PAPARAZZI PATHOS

NATIONAL ENQUIRER:

Question: How do we know that Lindsay Lohan has officially hit bottom?

Answer: Because even the paparazzi feel sorry for her now.

An L.A. celebrity photographer tells the Enquirer (Page 14): "A few months ago, Lindsay started alerting us to where she'd be, so we could get a good photo-op -- in exchange for cash. It's so sad that an actress ... with so much promise has sunk this low."

Lily Allen banned from working in The US!

Pop star Lily Allen has had her US visa cancelled after being held at a US airport, locked in a cell and strip searched.

Last night, the singer, who is due to do a US tour in September, told the Mirror: "I am trying everything I can to sort this out. I don't like letting my fans down." The star was challenged by US custom and immigration officers at Los Angeles international airport on Sunday night.

Lily, who had flown in from Australia for the MTV video music awards launch in Las Vegas, was hauled into an interrogation room. After negotiations with her lawyers Lily, the daughter of film and TV star Keith Allen, was released five hours later.

She was questioned about her arrest in London in March following an alleged clash with a photographer.

Lily was said to have lashed out at snapper Kevin Rush, 43, outside a nightclub. She voluntarily attended a police station in June and was cautioned.

Lily was in America to film a music video with rapper Kanye West and attend today's MTV video music awards nominations party. But now her visa has been revoked she is worried that once she leaves America she may not be allowed back for her tour in September.

She said: "It is my intention to play my American dates in September.

"This depends on the authorities granting me a new work visa.

"I want my fans to know that I will do everything I can to be back in America in September. I don't like letting my fans down and this is a situation that I am sure we can sort."

Lily, who performed in front of Princes William and Harry at the Concert For Diana, has documented her run-ins with airport staff on her Myspace blog.

In May, she wrote about an incident at an airport in New York, saying: "I was told it was because I am a musician."

NYC Considers Permits for Pictures

Filmmakers and Photographers Troubled by Proposed Rules for Using Cameras in New York City

Filmmakers, photographers and civil liberties advocates are protesting proposed rules that would require permits and $1 million insurance policies for people trying to film or take pictures in one of the world's most photographed cities.

New regulations drafted by the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting would require a permit for any type of filming or photography that involved "an interaction among two or more people at a single site for 30 or more minutes."

Permits would also be required for five or more people using a tripod for more than 10 minutes.

The rules would be nothing new for professional crews that film regularly in the city; they have long been required to get a permit and insurance to block off streets and sidewalks.

But critics say the proposed rules would affect a new class of shooters: fashion and wedding photographers, independent journalists doing street interviews, and amateurs making videos to post online.

The New York Civil Liberties Union is prepared to take action against the regulations in court if they're enacted without revision, said one of the organization's lawyers, Christopher Dunn.

"There is no way that they should be requiring permits for people using handheld cameras," Dunn said. "It would give the police license to stop virtually anyone, and that opens the door to harassment."

Documentary filmmaker Jennifer Livingston called the proposal "draconian," and a betrayal of the city's long history of nurturing budding talent.

"Think of that young artist who is going to be hurried along by some cop, who has no choice but to follow regulations," she said. "I would hate to see film students thinking that any time they make an image, it has to be sanctioned by the government."

City officials insist the rules aren't an attempt to quash free speech.

People unable to afford liability insurance, which could cost between $500 and $1,000 for even the smallest of photo shoots, could apply to the city for a waiver.

Journalists with a press pass issued by the police department would be exempt. So would anyone using handheld equipment to film a parade, rally or political demonstration.

Julianne Cho, associate commissioner of the film office, said the city's only intention was to help filmmakers get safe access to great locations, while ensuring that production didn't obstruct traffic or interfere with New Yorkers' lives.

The city is accepting public comment on the proposed rules until Friday and could still make changes.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, photographers of all types have increasingly complained about harassment.

D. Bruce Yolton, an amateur nature photographer, said he was run off by a police officer last spring when he tried to take pictures of a hawk nesting on the Triborough Bridge.

Things will only get worse under the new rules, he said. He wondered whether the regulations would result in officers cracking down on groups of amateur bird watchers gathering to stake out wildlife.

"There is no way for me to apply for a permit," he said. "For one thing, I never know where the bird is going to be."

The film office drafted the proposed rules earlier this year as a result of a lawsuit involving an independent filmmaker detained for using a handheld video camera in midtown Manhattan.

Rakesh Sharma, the Indian director of the award-winning 2003 documentary "Final Solution," was told he needed a permit to record images of the MetLife building near Grand Central Terminal, even if he had no crew and no equipment besides his camera.

The New York Civil Liberties Union sued, arguing, in part, that the city had never properly enacted regulations governing film permits. The case was settled and the film office agreed to formalize its rules.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

Spears hurls baby bottle, threats at paparazzi

Britney Spears threw a baby bottle and threatened two photographers after they took pictures of her leaving a Las Vegas spa, the photographers said in a statement Tuesday.

Spears yelled, "I am going to kill you!" and cursed at Andrew Deetz, a photographer who says he was beaten by Spears' bodyguard on Thursday, according to a statement released by Deetz's lawyers.

Deetz, 24, is preparing to sue, his lawyers said. The other photographer involved was Kyle Henderson, 23. They both work for a celebrity photography company.

The men were taking pictures of Spears, 25, as she and her children — 22-month-old Sean Preston Federline and 10-month-old Jayden James Federline — left the spa at the Wynn Las Vegas casino-hotel.

Then, Spears threatened to kill Deetz and said he should get a restraining order against her because she was going to kill him or hire someone who would, the statement said.

Britney Bodyguard Thumps Photog

According to a press release issued by the Las Vegas P.D. and obtained by TMZ, "Britney also filed a crime report on behalf of her minor child." In the report, Britney claims the photog "battered both Mr. Camera and Ms. Spears' child, who was at that time being held by the security officer."

The Wynn also issued a release stating Spears "elected to leave the resort on Thursday afternoon, July 26, of her own accord." The had no comment beyond that.

Las Vegas police cited Britney's bodyguard last night in Las Vegas, for putting the smackdown on a photographer from Flynet agency.

The bodyguard, Julio Camera, nicknamed J.C., allegedly attacked the photog from behind after the lensman accidentally bumped Brit's older son, Sean. J.C. is accused of laying the beating on him while he was on the ground, as Wynn Hotel personnel rushed to pull the overzealous hire-a-thug off the lensman.

The photog was treated for his injuries and charges will likely be filed.

Britney's son gets hit in Las Vegas brawl with photographer...

Britney Spears' son was hit last night during a Las Vegas brawl between her bodyguard and a photographer.

The troubled pop star told police that one of her two sons - who has not been named - was assaulted during a scuffle between the snapper and her security.

Pop princess Brit had been at the Wynn Hotel and Casino for less then 24-hours with her children when the fight broke out.

Police did not immediately file charges against the photographer but Britney's bodyguard was cited for misdemeanor battery.

Police said the star's bodyguard, Julio Camera, hit the snapper who was trying get pics of the singer as she made her way though the hotel.

In response Britney filed a crime report on behalf of one of her sons saying a second photographer had battered her son and her bodyguard in an earlier clash.

The fight could not have come at a worse time for Spears who was already under fire for her parenting and for taking her kids away to Sin City amid concerns from her family about her recent erratic behavior.

The 'Toxic' hitmaker and her brother Bryan flew to Vegas in a private jet on Wednesday afternoon with her sons Sean Preston, 22 months, and Jayden James, 10 months.

It is not clear which of the boys was caught up and hit in the fight.

Las Vegas cops said that they were alerted to a disturbance at the Wynn Hotel and Casino just before midday.

A police spokesman said: "Responding officers determined that a private security officer, later identified as Julio Camera, was escorting Britney Spears through the Wynn property when an altercation occurred between Mr Camera and a photographer who was attempting to take pictures of Ms. Spears.

"It was alleged that during the altercation the photographer was battered by Mr. Camera. Detectives from the violent crimes section responded and, following their investigation, Mr Camera was issued a citation for misdemeanor battery.

"The photographer received minor abrasions during the incident.

"A second Crime Report was also filed by Ms Spears on behalf of her minor child. In that report it was alleged that prior to the above incident a second photographer, identified as Kyle Henderson, battered both Mr. Camera and Ms. Spears' child , who was at that time being held by the security officer."

Both incidents are still under investigation by police.

The trip could cause the star problems in her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Under California law, neither parent is allowed to take a child out of state without written permission from the other - or by obtaining a court order. According to a source close to Federline, Spears failed to notify her ex or his attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, that she was taking the children to Las Vegas.

A lawyer for Spears did not respond to calls for comment.

David Beckham thinks the LA paparazzi are too intense

Bleating little cry baby David Beckham has been whinging about the paparazzi attention he and his stick-thin wife have been receiving now they're living in California.

"In London, if we'd go out to dinner, there would be four or five cars following us. The other night we had 47. No joke. I get nervous. They run red lights and you're just waiting for accidents to happen," said Beckham, clearly ignorant of the fact that if you tell all the media agencies exactly where you're going to be and when you're going to be there, the press might actually act on the information supplied.

Anyone would think he and Victoria had fled to that notoriously quiet rural backwater of Los Angeles to escape from the attention, rather than continue to fill the media with inconsequential information about their lives. Maybe he and the Vick-Stick are just not that media savvy?

BARTON BEFRIENDS PAPARAZZI

Actress MISCHA BARTON has forged a friendship with the paparazzi after finding it impossible to lead a normal life in the public eye.

The former O.C. star was forced to learn how to deal with stardom after her television show became an overnight success when it was first aired in 2003. But Barton admits she's now on good terms with photographers, who often lend a hand with chores unloading shopping from her car.

She says, "I don't think people realise how crazy it is. The day after the show first aired, someone recognised me in the street. I thought, 'Oh no! What if it takes off?' And it did. So I went with it. I had to do so much press. I've only just learned to drive, because I couldn't do it under the eyes of the paparazzi; I hate driving when they're following me. "It's irritating, but I've learned to smile it off and forge a quasi-friendship with them. They'll do things like help you put groceries in your car to get on your good side, or untangle your dog leash."

Most Expensive Celebrity Pictures

Forbes Magazine has released a list of the 10 most expensive celebrity
pictures. Not surprisingly Brangelina dominated the list with 4 sets of
photos. I'm sure they donate all that cash to charity, right? Anna Nicole
isn't far behind with 3 sets. Here's the list:

1. Shiloh Pitt's first photos - People - June '06 - $4.1 Million
2. Demi and Ashton's wedding - OK! - Oct '05- $3 Million
3. Eva Longoria's wedding - OK! - July '07 - $2 Million
3. Larry Birkhead with Danielynn - Ok! - April '07 - $2 Million
3. Pax Thien's adoption photos - People - March '07 - $2 Million
6. Anna Nicole's wedding to Howard Stern- People - Sept '06 - $1 Million
7. Sean Preston Federline's first photos - People - Nov '05 - $500,000
7. Brangelina's first photos as a couple - Us Weekly - April '05 - $500,000
7. Angelina Jolie's first pregnant photos - People - Jan '06 - $500,000
10. Daniel Smith hours before his death - InTouch - Sept '06 - $400,000

HAIRSPRAY Can't Keep The Fur From Flying

HAIRSPRAY PREMIERE
Ziegfeld Theater, 7pm

PR made this a wonderful mess for everyone.

The said you had to be on their list, others complained they never received confirmations, and then the rest of the crew with NYPD press passes, ready to work.

Some were taken inside, some were placed in the 'A List' area, and the rest were placed first n the red carpet. Did anyone else notice a top level, all access 'A LIST' shooter shooting second row....hhhmmmm.

And yet with all of this commotion, things ran quite smoothly. Their was plenty of space for us to shoot, and we barely went two rows deep.

All the talent posedwere all cooperative; Travolta/Preston, Amanda Bynes,Michelle Pfeiffer;

As the event came to what seemed the end, a large portion of shooters left. Unfortunately for them, more talent arrived until 7:30pm, which included Liza Minelli, Paula Abdul and Katie Holmes.

Photog Brutally Attacked Outside ESPY Afterparty

A celeb photographer suffered three cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion after two friends of Rumer Willis brutally attacked him when he had the audacity to take Willis' picture as she was leaving the ESPY Awards after party. TMZ reports:

...According to witnesses on scene, one of the men allegedly tripped a photographer who was attempting to take pix of the star. As the stunned shutterbug got up and tried to identify the culprit, we're told another friend of the wannabe-bodyguards grabbed the photog by the head and slammed him to the ground head first, knocking him out and causing convulsions."

Rumer Willis looks a like male Demi Moore impersonator, so you'd think she'd wet her panties if somebody willingly pointed a camera at her. But not only does she not like it, apparently it's reason enough to make some poor guy flop around on the pavement like a cat just hit by car. Although I appreciate her friends' enthusiasm, maybe somebody should mention to them that they're walking down the street with Rumer Willis. They might as well go out in public with the Loch Ness monster. At least people would recognize who they're with.

Update: A quick note... TMZ is reporting these guys are not actually friends with Rumer and they're just random assholes.

Watch the video HERE.

Paparazzi business being redefined

Biz about volume, feeding ever-expanding market

When Paris Hilton stepped out of the Los Angeles County Jail just after midnight on June 26, the glam ex-con strutted as if she were on the red carpet.

She might as well have been.

In the crowd that greeted her were the predictable camera-toting Hiltonheads trying to snap a shot -- along with legitimate news orgs, wire services and photo agencies.

The term "paparazzi" used to refer to a scattered group of independent shooters hoping to sell to a glossy tabloid. But as celebrity-based journalism flourishes via fan magazines and, especially, the Internet, the business has become all about volume and feeding an ever-expanding market.

In theory, the paparazzi biz should be flourishing. Instead, it's being redefined.

More photographers are entering the field and prices have flattened. The business of the paparazzi has become the well-organized domain of photo agencies like Splash News, Flynet Pictures, X17 and many others.

In other words, paparazzi are going mainstream. It's a big business now, and the independent lensers are working hard to maintain their place in the market.

To be a freelancer now means connecting with one of these photo services. For red-carpet and event shots, magazines pay roughly $200 for a quarter page and up to $500 for a full page. In terms of paparazzi material, the once-common bidding wars are far fewer, as are the exclusive images that engendered them.

Which is not to say that anybody's going hungry.

"There's still good money in paparazzi," says Gary Morgan, CEO of Splash News. "But the more people that do it, the less money there is. We are going from what was a highly specialized method of shooting a few years ago to something that's being commoditized and is all about volume."

A unique, one-off shot of a pregnant celebrity that once went for $17,000 "would never happen today," says one industry professional. "When someone's about to pop, they're followed everywhere. There's so many photographers."

"Paparazzi style is almost becoming a red-carpet situation, where everyone's yelling for Paris to look here, look here, where it used to be a much more covert thing," says Us Weekly photo editor Peter Grossman, who peruses some 80,000 images per week.

" 'Paparazzi' is a bit of a misnomer now," says Splash's Morgan. "Originally, paparazzi was a select group specializing in a specific kind of celebrity shooting. Now AP, Reuters -- everybody's doing it."

Paparazzi may have indeed gone pro, but are the pros going paparazzi?

On the other side of the photo fence are the long-established, red carpet-sanctioned agencies.

The acknowledged leader, Getty Images, recently spent $200 million to purchase MediaVast, owner of strictly non-paparazzi agencies Contour, FilmMagic and WireImage (with which Variety has an ongoing deal), consolidating that side of the biz. Though those companies insist they won't stoop to celebrity-chasing, some wonder whether they'll be able to resist.

"Most of those big agencies have dabbled in it but haven't wholeheartedly gone into it yet," says Morgan. "We'll see if Getty and others want to get full-blown into the paparazzi world. Certainly, Getty's trying to buy everything up, by the looks of it."

Not likely, according to the bullish big dog.

"The reason Getty made the acquisition is to become the No. 1 photo agency in the world," says Mark Kuschner, Getty's global VP of entertainment. "We're never going to get into the business of the long lens, hiding in the bushes, hunting people down. Our business is based around relationships with celebrities and publicists and publications. The way we shoot is we're invited. Paparazzi business is getting more play, but that's also a very cyclical business."

Perhaps. But that cycle shows no signs of slowing.

"If it were the stock market, I would definitely be taking my money out of event photography and putting it into paparazzi for a couple of reasons," Grossman says. "One, everybody's using paparazzi pictures now, not just tabloids. They're finding their way into Time and Newsweek and monthly magazines. It's just more accepted than it was a couple of years ago. It's part of pop culture now; there's no sense that we can't touch those pictures anymore."

Getty insists that it only covers events to which it's been invited, but there's no denying that the public also wants to see celebs in less formal, unstaged situations.

"It's crazy, it's exploding," admits Kuschner. "People cannot get enough information, especially when it comes to entertainment. On their mobile phones, on the Internet, in newspapers and magazines, TV shows, you name it. And it's a massive global trend.

More and more, individual photogs connected with existing companies are branching off and forming their own concerns. And there are plenty of non-photographers turning pro: ex-gang members, valets, waiters, dog walkers, even the homeless are working for agencies, bringing their own particular skills and vantage points.

Another upstart player in the photo game are the MOPS, industry jargon for Members of the Public. With cheap, user-friendly digital units and cell phone cameras, a money-making snap can potentially be captured by almost anyone.

"A day doesn't go buy that a MOP doesn't contact me," says Grossman. "The general public has become more aware of what used to be inside knowledge. It's rare, but in some ways, a MOP is more likely to get a magic moment, because it happens when celebs think they're not being watched."

The Internet has certainly amped up the volume, both as a means to transport images around the globe instantly and as an outlet for material. And that includes the MOPs.

The Splash agency offers peoplepaparazzi.com, directly appealing to the "more than 2 billion phones in the world today with cameras. The age of the Citizen Journalist, the People Paparazzi is here," as its website states.

The site offers cell shooters 60% of every sale.

Francois Navarre, who owns X17 with his wife Brandy, says the Web has transformed his business.

"The main change for us came a year ago when we started the website X17online.com," says Navarre of the site, which is in the TMZ.com mold. "Suddenly we were not only producing images but editing and publishing images. We could see if we had traffic or not and see what was popular, and choose the stories and be much more of a player instead of an observer."

The yin to that yang for many in the industry has been notorious bloggerazzi star Perez Hilton. For close to three years, his popular site has featured celebrity images, many of them allegedly stolen: Hilton (whose real name is Mario Lavandeira) contends he's using the images for satire, thus making them fair game. But he's being sued by eight agencies in four separate lawsuits for copyright infringement.

"For our agency, it's like five or six pictures a day," claims Navarre, who filed a $10 million suit against Hilton in November. "I'm losing an average of $20,000 to $50,000 a day because of him." (In June, Hilton filed a countersuit against Navarre, alleging that he is seeking to "redress the illegal and unethical business practices of X17.")

The legal heat mounting against him recently induced Hilton's main Web server, the Oz-based Crucial Paradigm, to drop his site, the first blow to the blogger's empire.

As court battles play out -- and technology offers new ways to observe the famous being human -- the business continues to reinvent itself.

And the public gets what the public wants.

"Everyone knows where Paris lives and everyone knows what Britney does, and you have all these people working on it," says Grossman. "And as long as the pictures continue to sell, they're all going to be out there doing it."

Spears says umbrella attack was acting, not anger

NEW YORK (Reuters) - When all else fails in Hollywood, blame it on "method acting." Pop star Britney Spears on Thursday explained why she furiously attacked a car with an umbrella -- she was rehearsing for a movie role. As the former pop princess reinvents her career after a failed marriage, a stint in rehabilitation and panty-less pictures taken in public, Spears posted a note on her Web site, www.britneyspears.com, apologizing to the paparazzi for the umbrella-bashing incident, calling it a "stunt."

Lindsay Lohan is Out of Rehab, In Her Bikini, and Joining the Paparazzi

and look who's in the backround....

Paris Hilton Tipping Off Paparazzi

Paris Hilton returned to her everyday routine in her Hawaiian home: shopping, walks and parties. Interesting enough, Paris was rejected at two hotels before she got settled in the third one, her very own Hilton Grand Wailea Resort, popcrunch website reports.

She first tried at the Four Seasons, but was turned down. One of the hotel guests said that after she was rejected, she turned to the Fairmont Kea Lani hotel, but she was also refused there. One of the Hilton hotels was her third choice, where, of course, they did not try to turn her down.

A hotel clerk confessed that the rich girl had good relations with the paparazzi:- The paparazzi told us that Paris contacted them herself- said the hotel receptionist.

-We love her. She always tips us off where she will be so that we could have best photos possible- sad a paparazzo that is following the heiress.

City May Seek Permit and Insurance for Many Kinds of Public Photography

Some tourists, amateur photographers, even would-be filmmakers hoping to make it big on YouTube could soon be forced to obtain a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance before taking pictures or filming on city property, including sidewalks.

New rules being considered by the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting would require any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour to get a city permit and insurance.

The same requirements would apply to any group of five or more people who plan to use a tripod in a public location for more than 10 minutes, including the time it takes to set up the equipment.

Julianne Cho, assistant commissioner of the film office, said the rules were not intended to apply to families on vacation or amateur filmmakers or photographers.

Nevertheless, the New York Civil Liberties Union says the proposed rules, as strictly interpreted, could have that effect. The group also warns that the rules set the stage for selective and perhaps discriminatory enforcement by police.

“These rules will apply to a huge range of casual photography and filming, including tourists taking snapshots and people making short videos for YouTube,” said Christopher Dunn, the group’s associate legal director.

Mr. Dunn suggested that the city deliberately kept the language vague, and that as a result police would have broad discretion in enforcing the rules. In a letter sent to the film office this week, Mr. Dunn said the proposed rules would potentially apply to tourists in places like Times Square, Rockefeller Center or ground zero, “where people routinely congregate for more than half an hour and photograph or film.”

The rule could also apply to people waiting in line to enter the Empire State Building or other tourist attractions.

The rules define a “single site” as any area within 100 feet of where filming begins. Under the rules, the two or more people would not actually have to be filming, but could simply be holding an ordinary camera and talking to each other.

The rules are intended to set standards for professional filmmakers and photographers, said Ms. Cho, assistant commissioner of the film office, but the language of the draft makes no such distinction.

“While the permitting scheme does not distinguish between commercial and other types of filming, we anticipate that these rules will have minimal, if any, impact on tourists and recreational photographers, including those that use tripods,” Ms. Cho said in an e-mail response to questions.

Mr. Dunn said that the civil liberties union asked repeatedly for such a distinction in negotiations on the rules but that city officials refused, ostensibly to avoid creating loopholes that could be exploited by professional filmmakers and photographers.

City officials would not confirm that yesterday. But Mark W. Muschenheim, a lawyer with the city’s law department, which helped draft the rules, said, “There are few instances, if any, where the casual tourist would be affected.”

The film office held a public hearing on the proposed rules yesterday, but no one attended. The only written comments the department received were from the civil liberties group, Ms. Cho said.

Ms. Cho said the office expected to publish a final version of the rules at the end of July. They would go into effect a month later.

The permits would be free and applications could be obtained online, Ms. Cho said. The draft rules say the office could take up to 30 days to issue a permit, but Ms. Cho said she expected that most would be issued within 24 hours.

Mr. Dunn says that in addition to the rules being overreaching, they would also create enforcement problems.

“Your everyday person out there with a camcorder is never going to know about the rules,” Mr. Dunn said. “It completely opens the door to discriminatory enforcement of the permit requirements, and that is of enormous concern to us because the people who are going to get pointed out are the people who have dark skin or who are shooting in certain locations.”

The rules were promulgated as a result of just such a case, Mr. Dunn said.

In May 2005, Rakesh Sharma, an Indian documentary filmmaker, was using a hand-held video camera in Midtown Manhattan when he was detained for several hours and questioned by police.

During his detention, Mr. Sharma was told he was required to have a permit to film on city property. According to a lawsuit, Mr. Sharma sought information about how permits were granted and who was required to have one but found there were no written guidelines. Nonetheless, the film office told him he was required to have a permit, but when he applied, the office refused to grant him one and would not give him a written explanation of its refusal.

As part of a settlement reached in April, the film office agreed to establish written rules for issuing permits. Mr. Sharma could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Mr. Dunn said most of the new rules were reasonable. Notably, someone using a hand-held video camera, as Mr. Sharma was doing, would no longer have to get a permit.

Perez Hilton In Alien Paparazzi Suit

Claims copycat blog's use of illegals creates unfair competition

Finally, a lawsuit in which Perez Hilton is not being accused of copyright violations.

In fact, the gossip blogger (real name: Mario Lavandeira) is the one suing this time, claiming that a rogue Los Angeles photo agency is unfairly competing against his blog by, among other things, employing a platoon of illegal aliens who physically threaten the paparazzi competition.

Filed yesterday, Lavandeira's Los Angeles Superior Court complaint (a copy of which you'll find below) alleges that the X17 agency's owners engage in "illegal and unethical business practices" and that they exploit the company's photographers, many of whom are "from Brazil or other countries" and are "believed to be illegal aliens." He also charges that the agency may "employ photographers with criminal backgrounds and/or gang affiliations."

Click here to catch the rest of the story at THE SMOKING GUN.

ALLEN ARRESTED OVER PAPARAZZI ATTACK

British pop star LILY ALLEN has been arrested for kung-fu kicking a member of London's paparazzi earlier this year (07).

The Smile singer allegedly beat up photographers outside a London nightclub on 12 March (07), kicking and punching at least two snappers.

On Thursday (28Jun07), she was formally arrested and questioned by police regarding the scuffle.

Photographer Kevin Rush said at the time of the alleged attack, "She went berserk." Allen was released on bail from the West End Central police station after providing officers with her fingerprints, a DNA sample and a photograph.

A spokesperson for London's Metropolitan Police says, "A 21-year-old woman was arrested over an allegation of assault and released on bail to return in late July (07)."

LIVE FREE, DIE HARD on a Friday Night

LIVE FREE, DIE HARD PREMIERE
Radio City Music Hall, June 22, 2007, 8:30pm

Well, I don't think anyone can complain about the amount of space they allowed for the stills. The arrival area ran from 51st to 50th Street along 6th Avenue. Although it was a bit odd to have us in the street taking up a lane of traffic.

Everything ran smoothly until Demi and Ashton showed up with her kids. It was at that point where everyone that was towards the begining of the carpet began to run down towards the end of the carpet to double dip.

This caused a serge of people to flood an already tight space. The barricades almost gave way and fell forwards towards Demi and Ashton. You could actually see a bit of fear on Demi's face. Security and police now flooded the carpet to secure the barricades while everyone was yelling and pushing for a shot.

It was quite a clusterf**k!

Perez Hilton blog having problems

In what may be the first hit against bloggerazzi star Perez Hilton's empire, his main webhost has dropped Perezhilton.com.

After numerous warnings against Hilton's (aka Mario Lavandeira) use of copyrighted celebrity images, the Oz-based Crucial Paradigm took the site off line; it was dark for a number of hours before it returned to the Internet with a different host.

Hilton is currently named in four lawsuits involving eight photo agencies for his alleged theft of photographs that appear on his site, one that's been a popular gossip destination for some 2½ years. Hilton frequently adds his own captions to the shots.

"One of the things the (Crucial) administrator in Sydney had told us the day before was if they received any more notices -- any claim of copyright infringement -- the site is coming down immediately," said Matt Lum, owner of Hoodlum Productions, the L.A.-based company that manages Hilton's site. "The action was taken, in my opinion, to insure Crucial some sort of proof if they were sued, some way to protect themselves."

Crucial Paradigm had no comment on the action.

Hilton's site is up and running, albeit on less than full power.

"He has a skeleton or temporary situation where he can still post," Lum explained. "It has limited inter-activity, his archives are not there and things like that. We've enabled him to continue to do what he does to a limited degree until we can figure how to handle the larger situation."

What he does -- limited or not -- is exactly the problem, from the agency point of view.

"It's the first victory, and we put a lot of work into trying to get this to happen," said Francois Navarre, co-owner of L.A.-based X17 agency. His company has filed a suit against Hilton, claiming that Hilton has been using X17 images for nearly a year. "It's a precedent that's huge. When we were talking to Crucial Paradigm they were saying they were not responsible, dragging their feet. We had to threaten them and show them they were liable. His new host is Blogads, and we're contacting them already."

"If it's correct, it's a very important event in our client's lawsuit," stated Nick Penkovsky, a member of the legal team representing five agencies suing Hilton. "It's always been our position that this lawsuit is not simply about protecting our clients' work, but that copyrighted work is not free to be poached for posting on the Internet without permission and compensation."

Angelina Jolie Helps Stranded Paparazzi

Actress Angelina Jolie did her daily good deed when she stopped and helped a photographer who had a flat tire in New York.

Celebrity photographer James Ambler was trailing the star of "A Mighty Heart" around New York on his bike, when he popped one of his tires, People magazine reported Saturday.

While figuring out what he was going to do, Jolie's car pulled up to him and the driver asked if he wanted a ride. Ambler, whose nickname is "Lance" after cycling champ Lance Armstrong, then heard Jolie herself say, "Come on Lance, hop in."

While riding, Jolie reportedly told Ambler she was appreciative of the space some of the photographers were giving her children. He added he was not sure exactly how much time he spent in the car with Jolie, "Time stood still," he said.

He described the actress as "really down to earth, really lovely."

Stevie Wonder Joins the Paparazzi

This is pretty funny...

A MIGHTY HEARTy Press Pen for Branjelina

A MIGHTY HEART Premiere
Ziegfeld Theater, 6pm arrivals

Initial reports are that photographers starting arriving at 6:30 am.

By 7am there were 8 shooters, by 10:30am - there were 30.

By the start time of the premiere at 6pm, about 75 photographers packed the arrivals area. Photographers were stacked 3-4 rows deep in a sea of milk crates and turtle stools. James D. was balanced on a barricade, holding onto the top of the tent, while shooting. Madness!

Branjelina arrived about 6:30pm and walked in the street, greeting and signing autographs for fans. As usual, they graciously posed for the entire press line.

In hindsight, I wonder if waiting 12 hours was really worth it. (Thank god I didn't...LOL)

Nick Lachey to paparazzo: “I’m going to fucking kill you.."

Nick Lachey is being accused of grabbing a photographer by the neck and shoving him, while simultaneously whispering into his ear, “I’m going to fucking kill you if I ever see you again!” This following the paparazzo directing a “nasty” comment toward Lachey’s girlfriend, Vanessa Minnillo.

John Travolta reveals nocturnal secret to avoiding paparazzi

John Travolta has found the best way to avoid the paparazzi is to stay up all night and sleep half of the day, the Hollywood star reveals in an interview to be published this weekend.

The 53-year-old star of blockbusters such as "Pulp Fiction," "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease," told the latest edition of Parade Magazine due out Sunday that his whole family had adopted the lifestyle to maintain their privacy.

"We're like the Addams family or the Munsters, living sort of an odd, nocturnal life," Travolta told the magazine.

"My kids probably stay up too late. My wife goes to bed around three, and I follow around seven," he told the magazine in an interview conducted at 2am.

"Right now, there's just you and me, and no one interfering in our space," he said.

LAID-OFF PAPARAZZI SUE JUDGE WHO PUT PARIS BACK IN JAIL

Hollywood — Now that Paris Hilton is back in jail and out of the public eye, 100 paparazzi who have been laid off due to lack of work are suing the Los Angeles judge who returned her to prison. “I am out of work now because that bastard, Judge Michael Sauer, took her away from us,” said celebrity photographer Michael Lantora, who lost his job after Hilton returned to jail.

Celebrity photo agencies throughout Hollywood laid off over 100 paparazzi Monday, claiming the move was necessary due to the unexpected absence of their two most popular subjects .

“With Paris in jail and Lindsay Lohan in rehab, we just can’t afford to keep so many paparazzi on the payroll,” said Flash CelebPhotos spokesperson Craig Middleton. “We can’t realistically pay more than 17 people to track Brangelina.”

L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca had released Hilton to house arrest for undisclosed health reasons last week. But after a public outcry, Hilton was brought back before the judge and was returned to jail. Lohan, meanwhile, has been in rehab at Promises treatment center in Malibu for several weeks.

“Since Paris and Lindsay have been out of the picture. I haven’t been able to get any good shots,” said unemployed paparazzo Miguel Andreas. “The best I got last week was David Faustino (‘Bud’ on ‘Married with Children’) giving change to a customer at Popeye’s Chicken. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to sell it.”

Paparazzi industry insiders say their industry’s recession is only worsened by Britney Spears’ decision to vacation in Puerto Vallarta. While unflattering photos that show her wearing a white-and-turquoise bikini that revealed her not-so-toned backside have appeared, they were all taken by Mexican paparazzi.

“It’s outrageous that our jobs are being stolen by Mexican photographers who sell their pictures of Britney’s flabby ass for just $5 each,” said Andreas. “I can’t compete with those low wages and still feed my family.”

Celebrity media ethicists argued that while photo agencies may save money in the short-term, the layoffs are bad for the industry and democracy in the long-run.

“When you make such severe cuts in the paparazzi, you aren’t prepared for the next potential crisis,” Los Angeles Times media critic Tim Rutten wrote in a recent column. “I fear that our nation is now woefully underprepared for the possibility that one of the Olsen Twins cold come to visit from New York and puke her dinner in an alleyway, or get caught sniffing a few lines in a bathroom. What if we don’t get those photos because the paparazzi is stretched too thin? These are frightening questions.”

Hilton Ordered Back to Jail

This shot has my vote for the Photo of the Year! Priceless!


Paris Hilton was just ordered back to jail in Lynwood to serve out the remainder of her sentence! She'll get credit for at least 5 days already served.

Hilton left the courtroom in tears, screaming, "Mom, Mom, Mom." Hilton was also heard saying "It's not right."

One witness described the scene as: Paris was "physically escorted" out of the courtroom by a female deputy.

Hilton's mother was later seen pacing the hallways, telling reporters, "I'm paralyzed right now." Paris' father Rick is still in the courtroom.

Doorman cut in scrap with fotog in SoHo

Fight with photographer started over bike parking

A doorman at the SoHo Grand Hotel was hurt yesterday after he got into a scuffle with a freelance photographer outside the posh Manhattan hotel, cops and witnesses said.

The 42-year-old victim, whose name was not released by cops, was slashed on his right wrist, possibly with a key, during the 12:20p.m. fracas, cops and witnesses said.

The two men began to fight after the doorman told the shutterbug he could not park his green mountain bike in front of the hotel at 310 W. Broadway, cops said.

The argument escalated "like a volcano," a 31-year-old witness said.

"And then they started fighting."

The doorman was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan in stable condition, authorities said.

The assailant, who was described as a white male in his 30s wearing camouflage pants, fled west toward Canal St. after the dustup. He was being sought by police late yesterday.

I SWEAR it wasn't me! But that's a damn close description...LOL.

Woman Thrown Out of Jail Trying to Sneak Paris Hilton Pictures

Lynwood Calif. A female paparazzi was thrown out of the, Century Regional Detention Facility, now known as, "THE PARIS HILTON", today when it was discovered she was an imposter posing as a prisoner that was suppose to serve 30 days.

Susan Sunset, a Los Angeles area photographer, switched places with, Betty Tisdale, a woman convicted of DUI. Betty Tisdale was suppose to turn herself in to do 30 days on June 5th but Susan Sunset impersonated her in an attempt to attain photographs of Paris Hilton in jail.
.
Apparently the woman, Susan Sunset, had been surgically altered to have a micro camera inserted in her breast with the hopes of getting the highly prized Paris Hilton photographs. It appears one breast had the micro cam and her other nipple was the shutter button.

A guard volunteered, "she was behaving very strangely, every time she saw Paris Hilton she'd jut out her breasts like she had some kind of back spasms. Upon closer inspection we discovered every time she'd move a certain way you'd hear a shutter go off".

After a visit to the infirmary it was determined she did indeed have a camera implanted in her breast. "We've all heard rumors about how ruthless the paparazzi could be but this goes beyond all expectations and totally goes off the ridicules, Richter scale". Said a jail nurse.

Any photographs attained during her short stay would have been destroyed
after the extensive Xrays taken to determine what was going on.

Susan Sunset was thrown out of jail and the District Attorney is most likely going to file charges against her for impersonating a prisoner and a lot of other charges yet to be determined.

This is the first time in Los Angeles County Jail history someone was thrown out of jail for breaking into jail.

Ohhh c'mon folks... it's all for the sake of comedy. Laugh a little!

And for you s-l-o-w people... this is what we call parody!

Paris Hilton checks into L.A. County Jail

Paris Hilton checked in early to her new accommodations Sunday as she surrendered to Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies to begin serving a 23-day jail sentence on a probation violation. In contrast to her very public persona, the 26-year-old heiress, the star of the "Simple Life," slipped in for booking nearly unnoticed by the media and most of the paparazzi, which already had been massing at the 2,200 inmate facility since last week.

Officials at some of the biggest paparazzi agencies say they have been planning for weeks how to get images of Hilton while behind bars.

Sheriff Lee Baca told The Times that his deputies have taken aggressive steps that he hoped would prevent cameras from being smuggled into the jail -- which some photo agencies have said is a possibility because of the price a shot of Hilton in jail would bring.

They said photos of her behind bars could sell for $500,000. Although Baca said the heiress was a "class by herself" in the publicity department, he said Hilton will remain as isolated as possible but will follow the same rules other inmates face.

Blur reflective spray: A messy way to outmaneuver paparazzi

Alex Rodriguez, take note: The latest anti-paparazzi invention making the rounds is a reflective spray dubbed Blur, which purports to neutralize camera sensors with reflective nanoparticles. Once sprayed on a subject's face, photos of that person will be rendered as a white flash, thus protecting the A-Rods of the world from themselves.

Conceived by designer Kok-Chian Leong, this awkward-sounding innovation (I can't imagine that an application of Blur augment's a celebrity's appearance) reportedly comes from the British design firm Troika, although good luck finding any mention of it on Troika's site. Even if Blur does find its way to market, the rich and famous would have to pretty much cover themselves with it around the clock if they want to avoid shots from paparazzi wielding high-power telephoto lenses. In which case, it better not react to Botox.

Listless Lohan gives paparazzi the money shot

X17 cashes in on its photos as demand raises the stakes

The photograph showed apparently soused starlet Lindsay Lohan passed out in a car, mouth agape, oblivious to popping flashbulbs.

That image, with everything it says about Hollywood excess and youthful indiscretion, ran on the front pages of yesterday's New York Post and its rival Daily News, accompanied by headlines that yelled "Smashed" and "Party Pooped."

For X17, the paparazzi photo agency that owns the picture, it was a good day in L.A.

"We are overwhelmed," X17's founder and president, Frank Rohmer, said yesterday from his Beverly Hills, Calif., office as he fielded phone calls from media outlets clamoring to buy photos of the party girl's unconscious visage, snapped by X17 photographer Roberto Maciel early Monday. Lohan was caught slumbering in the passenger seat of a car at a gas station. Lohan's publicist, Leslie Sloane Zelnick, later released a statement that said Lohan had checked into "an intensive medical rehabilitation facility on Memorial Day."

By midafternoon yesterday, Rohmer said, he had sold the image about 100 times, to CNN, MSNBC and magazines, newspapers, TV outlets and Web sites, not only in the United States but in England, Australia, Sweden and Germany. In New York, the Post and the News each paid about $10,000 for the picture, he said, although smaller news organizations were not required to pay that much.

UPFRONT AND IN THE CANNES

Upfronts are over... everyone and their mother is in Cannes...

Things have drastically slowed down in the city... feels nice...doesn't it?

IT'S UPFRONT WEEK!

Happy Upfronts Everyone!

I know how we are all so looking forward to hundreds of known and unknown talent passing in front of our lenses this week.

The hours of editing, hours of captioning....

And the sheer joy of the whole experience!

Lindsay's Gun-Toting Message to Paparazzi

Lindsay Lohan, actress and darling of the paparazzi, strikes a controversial pose on the cover of the June issue of Radar.

The 20-year-old Georgia Rule star agreed to be the cover girl for the mag's story about the dangerous world of celebrity photography.

“Lindsay wants to send a message," the mag's editor-in-chief Maer Roshan proclaims in his editor’s letter.

However, Lohan’s rep Leslie Sloane-Zelnick assures Radar that Lindsay’s beef with the photographers isn’t personal: "This whole thing is just spinning out of control. Sooner or later, someone's gonna die."

Over the course of the photo shoot, Lohan gamely brandished a flamethrower, a Glock and a Thompson submachine gun to ensure she made her point. Before she departed, someone asked why she had agreed to such a provocative shoot.

"I want people to pay attention," she said.

Clearly.

In the latest issue of Nylon, the fickle starlet confesses that she actually enjoys all of the attention she gets from the shutterbugs.

“I obviously like it,” she said. “I wouldn’t ever want them to not take my picture. I’d be worried. I’d be like, ‘Do people not care about me?’”

THE BEST 90 MINUTES OF SHOOTING...EVER!

Costume Gala
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5:30pm press call

Ok..Ok..I don't know if this truly the best 90 min. ever... but it comes really close!

Like in years past, the arrival area is a huge tent over the main stairs that lead to the museum entrance. Still are set up on either side of the stairs up to the third landing.

About 6:30pm some of the talent begin to arrive. Sparse, even paced... non chaotic.

Then...something strange happens.

At about 7 pm, Eastern Standard Time, on this day, the seventh day, of the fifth month, of the year 2007, it seems as if all the planets align in a cosmic dance. Man, nature and space all join together in one harmonious song...

and every A-List celebrity that matters arrives to this event in amazing fashion, without stop for 90 minutes of pure adrenaline driven chaos.

Whenever you find yourself in a position that you're shooting Cameron Diaz, Gisele Bundchen, JLo and Marc Anthony, Mary Kate Olsen, Rosario Dawson and Rihanna within a five minute period... followed by Misha Barton, Scarlett Johanson, Mick Jagger, Jennifer Garner, Renee Zellweger, Kate Moss, Naomi Watts, and Jessica Simpson IN THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES... you're in a good place.

It becomes so loud and frantic in that tent for 90 minutes, it is a spectacle to behold.

I've said it before... this event is the OSCARS OF NEW YORK!

ABC UPFRONT NEWS

On 5.15.2007 ABC entertainment is holding their annual upfronts. What contrasts this year from the previous ones is that ABC is turning down all photo and media requests to cover the event. All photo agencies are being told that photos will only be made available through the Wire services which include (AP, Reuters, Getty, Wireimage and Filmmagic)

Several concerned individuals are attempting to launch a protest as soon as the denials reach critical mass.
The contact numbers at ABC are:

PHOTO EDITOR- ETTORE ZUCCARELLI ettore.zuccarelli@abc.com
VP PHOTOGRAPHY DAN RICHARDS 818 460-7407 dan.richards@abc.com
VP PUBLIC RELATIONS KEVIN BROCKMAN 818 460-7756kevin.brockman@abc.com

I would like to escalate this matter to the AD-SALES dept of ABC headed by MIKE SHAW 212 456-7272 mike.shaw@abc.com to inform them and ABC's advertisers on the potentially devastating effect this decision will have on the weeks publicity.

Boo's For DREW Turn Into BARRYMORE and more and MORE!

Drew Barrymore on David Letterman
May 2, 2007

The general mood at today's Letterman was quite frenetic.

Drew arrives late for Letterman and makes a mad dash for the stage door. Jeans, sneakers and hand over her face. This leads to all the Paps to start yelling "Boooo, Boooo!".
Or as Dennis put it, "We weren't saying Booo, we were saying Drewww, Drewww!"

Now we have about an 2 hour wait till she exits. And in this free time...
A family of Israeli tourists start taking pictures with Dan...
Darla almost get a summons for loitering...
The police were quite stern about photographers in the street and on Drew's SUV...

That being said, Drew leaves close to 7pm in a beautiful red dress and poses up a storm. Not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES! Every time she went to sign for fans, we would call her back...and she would pose even more! It was truly astounding the amount of time she posed for us.

We even applauded her when she drove away...

There's A Light At The End Of The (Holland) Tunnel

Tribeca Film Festival is almost over!

Getty Images to acquire ABACA Press?

Acquiring additional revenues as strategy to grow in economically more promising areas: sources indicate that Getty Images has acquired french photo agency ABACA Press and its US subsidiary Abaca Press Americas.

It is said that the contracts were signed on Friday last week.

ABACA Press, with offices in New York and Paris, is best known for its entertainment, celebrity, news, portrait and sports photos, just like MediaVast and its brands.

Abaca US says it has about 400,000 images in its database. Some of these images are also available through the Digital Railroad platform which in all likelihood will lose this customer after Getty´s (rumored) acquisition.

UPDATE!

My information needs to be corrected. I picked this story up off the StockPhotoTalk website.


But, I have just been in contact with Nick (ZeFrenchiePhotog), and he says things are 'talk only' and nothing has been signed.


I apologize for the misinformation.

Diaz runs screaming from paparazzi

Cameron Diaz ran screaming from paparazzi after they caught her off guard while shopping.

The Holiday star was enjoying some retail therapy in New York fashion and lifestyle emporium Lounge when a group of photographers snuck in the rear entrance and surrounded her.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: "She was enjoying a peaceful day of shopping for some new summer dresses, jewellery and shoes when they surrounded her.

"Cameron totally freaked out, screamed and dropped the items she was going to buy and was chased through the store. She was running full speed."

The 34-year-old actress has always had a troubled relationship with the paparazzi.

She and ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake reached an out of court settlement with photographer Saul Lazo after he claimed they had harassed him. Cameron allegedly beat and threatened him and took his camera when he tried to take photographs of them.

The Shrek 3 star was also blackmailed by a professional photographer who took topless pictures of her when she was just 19 and threatened to make them public if she did not pay him over $US3 million.

John Rutter was convicted by a Los Angeles court of attempting to blackmail Cameron and sentenced to over three years in jail.

I AM SOMEBODY... THE POST SAYS SO!

SPREAD THE NEWS: N.Y. FOTOGS HUMAN

KATE WINSLET
Happy to be in New York.

Let's hear it for New York. Kate Winslet and the husband, director Sam Mendes, and their little daughter are happy to be amongst us. Says the little mother: "London is sick. The photographers are freaky. They hide in trees. Here they're not just paparazzi. They're also human beings. In New York, people leave you alone."

Hugh Grant arrested over doorstep clash with photographer

Hugh Grant has been arrested after allegedly hurling a tub of baked beans at a photographer.

He also reportedly kicked Ian Whittaker, and, according to the photographer, said he wished his children would die of cancer. Grant's lawyers, however, have refuted that any such comments were made by the actor.

Grant — who has been arrested before, when caught with prostitute Divine Brown in America — was taken to a police station last night for questioning over the alleged assault.

The arrest followed a clash with the freelance paparazzi photographer outside Grant's Chelsea home on Tuesday morning.

Mr Whittaker said he had turned up to take pictures of the actor's former girlfriend Liz Hurley, who lives in the same street. When Grant, 46, arrived in his car he asked him to smile as he took his picture.

The film star allegedly snapped, swearing at Mr Whittaker, 43, and reportedly kicking him three or four times. Then, as Grant entered his house, he allegedly turned and threw a plastic container of baked beans at him.

The actor, who split from his girlfriend Jemima Khan in February, allegedly then said: “Do you know who I am? I'm a millionaire,” and screamed “Leave me alone.”

Mr Whittaker told a tabloid newspaper: “I said Give us a smile please' and he looked really angry.

“I walked backwards and he walked after me. He was effing and blinding at me. He kicked me hard three or four times then kneed me in the groin.

“He asked if I had a girlfriend or kids and I said I had two. He said I hope they die of f**king cancer'. I'm determined to see this through to the end because of what he said.”

Police were called to the incident and last night Kensington detectives returned to the actor's home to arrest him and take him for questioning.

Grant had his fingerprints taken and provided a DNA sample. His other arrest was in Los Angeles 1995, when Grant was fined £1,000 for the Divine Brown incident.

Scotland Yard could not confirm the names of those involved on Tuesday, but said they were investigating an allegation of assault in Chelsea.

A spokeswoman added: “A 46- year-old man was arrested and has been bailed to a date next month.

Britney's been tipping off the paparazzi!

It seems that pop star Britney Spears is anxious to exhibit her post rehab transformed body.

The 'Toxic' singer is apparently informing the paparazzi in advance, before going for her daily tasks.

"Britney has been tipping off the paparazzi agencies before she heads out for her daily errands. She has been doing it for the past couple of weeks," the Mirror quoted a source, as saying.

Lately, Britney has been looking good, and has regained her previously slender shape.

According to the source, Spears has even managed to employ a political message into the coverage.

"She's also been posing for video paparazzi, hence her recent video rant [on X17online.com] against her management," the source said.

However, Britney's rep has denied any direct contact between the singer and the paparazzi.

Hugh Bastard! Grant Flips Out on Photog

Hugh Grant was caught taking out his aggression by doing his best Woody Harrelson impression on Tuesday.

Apparently fed up with photographers documenting his every move, the 46-year-old British actor threw an unidentified object and unleashed his stellar kicking skills on one of the paps outside his London home. Not exactly the best way to stop your photo from being taken!

We all know that being a celeb can be tough, but next time, Hugh should try demonstrating some better sense and sensibility.

LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN!

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL BEGINS TODAY!

UGGGHH!

I hope that the Vanity Fair party isn't a precursor of things to came.

It was lame. Really lame. I think it was the worst yet. When the biggest names to show up are the local B-Lister's that we get every year for this party, thing are going to be bad.

So... that's why Vanity Fair didn't release a tip sheet. There was no one to announce!

I remember a time when Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie and the Olsen's would show up.

It's all a distant memory now.... fading...fading....

Scarlett Johansson Fall Down Go Boom

Scarlett Johansson might think she's clever, what with the way she's been ruining the pictures taken of her by the paparazzi, but she didn't look so clever after landing on her ass.

TMZ reports that Scarlett Johansson took a tumble outside the Saturday Night Live after party while trying to hide from the paparazzi. Scarlett tried to run to her car with a coat over her head, but while that meant the paparazzi couldn't see her face, it also meant she couldn't see where the hell she was going.

Catch the video HERE.

Could a Paparazzi Site Play a Role in Alec Baldwin's Custody Battle?

Celeb gossip site, TMZ.com, has uploaded an alleged voicemail Alec Baldwin left with his 11-year-old daughter Ireland.

After Ireland didn't answer her father's scheduled morning phone call from New York on April 11, Alec left her a nasty message.

Highlights from the tirade include:
"Once again, I have made an ass of myself trying to get to a phone."
"You have insulted me for the last time."
"I don't give a damn that you're 12-years-old or 11-years-old, or a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn't care about what you do."
"This crap you pull on me with this goddamn phone situation that you would never dream of doing to your mother and you do it to me constantly over and over again."

Before hanging up Baldwin screamed, "I am gonna get on a plane, and come out there for the day, and I'm gonna straighten your ass out when I see you... I'm gonnna really make sure you get it. So, you better be ready Friday the 20th to meet with me so I can let you know how I feel about what a rude little pig you really are."

TMZ's learned that on Wednesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner Maren Nelson heard the tape and temporarily suspended Baldwin's visitation rights. A hearing is set for May 4, where the judge could permanently deny Baldwin visitation or contact with Ireland.

If you listen to the audio, it seems to be cut and pasted (if it's Alec at all). The tone in his voice changes quite radically from screaming to calm throughout, especially at the end when he's talking about the April 20th meeting. It makes me wonder if this isn't doctored. If it is, this is a seriously low blow by either TMZ or Basinger's legal camp.

Baldwin's lawyer, Vicki Greene, did tell TMZ that, "Whatever happened yesterday was sealed and confidential. What you're telling me you've got you shouldn't have."

Hmm...That doesn't sound like denial.

Halle Berry Protects Paparazzi At LAX

Halle Berry was the paparazzi’s best friend on Tuesday at Los Angeles International Airport.

The 40-year-old actress had to restrain her model boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, 31, from getting into a scrum with the shutterbugs.

The flowering couple were at the airport returning home from a Mexican getaway after spending five days in Cabo San Lucas.

One would think that Aubry would be a little less testy after spending five days in paradise with Berry… then again, he could’ve been bummed out that the trip had come to end!

Britney Spears Lashes out at Paparazzi

Everything seemed to be going well for Britney Spears since she completed her rehab treatment a few weeks ago. She was seen having dinner with friends and hanging out at basketball games with her cousin. But all isn't well with Brit as a small group of paparazzi found out this weekend. Britney is apparently fed up with rumors circulating about the pop princess being pregnant again and she had no problem telling the photographers and paparazzi how she was feeling.

According to Post Chronicle, Brit told her fans to "believe everything you read" while sarcastically stating that "The world is so nice".

When Britney lashed out at the paparazzi it was very clear that she had been hurt by rumors claiming she was pregnant again. The 25 year old mother of two said ""I just want to talk and say, like, how nice our world is. It really is. Like the other day, I saw this magazine and it said I was pregnant. And I went up to my mom and my mom knew, like, she was right, as I am really pregnant. Always believe everything you read everybody! Because I am!" It was clear that Britney was using sarcasm as a defense mechanism but she didn't stop there.

Apparently the pregnancy reports aren't the only rumors that Spears is dealing with. According to the pop princess, there have also been reports that she has been drinking since she left rehab. Britney addresses these issues as well: "I went to see, like, this person, like, on USA Today and they said I was drinking a lot and it was just so true. Because, like, my management so knew what they were doing sending me to rehab. Like, totally. Isn't it nice how nice our world is? Nobody is going to talk about this. The world's so nice, that's all I want to say."

PERFECT STRANGER's Fight For Photos

Tensions flare at the Perfect Stranger premiere


Perfect Stranger Premiere
April 10, 2007, 7pm
Ziegfeld theater

Well... it all came down to where you were standing. The immediate right upon entry was good for most of the event until...

Halle Berry arrives. As she enters the tent, her ring flies off her finger onto the ground. As she goes to pick it up, two of the A list shooters on the carpet jump in front of the press pit to get a photo. A ruckus ensues, which draws security to the area. This in turn block off half of the press pen, which means we had to shoot over security, PR, bystanders and the A list shooters in front of us. Very ugly.
One shooter was very verbal with the A list shooters and was subsequently ejected from the press pen (which wasn't called for in my opinion)

LeAnn Rimes Press Conference INFO

Hey guys....here's a heads up about tomorrow mornings press conference.
Looks like you need paper work on file to get in. Here's the email...




'I'm sorry for the last minute notice, but we were just notified by the
venue for tomorrow's event that only press who have insurance on file
with 1515 Broadway will be allowed inside the event. If you do have
that information on file please fax it to 212-846-1311.

Again, I am sorry for the confusion and I hope to work with you again
soon. '

BEYONCE Monday- I Should Have Left, Should Have Left

Beyonce- April 2, 2007
TODAY SHOW, 7am
EARLY SHOW, 12pm

Beyonce was all over on Monday morning, starting with the TODAY SHOW at Rockefeller Center Plaza.
Is it me or do the always seem to stick as many obstructions in front of the press pen as possible. Speakers, lights, camera men, security...and today, three back up singers for Beyonce. Jeesshhh!

All in all it wasn't too bad. Beyonce was very cordial, looking at the press pen and smiling.

Now we cut to the uptown scene...

She also performed outside on the CBS Early Show. The press riser was set up behind the crowd, parallel to the stage. Which means? You guessed it... tons of fans in the foreground making a full length shot damn near impossible. But you could shoot the hell out her in 3/4.
There was also another smaller press pen set stage left, but was heavily obstructed by lights and the stage rigging.

There has always been a trade off between the TODAY SHOW and EARLY SHOW.
TODAY- Closer to the stage but shorter shooting time and on an angle.
EARLY SHOW- Longer photo-op, dead center of stage but further back. Plus you have to deal with fan obstructions (arms, hands, signs, cell phone cameras)