Hi- Walgreens and Sears just severed business with Paula. But you think things could not get any worse for Paula? Random House has just announced that they are not publishing Paula's new cookbook that was scheduled to come out on October 15, and which has been #1 on Amazon for the last day. Apparently Paula signed a contract with Random House last year, after being with Simon and Schuster previously. Her agent just announced that RH is definitely not publishing her next cookbook. They were also scheduled to publish at least one future cookbook and several ebooks, but her agent doubts that those are going to transpire either. Her agent already has other publisher that have expressed an interest in publishing the cookbook that was scheduled to come out on October 15. Here is the link to the article at Publisher's Weekly.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-t ... -book.html

The article did not mention why RH decided to not publish the book.

Paula seems to be digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole. The only things going for her now are her restaurants, and her cruises. Due to high demand another Paula Deen cruise was added for 2014. Hope this helps, Nancy

The only thing that shocks me is that Paula Deen had relationships with this many companies. I mean, I knew she had tie-ins with a few. But with every day bringing news of the severing of more ties, it's starting to seem there isn't one corporation in America she didn't have a deal with.

Hi- Well Penny's canned her today too. There are six companies that she is still involved with. One is the magazine that has her name on it, and another is Landis candy company. She is also involved with a cruise line, a butter manufacturer, a poultry farm, and metropolitan cooking expo. All of the stores that have severed ties with her were selling her cookware, although Walmart was also selling her buttercakes, which I have never seen.

Hi- There is something posted on CNN, about how the Paula Deen fallout is going to hurt suppliers, such as the companies that manufacture her cookware. Expect to see some of her stuff on deep discount at Big Lots, and other such places in the near future. Here is the link.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/07/02/news/co ... index.html

Hope this helps, Nancy

Has anybody quantified the damage done by this fiasco? With tens if not hundreds of millions at stake, shouldn't there have been a team dedicated to heading off the meltdown of such an influential empire? In spite of Ms Dean and her 'upbringing', her corporation was responsible to protect itself against attacks and sandals from both outside and inside the company. Surely there were many people on the Deen Corp payroll whose job it was to avoid exactly what has happened. Why weren't they able to protect the company, its officers, clients, investors and most of all the hundreds of employees (who will no doubt lose their jobs)? It is not like anybody (Ms. Deen included) could not see the freight train coming. It almost seems as if she wanted to self-destruct, and had the blessings of the corporation in doing so. Maybe she wanted out, and saw this as the easiest route. I'll bet most of her personal assets are well protected. Is there such a thing as Trailer-Trash-with-Foot-in-Mouth insurance (AKA purple stretch polyester coverage)? I just hope that the first biopic is done well. At least lets hope its better than Anna Nicole's. I nominate John Waters to direct. Too bad Shelley Winter's is no longer with us, she would have been perfect for the lead.

d4v3 wrote:Has anybody quantified the damage done by this fiasco?

Yes, the New York Times has.

Interesting twist on how this is being perceived elsewhere
http://www.charliedanielssoapbox.com/vi ... forum_id=4

JoelF wrote:

d4v3 wrote:Has anybody quantified the damage done by this fiasco?

Yes, the New York Times has.

Maybe she as personally lost 12,5 million in endorsements, but that number seems kind of light when you take into consideration the cost of the ad campaigns and events that needed to be scratched. This affects a lot more people than just Paula Deen. I am sure there are a bunch of web content designers, event planners, facilities managers, security personnel, caterers, right down to lighting designers and sound engineers who have lost good paying gigs because of cancelled events and activities. When all of the collateral damage is taken into consideration, I'll bet the number is in the $100s of millions.

Hi- I already posted a link to a CNN article that mentions how the suppliers of all her products, and especially her cookware are going to be hurt. The cookware will either have to be repackaged, or shipped to other countries, or sold at a big discount at places like Big Lots. All of her products that stores are still holding onto, I am sure are going to be sold at a loss to get them out of the store. On one of the couponing blogs that I read, somebody already asked if there were any deals on Paula Deen stuff. There is a ton of stuff with her name on it including cookware, candles, mattresses, and a lot more stuff,

BTW- Ms. Jackson, the woman that is suing Paula and Bubba, offered to settle out of court for something like $1,2 million, and Paula refused. If she would have agreed to settle, none of this would have happened to her. Paula's two sons were on CNN recently and claimed that Ms. Jackson was only doing this for the money.

NFriday wrote:BTW- Ms. Jackson, the woman that is suing Paula and Bubba, offered to settle out of court for something like $1,2 million, and Paula refused. If she would have agreed to settle, none of this would have happened to her. Paula's two sons were on CNN recently and claimed that Ms. Jackson was only doing this for the money.

The thing that struck me about the filing was that most of the events described involved dozens of witnesses. That's a big deal, because it automatically makes the plaintiff more credible - presumably, those witnesses have been or will be deposed just as Paula Dean was.

And I know I'm repeating myself, but it just makes me even angrier at how bad the coverage is. I honestly don't care if Paul Deen dropped the N-bomb a decade ago; that's not a good thing, but it's not a $1.2M lawsuit. Bubba repeatedly groping and coming on to female employees, however, is a huge deal, as is the fact that Ms. Jackson faced reprisals from him after she complained about his behavior. Paula Deen's inaction was a tacit endorsement of such behavior, and that is the shocking thing.

Granted, it may come out that all of the allegations are false, but that does not excuse the lousy reporting on the issue. The "Paula Deen is a racist" meme is stupid and overwrought, and effectively ignores the seemingly much more accurate "Paula Deen stood by and let her brother bully and sexually assault female employees for years" meme.

Hi- Paula was repeatedly told to ditch the brother, and she refused to. Apparently she rarely set foot in Bubba's and let him do whatever he wanted to do. If she would have sent Bubba packing when she was first told to, this whole lawsuit would have never happened.

The "Paula Deen is a racist" meme is stupid and overwrought

I disagree. I think it's done wonders to illustrate institutionalized racism. Which is to say, what she is being accused of may have happened a while ago, but her deposition is current, it it reveals a disgusting degree of privilege and ignorance. "We didn't just make fun of black people, we made fun of all sorts of people. Black people, Jews, etc. We were just joking." Well, yes, exactly. There were/are plenty of racists who thought they were "good" to their help, or "good" to their slaves, or used the N-word but didn't mean anything negative by it. These people are blind to the damage they do, just as Paula Deen seemed blind, in her deposition, to how she could have hurt anyone. Because she loves everyone, you see. That her son was apparently even worse is the true stupid and overwrought meme. It's moot, since it's just part of a bigger story that is anchored by Mom.

The only interesting aspect of this mess is the incompetence of her PR team. Assuming she even has one. This was a slow-moving wreck that could have not only been avoided but, like her diabetes snafu (which might have been more literally damaging and certainly revealed a troubling degree of cynicism), could have been made into a useful teachable moment. But in both cases she made the worst possible choices.

If the plaintiff (who is white!) is serious about her good intentions, though, she should really donate a chunk of whatever change she gets out of this.

JoelF wrote:

d4v3 wrote:Has anybody quantified the damage done by this fiasco?

Yes, the New York Times has.

That source is the Daily News, not the Times, & the damage calculation is only what she's personally estimated to have lost. The calculation on the licensee's side is more complex - Harrah's, for example, cancelled their licensing deal with her, so she's lost that revenue, but no one at Harrah's is losing their job. Harrah's used Dean's name on a number of restaurants & they have already announced that they are simply going to re-brand the restaurants, not shut them. There's a time & effort cost of the switch, but its not like some of the suppliers saddled with unsold cookware inventory. It does make me wonder what the mark up is on those items, and how difficult it would be to simply re-package them.

AP is reporting today that she's dumped her long time agent. No mention of her having a separate PR team.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/ ... 4-16-44-05

Independent George wrote:Granted, it may come out that all of the allegations are false, but that does not excuse the lousy reporting on the issue. The "Paula Deen is a racist" meme is stupid and overwrought, and effectively ignores the seemingly much more accurate "Paula Deen stood by and let her brother bully and sexually assault female employees for years" meme.

Paula's feeding this herself though - she's trying to have the lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that the plaintiff is white & therefore doesn't have standing as she couldn't have been harmed by anti-black animus, while (apparently) completely missing (ignoring?) the point that the suit is about the overall hostile workplace Paula allegedly allowed to flourish, of which racism was just one component.

Hi- Right after she appeared on the Today show, Paula hired somebody to help with crisis control. It is somebody in Washington D.C. that the TV show Scandal is supposed to be based on.

It will be interesting to find out why Paula and her agent parted ways.

NFriday wrote:Hi- I already posted a link to a CNN article that mentions how the suppliers of all her products, and especially her cookware are going to be hurt. The cookware will either have to be repackaged, or shipped to other countries, or sold at a big discount at places like Big Lots. All of her products that stores are still holding onto, I am sure are going to be sold at a loss to get them out of the store. On one of the couponing blogs that I read, somebody already asked if there were any deals on Paula Deen stuff. There is a ton of stuff with her name on it including cookware, candles, mattresses, and a lot more stuff

Maybe at some point it will fetch a premium on eBay, like Aaron Hernandez jerseys.

This piece, by Chicago Tribune theater critic Chris Jones, really gets at the heart of the matter and why empire-building "celebrity" chefs who don't oversee their operations diligently leave themselves especially exposed.

at ChicagoTribune.com, Chris Jones wrote:The charges against Deen are serious, singular and wider ranging than her admitted past use of racist terms, and there now is clear video evidence that, at a minimum, she sanctioned an offensive climate of racial joking, separation and condescension of staggering insensitivity and ineptitude. She was no innocent.

So nothing here is intended to diminish their import, even if some (including former President Jimmy Carter) have made the case that Deen has apologized sincerely and paid a high price for her mistakes. But it's also true her self-destruction points to a particular vulnerability of the new breed of celebrity chef: disgruntled employees emerging from a workplace that the celebrity chef allowed to rage out of control. Deen's troubles began with a lawsuit by a former employee at one of her restaurants, Uncle Bubba's Oyster House in Savannah, Ga. No doubt other star chefs started to worry about how underlings could take them down too.

=R=

Lesson learned: you can get away with being a jerk or being mean, but there's really no excuse for being racist. And Deen's complete obliviousness to her offensive work environment (it was all in good fun! we make fun of all kinds of people!) proves she should not have been put in charge of anything, let alone an "empire." That there was no one keeping this from coming to a head is amazing, but given the third-rail nature of racism, there was no covering this up. And in fact, a cover up (like, say, hiding her diabetes diagnosis) might have ultimately been more damaging.

My two pennies are pitched into the pile that says the use of the N-word is worse than the "hostile work environment" in the restaurant (or whatever the lawsuit is about).

This should not be construed to mean that I am in favor of (or in any way cavalier about) hostile work environments. It should be construed to mean that I think the racism is worse, and sufficient justification for the ordeal she's being put through.

In other words, for me, I don't think the media is "oversimplifying" the case by focusing on the racism. I think they're putting the emphasis on the right thing.

Hi- Paula has just dumped her legal team, and has hired a firm that specializes in employment discrimination cases.

NFriday wrote:Hi- Paula has just dumped her legal team, and has hired a firm that specializes in employment discrimination cases.

That's a little like closing the barn door after the horse escapes (though the new legal team might help her in court).

stevez wrote:

NFriday wrote:Hi- Paula has just dumped her legal team, and has hired a firm that specializes in employment discrimination cases.

That's a little like closing the barn door after the horse escapes (though the new legal team might help her in court).

Agreed. She's already damaged her brand in excess of what the plaintiff was asking by a long shot. Not to mention legal fees, pr fees, etc. I suspect.

>>What’s funny about Paula Deen? Enough, apparently, to create a comic book covering the rise and fall of the Southern chef....
Bluewater Productions, which will release the comic in October, says the book was in the works long before Deen’s racial epithets came to light and that it is designed to highlight Deen as a female empowerment figure. At least one page will be updated to reflect recent events concerning Deen.
“We’re not going to flambé her,” Bluewater said in a statement. “The majority of the comic book will focus on how she became an iconic brand, the challenges of her humble beginnings and the results of bursting certain stereotypes.”
The book will be part of the publisher’s Female Force series, which has highlighted other prominent women, including first lady Michelle Obama and author J.K. Rowling. All proceeds from the book will be directly donated to a charity chosen by Deen. The former Food Network star would not receive any of the profits. Deen is not involved in the project and has not replied to the publisher’s requests to participate in the project or select a charity. <<

newsfeed.time.com/.../a-paula-deen-comic-book-is-in-the-works/

Agreed. She's already damaged her brand in excess of what the plaintiff was asking by a long shot. Not to mention legal fees, pr fees, etc. I suspect.

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius is a top-drawer multinational firm, comprised of 1,200 lawyers in 24 offices. They have a prominent, nationally-ranked labor & employment practice, and believe me, they do NOT work cheap. Based on my current firsthand knowledge of such things, her new team will bill out at roughly $800 p/h on average, give or take.

Meter's running, Paula. Agree to settle fast.

sundevilpeg wrote: Based on my current firsthand knowledge of such things, her new team will bill out at roughly $800 p/h on average, give or take.

Definitely "give"-- unless her legal team is unusually small, this is probably 50% or less of the "hourly rate" of her team. Employment attorneys are on the lower end of billing rates for litigators but a lead attorney at any decent sized firm (& Morgan Lewis is top 25) is still in the $400-600 range and Associates $200-500. Highly unlikely that her team has fewer than 3-4 attorneys + support staff, all billing away. So, yes, this is costing her Company big bucks.

I recently picked out a new pair of glasses, and one thing that really surprised me is that there were
Paula Deen branded frames!
This is not a tie-in I would expect-
Why would I want to look like that?
go figure....
(BTW-I went with a pair of Vogue frames...)

irisarbor wrote:Paula Deen branded frames!
This is not a tie-in I would expect

Me either, especially since Paula Deen doesn't wear eyeglasses (at least not when she's on TV).

Hi- I just checked and you can still get Paula Deen frames. I did not know that she was selling frames too. I am not sure who makes them. Walmart used to carry them, but I just checked on their site, and they no longer carry them, but they still carry a lot of her cookware, and most of it is on rollback, and so there are some deals to be had.

It was interesting that somebody that purchased Paula Deen frames at Walmart a few months before Walmart dumped her. After all the news about Paula and Bubba using antisemitic language broke, this woman wrote a message on Walmart's facebook page, asking for her money back on the frames. Walmart said they were going to get back to her, and so I don't know what happened. This was on 6/27 when she posted her comments.

NFriday wrote:After all the news about Paula and Bubba using antisemitic language broke...

In all the hubbub about her use of the N-word (which, as I've said, I think is more than sufficient justification for the tsuris she's going through), I somehow missed the anti-Semitism. But my moral indignation is already maxxed out from the N-word, so I'm deprived the pleasure of feeling more moral indignation. Damn.

Hi- According to court documents Bubba referred to Ms. Jackson as "MY little Jew girl". Ms. Jackson I believe is Buddhist.

Hi- This is interesting. Paula found the time to host a wedding at her house last Saturday. Her son Bobby got married. There were 75 guests at the wedding. It just seems strange that with all her troubles right now that she would volunteer to do that. Apparently they were scheduled to get married this fall, but Paula decided that she wanted the wedding moved up. Here is the link.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0, ... 06,00.html