February 25, 2010

Getty Acknowledges Photo Setup With Tiger Getty Acknowledges Photo Setup With Tiger

Last Wednesday, two days before Tiger Woods statement, Getty Images released a photo of the golfer jogging near his Florida home.

When asked about how the photo — which dampened hopes of the paparazzi getting the first clear picture of Woods — was arranged, the folks at Getty had no comment.
Today, Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and I asked Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klein on "Power Lunch" how it all worked out. 

On how the deal came together: "Over a long period of time, Getty Images has established itself as the gold standard in terms of not only the image quality, but the way we behave. As a result of that, we don't do paparazzi images and as a result of that, we often get a called in either for a non-profit basis like we do all the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie photos entirely non-profit...We were approached and Tiger happened to know the photographer (Sam Greenwood) and has known him for a long time."

On how much Getty made on the photo: "Very little because the deal that we did with them was we would make them available to the other wire agencies."

Gossip Girl Filming Disrupted By Paparazzi Scuffle

Production on hit TV show Gossip Girl ground to a halt on Wednesday (24Feb10) after a fight broke out between a set security guard and a paparazzo.
Gossip Girl star Blake Lively was shooting a scene in Midtown Manhattanwith guest actor William Baldwin when a group of photographers began gathering around the set.
The paparazzi were persistently ignoring the security and production staff, and the scene erupted. I clearly saw an exchange of verbal and physical blows
Tension grew between the bodyguards and the snappers as they ignored repeated requests to step back to avoid ruining the take.
But cameras had to stop rolling altogether when one stubborn photographer directed the racist 'N' word towards a member of security, sparking a violent confrontation which left the offending snapper nursing a bruised forehead.
An eyewitness tells , "The paparazzi were persistently ignoring thesecurity and production staff, and the scene erupted. I clearly saw an exchange of verbal and physical blows".
Police were called to the scene but neither party decided to press charges and filming resumed on Wednesday afternoon.

February 24, 2010

George Clooney is driven out of Lake Como villa by paparazzi

The actor George Clooney is reported to be selling the villa on Lake Como that he shares with his Italian girlfriend after their privacy was invaded by paparazzi and fans.
Potential buyers of the 18th-century Villa Oleandra at Laglio on Lake Como, which Clooney bought in 2002 for a reported $8 million, include the footballer David Beckham, who plays for AC Milan.

Beckham and his wife, Victoria, who are living in a hotel in Milan, are said to have fallen in love with the villa while staying with Clooney last spring. Beckham later told team-mates that it was “quiet and peaceful, and not far from Milan”. The Corriere della Sera newspaper said that lawyers from Milan had approached the Swiss property company dealing with the sale on the Beckhams’ behalf.

Italian media also reported that Roustam Tariko, the Russian vodka and banking tycoon, was another prospective buyer. His company, however, insisted last night that he had not seen the villa and had never expressed an interest in purchasing it.

The villa complex, said to be on sale for 20 million euros (£18 million), includes a jetty, a botanical garden, tennis courts and an annexe. A short drive from Milan, Lake Como’s crystal-clear waters and mountain setting have long attracted the rich and famous. Other VIPs with properties at Lake Como include Sir Richard Branson, Donatella Versace and José Mourinho, the manager of Inter Milan.

Clooney’s girlfriend, Elisabetta Canalis, a former Italian showgirl and television hostess, was reported to be “furious and exasperated” last summer when the villa was staked out by paparazzi. The couple were particularly angry when photographers climbed over the villa wall and took photos of an under-age girl while she was changing clothes in one of his guest rooms, as well as photos of Clooney and Canalis.

The actor said at the time: “I don’t know about the law in the United States but in Italy it’s illegal for photographers to climb over my wall and to take long-lens pictures of a 13-year-old girl in her bedroom. I draw the line of privacy at that.”

Guests at the villa have included Hollywood stars such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and scenes for the film Ocean’s Twelve were shot there. Property prices in the Como area have risen since the actor’s arrival.

Clooney and Canalis are said to be looking for “somewhere more private”, possibly in Le Marche or Sardinia.

One local paper reported that they were thinking of staying at Como but moving to a castle on a small island on the lake owned by a businessman from Bergamo.

February 23, 2010

Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker clashes with paparazzi


Travis Barker  got into a scuffle with paparazzi while on his way to breakfast with his daughter and pals in Calabasas, Calif.

Footage on TMZ.com shows Barker and his friends allegedly spitting at two photographers and videographers and then striking a camera.

A videographer claimed a member Barker's posse took his cell phone and another paparazzo said his tires were slashed.

Cops were called by an unidentified man who says he saw the fight on Sunday begin outside a theater. No arrests were made, but a vandalism report was taken.

According to MTV.com, Barker later tweeted his version of the incident, "When I'm out at breakfast at 8 a.m. in the morning the last thing I appreciate is some photographer threatening me 2 fight while he's 3 deep.

"When I defend myself/my kids that don't make me a tough guy.

"I was outnumbered and threatened so I did what any man would," he wrote.

February 21, 2010

Sean Penn News Faces JailSean Penn News Faces Jail

Latest Sean Penn news reveals he could face 18 months in jail for battery and vandalism. The actor has a history of attacking photographers and the paparazzi.

Sean Penn has not learned that you cannot attack another person with physical violence. Repeated incidents are always involving the paparazzi. The Oscar-winning actor has been charged with two crimes that occurred last October.
Penn, 49, could face a jail sentence if he's convicted. He was charged with misdemeanor battery and vandalism after allegedly kicking a photographer in the leg and breaking his camera last October. The incident took place at an upscale shopping center in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles.
He will make his first court appearance on March 22. Los Angeles County prosecutors had earlier declined to file charges against Penn. At first, they didn't believe the case merited felony charges. However, the incident happened on tape and that was evidence used to file the charges.
He recently won best actor Oscars for his performances in "Mystic River" and "Milk." He was also nominated for his work in "Dead Man Walking," "I Am Sam" and "Sweet and Lowdown."
Violence Towards Paparazzi
Penn could face up to 18 months in jail if he's convicted. This isn't the first stint he's had with a photographer. In 1987, he served more than 30 days in jail for assaulting an extra on a film set.
In 1989, he also faced a domestic assault complaint during his marriage to pop star Madonna. The marriage ended in divorce. That incident was also caught on camera.
In 2006, he attacked a paparazzo at his brother's funeral (that is just wrong is so many ways). Penn is also facing a break up with his wife Robin Wright Penn. However, they briefly reconciled, then he served with divorce papers in August 2009.

February 12, 2010

Alec Baldwin Fights with Paparazzi After Hospital Release

Alec Baldwin exchanged unpleasantries with a member of the paparazzi Thursday night, hours after being released from the hospital.
 
Video footage of the incident shows the 30 Rock star going after New York Post photographer Tim Wiencis in a heated exchange outside the actor's New York City apartment building. Baldwin was quickly pulled away from the snapper by several policeman, who were positioned nearby.

Wiencis told police, "He just assaulted me." He did not file charges, however.
Baldwin, 51, was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital early Thursday after his 14-year-old daughter, Ireland, called 911, claiming that her dad was "unresponsive" in his West Side Manhattan apartment.

"This was a misunderstanding on one person's part," Baldwin's rep, Matthew Hiltzik, later explained in a statement. "Alec was quickly released from the hospital, he's completely fine and will be at work today."

Baldwin is due to co-host the Academy Awards next month with Steve Martin.

February 8, 2010

“King of Paparazzi” Dies

Photographer Credited With Molding Modern View of Celebrities

The man credited with launching the era of the paparazzi photographer has died.
Felice Quinto, 80, succumbed to pneumonia at his Rockville, Md., home on Jan. 16, according to his wife.

Often called the “king of the paparazzi,” Quinto pioneered aggressive techniques for taking pictures of celebrities.

Quinto launched his career in his native city of Milan, Italy. He would loiter in cafes and hide in bushes, waiting to get the perfect shot of an unsuspecting famous person eating dinner. He went to great lengths, including disguising himself and racing his motorcycle alongside cars carrying celebrities.

Quinto is believed to be the basis for the character Paparazzo in the 1960 film, “La Dolce Vita.” The term “paparazzi” was coined from the film.

The director of “La Dolce Vita,” Frederico Fellini, asked Quinto to play a photographer in the movie. Quinto turned it down. He said he made more money in his real-life role.
Quinto met Geraldine Del Gioma, an American schoolteacher, at an art gallery in Venice in 1958. They married five years later.

After moving to the United States in 1963, Quinto began working for the Associated Press. He work turned more serious, with assignments including the funeral of President Kennedy and civil rights marches.

In the 1970’s, Quinto covered celebrity nightlife at the famed Studio 54. In 1997, he published a book about club.

He was also Elizabeth Taylor’s personal photographer.

Quinto retired from professional photography in 1993.