levine Communications Office internship will provide you with experience in PR and also will expose you to things you wouldn’t see in other Public Relations internships. From guest speakers, meeting and even interviewing clients, and pitching to leading news and entertainment sources, your career in PR will get its jump-start at LCO.

Congratulations Sean!

Sean Ybarra

Congratulations Noah!

Noah Kaufman with Publicist, Joni Rubin

LCO’s intern program is one of the longest running in North America, with over 4,000 graduates. LCO interns have gone on to hold top jobs throughout the entertainment industry, and the program itself has been praised by such prominent names as Joseph Leiberman, Michael Bloomberg, David Geffen, George Bush, John McCain and Bill Clinton.

If you are looking to jumpstart your career in the Entertainment Industry, the LCO Internship Program is just the thing for you!

We are currently accepting applicants. Please send your resume and a brief letter of interest to: LCO.internships@gmail.com

To find out more about LCO, follow us on Twitter @lcoonline or please visit us on the web at: www.LCOonline.com

Some content on this page was disabled on June 14, 2016 as a result of a DMCA takedown notice from joni rubin. You can learn more about the DMCA here:

https://en.support.wordpress.com/copyright-and-the-dmca/

“Commotions, Emotions & ‘Magical’ Potions.”

Did you know that over 6,000 women enter menopause every day in the US alone and by 2015, the number of menopausal women is expected to reach 1.7 billion?

Never before in the course of history has menopause been more socially relevant with thousands of “Baby Boomer” women aging at an exponentially fast rate. The number of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women in the United States alone is over 100,000,000. Despite these staggering statistics, menopause remains one of the most taboo and misunderstood of all natural occurrences facing women with a tremendous amount of confusion and misinformation amongst the general public and medical community.

LCO Client and executive producer of controversial new film Hot Flash Havoc, Heidi Houston will be premiering the trailer this week in New York so get excited and see what is in store from this humorous and very relatable film. Heidi and her team of experts including Alan Altman, M.D., a Gynecologist specializing in menopause and midlife sexuality (Harvard Medical School) will be moderating various panels and showcasing Hot Flash Havoc at the MORE Magazine Reinvention Convention and the GenConnect Sex for Life Panel Discussion in NYC October 16 thru October 19.

If men went through menopause, there is no question it would be solved immediately—Michelle King Robson, Founder & Chairman of EmpowHER

Hot Flash Havoc is an important film for women of all ages. If you are a woman, live with a woman, or know a woman, this is a must-see.—Phyllis Greenberger, President &CEO (Society for Women’s Health Research)

Insightful, Engaging, Entertaining. This film ends the confusion and misunderstanding that has surrounded menopause for so long.—Dr. Alan Altman, Associate Professor (Harvard Medical School)

 

For more information and to see the trailer of Hot Flash Havoc please visit www.hotflashhavoc.net

Celebs Shootin’ for Charity

This past Saturday, LCO clients and staff came out for the 2010 Hollywood Shotgun Sporting Clays Invitational Benefiting City Of Hope Bone Marrow Donor Program. Check out a few of pictures from this great event:

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You will notice celebs: Patrick KilPatrick, Eric Estrada, Joe Mantegna, along with LCO staff members Liam Collopy and Lee Runchey

Get Ready for the Red Carpet with JJ Virgin

Health and Nutrition expert JJ Virgin is the premiere voice of scientific reason in the world of nutrition and wellness. JJ is also a spokesperson for Emergen-C and Subway and spent two seasons as a health expert on “The Dr. Phil Show.” She is the co-star of the TLC reality series, Freaky Eaters. JJ is the go-to person for some of Hollywood’s top celebrities for nutrition and health and getting them ready to look their best for the red carpet. LCO Client, JJ Virgin recently spoke with the Fit Talk Show about some of the tips and tricks that she gives the celebrities as well as her new book, “Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy”. She has worked with performance athletes, CEO’s, and A-list celebrities from around the world, including KISS front man, Gene Simmons, Ben Stiller, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Janeane Garofalo, to name a few. Here are some of her most useful tips to looking fabulous when getting ready for a big event.

Cut out dairy and gluten which cause a lot of people to hold on to false fat and inflammation.

Increase fiber intake as it helps with satiety. Increase water intake between meals, not with meals. Water dilutes stomach acid and can slow down digestion and impair protein synthesis.

Drink lots of green tea. Green tea helps boost metabolism, reduces stress hormones, and burns more fat.

Get a good nights sleep.

Eat vegetables that are natural diuretics such as asparagus and cucumbers.

Drink apple cider vinegar to help with acid alkaline balance.

To read the full article, click here. For more information on JJ Virgin and her new book “Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy” please visit www.jjvirgin.com.

There is Always Something New to Experience

Recently we sat down with one of our memorable intern graduates, Ben Yano. Ben was involved in many different aspects of LCO, fully taking advantage of what this internship experience had to offer. Ben started out as one of LCO founder, Michael Levine’s interns. Some of his responsibilities included hiring new interns, planning various events, organizing guest lists, and attending events. He then moved on to be a team leader of the New Business Department. In this position, Ben successfully signed current client and comedian Carla Collins to the client roster. Way to go Ben!

What was your favorite thing about the LCO internship? I really enjoyed going to meetings with Michael with talent, media, clients, and new vendors.

What did you do to be successful throughout your time at LCO? I took every opportunity to learn and to observe, which allowed me to take in information that could help me grow as a person in the PR business. I always worked my absolute hardest and there was something to learn from every single task.

What is your advice to other interns? Treat every task that you do as if it is the most important thing, constantly be doing something, and take every opportunity to learn something.

What else can you tell us about the LCO internship? This internship helped me grow as a person and as a businessman because PR is an extremely challenging environment to work in. This internship is fast paced and has longer hours than any other job that I have ever done, challenging me further than I have ever been challenged. But I succeeded. Overall, it tested my ability to complete tasks in adverse conditions and instilled in me better discipline, creativity, and a work ethic that will never be forgotten.

Ben constantly said what a positive experience he had with the internship and recommends it to those who are eager to learn and willing to work hard. There is always something new to experience. So, why don’t you try experiencing LCO PR?

Levine Communications Office welcomes all of those who are interested in starting their career with LCO to apply for an internship with us.

To apply to become a Levine Communications Office Intern, please click here.