Celeb-wrangler rides 'yes' express

Lori Levine never says 'no' to stars' requests

By GORDON COX

Celebs can be real animals. After all, you often need to "wrangle" them, just like you do obstreperous horses.

And this fall, with Fashion Week happening, TV season ramping up and the Emmys a few weeks away, celebrity wranglers like Lori Levine are busy lassoing stars into attending, hosting or performing at the busy upcoming slate of showbiz shindigs and launch parties.

Levine, topper of 10-year-old agency Flying Television, has her share of nightmare stories, including one that involves an ulcer, P. Diddy, Kid Rock and a hurricane, as well as another about a trainwreck pop star showing up at the airport with a whopping 11 bags.

And of course she has plenty of anecdotes about demands for backstage Xbox game consoles -- complete with every Madden football game ever made.

Very often, though, stars get what stars want.

"It's never a 'no,' " Levine says. "I say, 'Let's not judge the request.' And sometimes they're just asking for what they think everybody else gets."

With the increasing proliferation of celeb-minded mags and especially websites, a star-studded party is a good way for Levine's clients -- which include BlackBerry and GM as well as stars themselves like Kanye West -- to turn the limelight in their direction.

"Many of my clients want their brand messaging to go to everyone, and these days, it's all viral," she says.