Kirkup rebuttal -HOLD FOR DL

HE'LL BE DIRECT: Direct Management’s Martin Kirkup has written in to take issue with our recent item regarding Selena Gomez and Katy Perry (see below). “Your story is false in all respects,” Kirkup asserts, “and since other outlets have repeated your story focusing on an allegation which is very damaging to Katy Perry—that she is responsible for another artist getting fired, which is categorically untrue—we believe HITS has a responsibility to disavow this malicious rumor as quickly as possible.” Kirkup further notes that “[Perry’s day-to-day manager] Bradford Cobb is a full and equal partner with Steve [Jensen] and me at Direct Management Group, and the three of us make major decisions together.” As for parting ways with Gomez, Kirkup writes, “a young woman looking for new management asked us to manage her six weeks ago. Our advice to her was to take some time off, travel abroad, think through what she wanted for her life and for her career—since she has a lot of options in music, film and television—and when she returned from this trip, we’d all talk. That’s exactly what happened. We found we really just didn’t have the same views or strategy about her career and agreed not to move forward together. As her lawyers can confirm, we never discussed or signed a contract, nor did we ever act on her behalf. I know it’s a lot more boring than the very colorfully offensive version you printed. Sorry for that!” In a related story, Perry instructed Kirkup, Cobb and Jensen to jump higher next time. (6/27p)