By Drew Grant 2/27/12 9:00am

The Academy Awards

Admiral Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) on the red carpet

Red Carpet Dictator: Sacha Baron Cohen Defies Academy ‘Warning,’ Spills Kim Jong Il’s Ashes on Ryan Seacrest at Oscars (Video)

The funniest moment of last night’s almost tearfully boring Academy Awards had nothing to do with Billy Crystal‘s hosting duties, which were apparently ripped from a Catskills comedian back in the 70s. No, the best moment was Sacha Baron Cohen showing up on the red carpet, fully in character as Admiral Aladeen of Wadiya to promote his upcoming movie The Dictator.

This was supposed to be a big deal, since Mr. Baron Cohen, who co-starred in Martin Scorsese‘s Hugo, was allegedly told by the Academy not to promote his movie through some viral marketing stunt on the red carpet. The Borat actor replied earlier last week in the form of a YouTube video and a phone call on Today, then went ahead and showed up as Admiral Aladeen anyway. Read More

2/16/12 9:08am

Fashion Week Observed

KCD's darling, Hallie Chrisman.

KCD’s Hallie Chrisman Runs a Tight Ship and Spots Crashers Like a Hawk

Navigating the realm of fashion publication relations can be a difficult job. For in-house publicists and leading New York PR firms, such as KCD, PR Consulting, Karla Otto, Starworks, Bismarck Phillips and HL Group—fashion week is a marathon: RSVP-management, developing press releases, endless email chains, photography and artistic direction, event and runway production, front-of-house organization, Read More