Five Ways Megan Fox Can Stop Being Everyone's Favorite Whipping Girl

"I think there might be something to women audiences running a little cold on Megan Fox," says S.T. VanAirsdale of Movieline.com, "but that opening gross suggested a more equal-opportunity catastrophe. She'd cultivated a brash, sexy public persona that people either did or didn't respond to, which was too bad, because it had nothing to really do with the movie. And she's terrific in the film."

It's clear: Fox desperately needs an image overhaul (and possibly, a new publicist). If she wants to get ahead in Hollywood, she might have to change a few things. For one thing, she's gonna have to rip some pages out of off the new Angelina Jolie playbook, not the old one.

1. Get a humanitarian cause. Megan's similarities to Angelina Jolie have already been noted, but Fox resembles the mega-star in more than just sultry looks and big luxurious lips. In her early fame days, Jolie was also a bad girl with a potty mouth, doing and saying trashy things in interviews and on the red carpet. She wasn't always the elegantly dressed child-adopting international diplomat that we know now. (Readers with longer memories will recall blood vials, Billy Bob Thornton, questionable kissing of her brother, etc). So we advise dropping the bad-girl act pronto. Angie's already got the U.N. thing covered, and her and Madonna are busy snapping up every last third-world country child, so you don't have to worry about kids just yet. We suggest something with abused animals, since there will be unlimited photo ops of you with puppies and kitties, which will soften your image. And who doesn't like puppies and kitties? Terrorists, that's who.



2. Get a new look. No more slicked-back hair. Stop posing in photographs with a thousand-yard stare as if you are trying to bore a laser through our brain. And we know you are hot, but we don't need to see your entire leg in a thigh-revealing dress. Less is more. While we're at it, soften the makeup. Go easy on the eyeliner and the heavy, wet lip gloss. This look is hard and uninviting. You look three-steps away from a porn star, which might have been helpful to get everyone talking about you and get that spread in GQ, but it now manages to keep you from the ranks of the truly A-list‚ like Nicole Kidman or Julianne Moore.

3. Date George Clooney. Your current boyfriend Brian Austin Green is O.K., but even in his prime, he was kind of the third-fiddle on a a cheesy TV show. Clooney would be a major upgrade. And bonus points: you're his type -- a brunette.

4. Limit your projects -- and thus your exposure. Says Movieline's S.T. Van Airsdale: "Fox definitely isn't dumb. The only mistake she made was having faith in her reps and the studio not to overexpose her. She'd just come off of 'Transformers 2,' for crying out loud. It was too much, too soon for a young star who needs years -- not months -- to break out of the Michael Bay Hot Chick mold. And I only mean that in a public-relations context. It's awfully unfair considering the performance she delivers in 'Jennifer's Body,' which would strike Bay dead with nuance and humor on the spot."

5. Go after different kinds of movies. VanAirsdale wishes that Fox had ripped off one play from Jolie's book: "Their career paths are almost inverse. Jolie had her indies and meaty parts early. Fox did the blockbusters first, and you can see now how much she wishes she'd tried a different route. Of course, had she not made two 'Transformers' films, she wouldn't have the opportunity for 'Jennifer's Body' in the first place. There's no point in regretting it; you've just got to make smart decisions going forward." And maybe a little Megan Fox will go a long way. Says Van Airsdale: "Her best shot at getting more fans is to do an ensemble film -- something that shows she can share the screen without dominating it, will showcase her acting chops, and hopefully get her some face time with a few seasoned veterans who can coach her as well as keep Fox's name circulating in the Hollywood establishment. It could be a comedy, a drama, a mix of both ... but maybe avoid the horror films for now."

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