PR WATCH

Bayarea.com: ARNOLD'S PR MUSCLE

"Throughout his career as a bodybuilder and action-movie star,
Arnold Schwarzenegger has shaped his public persona much as he once
sought to sculpt his champion muscles - with a domineering
determination," write Dion Nissenbaum and Eric Nalder. His
obsession with controlling his image goes even beyond the practices
of other Hollywood celebrities. "Arnold's entire career has been
manufactured," said Arthur Seidelman, who directed Schwarzenegger
in his first action film. "He is very much in control of his image
and has shaped that image every step of the way. He's a very
controlling, powerful force." During his campaign for public
office, his aides have been required to sign a five-page
confidentiality agreement and have run his electoral race like a
Hollywood publicity campaign, courting sycophantic interviews while
avoiding tough questions from journalists - even as questions mount
about the 15 women who have accused him of sexually harassing
behavior, former associates have said he admired Hitler's skills as
a propagandist, and journalist Greg Palast reports on a sweetheart
deal between the Governator and California's scandal-ridden utility
companies.