it all unravels

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/...

Not-so-straight Shuter?

A word of advice for publicists: If you're going to make up a phony romance for one of your clients, make sure she's in on the plot. Jessica Simpson's alleged love affair with singer John Mayer fell apart Tuesday as Simpson disavowed the relationship on The View. Simpson's after-the-fact denial—paired with Mayer's pooh-poohing of the claim on his blog—caused no small amount of consternation at People and Us Weekly, which splashed the story on their covers last week after receiving all-but-official assurances it was for real.
How did it happen? Insiders, in chorus, answered that question in two words: Rob Shuter. Sources say the publicist, who was pushed out of Dan Klores Communications several months ago after repeatedly getting caught at mischief, was the prime mover behind both the People and US stories. "This was 100 percent Shuter," says one person involved in the situation. "He broke all the rules of the game. He's a pathological liar. I wonder how much Jessica even knew what he was up to."
Others agree with that analysis, though some speculate that Simpson's father, Joe, and the head of her label, Epic Records, Charlie Walk, stirred the story as a way to drum up interest in Simpson's new album, which has sold sluggishly since its recent debut. A report in the new issue of Star blames Shuter and unnamed Epic "bigwigs" in the "dating deception."

That's not to say there's no kernel of truth to the claims. Sources in both Mayer's and Simpson's camps agree the two were engaged in some sort of flirtation or casual hookups--but nothing that "makes her heart skip," in the words of People's cover. A People rep says the magazine stands by its story, while Us Weekly is set to publish a follow-up in its new issue.

Shuter, naturally, denies planting the story, insisting: "We just don't comment on Jessica's relationships." Not on the record, anyway.

By Jeff Bercovici 09/05/06 5:03 PM