At NPR’s All Things Considered, Money In A Bottle: The Celebrity Scent Business. About 4 minutes long. I’m having trouble getting their embedded player to work, but you can click on the link and listen from the NPR website.
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Thanks for posting this, Robin. I’m off to listen to it. Even if we *could* run out of celebrities, I think Paris Hilton will keep cranking them out ad infinitum and perhaps even from beyond the grave thanks to allowing her name to be slapped on them, so I don’t think we’re out of the woods just yet. Though I don’t know if Kilie’s given Paris a run for her money but suspect she’s definitely on her way there if she hasn’t already.
Oh, and for those who may not have caught this a good while back, there was an interview with Chandler Burr on the Diane Rehm show from approx. 2003 for The Emperor of Scent, a book Burr wrote about Luca Turin. I just had to make a mental note to listen to it despite the fog of teething twins back then, and was so fascinated that it was definitely part of what propelled my slippery slope into perfume obsession. So I know odds are good most here have already heard it, but in case you haven’t, it’s a really fun show. Chandler even sprays some frags to get Diane’s thought on them, and her reaction to Angel is really amusing.
Suppose it would help to provide a link if I’m able:
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/03/02/13.php If the link doesn’t work, the show aired on Feb. 13, 2003. Lol My twins’ first birthday. No wonder the particular date is such a haze.
It seems to be de rigueur to claim that celebrity fragrances are on their last leg — I don’t believe it for a minute. They’ve been saying it for years, and there are more instead of less. Tony Curtis may get his license yet, LOL…
And thanks for the link, I used to listen to Diane Rehm all the time and it’s yet another thing I never find time for these days.
I don’t listen as much as I once did, either, but this particular show was one of my favorites and a must-listen for lovers of perfume. I wouldn’t mind celebrity scents if they used their celebrity to creat something wild and daring, but it’s such a redundant category that after a while the appeal to run out and try them fades. I liked Halle, Danielle, and want to try Queen Latifah’s, but some of the same “celebrities” are so prolific that there’s just no way for me to keep up between them and all the niche collections launching at warp speed. I was intrigued years ago when there was a rumor floating about the blogosphere that Madonna was working on something because she struck me at the time as someone who’d create whatever she wanted criticism be damned, but now I’m not so sure even she could save the reputation of celebrity perfume.
It still surprised me that Madonna has never done one. I wouldn’t think it had been for lack of offers, but maybe she hasn’t had the right offer.