posted 11-23-2006 02:12 PM                    

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Richards apologizes, hires crisis expert

By SOLVEJ SCHOU, Associated Press Writer
Thu Nov 23, 2:39 AM ET


First he went on national television to apologize for his racial tirade against two black hecklers. Now Michael Richards is taking his contriteness to the next level: he's hired a public relations expert with deep contacts in the black community.

New York publicist Howard Rubenstein took on Richards as a client Wednesday after being contacted by the actor-comedian. He then arranged for Richards to call the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

"I've known those gentlemen for many years," Rubenstein told The Associated Press.

"Michael apologized profusely. He wants to heal the tremendous wound that he's inflicted on the American public, and on the African-American community," he said.

Jackson, reached by phone, said Richards called "expressing his remorse and his confusion."

"He's embarrassed. He got caught on tape. That's a big part of his anxiety now," said Jackson.

"Clearly he needs some race sensibility training, and some psychiatric help. His anger is volatile and dangerous to himself and others," Jackson said. "I hope he gets the help he needs. But the culture that's producing this kind of animosity toward blacks must be addressed. ... We're increasingly facing cultural isolation in Hollywood, in the movies and in TV."

Jackson added, "We have to evaluate the use of the n-word and categorize it as hate speech, no matter who uses it."

Calls to Sharpton's home and to his National Action Network on Wednesday were not returned.

Richards, who played the kooky neighbor Kramer on the TV show "Seinfeld," lashed out at the hecklers last week during a performance at West Hollywood's Laugh Factory. A video of his rant then appeared on TMZ.com.

In a subsequent satellite appearance on David Letterman's "Late Show," Richards said his remarks were fueled by anger, not bigotry.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said in a statement Wednesday that the tirade and anti-Semitic comments by Mel Gibson earlier this year point to a pervasive trend in American culture, and that Richards' declaration "is indicative of the type of denial that too often accompanies racist rhetoric."

Rubenstein, whose media relations firm specializes in "crisis management" according to the firm's Web site, said he had never met or spoken to Richards before the actor called him.

Clients of Rubenstein's firm include Amazon.com, the New York Yankees, ABC Inc., Walt Disney Co., Time Inc., News Corp., Columbia University, the NAACP Image Awards and Bloomberg L.P., according to the Web site.

"I've been very involved in the African-American community for 25 to 30 years," Rubenstein said. "It would be a tragedy if this exacerbated our race relations. I hope I can help. ... It's always been an effort on my part to improve African-American and Jewish ethnic relations."

As for reports that Richards shouted out anti-Semitic remarks during another standup comedy routine in April, Rubenstein confirmed his client did, but that he was only role-playing.

"He's Jewish. He's not anti-Semitic at all. He was role-playing, he was playing a part. He did use inappropriate language, but he doesn't have any anti-Semitic feelings whatsoever," Rubenstein said.

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On the Net:
http://www.rubenstein.com/

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posted 11-23-2006 02:45 PM                    

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"Michael apologized profusely. He wants to heal the tremendous wound that he's inflicted on the American public, and on the African-American community," he said.

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I do not condone what Michael said on stage, but a "tremendous wound"??? Oh please. Some people need to get a little bit thicker skin. At this point, IMHO Michael is only doing this to save whatever career he may have left and also to get his name in the media again.

And yes Joe, like it or not you ARE a cracker! (A Saltine, not a Ritz. )

posted 11-23-2006 03:49 PM                       

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He then arranged for Richards to call the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

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posted 11-23-2006 06:41 PM                    

quote: Brad Miller

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I do not condone what Michael said on stage, but a "tremendous wound"??? Oh please. Some people need to get a little bit thicker skin.

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posted 11-23-2006 08:31 PM                    

quote: Jim Ziegler

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I have never seen one stand up routine that was not deliberatly offensive to one group or another.

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quote: Joe Redifer

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Why these two? Surely the black community does not see them as their representatives. These two are known for over-the-top theatrics, not clear and logical thinking.

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posted 11-24-2006 02:28 PM                    

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Model for character talks about 'Kramer'
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 46 minutes ago

The first call came from the Midwest. Before long, the phone was ringing, and ringing, and ringing again: Satellite radio. Fox News. Extra. Yada, yada, yada.

For Kenny Kramer, role model for the "Seinfeld" character who shared his surname, each call was a reminder of the intersection between his real life and his sitcom doppelganger. Actor Michael Richards — the on-air Cosmo Kramer — made headlines this week with a racist rant in a Los Angeles comedy club.

Suddenly, everybody wanted to know what Kramer — despite the degrees of separation — thought about the man who played the character based on his life.

Confused? So was Kramer.

"I did at least 15 to 20 interviews," said Kramer, talking to interviewee No. 16 or 21. "All hell broke loose. There were lots of e-mails. They were about 9-1 positive. A guy who wrote a story in the Daily News said, `I hope this doesn't hurt your business.'"

Ah, the business — where Kramer has enjoyed the merger of man and myth for nearly 11 years. Kramer, now 62, launched the "Kramer Reality Tour" in January 1996, taking Sein-fans on a tour of Manhattan locales featured in the Emmy-winning comedy series.

It remains a brilliant concept, bringing together New York real estate and Hollywood surreality. There was the real New York Health and Racquet Club, where the fake Kramer met a bogus Salman Rushdie. Or the midtown office building where the fake Kramer discovered a publisher for his coffee table book ... about coffee tables.

The real Kramer, who initially lobbied to play himself on the program, subsequently met with Richards on several occasions. His insight after the actor's meltdown during a stand-up comedy appearance: Richards had little in common with his off-kilter "Seinfeld" persona.

"I know the guy," the real Kramer said of the faux Kramer. "He's not this outgoing ball of fun that people would expect Kramer to be. They think he's be exciting, lovable, laughable. But he's quiet, introspective, even paranoid. He's a very wound-up guy. But I don't think he's a racist."

While Richards spent nine seasons playing the K-Man, Kramer spent 10 years in a Hell's Kitchen apartment across the hall from "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David. His life became the framework for Richards' quirky, bumbling Seinfeld sidekick, right down to the location of Kramer's apartment.

There was even a slight physical resemblance.

But Richards' repeated use of a racial epithet in shouting down two hecklers had the genuine Kramer gently reminding folks of the difference between inspiration and imitation — even after the phony Kramer apologized during a television appearance with the real Jerry Seinfeld.

"The things that really annoys me is that The Drudge Report, Michael Savage, are saying Kramer's a racist,'" the real Kramer said on a real phone from a real location in Manhattan. "Kramer is a fictitious character. Michael Richards is an actor who played that character."

Kramer said he wasn't too worried that people would confuse Kramer, the character, with Kramer, the person.

Just in case, however, he issued a two-sentence statement drawing the distinction: "I know the public is smart enough to realize that Michael Richards' personal actions in no way reflect on the character he portrayed on television or me, Kenny Kramer, the real person that the character was based on."

Kramer, who starts his 11th year of the reality tour in January, managed to find a silver lining in the confusion.

"You know what the good news is?" he asked. "Judith Regan is now on a plane to California, trying to sign Michael Richards to a book deal: `If I Were a Racist, Here's What I Would Have Said.'"

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On the Net: http://www.kennykramer.com/

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