She’s Cruzin’ For A Bruisin’
Posted Friday, December 7, 2001 at 9:45 AM Central
by Heather Koehler
Hot pepper Penelope Cruz has found herself caught in a nice little scheme set up by Paramount, the studio behind the upcoming blockbuster Vanilla Sky.
Journalists nationwide were invited to a press junket and promised time with the Spanish star. But when the writers arrived they were told they must cover Orange County, a low-budget film from the studio, before they could speak with Ms. Cruz, Orange County on Saturday and Penelope on Sunday.
“Unless I agree to send a reporter to do Orange County on Saturday, I couldn’t have Penelope Cruz on Sunday,” one veteran news producer complained. “It was out-and-out extortion.”