June 29, 2012

Baldwin fights another photographer outside home



Alec Baldwin fights with another photographer on the street outside his apartment today.

Yoga isn’t having much of calming effect on rageaholic Alec Baldwin.

Hot-headed actor Alec Baldwin went after another photographer this morning, roughing up a shutterbug even as the shooter was trying to get away from the “30 Rock” brute.



Video footage showed Splash photographer Brian Prahl walking away from Baldwin when the actor chased him down and forcibly grabbed the shooter's left arm.

“What are you squeezing my arm for,” the photographer pleaded. “You’re breaking my arm .. all we’re doing is taking your picture.”

The shooter’s calm reasoning set off Baldwin.

“I want you to shut the f--k up and get outta here, I want you to get outta here,” screamed Baldwin, who is getting married tomorrow to his young yoga instructor gal pal Hilaria Thomas. "Leave my neighbor alone."

Prahl explained: “I was just telling you to have a good wedding,”

Again, Baldwin refused to be calm.

“Shut up, shut up. Leave my neighbor alone,” seethed Baldwin.

Video showed one of Baldwin’s lackeys desperately trying to block other shooters from photographing the actor’s latest meltdown.

“Did you hear what I said, did you hear what I said?!” seethed Baldwin, as he menacingly backed the smaller man into a parked van.

Then the TV tough guy, with a pink stuffed animal under his left arm, sneered with no sense of irony: “You little girl.”

The video didn’t show what might have preceded Baldwin’s latest explosion.

VideoBaldwin got physical with a photographer today outside his apartment.

June 28, 2012

Photographers boycott Stone Roses gigs in contract row

Photographers are planning to boycott the Stone Roses reunion concerts in Manchester this weekend in a dispute over the use of their images.

They claim a contract issued by the band is unfair as it expects them to surrender all rights to their pictures.

The National Union of Journalists is supporting the boycott.

A spokesman for the band denied there was a boycott and said a full quota of photographers will be covering the gigs. Rights

The Stone Roses will play three gigs at Heaton Park in Manchester this weekend.

It is claimed that photographers covering the gigs were initially asked to sign a contract which would see the Stone Roses pay £1 to own all the rights to the pictures.

It also stated the images could be used across all merchandise without crediting the photographers.

An improved contract was produced on Monday but it too has been rejected by photographers.

Photographer Ian Tilton, who is encouraging his colleagues to take part in the boycott, has photographed the Stone Roses on several occasions.

His images have previously been used for some of the band's album covers.

He said it is unacceptable for the band to expect photographers to surrender their copyright meaning pictures could only be used in the magazine which commissioned them.

"I understand that the Stone Roses want to make money from the pictures. But I don't agree that the photographers can only use the pictures once, for one publication," said Mr Tilton.

"The photographers should be allowed to earn money from the pictures they take," he added. Assistance

John Toner, from the National Union of Journalists, said they will provide every assistance to the photographers.

"Too many musical artistes now wish to grab rights from photographers. Having said that, people are surprised that the Stone Roses have chosen to go down this route.

"We fully understand why a band would wish to retain merchandising rights, and the photographers would be happy to concede this. Equally, a photographer must have the right to license editorial use of images without obtaining the band's permission for each use," he said.

The Stone Roses press agent, Murray Chalmers, said it is normal for contracts to be signed and, as far as they are concerned, "there is no boycott".

"We have a complete list, a full quota of photographers who are covering the concerts," he added.

Alec Baldwin Guards Wedding From Potential Paparazzi

The details of Alec Baldwin’s big day are on a need-to-know basis.

The “30 Rock” star is expected to wed his yoga instructor fiancee Hilaria Thomas Saturday at downtown Manhattan’s St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. The New York Post reported that because the happy couple is wary of paparazzi — Baldwin scuffled with a New York Daily News photographer last week — they have yet to tell guests where the reception will take place.

But a source close to Baldwin told ABCNews.com that’s nonsense. “Everyone knows where to go,” the source said, adding that while Baldwin and Thomas didn’t send out traditional wedding invites, “the idea that they are not telling people” details “is just not true.”

June 26, 2012

Rihanna's Bodyguard Punches Paparazzi in London



Rihanna's bodyguard punched a photographer in the face when he got too close to the singer, reports TMZ. The altercation was caught on camera, which sees the burly bodyguard smack his fist onto the photographer's face. Rihanna had just got inside her car after coming out of the Whiskey Mist nightclub in London when the incident happened.

June 20, 2012

Alec Baldwin Dressed As Ghost To Avoid Photographers


2012_06_alecghost2.jpg
This is Alec Baldwin adjusting a white covering over his head on the Upper East Side today 
 
Earlier today, hot-headed actor Alec Baldwin ended up having a rage attack against a pair of Daily News photographers in lower Manhattan, allegedly punching one. Baldwin had been at the marriage bureau to get a marriage license with fiancee Hilaria Thomas when he became upset at the photographers trying to take pictures of him. So later in the day, Baldwin decided the only way he could avoid photographers was to wear a white covering (sheet? blanket? big towel?) over his head while on an Upper East Side sidewalk. Hey, doesn't he know the bride wears the veil?!

As for the morning incident, News photographer Marcus Santos says he had been waiting to take pictures of City Councilman Larry Seabrook (you know, the $177 bagel politician), and, after getting the Seabrook photo, he was called away to get a shot of Baldwin. There, Santos noticed that fellow News photographer Jefferson Siege had attracted Baldwin's ire.

So Santos tried to defend Siegel, only for Baldwin to direct his anger at him: "That's when Alec Baldwin turned around and came after me and started punching me and pushing me. I say stop, stop don't touch me, and as you see in the pictures, I was far away from him and he lunged at me like 'Raging Bull.' And I didn't think that could happen to me because I usually tend to be nice to everybody, I tend to respect everybody, I always give everybody space."


While Baldwin's rep insisted that the actor didn't punch anyone (and blamed the photographer for getting physical), freelance photographer Goran Veljic told the Post that Baldwin hit Santos. He added that Baldwin seemed really angry, "I don't know why -- you're getting married, you should be happy. It was very unusual... I was scared. I moved inside. I thought maybe he was crazy."

June 19, 2012

Alec Baldwin Did Not Punch New York Daily News Photographer, Says Rep

Alec Baldwin Punches Nydn Photographer
Alec Baldwin got in a heated scuffle with a New York Daily News photographer on Tuesday morning.

The Daily News published an account of the incident, in which the paper alleges the "30 Rock" actor punched photographer Marcus Santos outside of the city Marriage License Bureau on Worth Street.

According to the paper, Baldwin and his fiancee Hilaria Thomas were exiting the building after just obtaining a marriage license.

Santos and other paparazzi were waiting outside when the 54-year-old actor approached with "an angry glare." The actor reportedly asked the photographers to step back and Santos claims they began to give Baldwin some space. Baldwin then allegedly grabbed another Daily News photographer, and Santos demanded that the actor back off.

"I said, 'Don’t touch him.' I knew he was going to attack me. I stepped back, and he kept coming," Santos told the paper. "He comes after me, starts shoving and punching me — one time, right in the chin. And then he started shoving me, and pushing me. Then he goes the other way.”

Baldwin addressed this morning's incident on Twitter, claiming that one of the photographers nearly hit him in the face with his camera.

AB
A "photographer" almost hit me in the face with his camera this morning.
Later, in response to the paper's story, Baldwin tweeted: "@nydnbrooklyn @nydailynews Ever since that English Queen took over the Daily News, they lie like the Post."

Baldwin followed up his last tweet, by making a reference to the Trayvon Martin case, writing:


AB
I suppose if the offending paparazzi was wearing a hoodie and I shot him, it would all blow over...
The actor's rep, Matthew Hiltzik, released a statement to The Huffington Post, denying the actor ever threw a punch at the photographer:
"As Alec and his fiancee were leaving City Hall, a 'civilian' walking in front of Alec positioned himself to obstruct the view of a photographer aggressively trying to shoot the couple. The photographer was clearly frustrated, pushed past the bystander and assaulted Alec with his camera. There were no punches thrown, and any subsequent physical contact was simply Alec protecting himself."


This isn't the first time Baldwin has become frustrated with members of the New York media. In April, the star tweeted that he was leaving NBC, because of "Today Show" cameras that were parked outside his Manhattan home while covering the arrest of his alleged stalker.

“A story about stalking sure brings out the stalkers in the media. But, the Today Show?” Baldwin tweeted, later adding,“The television crew camped outside my apt said they were with the Today Show. #howthemightyhavefallen,” read another tweet.

Alec Baldwin Makes Trayvon Martin Quip After Paparazzi Clash

He snapped Alec Baldwin's photograph – and then the actor, well, snapped.

Daily News photographer Marcus Santos says that the Rock of Ages star, 54, got physical with him Tuesday morning as Santos stood with other photographers outside Manhattan's Marriage License Bureau.

"He comes after me, starts shoving and punching me, one time right in the chin," he tells the newspaper. "He started shoving me and pushing me. Then he goes the other way."

But the 30 Rock star's rep Matthew Hiltzik refutes the photographer's account, telling PEOPLE, "As Alec and his fiancée were leaving City Hall, a 'civilian' walking in front of Alec positioned himself to obstruct the view of a photographer aggressively trying to shoot the couple. The photographer was clearly frustrated, pushed past the bystander and assaulted Alec with his camera. There were no punches thrown, and any subsequent physical contact was simply Alec protecting himself."

Afterward, Baldwin, who presumably was getting a license to wed fiancée Hilaria Thomas, later took to Twitter with a reference to the Trayvon Martin case.

"A 'photographer' almost hit me in the face with his camera this morning. #allpaparazzishouldbewaterboarded," he wrote, adding, "I suppose if the offending paparazzi was wearing a hoodie and I shot him, it would all blow over."

June 5, 2012

Getty Images owners weigh sale or IPO

The owners of Getty Images Inc, the largest supplier of stock photos, video and other digital content, have retained bankers to examine a possible sale or public offering of the business, a person close to the matter said Tuesday.

Hellman & Friedman, the U.S. private equity fund which bought the business four years ago for $2.4 billion, is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc  and JPMorgan Chase & Co, the source said.

A sale or IPO of Getty could value the company at $4 billion, the source said.

Hellman & Friedman and JPMorgan declined to comment. Goldman Sachs was not immediately available for comment.

The news was reported earlier by the Financial Times.