James R. Wilkson ran the White House Coalition Information Center for "the war against terrorism" and also served as top PR strategist for General Tommy Franks during the US attack on Iraq. Most recently he has been been planning the 2004 Republican convention to be held in New York city coinciding with the third anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack. A White House press release today announces that he will soon be back in the White House with a couple of new titles: "Deputy Assistant to the President" and "Deputy National Security Advisor for Communications."

The director of "The Reagans" complained Monday that CBS butchered his made-for-TV movie, ultimately making it too incoherent for the network to air. According to Robert Ackerman, CBS expressed no problems until after a "rough cut" was hurriedly delivered in October. At that point, the network ordered changes to the dialogue that were "nonnegotiable," he said. "What they were doing with the structure of the film, I thought, was making it incoherent," Ackerman said.

Paris Hilton has hired Dan Klores Communications, a PR firm that specializes in "crisis communications" for celebrities embroiled in scandals, to help her cope with the fallout over public circulation of a videotape featuring her having sex with a boyfriend.