Another Job 'WHELDON'

Indy 500 Winner Dan Wheldon can't outrun these shooters!

Indy 500 Press Conference
Hudson Hotel
May 31, 2005
11:30am

The 2005 Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon came to town for a press conference with NY reporters.
I love when auto racing events come to town; these guys know how to run a show.
After a press conference in the hotel, we were escorted outside for a photo-op with Wheldon in a Indy racecar on the streets of Manhattan. The PR for Andretti-Green Motorsports answers any questions we had about racing, gave out tip sheets, media guides and went out of the way to make sure we got what we needed.
And after that...free catered lunch...with desert.
( Or maybe this was all a dream....a wonderful dream......)

Drunk Christian in "The Ass Menagerie"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actor Christian Slater was charged on Tuesday with sexual abuse after reportedly groping a woman's buttocks while drunk, police said on Tuesday.

Slater, 35, was arrested at 2:30 a.m. in New York's Upper East Side and he was booked on a misdemeanor sexual abuse, police said. He faces 60 days in jail if convicted.

Slater is currently appearing on Broadway in "The Glass Menagerie" and has had numerous brushes with the law.

The star of the movies "Heathers," "True Romance," and "Untamed Heart" was arrested in 1997 for assaulting his girlfriend and a police officer while intoxicated on cocaine at a Los Angeles party. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading no contest.

In 1994, he was arrested for bringing a gun on an airplane.

Memorial Day

The "Memorial" in Memorial Day has been ignored by too many of us who are beneficiaries of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. Often we do not observe the day as it should be, a day where we actively remember our ancestors, our family members, our loved ones, our neighbors, and our friends who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

Just a head's up....Paul's already at the theater waiting for the Cinderella Man premiere on Wednesday.

That DEF LEPPARD Needs A Hearing Aid

Def Leppard/ Bryan Adams Concert
TODAY SHOW-Rockefeller Center Plaza
May 27, 2005
7am press call

There were two seperate stages set up on either side of the plaza, with two seperate press pits.
Both pits had risers, but were half the usual size. Bryan Adams preformed on the 48th street stage Def Leppard on the 49th St. one.

This was a tough one to shoot. Adams never left the mic while playing guitar= not good photo.
Def Leppard was very tough. Open shade on the stage, sunny backround (watch those hot highlights!); and once again, the staff photographer for NBC shooting right in front of the pit, as well as a video guy, another guy with a kid, not to mention the usual three camera crew shooting the show. One photographer had words with that staff photog. I believe the term he used was "You're an a-hole" or something effective like that.

Merv Griffin Is In No 'Jeopardy' With These Shooters

Merv poses for the photographers at the Museum of TV & Raido Gala in his honor. Photo by Larry.

I'll Take 'MERV GRIFFIN' for $400...

Museum of Television & Radio annual gala honoring Merv Griffin
Waldrof -Astoria
May 26, 2005
6:30pm

Merv Griffin, producer of such TV classic such as "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune", was honored by some of Hollywood's all time greats. Skitch Henderson, Joyce Randolph, Dick Cavett and Henry Kissinger were all on hand.

Every year, this event is done right. Long backdrop, photo riser, clean background, cooperative talent and helpful PR. And they even gave us bottled water! Good job MT&R.

Say "Cheesy"!

Look who's ham'n it up with Terrell Owens at the Men's Fitness Magazine Party at Marquee. (He's even got on Terrell's football jersey.) Photo by ZePhotog.

How Long Does It Take To Put On Pants?

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Planet Hollywood
May 25 , 2005
1pm Press Call

Call me a nut, but I have a respect for other people's time. The press call for the event was 1pm. 22 Shooters show up by 1pm and the talent doesn't arrive until almost 3pm?!#@! What's up with that? The whole event, shoot time and presentation only took 20 minutes.

Burt Reynolds Slap Attack At NYC Premiere

http://cbsnewyork.com/topstories/local_story_145094335.html

Bang Your Head On The WALL.

Lionel Richie Event
Cipriani- Wall Street
May 24, 2005

Here's a funny post from ZePhotog. Sorry you had a crappy nite... we've all been there.
Check it out in the comments below...

Here's A Photo That Should Really "Cell"

Photo courtesy of Kenny. You've really "Captured" a great moment in Paparazzi history.

The Only Bomb Here Is This Movie

Lawrence has his nuts checked by security prior to the Longest Yard premiere.
(I believe they were pistachio, for those that care.)

The Longest Yard- NY Screening
Clearview Chelsea Theaters
May 24, 2005

I think the BOMB SNIFFING DOGS at THE LONGEST YARD was a little overkill... wouldn't you say? They had all the photographers place their bags on the ground and step back as a bomb dog sniffed away. All this for Burt Reynolds???
Like that transparent mylar the tent was constructed of would have stopped a missile attack.

Adam Sandler wasn't too cooperative, Chris Rock with a wide eyed stare in all the photos, Chris and Burt looking every which way when posing together... another example of some fine PR work.

Matt Lauer gives the Press a shout out!

Matt Lauer says "Hello to these nice friends here in the press" LIVE on the May 13, 2005 TODAY SHOW right before Reba McEntire preformed. We're big time now boys, we got NBC on our side!

HEADS UP! It's either One ADAMS or 5 LEPPARDS.

This Friday's TODAY SHOW has Def Leppard AND Bryan Adams, on two different stages, and two different credentials. We're not going to be able to shoot both, pick one and e-mail NBC with your choice. I'm going for Def Leppard (it's the metal head in me).

Animals at the ZOO

ZOOTOPIA 2005
Continental Airlines Arena

Press room didn't seem quite as good as the stage.. or is that just the understatement of the year? Well, at least you got fresh stuff on the highly saleable Samantha Cole. Oh yea...and Rob Thomas with his dog...STOP THE PRESSES!

The Perfect Way to Screw Up A Friday Night Awards

Daytime Emmy's
May 20, 2005
Radio City Music Hall

Finally...the end of Hump Week!! No more Upfronts, no more late night parties, no Sunday premiere. It's going to feel great to have a moment to collectively catch our breath (that is..unless you're shooting Zootopia at Continental on Sunday..then I guess you're S.O.L.)

ROB THOMAS Lost His Matchbox

Rod Thomas on Today Show
Rockefeller Center Studios
7:30am

I love shooting in the rain; testing if all the "Waterproof" seals on our cameras actually work.

Is it me... or does Fabio have impeccable timing when it comes to getting in front of us at the worst time? And that staff shooter has been a real pain as of late. Why would you stand on a milkcrate in front of all the press when you have complete access to roam wherever you want? I think a Cranial Rectal Extrusion is in order... (Head out of you Ass... for you simple folk)

Is three hours of sleep even really considered sleep?

Spanish PEOPLE in Chinatown

People en Espanol 50 Most Beautiful party
May 18, 2005
Capitale
7pm

Man that PR guy Paul was a SOB. That seemed like a tough shoot for some people. Especially the ones all the way at the end of the carpet. Everything was fine till Paulina Rubio showed up.
That's when all the pricks and attitude arrived. Did everyone get some shots of her by the lion on the stairs? I hope Zak, Lawrence and Dan got some photos. PR Paul acted like a real a-hole towards you guys.

Barefoot in the Park with Lisa Marie

Lisa Marie Presley- Free Concert
May 19, 2005
City Hall Park
5 pm

They set up a pit in front of the stage, but wouldn't let the press shoot there. They set up a riser about 50ft back from the stage that they want us to shoot from. NOT!

Everyone went and did their own thing. If you were there early, there was plenty of space to shoot from upfront. Good shoot, bad music.

FOX Hunting in Central Park.

I hear that the FOX Upfront at the Boathouse was a real mess.
Big Rick got in, then kicked out. Nicolas was hounded by multiple security guards. Dara seemed quite irate with the situation. Leave some comments about how the whole thing went down.
Pamela Anderson wasn't cooperative from what I hear.

Here's a photo from the Heineken event.

God I Love A Sweet HEINNY

HEINEKEN UPFRONT PARTY
May 19, 2005
Skylight Studios
10pm till ???

Does Heineken know how to treat the press or what. They worked the basic principal of journalism: Keep em' drunk and they'll stay and say good things.

Magnums of beer for all the photographers, by the CASE, bottles of beer, all you can drink.....
Sorry...I'm getting emotional...it was such a beautiful thing.

Oh yea...a couple celebs showed...Shanon Elizabeth, Paula Abdul, Seth Green, Wilmer Valderrama and some of the 'That 70's Show' cast.
We didn't get much space to shoot, but luckly there wern't a lot of photogs.

BEST EVENT EVER!!

UMA, UMA, UMA!!!!

RIVERKEEPERS GALA
May 17, 2005
7pm arrivals.
Rubenstein PR
Pier 60

Uma Thurman out and about with Andre Balazs.
Christy Turlington solo, Bon Jovi in dark sunglasses.

Comment by Video Dave, "And it's only f**king Tuesday!"

Shooting at the ABC Upfront

Confucius say, "Shoot all day, with back towards Sun, make talent squint, that's no fun."

ABC means crap for You and Me

ABC Upfronts- 2005-2006 season.
May 17, 2005
Lincoln Center
2:15pm press call/ 3:00pm arrivals.

ABC continues it's streak of being the most difficult network to deal with during upfront week.
Photographers on their list we placed in marked spots, single file over a 50ft. arrival walkway.
There was more than enough room for a second row of shooters, but the PR was unwaivering in their stance. This forced them to set up a press pen on the public street where the limos arrived.

From the looks of thing, the public pen was probably the beter place to shoot in terms of lighting. It had open shade for most of the event. A-listers where faced with direct sunlight and squinting talent. Some jumped ship to join us out in the street.

Was it just me or did everyone dehydrate from standing in that sun for soo long. It was the upfront that never seemed to end. We didn't even get to leave till about 6pm.

ABSOLUT Nightmare

PEACH ABSOLUT PARTY
Bryant Park Hotel
9pm Press call/ 10pm arrivals.

This whole event had the stench of death on it from the get-go. Overcrowded press pit, stubborn PR, and a tip sheet that looked like the Oscars.

Here's he FANTASY tip sheet as copied from the ENC:

"Absolut Apeach party for the TV Upfronts, as they unveil the newest edition to the Absolut flavor family of vodkas. Celebrities expected: Rebecca Romijn, Debra Messing, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderrama, Mila Kunis, Debra Jo Rupp, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Jane Leeves, Eva Longoria, Jesse Metcalfe, Paris Hilton, Kimberly Stewart and many others."

And we got...

Sylvia Miles, Mario Vasques, Gregg Bello, Carol Alt... not quite the star power promised.
We did get beautiful shots of Nicollette Sheridan, and she posed FOREVER! We could have probably got her to bark like a dog if we wanted. Carmen had her walking the carpet like a runway model! Unbelievable.

Upfront Hell Week Begins with NBC

NBC Upfront- 2005/2006 Season
May 16, 2005
Radio City Music Hall
12:30pm Press Arrivals/1-3pm Talent Arrivals

NBC always gives us lot of room to work. Nice backdrops, decent talent list.

Debra Messing- Nice fashion
Dennis Hopper- He has photos of us, watch out!
Donal Trump- You're Tired!
Vincent D'Onofrio- Looking as enthuiastic as ever

Chris Noth- He was in a feisty mood.
When asked to "Pose for NBC", he flipped the bird for a milisecond. I think Tina got a shot of it.
Then, a little further down the carpet, when asked to pose by the Peacock logo, he faked that he was going to urinate on the sign. Followed by a two shot with Caroline Rhea, where he was staring at her...(uuhhh...ahem..) ample bussom heaving out of her top.

Some SCRUBS get a free DVD.

SCRUBS- DVD Launch Party
May 15, 2005
5:00pm Press Arrivals/ 6:00pm Celebrity Arrivals
AER Lounge
Disney

I love when P.R. advertises a 5 o'clock press call for 6 p.m. arrivals, on a Sunday nite, and then the talent shows up at 7:00 p.m.

The only thing that saved the night: the Naughty Nurses and Doctors were easy on the eyes, and we all got DVD's. EBAY here I come!

There was some eeire karma on that block. First there was the fender bender between the press van and car, then the SCRUBS sign crashes to the ground just a few moments after Sarah Chalke posed for photos. Did anyone get a shot of the sign falling? Send it to me and i'll post it.

The only shot we would have sold was Braff wih the Naughty Nurses, and he doesn't want to pose it for us. Oh well, let's see how many shots we see from this event published. I'm guessing not too many.

Jada Get's Her Puss On!

Jada Pinkett Smith poses for the photographers at the 'MADAGASCAR' premiere.
Photo courtesy of Larry.

A Rainy Day At MADAGASCAR!

MADAGASCAR- NY Premiere
May 15, 2005
2:30pm Press Check-in/ 3:15pm Arrivals/ 4:00 pm Screening
Dreamworks
Ziegfeld Theater

"FRONT PAGE!!!!"

As usual, too little space for to many photographers. It looks like we attained four rows deep at this one. We were awash in a sea of ladders, milkcrates and turtles.

I personally believe that the loudest "Front Page" to date was screamed at this event. A resounding call of the wild from Mitch in the third row, into the waiting ears of a second row Walter.
Well, as we all saw, it wasn't taken lightly. Walter grabbed Mitch by the camera straps and cried "You need to stop that. You have to act like a human being". (God I love it when Walter snaps.)
Now i'm not saying that we should be completely silent, but when we act and sound like a bunch of screaming animals, we shouldn't be suprised when they treat us like ones. Just a thought.

Quick observations about the premiere:

• It got WAY TOO HOT in that tent once the talent arrived.
• What's up with Jada's teeth? Her teeth hurt so she can't smile? Sounds like BS to me.
• You bastards yelled so loud you scared the hell out of all the kids that showed up.
• "20% of the photographers here shoot for Globe photo"--Uh, the point being?
• Do we really need to have a premiere on a Sunday, at 4 o'clock, at the beginning of Upfront's week?
• Two words: Penguin Humping