7 Recent Attacks on the Paparazzi by Celebrities

Quentin Tarantino Attacks
Tarantino has apparently been watching too many of his own movies to think he’s bad ass enough to fight anybody.

More celebrities who think they’re more badass than they actually are (and one who probably is that badass)

James Gandolfini Attacks
He actually attacks a fan, not the paparazzi. The thing that aggravates me the most about this is that this douchebag fan no doubt loved it…”Duuuuude, Tony Soprano totally attacked me…AWESOME!”. Where’s Paulie Walnuts when you need him?

Coldplay’s Chris Martin Attacks
Playing whiny music does not, in fact, make you a badass.

Justing Timberlake Attacks
This is a very wimpy attack, but it’s Justin Timberlake for fuck’s sake. What do you expect? Unless we’re talking about a dance-fight, he knows better than to start some shit

Mini-Me Attacks
He really only flicks a booger at the guy and tells him to “fuck off” (way later in the video. Not worth watching the whole thing for), but the dude is like 3 ft. tall. What the hell else is he going to do?

Amy Winehouse Attacks
She takes a swing anyway, but to her credit she was probably so whacked out of her mind that she thought she kicked his ass. Score one for the moral victory.

Britney Spears Attacks
In what was the most least surprising paparazzi attack ever, Britney uses an umbrella to stave off cameramen. They say she has multiple personalities. I guess one of those is The Penguin.

FBI IN 'PAP' PROBE

THE FBI is poking around the celebrity magazine world on the West Coast, investigating allegations of kickbacks and pay-for-play schemes, according to a source who was contacted by investigators.

The source was told that the probe, which appears to be at a preliminary stage, involved "paparazzi and In Touch" magazine.

The source was contacted by an agent named Dennis Webster in the FBI's Los Angeles office. Webster had not returned calls to Media Ink by presstime.

Specifics about what the feds are looking into remain murky, but people at the celebrity magazines have been burning up the lines in recent days since a story about the FBI probe was posted Wednesday on the complex.com Web site and picked up by gawker.com and jossip.com.

However, the source said that West Coast legal circles have been buzzing that Hollywood stars who have long felt they were being harassed by the paparazzi were perhaps pushing the feds to act.

Stars have long been frustrated that local law enforcement has been unable to thwart the paparazzi unless they either pose a real threat to someone or are trespassing on private property.

At the heart of the FBI's probe is whether an editor at In Touch received kickbacks from a photo agency that works with the magazine in exchange for doling out plumb assignments to the agency, the source told Media Ink.

If the unnamed editor took payments and didn't report it as income, it could be a matter of tax evasion.

The yet-to-be-identified photo agency could also run afoul of federal regulations if it was not properly reporting cash payments to individuals.

The source said that one agency had garnered $80,000 in assignments from In Touch without ever getting a photo into the magazine.

The speculation is that the agency was kicking money back to an editor who continued to dole out the plumb assignments.

Complex.com said the focus of the investigation involved selections of covers, but other sources said that seemed far-fetched.

A spokeswoman for In Touch said, "It doesn't make sense. All photos are selected in New Jersey. We have not been contacted by the FBI."

The Hollywood scene is generally regarded as a tricky place to be a journalist, with talk of kickbacks and under-the-table payments constantly circulating.

While unethical, it is often tough to say when it crosses the line into illegality.

But as one source who was chatting about the scandal offered, "It would have to be a lot of money over a long period of time to get the FBI interested."

It remains to be seen if the FBI inquiry will yield any fruit. So far, however, it has stirred up the celebrity and gossip reporting world, stretching from Hollywood to London's Fleet Street.

18 Wins and one GIANT loss.

That sums it all up.

L.A. Lawmaker Proposes Anti-Paparazzi 'Safety Zone' Law

LOS ANGELES — A city councilman on Friday proposed an ordinance to create a buffer zone between celebrities and the paparazzi who often swarm around them.

Councilman Dennis Zine said the measure would require several feet of space between photographers and celebrities to ensure a "personal safety zone."

"This is about common decency," Zine said following a City Council meeting. "We don't want to put the media out of business, but there has to be some reason when they do their job."

Zine's motion proposing the ordinance said the buffer space must be big enough to allow cars and people to pass safely. It did not specify what penalties, if any, someone would face if someone violated the measure.

Last month, Britney Spears was taken from her home by paramedics amid a frenzy of photographers who crowded and chased the ambulance. This week she was again hospitalized, but a phalanx of police vehicles and a helicopter escorted the ambulance.

The motion notes that the paparazzi "are becoming increasingly aggressive in their tactics, posing a clear danger not only to the people they are trying to photography, but to the general public around them."

"It has gotten outrageous," Zine said of the intense media coverage of celebrities. "If we don't do anything, we could see someone seriously injured or killed."

Pamm Fair, the deputy national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild, said the organization supports such an ordinance. She said there has been a growing concern by SAG members about the conduct of the tabloid press.

"I think there is a difference between taking a photo and getting in someone's face and ambushing them," Fair said. "We fully support this effort. Whatever we can do to create a safe environment for our members, their children and residents of this city."

The measure could resemble one that was enacted during the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles where protesters were kept away from entrances into Staples Center. Because the city adopted that policy, Zine believes his proposal would pass legal muster.

A phone message left with the American Civil Liberties Union was not immediately returned.

Zine's motion asks the city attorney and police officials to propose new restrictions on paparazzi to be discussed at the City Council's Public Safety Committee hearing in coming weeks, where photographers as well as actors could testify.

Zine said he hoped it will win council approval and take effect in about six months.

An "anti-stalkerazzi" law went into effect in California two years ago that increased penalties against photographers who impeded celebrities or were responsible for car accidents. Photographers are liable for three times the damages they inflict, plus lose any payments their published photos might earn.

Paparazzi admit pursuit of Britney has gone too far

Imagine the scene: a psychiatrist is urgently called to the home of a severely disturbed young woman.

Together, the psychiatrist and the family decide to take her to hospital – without her consent – for a mental health evaluation. A specialist unit of the local police is called to facilitate the journey. Traumatic enough, one might think.

Except that when the young woman in question is Britney Spears, the nightmare has only just begun. The 26-year-old star was indeed admitted to the University of California Medical Centre in Los Angeles in the early hours of Thursday morning – the latest in a long series of deeply troubling episodes involving her wayward behaviour, her young children, her ex-husband and a whole retinue of relatives and hangers-on.

What made it a whole lot worse, though, was that the paparazzi pack got wind of the psychiatrist's late-night visit. By the time everyone was ready to move out of the house – a gated home near the top of Coldwater Canyon in the Hollywood Hills – the area was swarming with about 200 photographers and television camera operators.

TV helicopters swooped overhead. The Los Angeles police were forced to carry out an evacuation plan worthy of a military campaign – guarding the house against a possible paparazzi invasion, setting up a complicated series of roadblocks to throw the photographers off the trail, and blacking the windows in the ambulance so Britney could experience her trauma as privately as possible.

The whole operation lasted hours and cost an estimated $25,000 (£12,600) – money the police would much rather have spend on something else.

Last night it was reported that an LA court had taken possession of her estate "due to mental health issues". The rapid downward spiral of Britney Spears' life marks perhaps the lowest watermark in our tabloid culture – an entire industry feeding off the misery of a former teenage idol turned very public basket-case. A business publication called Portfolio estimated a few days ago that the "Britney-Industrial Complex" is worth about $120m a year to the US economy – everything from the fees generated by her pictures to the boost in circulation, as much as one-third more, enjoyed by publications who put her on the cover.

In the increasingly Wild West atmosphere of Hollywood's paparazzi agencies, she alone currently accounts for as much as 30 per cent of total revenues.

Much of this has gone unquestioned, outside of some high-minded media discussion forums at the Los Angeles Times.

Now, though, even some of the photographers who make their living chronicling every step of her meltdown are beginning to examine their consciences, and their professional ethics. One British photographer based in Los Angeles, Nick Stern, became perhaps the first to make a public stand when he quit his job with the Splash news agency a few days ago because he could not bring himself to cover Britney another day longer.

"The Britney story is no longer about Britney," he said. "It's the media circus surrounding her... It's not journalism. Sooner or later, someone's going to get killed. Possibly Britney herself."

Stern said he could no longer stomach the sheer aggression of the pack – many of whom have no photographic training and, he said, include members of street gangs treating the trade in Britney snapshots as a criminal racket.

"I've heard stories of fights, of car tyres being slashed, or cars being blocked in and vehicles jumping lights, all in the name of getting a picture," he said.

"It's now acceptable for paparazzi to drive the wrong way down a street in pursuit of Britney." Stern, who moved to Los Angeles last August following several years at the head of his own agency, First News, said he had no objection to celebrity journalism.

He made a fine living from it, selling mainly to the lower end of the British newspaper market, and felt the press corps were unfairly blamed for the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. Nor does he have any particular beef with Splash, who he said were "one of the more honourable professional employers out here".

He has now joined another agency, Bauer Griffin.

The Britney circus, though, has turned his stomach. "If there's a story concerning Britney that's justified, that's great," he said. "But it's gone way beyond that... She has real psychological problems."

A few months ago, those problems extended to her shaving her head or appearing at nightclubs without any underwear on.

A month ago, though, she refused to hand over her sons Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one, to her ex husband Kevin Federline, 29, and then locked herself in a bathroom.

That prompted a day-long involuntary hospitalisation. More recently, she was spotted repeatedly driving past a courthouse where custody hearings about her children were under way, but not stopping to go in.

Paparazzi crush in Spears' neighborhood

LOS ANGELES - Police were called to Britney Spears' neighborhood after someone reported a swarm of paparazzi trespassing in the singer's gated community.

Los Angeles police Officer Mike Lopez said officers received a call around 7 p.m. Monday about a group of photographers "stepping onto the grounds" of the private neighborhood while following the 26-year-old pop star.

When officers arrived, they didn't see anyone trespassing, Lopez said. He said citations were issued for several illegally parked cars.

Lopez said he didn't know how many photographers were following Spears.

Spears has spiraled downward since filing for divorce from Kevin Federline in November 2006. Her bizarre public antics include shaving her head bald, attacking a car with an umbrella and bringing along a paparazzo pal on trips to a courthouse in her custody case with Federline.

She was taken to a Los Angeles hospital by paramedics earlier this month after police were called to her home because of a dispute involving her sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1. She has lost custody and visitation rights with the boys.

Heath Ledger's body swarmed by paparazzi in New York

HEATH Ledger's body was swarmed by up to 50 paparazzi as his casket left a New York funeral home as he began his final journey home to Perth today.

In a Manhattan street, New York police officers were forced to fend off more than 50 members of the paparazzi and news crews as five employees from New York's Frank E Campbell funeral home carefully loaded a large, plain pine crate containing Ledger's body into a traditional black hearse.

"Back up. Back up, please," an NYPD officer yelled at swarming photographers as the funeral parlour employees wheeled the crate to the hearse.

The journey to Perth is expected to take two days.

Ledger's departure came just hours after his grieving father Kim, mother Sally and sister Kate landed in New York.

The Ledgers, along with their son's former fiancee Michelle Williams and Ledger's two-year-old daughter Matilda and close friends, attended a private memorial service in Manhattan.

Another memorial service is expected in Los Angeles next week.

"There is a private memorial service today and I also understand that there will be a public memorial service in Los Angeles later this week," Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, in New York for meetings at the United Nations and to attend G'Day USA events, told reporters at a Manhattan hotel today.

The Australian government has offered to assist the Ledger family in anyway it can.

"Whatever decision they take Australia stands ready to help them," Mr Smith added.

Ledger's body is expected to be laid to rest at a funeral for family in Perth next week.

While in Manhattan the actor's parents will also meet with New York's chief medical examiner, who conducted the autopsy, in the hope of finding answers to why their 28-year-old son died.

New York police sources say investigators are leaning toward an accidental drug overdose with prescription pills as the cause of death, although toxicology results expected in a week will likely solve the riddle.

New York police found six different types of prescription drugs in Ledger's apartment, including pills to treat insomnia and anxiety.

Ledger died on Tuesday in a $US23,000 ($A26,000) a month SoHo loft apartment he was renting from friend and actress, Mary-Kate Olsen.

Olsen has become a central figure in Ledger's death, despite being in Los Angeles when a masseuse, Diane Wolozin, found him face down in bed when she arrived at the loft for a scheduled massage appointment.

Wolozin made repeated calls to Olsen before calling the New York emergency phone number, 911.

New York police said they have no reason to interview Olsen.

Olsen, in her first public comment on Ledger's death, released a short statement today through her publicist.

"Heath was a friend," Olsen said.

"His death is a tragic loss.

"My thoughts are with his family during this very difficult time."

Wolozin may not escape the attention of authorities.

It was revealed today the New York Education Department has notified the NYPD that Wolozin does not have a licence to practice as a masseuse in New York.

Under New York law, anyone not authorised to practice a licensed profession could be charged with a felony.

Britney Spears Economy' Brings In Millions For Magazines, Label, Paparazzi

Portfolio estimates the pop star nets other people more than $110 million.

There are plenty of reasons to feel sorry for Britney Spears, but the troubled pop star's financial situation isn't one of them. Worth an estimated $125 million, the sometime singer reportedly still rakes in more than $700,000 a month, which, you can assume, is not for what passes for her "job" these days: getting in and out of her car, shopping, eating at restaurants and missing court dates.

But even though she isn't making any money touring -and she's not likely raking in much dough from the bombing Blackout -Spears isn't the only one making millions off her shenanigans. Portfolio magazine has published an account of who is banking off Brit, ranging from her label to the ever-present paparazzi, ex-husband Kevin Federline, celebrity magazines and the companies that license the singer's name.

Among those cashing in, according to the magazine:

» Jive Records, which has brought in more than $400 million thanks to the 83 million albums the singer has sold

» Tour promoters/ venues -Her tours have grossed $150 million, with the average take for her 265 solo shows at $583, 138 each.

» Pure Nightclub -The Las Vegas hotspot reportedly sold seats at a table next to Britney's for $50,000 at a recent party. The magazine said Spears still pulls down between $250,000 and $400,000 just for showing up at events.

» Perfume maker Elizabeth Arden -The company has sold nearly $100 million worth of the Spears scents Believe, Curious and Fantasy.

» The paparazzi -Photos of Britney can bring in anywhere from $250 for a basic going-to-get-a-cup-of-coffee shot to $100,000 or more for an exclusive. Photo agency X17, which has a team that trails the singer everywhere she goes 24/7, estimates that Britney accounts for 30 percent of its revenue. In 2007 alone, X17 sold $2.5 million worth of Britney photos, including $500,000 for its exclusive pics of the singer's head-shaving incident. Britney accounts for 10-15 percent of business for competitor Splash News, which brought in $200,000 for photos of Britney in a hot tub. At this point, the magazine estimates, Britney alone accounts for 20 percent of all paparazzi business.

» Celebrity magazines -Between January 2006 and July 2007, Portfolio reports that Britney was a cover subject of People, Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, OK! and Star a total of 175 times in just 78 weeks, accounting for sales of $360 million. A celebrity tabloid with Spears on the cover sells an average of 1.28 million newsstand copies, which is almost 33 percent more than the non-Spears issue.

» Yahoo! -She's topped the annual Yahoo search rankings in six of the past seven years, dropping to #2 in 2004 when fellow tabloid staple Paris Hilton briefly stole her thunder. Searches for Britney were up 60 percent in 2007, the year of her divorce, shaved head and car wreck.

» Kevin Federline -Though his solo album flopped hard, K-Fed can still pull down almost $30,000 for nightclubs appearances thanks to the Britney connection, which nicely compliments the $35,000 a month he gets from his ex in spousal and child-support payments.

What does all that Britney action add up to for her galaxy of dependents? Portfolio puts the final tally of the Britney Economy at $110-120 million a year. Gimme gimme more, indeed.

Getty Images Up for Sale, Could Fetch $1.5 Billion

Getty Images, the world’s biggest supplier of pictures and video to media and advertising companies, has put itself on the auction block and could fetch more than $1.5 billion, people briefed on the situation said Sunday.

The firm hired Goldman Sachs to advise it on a potential sale, these people said. The company has attracted interest from several buyers, mostly private equity firms, including Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Bain Capital and others.

Final bids are due by the end of the month, but people briefed on the auction cautioned that it was unclear which firms would submit a final bid. A sale is not assured, because the tightening of the high-yield debt markets has cut off private equity firms from the lifeblood of their business, making it harder to finance deals.

Getty, founded in 1995 in Seattle, has grown through a series of acquisitions into a go-to source for visual media, claiming an average service of 3.2 billion images and 4 million unique visitors at its Web site each month. The company’s main selling point is the licensing of high-quality images from professional photographers around the world. Among its main clients are advertising agencies and media companies, including The New York Times. It also offers video footage for use in movies, television and the Internet.

A spokeswoman for the company contacted last week said the company does not comment on “rumors and speculation.”

Some of the company’s premium offerings include the distribution of images from the Time Life and National Geographic collections. Early last year, Getty bought its biggest competitor, MediaVast, for $202 million, acquiring the WireImage service in the process. Last year, Getty held takeover talks with the publicly held Jupitermedia Corporation, but the discussions ended quickly without a deal.

Its main rivals, Jupitermedia, and the Corbis Corporation, a private company owned by the Microsoft founder Bill Gates, have also made a number of acquisitions, though they remain far smaller than Getty. The Internet — a medium that Getty pioneered by being the first to license images online — has made it easier for clients to find pictures for less money.

Getty’s shares have declined more than 47 percent in the last year. Its shares fell 10 percent in August, when the company lowered its full-year profit estimate because of competition from low-cost rivals. Last November, it reported a third-quarter profit of $25.7 million, down 31 percent from a year ago.

Last April, Getty also restated its earnings and took a $28 million to $32 million charge after an internal investigation into the backdating of stock options grants to executives.

Started by Jonathan Klein and Mark Getty, a scion of the J. Paul Getty oil fortune, the company began striking deals and acquiring the photo archives of companies like PhotoDisc. Its growth began to skyrocket with later acquisitions like its $183 million purchase of Eastman Kodak’s Image Bank in 1999.

But the rise of digital photography and the Web created a host of competitors that charged as little as a dollar for an image. Recent events — from the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime minister, to the latest foibles of the entertainer Britney Spears — have led to a surging popularity of low-quality but on-the-scene photos, many taken by cellphone cameras.

“Getty Images continues to be a company in transition, adjusting from being the leading player in an oligopolistic market to being one of many players in a highly competitive market,” Barbara Coffey, a research analyst with Kaufman Brothers, wrote in a research note earlier this month.

The company made its biggest effort to harness some of that new sector’s profit by buying iStockphoto.com, a site for cheaper if also lower-quality photos, for $50 million in 2006. It has lowered the price for some of its wares and offers low-resolution versions of its photographs for $49.

Getty has moved to diversify in other ways. Last June, it bought Pump Audio, a music-licensing company that draws on works by unsigned musicians, for $42.5 million. Another acquisition, WireImage, which does picture coverage of entertainment events like parties, has helped bolster revenue from magazine and newspaper sales as well.

Still, some analysts worry that other, cheaper rivals could continue undercutting the company’s prices. Last August, Getty announced that it was laying off 100 employees, or about 5 percent of its full-time staff, its second round of cuts in as many years.

Other analysts are more bullish about Getty’s prospects. Ms. Coffey of Kaufman Brothers raised her recommendation of the stock to hold from sell this month after its price fell closer to her target of $24.

Getty’s share price has since fallen, closing at $21.94 on Friday.

Not all of Getty’s troubles stem from competitive pressures. A special committee of the company’s board said last April that it found no signs of “intentional wrongdoing” in the backdating of stock options, but Getty was forced to restate its earnings from virtually its inception until November 2006.

Confessions of a paparazzo

For photographer Giles Harrison, who has been on the paparazzi beat for over a decade, following Britney is all in a day's work. He gave the Daily News an inside look at what the gig really entails.

ON A TYPICAL DAY

Working on Britney just gets beyond insanity. Of course there are better ways to make money; they're just not as lucrative.

Usually, when she's been out all night, she doesn't go out all day.

If she does, she just goes out to eat, get her nails done or drives between her home in the Hollywood Hills and her house in Malibu. Pretty boring stuff.

ON THE THRILL OF THE CHASE

At the moment there's so much going on with her, following her involves car chases every single time.

A typical run-in happened recently when she was driving on Sunset Blvd. and stopped to get gas in Brentwood. At that point, about six paparazzi were with her, which was fine. She was sitting in the car with her windows rolled down, giving us the pictures. By the time she left, there were about 20 cars chasing her, weaving in and out of traffic and driving into incoming traffic to cut other paparazzi off, and jockeying to be the first car around her.

I don't do anything that's going to put my life or somebody else's in jeopardy, but the stuff some of the others will do has a complete disregard for anyone else - even the guys they work with.

ON BRITNEY'S PRIVACY

She doesn't go that far, but does just enough to make sure she gets her picture taken.

Maybe it's a cry for attention, because if she didn't want to be seen, she wouldn't be and there have been times in the past when you'd never see her.

ON HER NEW LOVE, ADNAN

I do feel bad for her, but the thing that I find really distasteful is the fact that she's going out with the paparazzi guy who is blatantly selling her down the river. Especially with all the problems she's got going on, like the custody case.

It's one thing if somebody falls for a celebrity, but if you're setting up pictures of her buying a pregnancy test, that's a different story. As much as I like Adnan, all he is doing is making a buck - there's no other explanation.

He sits there and tells all the other paparazzi what to do and thinks he's better than the rest of them. Some people just take no notice of him and others think he's kind of hysterical.

I just think, at the end of the day you don't make yourself part of the story.

4 paparazzi arrested for chasing Britney

Four paparazzi have been arrested for reckless driving while chasing Britney Spears' car in the San Fernando Valley.

Los Angeles police Lt. Mario Munoz said officers observed several cars following a white Mercedes-Benz around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in Mission Hills.

The cars were following Spears' car too closely and traveling at unsafe speed. They also made several unsafe lane changes, authorities said.

Munoz said officers stopped the Mercedes, interviewed Spears and released the 26-year-old pop star after verifying her driver's license.

But the four photographers in the cars chasing her were booked for investigation of reckless driving.

Britney Spears May Face The Same Fate As Princess Diana

NEW YORK -- I'm beginning to envision a tragic conclusion to the whole Britney Spears media circus: The Hollywood paparazzi seem determined to hound her until she is dead.

This may sound extreme, but I don't believe it's so far-fetched. Remember what happened to Anna Nicole Smith and Princess Diana? Even if you don't blame the paparazzi for Smith's demise, there is no way to defend their glee in exploiting her fame after she died. See related video.

Sure, it's pathetic that these gossip hounds would want to make a buck by inflicting misery on someone simply because he or she is famous. Public figures like Spears, who find new and exotic ways to make "news" all the time, are manna from heaven for the photographers who follow them 24/7.

For sure, the paparazzi are as old as Hollywood itself. But the current crop has gone far beyond the bounds of professional behavior, not to mention good taste, human decency -- or any of those fuddy-duddy values.

I know the counter-argument by heart, too. Spears shouldn't be declared a victim in this debate. After all, the 26-year-old pop star thrives on the commotion and luxuriates in the attention. She needs the hype to advance her flagging career. It also must be a kick for her to realize that this small-town girl from Louisiana is one of the world's most famous people.

There's also another reason to resent these stars: their handlers. Celebrities have battalions of high-priced publicists who will trot out their clients whenever they have a new CD, movie or TV show to promote. Anything short of a vehicular-manslaughter charge seems to count as good publicity these days.

Setting limits

Still, enough is enough.

The paparazzi aren't interested in covering Spears' story with any acknowledgement of her right to privacy. The fiasco has spiraled completely out of control, well beyond the bounds of acceptable good taste by any reasonable standard. What's especially unfortunate is that her two small children will eventually pay a big price.

The gossip hounds answer that they are fulfilling a legitimate purpose by catering to the public's endless desire to see photos of Spears -- the more salacious or embarrassing, the better. They say that they are entitled to do their work because magazines like People, Us Weekly, the National Enquirer and OK! will routinely pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for coveted shots of celebrities.

Somehow, though, I don't suppose John Maynard Keynes or Milton Friedman ever envisioned such an inventive twist on the economic principle of supply and demand.

As even casual spectators to the madness know, the Spears saga keeps getting stranger and stranger. Nothing is out of bounds any more.

Once, onlookers debated whether her good-girl image could last. As she scrambled to sustain the media's interest and boost the sales of her CDs, she became a full-blown Media Curiosity. After a while, it wasn't enough for her to churn out big-selling CDs and embark on sold-out concert tours. She had to take the next step of becoming a freak show, having a Vegas marriage that lasted about 10 minutes, a stint in rehab and photos of her cutting her hair off and bashing a car with an umbrella.

It was as if she aced a graduate-level course called Madonna 399 because she completely grasped the Material Girl's law of always giving the public more and more thrills. (The apex of this was reached when Britney and Madonna smooched during the Grammys a few years back.) The difference: Madonna controlled her image much more masterfully. She always reinvented her look with each new album release or movie. But I don't ever remember her being portrayed as being out of control.

By now, the Spears story involves suspicions of unbalanced behavior, child custody and other legal matters, a career in free fall and a family in crisis. Naturally, the spotlight has drawn some strange participants.

Television's favorite family therapist, Dr. Phil McGraw, intruded into the proceedings earlier this month, too, elevating the stakes for people who can't get enough of Spears news. It didn't really matter that many accounts claimed that Dr. Phil wasn't welcome in Spears' inner circle. He made news, too.

The Spears train wreck is so fascinating and lucrative that it has ensnared the mainstream media, too. CNN's "Larry King Live," no stranger to tabloid television segments, examined the psychodrama in gruesome detail on Monday night.

This story seems destined to end badly for Britney Spears. If indeed the paparazzi hound her into an early grave, you can count on them to go on "Larry King Live" and the like, express their distress and offer sympathy to the Spears clan.

But they'll mostly just feel sorry for themselves -- because they've killed the golden goose.

LAPD Brass to Cops: You Aren't the Paparazzi!

TMZ has learned that a message was sent down loud and clear today to LAPD cops working the Britney court beat -- no photos allowed!

Law enforcement sources confirm to TMZ that an order came down to officers at the courthouse today, mandating that no cell phone photos or video of the popwreck or the ensuing chaos be taken. This command is a direct result, we're told, of reports that last week during Britney's meltdown at her home, several members of law enforcement were seen snapping pics.

SIMPSON'S DAD TIPPING OFF PAPARAZZI?

JESSICA SIMPSON's manager-father JOE has hit out at reports he sparked the media frenzy surrounding the singer's new romance with American footballer TONY ROMO.

The With You hitmaker enjoyed a festive break in Los Cabos, Mexico, with Romo and her parents - but she has since been berated by Dallas Cowboys fans for putting their star player off his game, following his team's loss on Sunday (13Jan08) to the Giants.

And new rumours claim the blonde beauty's dad Joe was the one who alerted the press to the stars' whereabouts.

A source tells the New York Daily News, "Joe is well-known for his deals with the paparazzi, where the family gets a cut from the sales of the photographs.

"Nobody would have known that Tony was down in Mexico with Jessica if there hadn't been those pictures everywhere. So a lot of people suspect he tipped off the photographers, causing Tony this huge headache. When you date Jessica, you date Joe, too." But a representative for Simpson has denied the claims, insisting he would never deal with the paparazzi.

The spokesperson says, "Joe would never sell out his daughter to the media and would never do anything to hurt his own family or for that matter, Tony.
This is categorically false."

Buzz Foto Debuts Celebrity Paparazzi Photo Retrospective In Los Angeles

In one of the first shows of its kind, Buzz Foto, LLC, a Los Angeles-based paparazzi agency, is hosting a retrospective of contemporary celebrity photos in "Paparazzi As An Art Form." An opening night celebrity reception will be held Friday, February 15, 2008 at the Maryam Seyhoun Gallery on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The show will run February 16 to 21 and is open to the public. Buzz Foto produces iconic images for magazines worldwide, bringing a certain elegance and art form to paparazzi style photography.

Encapsulating the present moment of our culture and the worldwide phenomenon of celebrity fixation, "Paparazzi As An Art Form" profiles the evolution of pop culture imagery and showcases the modern-day icons in a historical context, including enticing images of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

"The Buzz Foto collection clearly illustrates that paparazzi photography can be a form of art. Executed properly, images of today's celebrities can exude an incredible amount of style and elegance that portray our ever-changing and exciting pop culture. Photos such as these are destined to one day grace the walls of major museums and galleries," said Brad Elterman, Buzz Foto co-founder who sold his first celebrity photo in 1974. "Consider Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans and Helen Levitt; each took photos of individuals without permission and set out to sell them. Their iconic photographs imitate the paparazzi style and today hang in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Our Buzz Foto photographs have the potential to hang next to those great masters."

Henry Flores, co-owner for Buzz Foto and a former engineer, said, "We are pleased to host a first-ever gallery showing of paparazzi art. All of our photographers maintain an excellent working rapport with the celebrity community, so we are certain they'll come out to see their photos."

Buzz Foto was founded by Elterman and Flores in 2006. Elterman is a thirty-year industry veteran who sold his prior celebrity photo agency, Online USA, Inc., to Getty Images in 2000.

LILY ALLEN WANTS TO BAN THE PAPARAZZI

Sigh. It's Monday, so that means there's a whole weekend of Lily Allen to catch up on, and she doesn't disappoint, having opened that chattering gob again. Another depressing thought is that she's pregnant and therefore she's being idiotic for two. Now the painful pop pixie is complaining about media intrusion, and quite reasonably suggesting that Prime Minister Gordon Brown bans the paparazzi.

So now, after several years of determinedly courting the media, Lily has decided that she wants nothing to do with them (not like Lily to completely change her opinion when the wind changes). Naturally, she decided to broadcast this decision through the media, and the unfortunate Marie Claire magazine were in earshot at the time.

"I got really irritated the other day when I read that Gordon Brown has vowed to clamp down on celebrities going out and getting really drunk because he said it's having a bad effect on young people," said Lily, realising that there should be a clamp down on irritating singers hiding behind nursery rhymes.

"I was like, 'Why don't you f***ing do something about the paparazzi taking pictures the whole f***ing time? Then people won't have to read about it!' Stop the nation from becoming so obsessed with a bunch of f***ing idiotic reprobates and then you won't have a problem."

All delivered without a hint or irony. Like her or not, you've got to admire her absolute cheek. Mind you, she's sticking to her principles...

"I refuse to put my make-up on just because the paparazzi are on my doorstep. I find it morally wrong. I'm just walking to the f***ing shop!" Yeah, Lily doesn't care about her image! Which is why she'll go to the shop with no make-up, wearing a ridiculous ball gown.

AP-palling News SPEARS the Heart of Journalism...

Today, the Associated Press, which bills itself as “The essential global news network,” issued an internal e-mail stating the following:

“Now and for the foreseeable future, virtually everything involving Britney is a big deal.”
The subject line: “Britney.”
No last name necessary.

Britney's new paparazzi boyfriend wants to make a buck

Britney Spears' new boyfriend wants to make a buck off of the fallen pop star (just like everyone else -- thanks Brit!)

Britney has been running with Adnan Ghalib, a paparazzi photographer for Finalpixx photo agency, since she was released from the mental ward over the weekend. Now Adnan is shopping around pics and video of he and Spears frollocking.

Ghalib is asking $1 million. Britney evidently even speaks in the video. Woot-woot, grab the checkbook!

Hollywood Bloopers in 2007

Among the many ‘top tens’ at the end of each year, here is one not so flattering for the greatest Hollywood bloopers in 2007. The list includes known ‘offenders’ who drew attention of the public with their behaviour in public, the court, jail, rehab clinics and the like.

You can see more about them HERE.

1. BRITNEY SPEARS – She beat all her competition and took top spot on the list of greatest Hollywood bloopers of 2007.

Her collapse in front of the public eye began a long time ago, with her marriage to dancer and wannabe singer, Kevin Federline. But it all culminated this year.

This year Britney made the covers of hundreds of newspapers wearing no knickers, drunk and high. She shaved her head in front of cameras of paparazzi and divorced Kevin.

After that her great come-back to the music scene had been announced, but her great come-back ended in a fiasco. Her poor performance at the MTV awards and the criticism that ensued did not help her return to shape. Britney also had to face a custody battle for her two sons, which she lost.

2. OWEN WILSON – The actor attempted suicide in August, allegedly because of break-up with his girlfriend Kate Hudson. The rumour was that Wilson slit his wrists and then took an overdose of narcotics. The controversial Courtney Love defended him, saying she understood him, which did not go in his favour, considering her reputation.

3. PARIS HILTON – The party animal took up third spot for her time spent in prison. She earned her sentence driving under the influence on several occasions and violating her probation. Before she ended up behind bars, she had a boob job and was seen walking around, Bible in hand, which did not save her from jail, even though she did get a mild sentence. A new home video also surfaced on the Internet in which she is taking a bath. You can see it HERE. She is just a magnet for scandals.

4. LINDSAY LOHAN took up the high fourth place. Apart from the nickname ‘party animal’, she earned others: alcoholic, junkie, sex addict and wild driver. This year she will be remembered for having sex in the rest room of a rehab clinic with a stranger.

5. AMY WINEHOUSE – As much as her musician colleagues praise her talent, she could not avoid getting on this list. Her alcohol and drug addiction could not go unnoticed. She appeared drunk and drugged in front of the cameras of many paparazzi, but also at concerts and various awards. Her husband ended up in prison and it looks like she might be joining him. She is currently being investigated for trying to bribe a barman in London.

6. ALEC BALDWIN – I call you and you don’t pick up. This is the last time you have insulted me! I don’t care if you’re 11 or 12. You have no brain, you rude pig, Alec Baldwin, 49, screamed at his daughter Ireland, 11. Baldwin and ex-wife Kim Basinger are fighting for custody over Ireland ever since they divorced five years ago. The threatening message Alec left on his daughter’s answering machine made it to the Internet, which spurred much discussion on the actor’s behaviour across the United States.

7. ROSIE O’DONNEL – The television talks show host, former comedian and lesbian icon recently shocked the American public when the ABC company, despite her huge ratings, refused to extend her contract on hosting “The View” show. O’Donnel claimed she could not agree with ABC about the length of the contract, but the fact that she criticised the American Idol in her show as being full of racism and discrimination certainly did not help her.

8. DAVID HASSELHOFF – The Baywatch star, father to Taylor Anne, 17 and Hayley, 15, loves his liquor. In an attempt to mend his ways, he allowed his daughter film him if he ever turned up drunk again. And that is what happened. Hass got drunk, his daughter turned on the camera and put the video up on YouTube for all eyes to see.

9. TARA REID – Another party animal/failed actress recently collapsed in Bali. She was not seriously injured, but spurred rumours about malnutrition and excessive drug abuse. She was also frequently caught tripping on the red carpet. The organisers of various events wrote – unacceptable – next to her name because of her stench of cigarettes and excessive alcohol use.

10. ELLEN DEGENERES – The famous actress, television show host and lesbian this year became involved in a scandal with pets. With her partner Portia De Rossi, she adopted an abandoned Boston Griffin dog via the “Mutts and Mothers” agency. But they could not keep the dog because the pup got into fights with their cats. Although, according to the contract she signed, she was obliged to return to dog to the agency if she decided not to keep it, Ellen simply gave the dog to her hairdresser and caused rage among animal lovers.

Britney's Paparazzi Boyfriend Speaks

Britney Spears' new paparazzi boyfriend is really enjoying his 15 minutes. The British pap is already talking to the press about his 'special' night with the fallen pop star.

Adnan Ghalib went on 20/20 and claimed that him and Spears' did the nasty in between the sheets and described the night as "awesome." Obviously it was "awesome," no one knew you existed and now your on 20/20.

Speaking on 20/20 Adnan also said, "She is the way she is because of the people she surrounds herself with. On a single level, I think she's awesome."

Veteran celebs share pearls of wisdom

With all the craziness surrounding the paparazzi and public's obsession with celebrities, some stars this year passed along advice to young Hollywood. Among them:

"Continue doing your work. Always keep work first. Hype is second, and don't let that become part of your reality. Just stay real and do your job. … You have to remember that we're the luckiest people in the world to do what we do and get paid for it." —Jennifer Aniston, Harper's Bazaar, November 2007

"Fame will (mess) with your head, and if you don't have a solid foundation, you get swept away in it. … The kids now who are experiencing fame, money, paparazzi — they need to get their (butts) out of the night clubs and have a barbecue with … family once a week. It's not rocket science." —Dave Grohl, Maxim, January 2008

"If you're going to go out, there is a possibility and, depending on who you are, there is a probability that you'll have your picture taken. … If you don't feel up for that, don't go out. You did sign up for it, and you do have to understand that. If you're going to be out in public, you have to behave." —Lisa Kudrow, USA TODAY, Dec. 19, 2007

"I think we've all learned that you can't always make the right move. I look on it as work. … One of the biggest blessings in this business is to have something you find more interesting. It's a great thing when you can dissociate yourself." —Kate Hudson, Vogue, January 2008. (She credits her mother's partner, Kurt Russell, for the advice.)

"We try not to talk (in the media) about the relationship. It's not that we're not proud; it's just that's the kiss of death." —Sarah Jessica Parker, Elle, August 2007. (She adds that she and husband Matthew Broderick also try to avoid walking down a red carpet together.)

Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley sue celeb pics agency

Hugh Grant has joined forces with ex lover Liz Hurley and her new husband Arun Nayar to sue celebrity photographic agency Big Pictures (UK).

The trio, who recently holidayed together in the Seychelles, are believed to be suing over a series of snaps which showed Liz rubbing sun cream on to Hugh’s face.

The pictures also demonstrated the closeness between the newly weds and their friend Hugh as they enjoyed the winter sunshine in October.

Grant, 47, Arun, 42, and Liz, are also suing photographic agency Eliot Press Sarl. A copy of the writ is not yet available from the court - but it is possible the pair are claiming breach of privacy.

In a high profile settlement in 2003, DJ Sara Cox and her husband claimed £50,000 in damages from The People after suing for breach of privacy over pictures showing her sunbathing topless on her honeymoon.

Paparazzi ruining Tyra Banks chances of finding Mr Right

Former super model Tyra Banks has criticized the paparazzi for wrecking her chances of finding an ideal man.

The 34-year-old model blamed the tabloid speculation about her love life in ruining her chances of finding her Mr Right.

Banks hates being linked to every famous eligible bachelor and giving her image of messing around with guys.

I’ve dated Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan and Matt Damon (in the press). And people believe it, so you get this track record like you’re messing around with all these guys,” Contactmusic quoted her as saying.

Jessica Alba Doesn’t Dig Paparazzi Attention

While celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears are always up for dealing with the constant paparazzi attention they receive, Jessica Alba isn’t about to let a herd of shutterbugs ruin her day.

The “Awake” actress took to the streets of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California yesterday, in search of some fabulous clothes.

According to reports, she stopped into the Gucci store, as well as the Dior boutique in her quest for some hot duds. She was wearing a black wool topcoat, newsboy-style cap and a black scarf.

Meanwhile, ever since she announced her pregnancy, Jessica has noticed an ever-increasing number of paparazzi coming to snap pics. To counter these conditions, Miss Alba played it safe and enlisted the help of some Beverly Hills police officers as she made her exit back to her car - quickly driving out of camera’s view.

Tony Parker, Eva Longoria sue over claims of affair

TONY Parker is planning to sue over claims he cheated on his wife Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria with a French model he met at their wedding.

The US basketball star today filed a $20 million lawsuit in Santa Monica against photo agency X17 over a story claiming he had an affair with noted maneater Alexandra Paressant.

The 26-year-old model, who once dated Brazilian football legend Ronaldhino, told X17 the affair began two months after Parker and Longoria’s wedding.

She also revealed intimate details about Eva and Tony's love life based on conversations they shared.

The suit alleges X17 defamed Parker by publishing the allegations when the company "had to know that the story was false, or at the very least, it had to have entertained serious doubts about the credibility of its supposed source".

Parker's suit states: "Tony Parker has never had sexual relations with a woman named Alexandra Paressant."

X17 immediately jumped to their own defence today, releasing a statement reading: "The journalists at X17online conducted extensive research for the reporting of this story and we felt the evidence was too strong to ignore. Alexandra Paressant’s claims were significant and newsworthy and we are continuing to uncover more details each day in our continued investigation."

Is Lindsay Lohan in Cahoots With the Paparazzi?

Always interested in getting as much exposure as humanly possible, Lindsay Lohan took a jaunt out to grab some groceries in Beverly Hills yesterday.

The “Mean Girls” actress was looking cute and casual, in a grey shirt with some distressed jeans and a beaded silvery scarf, topped off with a pair of oversized black sunglasses.

And there’s suspicion that the troubled singer/actress is getting desperate for cash, given that she’s lacking in the movie role department due to her drug and alcohol use.

Late last week, a package of photos of LiLo on her way to the recording studio were put up for sale for $30,000 through a photo agency. And there’s speculation that she staged the photo ops herself, to cash in on the demand for her pics.

An insider revealed, “They were offered through a photo agency, but they’re clearly staged — she’s in full hair and makeup.”

However, a Lohan pal defended her, saying, Everyone does this in Hollywood; it’s totally normal. Lindsay’s excited about the new album and wants to get the word out.”

And if you’re hoping to see the crimson-haired actress at all the top holiday parties this season, think again. Apparently nobody wants to invite her, as she may be exposed to alcohol and fall off the wagon.

“Nobody is comfortable bringing her into an environment with alcohol,” says an insider. “Whether she’s rehabbed or relapsed, it’s bad either way.”

Lindsay Lohan tries to sell family photos

Lindsay Lohan tried to sell photographs of her family Thanksgiving dinner, it has been claimed.

The 'Mean Girls' actress offered staged pictures of her with mother Dina, sister Ali, her brothers and boyfriend Riley Giles celebrating the holidays to several celebrity magazines.

She initially demanded a six-figure sum, but eventually dropped the price to $20,000 when she failed to find a buyer.

A source told MSNBC, "She thinks she's a huge star. She thinks everyone is dying to read about her, but she's lost her fan base. Her decisions are being driven by cash, not repairing her image."

Lindsay, 21, reportedly failed to sell the pictures, but made some money from her family shopping trip to New York's Armani Exchange and Intermix store on November 23.

It is claimed Lindsay tipped off the paparazzi she would be there and was paid to visit the clothing store.

The source added, "It seems like everything Lindsay does is to make money."

Last month, it was claimed the troubled star - who completed treatment in rehab for drug and alcohol addiction and served a prison sentence for driving under the influence - is broke after blowing her $7 million fortune on drugs and partying.

Brad Pitt Wants Law To Protect Celebs' Kids From Paparazzi

Devoted family man Brad Pitt wants a law to be passed for the protection of celebrities' children from paparazzi.

Pitt has revealed to Larry King through his CNN show Tuesday night that reporters and photographers flock his children everyday.

"[They] call out my kids names and shove cameras in their faces, and I really believe there should be laws against that. I mean, my kids believe that any time you go outside the house there is just a wall of photographers and people that take their picture. That is their view of the world and I worry about the effect it will have on them," Angelina Jolie's partner says.

The 43-year-old actor is parent together with Jolie to his children, Maddox (6), Pax (3), Zahara (2) and Shiloh (17 months). Only Shiloh is the biological child, the rest are adopted but Pitt doesn't see the difference.

"They're as much as my blood as I am theirs. And they are brothers and sisters. One came from Ethiopia, one from Vietnam, one from Cambodia, and one born in Namibia. And they are brothers and sisters, and they have fun and they squabble and they fight, just like any other family. And it makes me so proud."

Pitt, who has a long-list of box office films, is quoted saying that fatherhood is hardest job in the world but also the most rewarding.

Angry Julia Roberts turns tables in paparazzi chase

Hollywood icon Julia Roberts angrily gave chase to a car carrying paparazzi photographers after spotting them filming her near a school, reports said Thursday.

The actress raced after the photographers in her Mercedes sports utility vehicle, blasting them with her horn and gesturing the lensmen to pull over, in footage broadcast by syndicated television show "Inside Edition."

The 40-year-old Oscar-winning star of "Pretty Woman" and "Erin Brockovich" then angrily scolds the photographers for allegedly filming her near a school, ordering them to turn off a video camera filming her.

"Turn it off," Roberts tells the photographers. "I want to talk to you about the fact that you're at a school where children go. Turn it off."

The incident is the latest flashpoint involving celebrities and members of the Los Angeles paparazzi.

Actor George Clooney last week hit out at paparazzi "bounty-hunters," accusing them of risking the safety of innocent bystanders in their pursuit of celebrity photos.

Clooney, who was also involved in a filmed altercation with photographers earlier this month, said paparazzi often broke the law while chasing their targets.

"What they're doing is illegal, it's high-speed chases and they're competing with each other," Clooney said.

"They're not trying to catch me doing something stupid; they're trying to create me doing something stupid. You don't get to break all these laws and then say, 'I'm just doing my job.'"

CLICK HERE to see the video.

Celebs vs. Paprazzi - - Crash Course is a Snap

Motown had it down to a science, decades ago. Before the recording stars became famous, they had to graduate from the in-house finishing school, led by the elegant Maxine Powell. They learned about posture before they became Supremes.

Apparently, there are no classes in Hollywood today about how to be classy. The stars don't know how to get out of a car with their legs together, or to steer clear of Tommy Lee. They certainly don't know how to deal with the paparazzi.

» Click to enlarge image

Lindsay Lohan’s role in “Herbie: Fully Loaded” did nothing to improve her skill at paparazzi-outrunning.

(AP)

So today's public service is a crash course in how to navigate the swarm of snapping photographers that surround celebrities.

Just a civilian? Read on anyway. The same applies to overzealous uncles with camcorders during the holiday season.

DON'T RUN OVER THE PAPARAZZI'S FEET.

There's a lot to remember when you're driving a Mercedes -- strap in the toddlers, glance in the rearview mirror -- so it's understandable that Britney Spears might neglect to check for photographers. Still, we urge her to drive around the crowds of photographers. Running over their feet just makes them mad.

DO ASK THEM FOR DIRECTIONS.

It makes them feel useful. In fact, Paris Hilton is so friendly with her stalkerazzi that when her Bentley ran out of gas in January, she didn't have to call AAA. One of the photogs offered to run up the street and get her some unleaded.

DON'T THROW FOODSTUFFS AT THEM.

Hugh Grant thought that getting caught on Sunset Boulevard with a hooker was a low point. That was until the Baked Beans Incident. Grant was arrested in April for hurling a container of baked beans at a free-lance photographer who shouted, "Give us a smile, please!" Grant also allegedly kicked him three times, and kneed him in the groin.

DO FEED THEM.

While the paparazzi staked out Nicole Kidman's Sydney home before her wedding to Keith Urban, she sent out two cases of cold beer with a note that said, "Enjoy!" Let's hope the bridesmaids received nice keepsakes, too.

DON'T ENGAGE IN A CAR CHASE.

Lindsey Lohan tried to outspeed the paparazzi in her car, and ended up in a collision with one. Thank God she was able to walk away from the accident, or the world may have been deprived of her work in the stripper drama "I Know Who Killed Me."

DO WORK WITH THE ENEMY.

If you can refrain from hitting them (I'm talking to you, Sean Penn and Cameron Diaz), the paparazzi can be your friends. That's how OK! magazine stays in business. Some event organizers have gone so far as to hire actors to pretend to be paparazzi, just so their guests will feel important. If no one wants a photo of you, then you don't have a career. Some stars reportedly collude with photo agencies who sell only flattering photos of them, tipping them off when they're heading to, say, a Malibu grocery store. Don't forget the oversize sunglasses and lip gloss!

DON'T INVITE THEM INTO THE JOHN WITH YOU.

I said the paparazzi can be your "friends," not your "best friends." I hate to pick on Britney Spears again, and this is one rule I'd hoped would go without saying. But let me emphasize this: No good will come out of asking a photographer to accompany you to the loo.

Spears reportedly did just that during a trip to Atlanta.

In a Quiznos.

Hey Britney. ... You know where there are some really nice, private bathrooms? At your house. Any of your houses. Try staying in one for a few days, out of sight.

The price of your photos will only go up.

Clooney condemns paparazzi for profiting from wrong deeds

A videotape of a very upset George Clooney scolding paparazzi for reckless driving has made it online and the actor is annoyed that photographers are using the tape to make money.

Various websites have picked this video up where Clooney pulls his motorcycle over and scolds two video photographers for rash driving as they followed him.

Clooney now has gone on TV to berate the fact that those photographers have gone on to make some money with that video, contactmusic.com reports.

'This tape, they are selling it all around everywhere. So, that means that these guys who committed all these crimes get rewarded for it. There must be a formula for someone that says, `If you are committing a crime, you shouldn't be able to profit off them (tapes).' It's gotten really dangerous out here,' Clooney said on a TV show.

Kidman Tells Court of Paparazzi Terror...

I was really, really scared: Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman leaving the Supreme Court in Sydney today.
Photo: Brendan Esposito

One of Hollywood's most glamourous actresses dressed down today for her eagerly awaited appearance to give evidence in a packed Sydney court.

Wearing a staid combination of grey skirt, blush blouse done up to the neck and pink cardigan, Nicole Kidman braved a crush of photographers to make her way into the NSW Supreme Court to give evidence in a defamation case involving celebrity photographer Jamie Fawcett .

She told the court how she had been scared and in tears after an incident three years ago when Fawcett allegedly ran red lights and mounted the median strip in what she termed a "crazy'' pursuit.

Kidman said she was crouched down in the back seat during the drive to her parents' Greenwich house on January 23, 2005.

She said longtime employee John Manning had agreed to drive her, after a listening device had been found outside her Darling Point home - which she said had been a "deeply disturbing'' revelation.

During the drive Mr Manning told her they were being followed by Fawcett and another car, which worried her.

"He said that they were driving crazy and that they had run red lights and jumped the median strip,'' she said.

Mr Manning's voice had sounded "pretty panicked'' and she added: "I was frightened and I was worried about a car accident.''

Kidman, who sat with her hands folded on her lap throughout her testimony, said she had been "really, really scared'' during the trip.

It was as a result of incidents like that that she had to hire private security, she said.

"There were so many occasions, I've employed people to protect me now - 24-hour security - I don't drive myself because I'm too scared [of] being pursued,'' she told the court.

A lighter moment came when she was asked to read her police statement, and she began reading it out aloud until the judge told her just to read it by herself.

She smiled and tapped her forehead in a reflex action as might Homer Simpson, though a tad more daintily.

Last year, a jury found an article in The Sun-Herald had defamed Mr Fawcett.

The jury found the article conveyed six defamatory meanings including that Mr Fawcett was "Sydney's most disliked freelance photographer'' and had behaved in such "an intrusive and threatening manner that he had scared'' Kidman.

Justice Carolyn Simpson is conducting a hearing in which Fairfax has called witnesses seeking to establish some of the defamatory meanings are true.

CBS Offers Midtown Manhattan Free Wireless Internet Access

Some awesome news out of Manhattan today. CBS Corporation has announced today that it will "light up" midtown Manhattan with the creation of the "CBS Mobile Zone," a wireless high-speed network enabling New Yorkers with Wi-Fi-enabled cell phones, laptops or other devices to access the Internet for free, and make voice over internet (VOI) calls.

The zone will be from Times Square to Central Park South and from 6th Avenue to 8th Avenue and is a test in partnership with the MTA.

You might be asking what CBS gets out of the deal - ad impressions! New Yorkers who access the "CBS Mobile Zone," will be greeted by an ad-supported homepage that includes hyperlocal content such as breaking local and national news, sports highlights, weather reports, music discovery, wallpapers, ringtones, maps, a social network and the ability to search for nearby restaurants, shops and entertainment complete with geographically- targeted community reviews. Citi and Salesgenie.com(TM) have signed on to be early sponsors of the Wi-Fi HotZone.

"This is another example of how the assets of CBS Outdoor are enhanced by new technologies," said Wally Kelly, Chairman and CEO of CBS Outdoor. "What better way to show we are committed to turning our Outdoor assets
into next-generation interactive platforms than providing free Wi-Fi service in what is arguably the busiest stretch of real estate in the world. This offering will allow us to evaluate the prospect of applying Wi-Fi capabilities across our Outdoor properties globally."

They are also giving routers to local businesses in the Mobile Zone to enhance the signals. I wonder what the signal will be like on New Year's Eve! Just how many connections can this system handle was not disclosed.

Many of the companies covered on CN are included in the Homepage including: Tropos, BIG, Fon, Ning, Goowy, Veoh, Yelp, 1020, Aptilo and Can-Do Entertainment.

Paparazzi photographer injured chasing Spears

A paparazzi chasing troubled pop star Britney Spears was injured when his motorcycle was struck by a car driven by another photographer, police said Tuesday.

The accident occurred on Monday in Beverly Hills when a photographer driving a Range Rover made an illegal right turn hitting the motorbike and its rider, police sergeant Jay Kim said.

The injured photographer was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with cuts to his legs and arms although the extent of his injuries was not immediately known. Spears was not injured and had "no direct involvement" in the collision, police said.

The incident is the latest traffic scrape linked to Spears, whose daily movements around Los Angeles are routinely tracked by a pack of paparazzi.

Last month Spears accidentally ran over the foot of a photographer who had crowded her Mercedes as it exited a car-park.

When Paparazzi Strike Back: Keanu Reeves Edition

Keanu Reeves is the latest celeb to face the ire of an angry and purportedly injured paparazzo. Photographer Alison Silva claims Reeves struck him in the knee with his Porsche 911 on March 19th of this year, as he was backing out of a parking space at a clinic in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Silva’s lawyer claims the photographer has sustained “serious injuries to the body and severe shock and injuries to the nervous system and person, all of which have caused and continue to cause the Plantiff great mental, physical and nervous pain and suffering.” Silva is also claiming the incident has left him unable to make a living, which we suspect probably involves chasing cars with cameras.

Reeves’ camp claims the paparazzo was blocking his way as he tried to back out of the spot and also suggests the injuries were extremely minor and not enough to warrant legal action.

As of late, several paparazzi have come forward, citing celebrity mistreatment. Photographer Robert Rosen alleges “James Bond” star Pierce Brosnan took a swing at him after he spotted the star dining with his son at an L.A. restaurant and a TMZ photographer claims Britney Spears ran over his foot as she pulled out of a medical building garage.

In Britney’s case, it doesn’t look like she’ll face any charges, but Pierce Brosnan is a different story. LAPD are currently investigating the incident.

In other, more pleasant, Keanu Reeves news, the “Matrix” star has signed on to appear in the upcoming remake of the sci-fi classic, “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” opposite the very lovely Jennifer Connelly. Connelly will take on the role of Helen Benson, which was played by Patricia Neal in the original and Reeves has been cast as the alien Klatuu, a role made famous by British actor Michael Rennie. Reeves will also star in the upcoming “The Night Watchman,” directed by “Training Day” scribe David Ayer, which stars Forest Whitaker and Jay Mohr as well.

Photogs Jacked at ACE Awards

Ace Awards Gala
Cipriani, 42nd St.

One question... why do you credential 30+ photographers for this event and proceed to provide only enough room for 10. If you call in and reserve a spot with the PR, is it to much to expect a spot actually to be reserved? When the PR from Paul Wilmot answer, "We told you to bring ladders", you have overbooked your press pen.

Twenty plus photographers wound up outside in the street where all the talent graciously posed.
And Jessica Simpson almost took a header when her heal got caught in the subway grating...(see photo)

Jessica Biel Snaps Back At the Paparazzi

A little over a week ago, Jessica Biel released some of her built-up frustration by lashing back at the horde of paparazzi who follow her every move.

This weekend, rather than swinging around an umbrella, the Powder Blue babe kept things more civil by simply giving them a taste of their own medicine.

Jessica spent the day running errands with a gal pal around Los Angeles, as both took turns pointing their camera at the shutterbugs as they took Jessica’s dog to the vet and visited a grocery store to do some shopping.

On the way home, the 25-year-old stopped in at a picture framer’s, purchasing two frames, and then a hardware store before calling it a day and returning home.

Keanu Reeves sued for crashing into paparazzi

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A paparazzi hit in March by Keanu Reeves in a slow-moving Porsche 911 is suing the actor, according to judicial sources Monday. Press photographer Alison Silva said he was injured in the incident and incurred losses due to his hospitalization. He filed a civil suit against Reeves asking for an unspecified level of damages. The photographer was hit by the star of the "Matrix" trilogy on March 19 in Rancho Palos Verdes, a posh seaside neighborhood in southwest Los Angeles. At the time local law enforcement said Silva was lightly injured and sent to the hospital.

MILLS CALLS FOR PAPARAZZI TO BE LICENSED

SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY's estranged wife HEATHER MILLS has slammed the British press for making her life a misery. The 39-year-old launched into a bitter tirade against the media during an interview with U.K. TV show GMTV on Wednesday (31Oct07) and insists she is being forced to "live in a prison' because of the snappers who turn upon her doorstep.

Mills recently took a photographer to court on assault charges after accusing him of grabbing her shoulder as he tried to take her picture. Jay Kaycappa was sentenced to 140 hours community service in August this year (07) after he was found guilty of assaulting both Mills and her friend Mark Payne in a subway in Brighton, England in July 2006.

The former model insists the media need to crack down on 'irresponsible journalism' and has launched a campaign to take her views to the European Parliament.

She says, "I live in a prison. I have to fight back or I will go insane. They (the paparazzi) follow me all the time. They even tried to hack down my fence. They follow me constantly and they've got no licences. They have to be licensed because how do I know if these people outside my house are stalkers or not?"