It’s always funny when two worlds collide. And by two worlds I mean my favorite television show and public relations. This week’s Boston Legal (my favorite show) saw the uber-hilarious Denny Crane hire a PR agency (my other world) to win a trial.

Denny Crane, played to perfection by William Shatner, is the defense attorney losing his case in the press. He hires a PR consultant to “take back the story” and “build a brand” for his client. Of course, in true Hollywood style, the PR person comes to the mahogany-laden office with grandiose ideas including posters, b-roll and a media strategy. Denny even asked for a “blob” - but we are not sure if ever he got one! ;-)

The PR consultant is a caricature of us - way too perky — but she did say something extremely valuable when planning her campaign: keep the message simple. Hmmm, someone at ABC must have had some help with the script.

Finally, there are two great lines worth quoting and sharing. One, the PR consultant says to Denny: “I know you are tight with Larry King, but we are negotiating with Nightline, Hardball and the Daily Show. This is where most Americans get their news.”

My other favorite quote is Denny Crane addressing a co-chair who is not happy about using the media to win a case. The lawyer says: “I know this kind of manipulation goes on all the time, but I’m an attorney, not a spin doctor.”

And Denny replies: “Oh yes you are. We all are. That’s what attorneys do. Tell stories. Create characters. Catch an audience and try to make them feel what we want them to feel. That’s good lawyering. Only these days, everybody is trying to get in on our act. Government. Corporations. There are no facts anymore, Kiddo. Only good or bad fiction.”