There's an interesting chance to see not one, but two, of our successful tabloids at work this morning, as Adele is linked to a sponsorship deal.
Gordon breaks the story - and I'm using "breaks" generously here, as it seems to be little more than a collection of things that, theoretically, could happen:
MOST bets on the only brand with a chance of signing up ADELE would have been on Diamond White cider.
But that could all change thanks to a £10million pay cheque.
If they've actually negotiated a price, then the deal must be done, right?
Cosmetics giants including Estée Lauder, L’Oréal and Dior are fighting it out to make the singer the face of their skincare ranges.
Or it could be Cover Girl. Or Number Seven. Or Superdrug.
The vagueness of the story is underpinned, solely, by an unnamed source:
A source said: “Adele is in big demand. She would only accept if the campaigns were to her taste and incorporate her music.
“The last thing she wants is a cheesy ad with a naff catchphrase.
“They would have to be in keeping with her personality.
“It’s going to take a lot of persuasion to get her to agree but, right now, it looks as if she’s close to signing a deal.”
The last sentence there swings violently between suggesting that coming to a deal would take a lot of work, implying it's a distance off, and then saying it's nearly a done deal. Like it was being made up on the spot.
And, given that L'Oreal solely make cheesy ads with naff catchphrases, either the "source"'s claim of the sort of ad she might do is wrong, or Gordon's list of adverts being considered is wrong. Or both of them are wrong.
Gordon reminds readers that Adele has, in the past, been fairly firm about not wanting to do such a deal:
Adele has previously slated fellow stars for taking up similar beauty deals — and said she was concerned endorsements could “taint” her image.
He is generous, though, at this change of heart:
You can’t blame Adele for considering the big money offers. Despite banking £25million from the incredible successes of her albums 19 and 21, an extra £10million in the coffers would be hard to turn down.
So, a fairly typical Sun filler story - vague enough that if nothing happens people will forget it, but if Adele ever does turn up in an advert a 'you read it here first' piece can be built on the back of it - "a source said 'Adele had considered L'Oreal, but chose instead to get naked for PETA...'"
But nobody with half a mind would read this and come away thinking that Adele is already mouthing "get the London look" into a mirror, and planning where to put the money.
Luckily,
Lucy Buckland suffers from no such restriction, copying the story across to the Daily Mail website.
Except by the time it arrives in the Mail - with a cheerful admission that the only source is what Lucy read in The Sun - the story has become more of an attack, shorn totally of Smart's 'good luck to her, who'd turn down that sort of offer':
Adele 'tempted to sign $10 million cosmetic sponsorship deal and move to LA' - despite slating stars who 'sell-out'
Oh, yes, there's an addition to the story, which is that Adele is moving to LA. Apparently this is somehow bad, too - though, to be fair, the Mail has always been consistent in its hatred of the idea of migration:
According to sources renting a house in LA was relaxing and after making friends with Robbie Williams' wife, Ayda Field she is becoming more attune to shipping out of Britain for good.
Word together threw, half-assed punctuation attempting not work.
'Adele and her man Simon are looking at a pad in one of the exclusive gated communities of Beverly Hills,' a source told The Daily Mirror, 'because Robbie and Ayda have told Adele that she would be able to have enough land not to feel too trapped, and she could have the privacy she so desperately needs to enjoy life.'
Oh, yes, that bit the Mail lifted from the Mirror, so at least it's a story with two sources.
Naturally, the Mail is unhappy at the idea of a British institution becoming so enamoured of American audiences that she might consider putting their needs first.
Although, let's just look at that headline again:
Adele 'tempted to sign $10 million cosmetic sponsorship deal and move to LA' - despite slating stars who 'sell-out'
Oddly, the Sun's ten million quid has turned into ten million greenbacks - and elsewhere her earnings are rendered in American money. Almost as if that British institution has become so enamoured of American audiences that it's putting their needs first.
Still, the Mail does at least try to add some journalism to the mix:
Adele's spokesman refused to comment after being contacted by MailOnline.
Being contacted about which story? Both? What did MailOnline actually ask? When did the Mail contact them - after these stories appeared late in the day on rival paper's websites, and was the refusal to comment a 'we have no comment', or 'I'm not in a position to comment on this'?
So, from a vague piece in The Sun, the Mail has decided that Adele is on the verge of selling out. I often wonder who believes what they read in Bizarre. I think we've now got our answer.
Posts
