Fashion Police & Guiliana Rancic: Crisis Comm 101

Recent comments from Fashion Police host Guiliana Rancic have caused the internet to buzz with commotion and cries for apology. In this recent episode of Fashion Police, a popular show on the E! network known for making snarky comments about celebrities and their attire, host Guiliana Rancic made some less than thoughtful comments about actress Zendaya and her hair style at this year's Academy Awards.

Rancic is quoted saying "I feel like she smells like patchouli oil," Rancic snipped, drawing chuckles from her co-hosts. "Or weed. Maybe weed?"

It didn't take long for 18-year-old Zendaya to respond with this message which has been shared countless times over social media:

pic.twitter.com/q0fOYrv3gc
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) February 24, 2015

Rancic followed up with her own apologetic tweet, which users did not respond well to. After event more controversy stirred when another Fashion Police host, Kelly Osborn, gave an ultimatum that the issue be addressed or she'd leave the show, Rancic issued this apology, which has been better received, but has still done little to reverse the damage done.

Apologies have been issued, but the dust is far from clearing in this situation. Moving forward, there will be plenty of scrutiny, criticism and careful watch over Guiliana, the Fashion Police team and the E! network as a whole. As a TV personality and a brand, Guilana will need to put her best PR foot forward in figuring out how to:

• Reassure her fan base/audience that she's truly learned her lesson without coming off as coached.
• Reassure those that she has offended that it will never happen again.
• Showcase this character correction in her brand.
• Work together with members of her E! network and host family to collectively show a change in character

How would you handle this crisis situation? Do you think E! is handling it effectively, now?

Ellen DeGeneres Breaks Twitter and Shatters Records

Last night Ellen DeGeneres returned to host the 86th Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars. In classic Ellen style she had the audience laughing all night long. From poking fun at Jennifer Lawrence tripping for the second time at the Oscars to ordering pizza for the hungry celebrities, including a very pregnant Kerry Washington, Ellen kept the crowd thoroughly entertained. 

However, what was most memorable was her live tweeting during the show. Ellen gave the viewing audience at home access to all of the backstage fun. She even took a selfie right on stage! But what had to be the best, and most memorable, moment of the night was when she took a huge, star-studded picture for Twitter. Her goal? To break the record of most retweets. Needless to say, the shot including Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Lupita Nyong'o, Peter Nyong'o, Angelina Jolie, and the funny woman herself, did exactly that. 

Before the end of the show, Ellen came back on stage to announce that the selfie not only broke the record for most retweets, but had actually broken Twitter! Today the photograph stands in first place at a whopping 2,661,781 retweets and counting. That easily tops the photo that previously held the record: Barack Obama embracing wife Michelle after winning the 2012 reelection. 

It's no secret that live tweeting at home during your favorite shows has become a popular trend. But perhaps Ellen will usher in a new fad: live tweeting while hosting. It's interactive, fun, and allows the audience to really be a part of an experience that seems so far away. Way to be inclusive, Ellen!

And the Oscar goes to...Twitter?

For the unlucky ones (like myself) that were stuck doing homework instead of watching the Oscars, little did we miss considering all one had to do was glance at a Twitter feed to know what was going on every minute of the special event.

From Angelina's right leg, Jennifer Lopez's revealing outfit and Ryan Seacrest's ash shower, many noteworthy happenings during the awards were being discussed on social media. Here is a recap about what the world was commenting on during the show:

• Probably the most popular thing on Twitter was the new handle, @AngiesRightLeg. Referring to the strong stance she took throughout the night where her right leg was very much pushed forward to accentuate the slit in her dress. The fake Twitter account apparently sent out mock posts to poke fun at the actress.
• Many comments were directed towards Jennifer Lopez and her apparent wardrobe malfunction when she was presenting an award, supposedly exposing a little too much cleavage.
  
• 62-year-old actress, Meryl Streep, won the third Oscar of her career for her work in The Iron Lady. She portrayed former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the film.
  
• While The Artist earned Best Picture, Martin Scorsese's Hugo was one of the most mentioned films according to Bluefin Labs. Since Hugo received it's Oscar nomination, the film's trailer has generated 2.2 million views of online trailers and clips.

According to Bluefin Labs, social media comments for the Oscars have tripled since last year with 3.4 million Oscar-related comments on Facebook and Twitter, up from 966,000 from the 2011 Academy Awards telecast. With that being said, Oscar producers will be able to generate a lot of advertising revenue in the years to come based on social media's growing popularity.

Did you post on social media during the Oscars? What was your favorite trending topic?

To read more about the most-talked about topics on the big night, click here.