Fawcett lashes out at paparazzi

Former sex symbol Farah Fawcett, 62, reportedly terminally ill with cancer, has blasted paparazzi and the celebrity culture for invading her privacy and spoiling the last years of her life.

In an interview published on Monday in the Los Angeles Times the star of the original Charlie's Angels, who is reported to be close to death, said the unwanted attention had made her battle with cancer more difficult.

"It's much easier to go through something and deal with it without being under a microscope," said the terminally ill star. "It was stressful. I was terrified of getting the chemo. It's not pleasant. And the radiation is not pleasant."

Being under a microscope

"I'm a private person," Fawcett said. "I'm shy about people knowing things. And I'm really shy about my medical (care). It would be good if I could just go and heal and then when I decided to go out, it would be okay. It seems that there are areas that should be off-limits."

"I'm holding onto the hope that there is some reason that I got cancer and there is something, that may not be very clear to me right now, but that I will do."

The interview was released days after her long-time companion Ryan O'Neal revealed that Fawcett had stopped treatment in what was seen as an indication that she was close to death.

Other reports said that her jailed son had been given special dispensation to see her and that she had also said goodbye to her 91-year-old father with a note: "I've lived a full and wonderful life. I've loved and been loved. I'm happy. I'm ready."

Have celebrities finally snapped?

Amy Winehouse's injunction against the paparazzi reveals a growing frustration with picture agencies and their methods

You may have noticed that, while just a few months ago you couldn't open a tabloid newspaper or celebrity magazine without seeing a photo of Amy Winehouse - usually taken late at night with the singer in a dishevelled state - there haven't been many pictures of her recently.

The Guardian revealed over the weekend that Winehouse had successfully, and relatively quietly, obtained an injunction preventing picture agencies, and the photographers who work for them, from following her and gathering outside her house. A sign outside her new home since 30 March has warned photographers not to come within 100 metres. The pop star Lily Allen won a similar injunction earlier in the same month preventing two picture agencies - Big Pictures and Matrix Photos - from harassing her, approaching her within 100 metres of her home, or taking photographs when she is in the homes of her family or friends.

Both follow an action brought by the actor Sienna Miller, who sued Big Pictures, one of the biggest agencies for celebrity photographs, for harassment and invasion of privacy, and was awarded £53,000 in damages and costs as part of a settlement that resulted in the agency's photographers being forbidden from following her. Alan Williams, the chief executive of Big Pictures, declined to comment on the injunctions, except to say: "We believe in the right of a photographer to take pictures in a public place."

Celebrities have increasingly turned to injunctions against the paparazzi, claiming an inability to live ordinary lives. How did the once-umbilical relationship deteriorate so much? After the death of Princess Diana, there seemed to be a collective surrender by paparazzi photographers. But with the internet and the success of celebrity magazines creating demand, as well as the growth in the number of amateurs, there are now more paparazzi than ever. In Los Angeles, they are known as "gangbangers", says Nick Stern, a British photographer who divides his time between London and LA. Last year, Stern resigned from Splash picture agency, when he felt the hounding of Britney Spears had gone too far. When Spears was taken to hospital in February last year, the ambulance needed at least 12 police motorcycles to escort it through a swarm of photographers.

The picture of Spears having her head shaved is rumoured to have fetched around £250,000. "Some days there would be 30 or 40 people trying to take her picture. There is very little skill, technical or journalistic, involved - it's just a crazy fight, pure aggression and persistence," Stern says.

The publicist Max Clifford remembers one instance last year when he was in a car "with someone who had done something they shouldn't with someone", and a photographer chasing them on a motorbike came off the road and nearly hit a woman with a pushchair. "He didn't have any regard for his safety or those around him. That's what you're up against now. It is more fierce, confrontational and competitive. The atmosphere has changed."

Clifford blames "over-enthusiastic amateurs ... ruining it for the rest". Before, there was usually an informal agreement between professional paparazzi and the star - the star would pose for a picture, and in return the pack would largely then leave them alone. Now, anybody can pick up a decent digital camera and a laptop with mobile broadband for a couple of thousand pounds and become a paparazzo. Even photographs snapped on mobile phones can reach dizzying sums - the Mirror is thought to have paid about £100,000 for the grainy phone footage of Kate Moss appearing to snort cocaine.

"I know it can be presented as celebrities not wanting photographs to be taken, but this is more about the extraordinary lengths that [photographers] will go to get pictures," says David Sherborne, the barrister who represented Allen, Miller and Winehouse. "It makes doing everyday things that you or I take for granted miserable and dangerous." Sherborne says he thinks more celebrities will seek injunctions, "when they realise something can be done about it".

In a newspaper interview a few weeks ago, Allen described an incident when she left her house and photographers in seven cars followed her. "I turned into a T-junction and they all ran a red light, then tried to overtake on the inside. A woman had to slam the brakes on her car as they cut in. I braked too, of course, and this guy ran into the back of me. I got out of the car. I was shaken up ... Instead of talking to me, like a decent human being would, he got his camera out and started taking pictures, and I just thought, 'I've had it with the press, I can't do this any more.' I got back into the car and called my lawyer."

Dan Bozinovski is one of the photographers affected by Allen's injunction, though he denies that he has ever behaved in an unacceptable way. How does he feel about celebrities taking out injunctions? "I think there should be some way of regulating photographers, rather than taking out injunctions against whole agencies.

"A certain class of people is going to become untouchable. The more money you have for lawyers, the more privilege you can buy." Celebrities can't have it both ways, he says. "A lot of publicity [for Allen] has been generated through us. When she had an album out, her PR was working overtime to tip us off about where she would be. That's the game."

That said, Bozinovski does admit the pack has become "much worse. Most photographers are freelancers who joined the industry in the last couple of years. There are so many more photographers now, so people aren't making as much money and they're getting desperate for that great shot." He says that he has been sworn and spat at, and colleagues have been beaten up by bouncers and celebrities' security guards. "I don't know if I'll be doing it by the end of the year," he says. "It's getting harder, for less money and you have to risk more and more."

NY GOV PAYS OUT $300K TO WHITE PHOTOGRAPHER AFTER FIRING HIM TO HIRE BLACK ONE...

ALBANY -- Gov. Paterson, who raised state taxes by $8 billion last month, just cost state taxpayers $300,000 more.

The state has secretly settled an embarrassing federal racial-discrimination lawsuit, The Post has learned. The suit accused Paterson, back when he was Senate minority leader in 2003, of firing a white Senate photographer in order to replace him with an African-American.

The lawsuit had been scheduled to go to trial in federal court Monday in Syracuse, with Paterson, the state's first black governor, as a key witness. The case was settled earlier in the week, although a few glitches delayed the final deal until yesterday, legislative sources said.

The settlement ends a civil-rights action first filed in 2005 by Joseph Maioriello, 56, of Schenectady, a 26-year Senate employee who originally sought $1.5 million.

He was fired from his $34,000-a-year job as a photographer two years earlier and replaced by a black employee, El-Wise Noisette. The shakeup happened after Paterson ousted then-Sen. Martin Connor (D-Brooklyn) as the minority leader.

Connor was expected to testify that Maioriello was a good photographer.

While neither Paterson nor the state admitted that Maioriello was a victim of racial discrimination, the size of the settlement means "that the state wouldn't have made out very well if it had gone to trial," said a source close to the lawsuit.

"If nothing wrong happened, why is the state paying out this kind of money?" the source asked.

Maioriello's lawyer, Anne-Jo Pennock McTague of Albany, told The Post that her client was "satisfied with the amount and the fact of a settlement."

Paterson was expected to be one of Maioriello's star witnesses in federal court if the case had gone to trial, a lawyer close to the case said.

The settlement was initially delayed when Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), Paterson's successor and a fellow African-American, refused to give his approval.

Smith had veto power over the settlement since the suit was filed against the Senate. He was in the awkward position of either authorizing a large payment for alleged reverse discrimination or holding out for a trial, which would have forced Paterson to testify under oath.

Austin Shafran, a spokesman for Smith, said he delayed the final settlement to determine if the cost "was acceptable."

Smith was represented by lawyers from the office of state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, which had no comment.

In the lawsuit, Maioriello claimed he was told by John McPadden, then Paterson's chief of staff, that he was being fired because a number of minority senators wanted to replace him with "a minority photographer, a black photographer."

He said he was also told, "You got to remember who Sen. Paterson is. Sen. Paterson is black."

Paterson, who is legally blind, claimed in a sworn deposition that he didn't see well enough to have fired Maioriello because of his race.

A spokesman for Paterson later said the comment was "a quip, a joke."

Paterson and McPadden denied the race-bias claim.

Cops: No Shutterbugs Involved in Madonna Mishap

Was Madonna just horsing around?

Despite her rep's claim that a pesky paparazzo was to blame for Madonna's weekend fall from a horse in the Hamptons, the officers who responded to the scene said the Material One made no mention of any shutterbug involvement.

"She was a victim of a fall from a horse. We have no mention of the paparazzi," Officer Chris Brenner, a spokesman for the Southampton Village Police Department, tells E! News. "We got a call that the subject fell off the horse and treated it as an aided case.

The call came in at 4:24 p.m. Saturday and, per standard operating procedure, Southampton's finest showed up to assist emergency medical personnel.

"Above complainant was a victim of fall from horse. Unknown injury. Bridgehampton Fire Department/ambulance responded and transported to Southampton Hospital," said Brenner, quoting the police report.

That directly contradicts the statement to E! News from longtime Madonna spinmeister Liz Rosenberg, who said a photographer "jumped out of the bushes to photograph the singer," spooking the horse and causing the spill.

Madonna was treated for "minor injuries and bruises" at the hospital and released later Saturday, the publicist added.

Rosenberg did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment on the contradiction between her account and the official record.

Also begging to differ with Rosenberg is the freelance photographer who was snapping the scene. Thomas Hinton told the New York Daily News, "I arrived more than 10 minutes after she fell, and I was shooting from the street," he said. "I don't know what [her rep] is talking about."

And according to the New York Post, which published exclusive photos of the immediate aftermath, the 50-year-old Madonna was jumping hurdles prior to the fall.

Perhaps Rosenberg was just trying to cover for Madonna's questionable equestrian skills. After all, the entertainer fell from her mount on her 47th birthday in 2005 and wound up breaking her collarbone, cracking three ribs and fracturing her wrist—and nary a photog in sight.

Sigma introduces the APO 200-500mm F2.8 lens

Sigma introduces the new APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG super telezoom lens for Nikon. The lens has already been available for Canon. Though a weapon permit is not required, it could easily become a lethal weapon in the hands of over-anxious paparazzi. Even more impressive is the lens' specification, it covers the 200 to 500mm range and maintains its fast F2.8 aperture. The length of the lens is 726mm, the diameter is 236.5mm and the weight is 15.7 kg. The lens will be available next week and sells for about 90. Per kilogram that is...

The original Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG press release

The world's first Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens that offers a fast aperture of F2.8 at 500mm Focal length

The APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG is the world's first Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens that offers a fast aperture of F2.8 at 500mm focal length. It covers the widely used 200 to 500mm focal length range, and maintains its fast F2.8 aperture over the entire zoom range. Four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations and produce a high level of optical performance throughout the entire zoom range.

Shooting distance and focal length can be viewed on the lens' LCD panel, which is an additional convenience for the photographer.

A filter can be inserted towards the rear of the lens, and a Circular polarizing filter can be used with its ingenious rotation mechanism.

A dedicated APO TELE CONVERTER 2x EX DG II is supplied as a standard accessory with the APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG.

Its exclusive design minimises image degradation usually associated with teleconverters. When this dedicated teleconverter is used with the APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG lens, it becomes a large aperture 400-1000mm F5.6 AF Ultra-Telephoto Zoom lens.

Suri Cruise’s Birthday Party Crashed by The Paparazzi

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were forced to call the cops last night — after the paparazzi crashed their daughter Suri’s third birthday party.

Cruise, 46, called the Beverly Hills police around 3:00 PM yesterday to complain about the airborne snappers, who were in a helicopter overhead. The LAPD did flyby, but the helicopter was gone by the time they arrived.

Britney Spears' Trespasser Was Playing Paparazzi

Miranda Tozier-Robbins, the woman arrested on Thursday after allegedly peeping in the windows of singer Britney Spears' Calabasas, California, home, tells the Associated Press that she was attempting to make a paparazzi documentary.

Tozier-Robbins, a former American Idol hopeful who sang Spears' "Everytime" during her audition, was wearing camouflage fatigues and carrying a backpack and a camera at the time of her alleged trespassing incident.

The Fitchburg, Massachusetts native, 26, says that she wanted to document the efforts that paparazzi go through to obtain their photos, and picked Spears as her target because it "might as well be someone I'm interested in."

She goes on to claim that she didn't expect the "Womanizer" songstress to be home at the time—and it's believed that she wasn't—but if she had snapped photos of Spears she would have sold them.

Tozier-Robbins is due in court on June 16 to face trespassing and disorderly conduct charges.

The PAPARAZZI Reform Initiative

http://www.paparazzi-reform.org/

Mission Statement

A safer environment for the public and the restoration of the right to privacy and a more hospitable environment worldwide for celebrities (artists, sports figures and corporate leaders) and others in the spotlight through education, legal action, lobbying and other effective methods.

Kanye West's Arraignment In Paparazzi Case Delayed

Lawyers for Kanye West and his road manager will have another month to prepare for the rapper's arraignment on misdemeanor assault charges after a Los Angeles judge granted a delay in the case. During a hearing on Monday, West's attorney, Blair Berk, obtained a delay in entering a plea in the case until May 20, according to The Associated Press.

West was charged with misdemeanor counts of vandalism, battery and grand theft stemming from the September 11, 2008, incident at Los Angeles International Airport, in which video shot by TMZ appears to show both West and road manager Don "Don C." Crowley grabbing TMZ employees' cameras and throwing them. In video posted on TMZ, West is shown smashing a photographer's flash on the ground. Crowley has been charged with two counts of vandalism, two counts of grand theft and two counts of battery. If convicted on all counts, West could face up to two years and six months in jail, while Crowley could face up to five years in jail.

Both men were free to go without bond until the next court date because they do not have prior criminal records and promised to appear for their arraignments, according to TMZ. West was not required to appear in court for Monday's hearing.

West's lawyer reportedly told a court commissioner that Monday was the first time she had been allowed to review the police report and that she is waiting for prosecutors to turn over any additional evidence they have.

Tom Brady And Gisele Bundchen's Bodyguards Fire Guns At Paparazzi!!!!

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen's armed bodyguards opened fire on paparazzi at the couple's nuptials in Costa Rica, blasting out the windows of a pho tographer's SUV, and just missing the shaken lensmen, the fotogs said yesterday.

Just moments after they talked their way out of an argument with Brady's irate buddies and hired goons, a bul let smashed through the rear window of the SUV and then through the front windshield, just missing the heads of the two fleeing photo journalists on Saturday night, they said.

"Thank God I'm all right. At that moment, I thought I was going to die," lensman Rolando Aviles told The Post.

"The bullet went between us, missing our heads," Aviles said. "If the bullet been a little more to the left or right, it would have killed one of us.

"I said, 'They're going to kill us,' and that's when I hunched down to cover myself."

"When the glass broke, that's when my friend started driving really fast."

Aviles said he and colleague Yuri Cortez, both veteran photographers hired by the INF photo agency, had permission from Gisele's neighbor in Santa Teresa to shoot the wedding ceremony from a vista about 300 feet away from the ceremony.

Brady and Gisele were married in Los Angeles County in February, and were renewing their vows on Saturday. Just as the photographers started snapping, the couple's bodyguards spotted them and chased them, according to Aviles.

The pair ran back to Cortez's Suzuki SUV, parked about 500 feet away in dense brush.

They split up as they ran away, and by the time Aviles said he reached the SUV, his colleague was already there speaking to a Brady bodyguard.

Aviles quoted the guard as saying, "Tom Brady just wants to talk to you. It's OK, nothing's going to happen.

But when the photographers accepted the guard's invitation back to Gisele's house, they were swarmed by three members of the wedding party and five hired goons dressed all in black.

The New England Patriot quarterback's best man berated the photographers and wanted to provoke a brawl, the lensmen said.

"Take a picture of me now, you f- - -er! F- - - you," Brady's righthand man, whose name was not immediately known, screamed, according to Aviles.

"He was very angry. It looked like he wanted to attack us," Aviles said. The photographers lied their way out of the tight spot -- saying they hadn't taken a single frame.

The QB's reps said Gisele had an exclusive picture deal with a Brazilian magazine.

As the lensman drove away, Aviles said he spotted one of Brady's men pull a pistol.

Seconds later, a bullet shattered the back of Cortez's SUV, struck a front windshield wiper and then bounced back into the cabin, landing in between the terrified shutterbugs.

"I thought this was going to be my last job," Aviles said.

The fotogs said they found a .38-caliber slug in their SUV's front cabin.

Both cameramen were still in disbelief yesterday that they almost died for snapping wedding photographs.

"I couldn't believe it when I realized what they had done," Cortez told the photo agency's Web site, INF Daily.

"I could have lost my life for the sale of some pictures that Gisele didn't want published. Are they insane?"

Reps for Brady and Bundchen did not immediately return calls for comment.

Motorcyclists come to the rescue of Lindsay Lohan

Before recent reports started burning through the gossip world, not many would mention bikers and Lindsay Lohan in the same sentence, but it appears a group of motorcycle enthusiasts recently came to the starlets rescue.

According to various news sources, the actress and her entourage were calling it an early night after being denied entry into the popular Hollywood nightclub Villa when they were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of photographers. After catching sight of a group of bikers, Lohan's bodyguard called them over to help with the paparazzi.

The more colorful reports of the incident are describing the riders as 'a gang of leather-clad motorcyclists' and a 'biker gang'. Regardless, the motorcycle enthusiasts intimidated the paparazzi enough for the frightened photographers to call the police.

However, when the police arrived at the scene, no arrests were made.

"There's not much I can do about the fact that I've become a kind of obsession,' Lindsay Lohan told reporters afterwards, "I can't change that. And yes, all of that stuff has hurt my career, but I really don't feel like I should have to prove myself to anyone because of living out my college years in the public eye. I'm glad everything happened the way it did."

Photographers' access limited to Obama-Leno taping

President Barack Obama is hoping to use comedian Jay Leno's late-night show to add a light touch to his work getting the economy on track. But news photographers who cover the White House aren't laughing.

The pool of media that accompanies the president wherever he goes won't be allowed into the NBC studio during Thursday's taping of that night's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." That pool of about 14 journalists, made up of print and radio reporters, one TV camera crew and a few still photographers, will instead be held in a separate room where a live feed from the studio will be shown.

NBC has said its set is too small to accommodate the photographers and it will release a photo of its own afterward for the media to use.

The White House compromised Wednesday evening, saying photographers would be allowed to take pictures during a commercial break.

Photographers argued for the right to independently document the taping, a rare -- and perhaps unprecedented -- appearance by a sitting president on a late-night comedy show and an event billed primarily as a news event, not entertainment.

The three news agencies with photographers in the pool, The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, have in the past refused to distribute some White House-provided photos of Obama.

Kanye West Charged with Three Misdemeanors in Paparazzi Scuffle

This may be one rap he can't beat.

Kanye West has been formally charged with three misdemeanors stemming from a scuffle with paparazzi at Los Angeles International Airport on Sept. 11.

West, 31, was charged with misdemeanor vandalism, battery and grand theft, the L.A. City Attorney's office announced in a statement Wednesday. West's road manager, Don Crawley, 33, has been charged with the same counts, but two of each.

If convicted of all charges, West could face up to two years and six months in jail and Crawley could face up to five years in jail, according to the statement.

Six months ago, the pair was arrested at the airport while attempting to catch a flight to Honolulu. Video of the incident showed both men wresting a camera away from a photographer, and both smashing parts of it into the ground. Crawley also allegedly smashed a second photographer's camera. The incident resulted in minor injuries to one of the photographers, prosecutors say.

"I'm cool with the paparazzi," the rapper wrote on his blog the following day. "This guy wasn't cool. I gotta work now ... I'll rant later!"

On Nov. 14, West was arrested in Newcastle, England, after another run-in with a photographer, but West was released without charge.

West's lawyer, Blair Berk, wasn't immediately available for comment. A rep for Kanye West could not be reached. An arraignment is set for April 14.

Paparazzi Switch Focus from Britney to Bankers

Tabloids and TV shows best known for hounding Hollywood stars are turning their cameras to bankers and captains of industry, the New York Times reports.

Paparazzi now track corporate jets and snoop on lavish parties held by execs at bailed-out banks, tapping into a deep vein of public anger at the state of the economy and the billions of dollars spent bailing out corporate America.

Watchdog shows capturing corporate excess resonate strongly with viewers, producers say, and can even put pressure on Congress to demand accountability. After gossip site TMZ broke a story on Northern Trust—recipient of a $1.6 billion bailout—paying millions to put on corporate concerts, the bank received an angry letter from lawmakers and agreed to repay the costs.

Bad Girl Brit Lily Allen Beats Up the Paparazzi...Again!

British bad girl and occasional songstress Lily Allen beat a paparazzo to a pulp in London Thursday.

The "Smile" singer certainly wasn't sporting one when she opened the door of her London home to a barrage of photographers. As she attempted to get into her car, one photog shoved another into her car, enraging her and causing her to start cussing at the crowd, according to TMZ.

She got into her car and arrived at her recording studio only to find another gang of paparazzi waiting there to snap away. That's when she unleashed on them, allegedly throwing a water bottle at one.

But it didn't end there. She began to punch and kick another one of the camera-clad crew until security broke it up.

Allen has a history battling the paparazzi. She was arrested two years ago for attacking a photographer.

Jennifer Love Hewitt Pays Magazine $2.2 Million To Run Photos Of Her Baby

Jennifer Love Hewitt Pays Magazine $2.2 Million To Run Photos Of Her Baby

Chris Brown tips off paparazzi to show patch-up with Rihanna

Chris Brown was alleged to have tipped off the paparazzi to show his patch-up with R&B princess Rihanna.

The Umbrella girl had suffered a bloody nose, swollen lip and facial bruising in an alleged bust-up with beau Brown the night before the Grammy Awards on February 8.

The incident was said to have witnessed the couple going their own separate ways for a while.

However, the couple reunited in Miami last weekend to allegedly sort out things and spend time together at Sean “Diddy” Combs Miami Mansion.

And now, it has emerged that Brown may have been desperate to prove their reconciliation after allegedly tipping the news that they were heading out to the Setai together.

Everybody makes mistakes, Fox News quoted a source as saying, dropping hints that the two might officially be back together

Largest US camera store seeks bankruptcy protection

Ritz Camera, the largest dedicated camera retailer in the US has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, which owns over 800 stores across the country, under a series of names, including Wolf Camera, has proposed a restructuring plan that will aim to see the chain continue in some form. As part of this, the company has applied to the bankruptcy court for permission to continue to honor its customer loyalty and rebate schemes.

In an affidavit to the court Marc Weinsweig, appointed as Chief Restructuring Officer and COO as part of the Chapter 11 process, describes his actions as being aimed at 'maintaining the day-to-day operations of the company's business with minimal disruption' in what he characterizes as 'daunting economic times.'

Court papers suggest that Ritz Cameras owes over $40 million to its two largest creditors: Nikon's US subsidiary Nikon Inc. and Canon USA, with a further $8.4 million owed to Fujifilm USA, a subsidiary of which owns around a third of the company. To put the $26.6 million owed to Nikon Inc. into perspective, it would represent somewhere in the region of 20% of Nikon Inc's expected annual operating income.

Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code provides companies with protection from their creditors while they attempt to restructure. However, US retailer Circuit City, which filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2008 announced the closure of all its stores and the liquidation of its assets on January 16th.

Officials: Pentagon OKs media photos of war dead

Defense and congressional officials say news organizations will be allowed to photograph the homecomings of America's war dead under a new Pentagon policy.

The officials say Defense Secretary Robert Gates has decided to allow photos of flag-draped caskets at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, if the families of casualties agree.

Gates planned to announce his decision later Thursday. The current ban was put in place by President George H.W. Bush.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz pawns her life's work for a £10m loan to pay her mortgage

Photographer Annie Leibovitz has borrowed £10million against some of her most famous pictures to pay the mortgages on all her homes.

The artist, 59, has become so concerned with her mounting debt, accumulated on properties she inherited in 2004 after the death of her lover Susan Sontag, she has turned to a company that lends money with fine art as collateral.

Documents seen by the New York Times reveal she secured the funds by giving the company, Art Capital, ownership of all her work - past and future - until the loan is repaid.

Victim of the credit crunch? Annie Leibovitz with her famous portrait of a pregnant Demi Moore

The images include those taken for the 1981 Rolling Stone front cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono shot on the day of Lennon's death, the photograph of a naked and pregnant Demi Moore, images of Michelle Obama for Vanity fair and of a semi-nude singer and actress Miley Cyrus taken for the same magazine.

Ian Peck, a co-owner of Art Capital, said Leibovitz was not alone in choosing to use her work to raise money at a time when share portfolios are plunging and homes have no equity left to borrow against.

One of Leibovitz's photographs for the Walt Disney Year of a Million Dreams campaign shows actress Scarlett Johansson, depicting Cinderella

'What's amazing is that individuals and institutions who previously we thought were untouchable are being deeply affected.

Leibovitz has shot Michelle Obama for this month's cover of U.S. Vogue magazine

'People who were truly enormous financially are now scrambling,' he said.

But he said many people found it very difficult to part with art work during times of hardship: 'It's akin to giving up your home, particularly for people who have built up collections over many years. People don't feel emotionally about stocks and bonds, but they certainly do over art.'

His company, dubbed an art pawn shop, issues loans of $500,000 (£350,000) or more at interest rates from 6 per cent to 16 per cent. Art becomes subject to sale if owners default.

The company has recently taken in - and put into secure and climate-controlled specialist art warehouses for safekeeping - pieces by Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Henry Moore and Picasso.

Clients have also borrowed against vintage film posters, antique teddy bears and valuable scientific instruments.

Mr Peck said only about one in ten of the deals end in default: 'Our aim is to avoid defaulting at all costs. Given the trouble involved in a default, it's better karma and business not to.'

OSCARS 2009: Red carpet no-shows irk photogs

Among those less than enthused with the changes to this year's Oscarcast were the red carpet photographers.

There was much grumbling among the shutterbugs over the Academy's new policy of having some stars (Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Stewart, Katherine Heigl and Jessica Alba) enter through an off-camera back entrance. This way, their stylish couture was revealed for the first time when they came onstage to present or with key money shots during the telecast.

While this may have been an attempt to buck up the ratings, the photogs didn't see it as benefiting their finances.

"Magazines want photos from the red carpet -- the stars have spent hours getting ready and they're prepared to pose," said one. "We sell these photos all year. This is a disaster both for us and for the designers who want their dresses seen at the Oscars."

There were a few presenters on the red carpet who definitely expressed the feeling -- either verbally or with eye rolls -- that if they were coming to the Oscars, they were coming through the front door.

"We refused," said Phoebe Cates with husband Kevin Kline about going through the back entry. Sarah Jessica Parker laughed and said "We've been advised not to answer that question" when asked if she was nudged to skip the red carpet. And Miley Cyrus was clear she wanted to show off her gown.

"I didn't just walk into a store and just find this," said the young singer-thesp of her Zuhair Murad gown. "This is not a place to be toned down."

But even without some of the presenters, the scene on the carpet seemed active enough. Maybe down a bit from last year, but not by much.

"It a circus," said "The Reader" helmer Stephen Daldry, "but I like coming to a circus."

There were many facets to the fashion circus. Philip Seymour Hoffman wore a black wool watchman's cap. And Mickey Rourke was in a white suit, open at the collar with a picture of this recently deceased Chihuahua in a pendant around his neck.

Rourke noted that it's been 15 years since he's been invited to the Oscars. "You pay a price when you do things your way," said the best actor nominee.

And while the overwhelming feeling was joy at attending, Frank Marshall spoke for more than himself when he said: "I feel great but I'm glad we're at the end of the season."

Still, as in years past, being on the red carpet offered a consistent joy in show business -- relative unknowns relishing the recognition of an Oscar nomination.

"This is like a Cinderella story for me," said supporting nominee Taraji P. Henson. "Designers are throwing clothes and jewels at me -- it's an incredible ride."

Richard Jenkins who was nommed as actor for "The Visitor" said the experience "is amazing. And I'm eligible for Social Security next year."

"This is the epicenter of the glamour bomb," said thesp Michael Sheen, who was with the "Frost/Nixon" team. "When you're here, you know no other place on Earth is more glamorous."

Dev Patel, star of the multi-nominee "Slumdog Millionaire," still had his watch set to Bombay time. He said what he wanted most from Oscar night was a chance to meet Jim Carrey. "He's my idol," said the Indian thesp.

And on the less glamorous end of the film business, Irene Taylor Brodsky, whose docu on India's battle with polio "The Final Inch" copped a short documentary nod said: "This is the Holy Grail for documentary makers. This brings up a world of recognition we'd never get without the Oscars."

And then there's always Judd Apatow, who's more accustomed to big box office than awards accolades. Up for a short film nom, Apatow surveyed the scene and said, "I feel like a parasite on the back of the Oscar."

TMZ posts photo it claims is a beaten Rihanna

A photo that appears to be Rihanna's face with bruises, scratches and swelling from an attack allegedly at the hands of boyfriend Chris Brown was posted Thursday night by the celebrity Web site TMZ.

The close-up image shows a welt above each of the woman's eyebrows, marks on her cheek and around her lips, and general swelling. TMZ did not say how it obtained the photo, when it was taken or by whom.

Hours after the photo was posted, the Los Angeles Police Department launched an internal investigation and asked for the public's help in finding the person who leaked it. A police news release said the image "has the appearance" of one taken during a domestic violence investigation, and classified its release as a case of serious misconduct that could result in termination.

Asked earlier Thursday whether he could confirm the photo's origin, LAPD Officer Jason Lee said only that the department had not released images of the woman who accused Brown, and would not release evidence photos. A spokeswoman for the district attorney said all evidence related to the case was still with police.

Brown was arrested Feb. 8 and booked on suspicion of making felony criminal threats to a woman that authorities have not publicly identified. A person familiar with the situation, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and requested anonymity, confirmed that the woman was Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Fenty.

The person said some of the injuries shown in the photo - specifically the marks on the woman's forehead - were consistent with the injuries Rihanna sustained.

Prosecutors have asked police to provide more information before deciding what charges, if any, to pursue against Brown. Police have said the 19-year-old singer could face domestic violence charges if prosecutors think they are appropriate.

An Associated Press photo of Rihanna, taken before the party on the night of the incident, shows her with a tattoo of Roman numerals on her left shoulder; the TMZ photo shows the same numerals on the same shoulder. TMZ had previously used its site to debunk a manipulated image that depicted Rihanna with a black eye.

No public statement has been issued on behalf of Rihanna, who turns 21 on Friday. Email and telephone messages left late Thursday with representatives for both Brown and Rihanna were not immediately returned.

Brown released a statement on Sunday, which read in part, "Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired." The statement, which did not mention Rihanna, said Brown was consulting with loved ones, his mother and pastor.

Brown's arrest came roughly 18 hours after he and Rihanna left a pre-Grammy party honoring music mogul Clive Davis. According to police, Brown and a woman were involved in an altercation in a car traveling through the upscale Hancock Park neighborhood shortly after midnight. Police have said the woman had visible injuries, and that Brown was gone from the scene when they arrived.

The LAPD has just released this statement.

Roberts slams 'bloodthirsty' paparazzi

Julia Roberts has branded the paparazzi's practice of photographing celebrity children as a "bloodythirsty child hunt".

The actress, who has three young children with husband Danny Moder, has slammed star snappers for their desperation to catch famous kids on camera.

"I don't know what is going on...Honestly, I think it should be against the law to take a picture of a celebrity's child," she told Allure.

The Duplicity star added that she is "sickened" by online commentators who spend time discussing and comparing the appearance of celebrity offspring.

"I had to reinstate my faith in people when, one night, I was on the computer, and I ended up stumbling upon some pictures I had never seen of my children playing at a park," she explained.

"What upset me was all these comments like, 'One is cute; that other one sure is ugly.' Even commenting nicely, what are you doing critiquing a child? It sickened me. Fortunately, it's a rare occurrence for us."

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Are Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt buying a home in the Big Apple?

Angelina Jolie ignited a minor Internet storm when she was spotted looking at apartments for sale in the Washington Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan on Tuesday.

With daughters Shiloh and Zahara in tow, Angie checked out a building that is being remodeled, according to an Us eyewitness:

The building had work permits and it seemed like they were probably being remodeled for [buyers'] taste. ...The building is pretty fancy. It's really nice."

The 2009 Oscar nominee (best actress in "Changeling") reportedly smiled and waved at paparazzi.

She and partner Brad Pitt just leased a 22,000-square-foot Long Island mansion to live in while filming the thriller "Salt." They'll pay $100,000 a month for the Tudor-style home.

So, will they buy in the Big Apple?

Hudgens "Creeped Out" by Paparazzi

Vanessa Hudgens uses big handbags to beat the paparazzi.

The actress - who is currently dating her former High School Musical costar - has been in the public eye for three years, but she still finds it creepy that she is followed by photographers.

"I find it weird to think that when I'm walking around, or just

out shopping, there is someone hiding in the bushes taking pictures of me," she said. "I still find it kinda creepy.

"I'm a private person so I find it really bizarre. But there's nothing I can do about it. My strategy to avoid them is big purses and running really fast."

Shameless Paparazzi Make Emma Watson Sick

Emma Watson, although more famous and enjoying more media coverage than other actresses double her age, is also known to being very down to earth and not “into” this whole celebrity thing, as she has often admitted. If there was one thing that Emma would change about Hollywood, she reveals in a recent interview, that would be the way paparazzi behaved when in the presence of celebrities.

Speaking with the media, the 18-year-old “Harry Potter” actress states that paps should be held legally responsible for the way they act whenever they see a star, because some of the things they do cross any acceptable limit. From what she’s saying, they would do anything to get that “upskirt photo” that would later sell for a lot of money, and Emma knows that firsthand, since she too found herself in such a situation with the paparazzi.

“It was pretty tough turning 18. I realized that overnight I’d become fair game. I had a party in town and the pavements were knee-deep with photographers trying to get a shot of me looking drunk, which wasn’t going to happen. I don’t have to drink to have a good time.” Emma starts by saying. And getting a photo of her looking drunk is not the worst part yet, the actress adds.

“The sickest part was when one photographer lay down on the floor to get a shot up my skirt. The night it was legal for them to do it, they did it. I woke up the next day and felt completely violated by it all. That’s not something I want in my life.” the actress further explains. However, as sickening as the photographer’s attitude was, Emma was not the first celebrity to get this kind of treatment for a shot, as most young female stars in Hollywood go through the same on a daily basis, it is being said.

What makes Emma stand out from the other celebrity girls her age (or older) is her ability to stay true to herself in a context in which everybody is telling her how to be, as she herself has revealed in another recent interview. “If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me – dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt.” Emma Watson shares.

JENNIFER ANISTON - ANISTON THANKS PAPARAZZI FOR HELPING HER WITH STRAY DOG

Actress JENNIFER ANISTON has heaped praise on the paparazzi who follow her everywhere, after they helped her rescue a lost dog.The former Friends star was driving along busy Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles when the husky darted out in front of her.

The animal-loving actress pulled over, slowed traffic and made an effort to catch the mutt - shouting at snappers who were trying to take her picture.

And she was delighted when the photographers put their cameras down and started helping her.
She went public with her praise on Friday (06Feb09), during an appearance on U.S. TV chat show Ellen.

The actress said, "I had this moment of going, 'Oh come on, this is a lost dog; why don't you help out and go and find the owner?' - and he actually did."

And she also singled out the snappers who helped save her own dog, Norman, when he ran away last month (Jan09).

She added, "Norman got out twice... and the paparazzi returned him.

"There's a moment when all of a sudden these people that are so inhumane they're not people; they seem like people that lurk in black cars and rush you... they're human."

New mom Jessica Alba dislikes paparazzi

Jessica Alba has never really been a fan of the paparazzi, and now that she is mom to 8-month-old Honor Marie Warren, she dislikes them even more.

“Kids pick up on your energy, so the more upset you get about it, the more your kids are affected by it. But I understand how Sean Penn or Alec Baldwin knocks out somebody who’s putting a camera in their kids’ faces. I get that,” Jessica told the March issue of Elle magazine.

When asked who “would do the knocking out,” Jessica or her husband of nearly nine months, Cash Warren, the actress said they are both angered by the paps.

“I think it’s mutual, just because it’s so invasive,” she said. “It’s not like they’re standing 100 feet away. They’re in your face, not letting you walk, standing in the way when you’re driving. It becomes a situation and it doesn’t need to be.”

And it isn’t just the snappers Jessica has trouble with. When the actress married Cash Warren in a hush-hush ceremony last summer, her wedding news was usurped by reporters, who broke the story before the couple could tell their families.

“The person who helped us sign the documents told the press that day, so my parents found our from a reporter before we got to tell them,” Jessica said. “We were planning to take them out to dinner and tell them, but that got ruined. … Journalists feel entitled to do whatever it takes to get a sensational story, no matter how it affects the person involved. We’re not really people, right? We’re just celebrities.”

Eliot Tiegel Explores Downside of Celeb-Frenzied Paparazzi in New Book

In his new revealing expose, Overexposed: The Price of Fame, Eliot Tiegel explores the inevitable and sometimes dangerous, media-frenzied draw toward Hollywood stars -- and he's telling ET how the increased paparazzi coverage of today is affecting starlets Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and others.

"The rule is that if you're in the magazines you're alive and the public will know who you are," Tiegel explains about celebrities in the media. "Once you're not doing anything and you fade away from all these tabloid magazines who fight every week to produce the same stories most of the time, you disappear -- which means you're not popular anymore."

Tiegel also discusses the death of Princess Diana in 1997, caused by a car accident that followed a paparazzi chase in the streets of Paris.

Watch the video to hear Tiegel discuss how the paparazzi attention has changed entertainment journalism, and he explains the commodity behind star photographs -- an undeniable incentive for getting the perfect shot.

Sasha and Malia: In the Eye of the Paparazzi

In tabloid math, the only thing better than a picture of a celebrity is a picture of a celebrity with his or her cute kid — or in some cases, just the kid (see Suri Cruise). There's no bigger celebrity at the moment than President Barack Obama, who has already been on the cover of such august political organs as TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. As luck would have it, Barack and Michelle Obama have two of the cutest — and therefore potentially lucrative — offspring on the planet. Beanie Babies maker Ty has already released Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia dolls. So the appetite for stories and photos of the First Daughters is going to be somewhere between huge and crazed. (And no, TIME.com is not immune. See pictures of Sasha and Malia at the Inauguration.)

Gary Morgan, CEO of Splash, a photo and video agency that specializes in paparazzi shots, says he's already sent more photographers to Washington. "There's going to be a lot of interest, all around the world, in the Obama family," he says. In December, Splash distributed photos of the Obamas holidaying in Hawaii, including some long-lens shots of the President-elect shirtless. Morgan says he had no trouble selling them. (Read about Obama trying to avoid the spotlight in Hawaii.)

"My dream would be a picture of them decorating their bedrooms or having a pajama party," says OK! Magazine editor in chief Susan Toepfer, who adds that she'll settle for photos of Christmas and Easter celebrations. "The Obamas have made it clear they want to be open with the public. They're going to become the national family." (See pictures of U.S. Presidents and their children.)

Of course, OK! prefers to keep the celebrities it's covering happy. And even more aggressive magazines like Us Weekly have a written policy of not buying pictures of kids taken at or near their schools. But other tabloids are not going to be so picky, particularly the online outlets. If someone has a picture of Malia or Sasha having a bad hair day back in Illinois, Morgan says Splash would buy it. Likewise, if there's a story of alleged social climbing at a Sidwell Friends birthday party, it's a safe bet that gossip site Gawker and its ilk would run the story.

Given the market for such pictures, could the paparazzi become a problem for the First Family? Alan Nierob, a publicist whose flashbulb-bait clients include Mel Gibson and Russell Crowe, says he can't imagine one. "There aren't going to be any long-lens shots into the White House," says Nierob. "Hello! There's a Secret Service. It's not like the girls are going to be sitting in traffic while photographers snap away."

While Morgan says no one is going to be foolish enough to "chase down the President of the United States" for a shot, he thinks it won't be necessary, because the Obamas seem to know how to utilize the popular press to their advantage. They have set up photo ops in the past and have allowed for others. "If they're out and we can get a shot, it's because they don't mind us being there," he says. "The Secret Service guys are cool as long as you don't do anything dangerous."

Morgan wonders, however, if this unspoken agreement between the First Family and the popular press will last. "We'll see how it goes after a few months. It's not like we don't know where he lives," he says. "You can't keep people cooped up there forever."

Miley Cyrus Encourages the Paparazzi

Now here's something you don't see every day.

Given how so many stars are notorious for shunning the shutterbugs and doing whatever they can to prevent paps from getting that so-called money shot, you can imagine our delight when we spotted Miley Cyrus in L.A. on Wednesday actually inviting folks to snap away by sporting a tee that read "Take a picture. It will last longer."

Not that it comes as a complete surprise, mind you. After all, the teen sensation is known for being photog friendly whenever she steps out.

Of course, simply stepping out in your pajama bottoms is also a pretty sure way to get cameras clicking.

For Paparazzi, Obamas Are as Hot as Pitt-Jolies

Hordes of photographers are gearing up to make their fortunes with photos of the glamorous new first family, Elizabeth Wolff writes in New York magazine.The transition team is trying to carefully manage images of the Obamas, but they're up against patient and wily paparazzi trying to sneak shots of the family that photo agencies are ranking right up there with the Pitt-Jolies for celebrity status.

One veteran pap says Obama pix are outearning his Lindsay Lohan stock. They'll be doggedly lying in wait to snap "regular people" shots of Michele shopping and taking the girls to school, but the Holy Grail of Obama pics is a photo of the president-elect smoking. Such a photo would "definitely fetch over $100,000," says the chief of one agency dispatching extra snappers to DC.

Tribeca Film Festival Press Registration

The eighth annual Tribeca Film Festival will take place April 22nd - May 3rd, 2009 in New York City.

We hope that you will consider applying for credentials to attend and cover the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. If you are interested in doing so, please use the following link to access the formal application: https://secure.sportssystems.com/events2/?eventKey=aadb469e-b301-499d-a1ec-a1dbd09cfd00

We kindly ask that you complete the application in its entirety as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is March 13, 2009. After this date, no further applications will be considered. Please note that you will receive clear notification from us regarding approval or denial of your application before March 27.

The Tribeca Film Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music and culture. Since its founding, the Festival has screened more than 1,100 films from over 80 countries while generating more than $530 million in economic activity for New York City. Known for its support of emerging and established directors, the Festival’s mission is to help filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enable the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center.

We look forward to speaking with you soon. If you have any questions regarding the accreditation form or credentialing process, please contact Casey Sanders, the Festival’s Press Office Manager, at +1 212.843.9304 or festival@rubenstein.com.

As always, thank you for your time.

Best,

The Tribeca Film Festival Press Department

Legal Rights of Photographers in the USA

Here's a good guideline for taking photos in public.

http://www.kantor.com/blog/Legal-Rights-of-Photographers.pdf

PicApp now representing paparazzi imagery from Pacific Coast News

Picapp, a service of the Israel based technology company PicScout offering bloggers an ad-supported solution to use celebrity, sports, and news, images free of charge, has announced that it has added paparazzi content from Pacific Coast News(PCN). PCN is one of the more prominent sources for entertainment news and pictures. “We at Pacific Coast News are witnessing a substantial change in the photo industry, with a growing demand for the content by bloggers” Said Paul Harris PCN CEO “I believe that PicApp’s innovative and most scalable application will be able to meet the blogger requirements and therefore provide us with a new distribution channel.”

Picapp currently offers images for free use by publishers who are willing to embed the image with ads that Picapp uses to compensate contributors for the content. The company currently represents content from Getty Images, Corbis, Newscom, Image Source, Splash News, and many others. “Our team is pleased to have Pacific Coast News join the platform and add their content to a growing list of content partners” said Eyal Gura, PicApp CEO. “One of the major requests we receive from the blogging community is to increase supply of entertainment images and the PCN content answer this specific need.

Paul Andrew Hawthorne, 41

Paul Andrew Hawthorne, 41, of Jersey City, N.J., passed away on Dec. 20, 2008, after a courageous struggle with Primary Amyloidosis, a rare blood disorder.

He is survived by his wife of seven years, Amy Lambo Hawthorne; and his parents, William J. Hawthorne and Sandra Shroades Hawthorne of Chester, W.Va. He is also survived by two sons, Maxwell James Hawthorne, age 4, and Lucas Alexander Hawthorne, 7 months.

Paul was a beloved brother to Lori Hawthorne Pietrandrea and Luigi Pietrandrea of Hopewell, Pa.; William J. Hawthorne II and Darla Hawthorne of Ambridge, Pa.; Philip Bradley Hawthorne and Robin Hawthorne of Fleetville, Pa.; and Anne Hawthorne Miller and Jason Miller of Industry, Pa. Paul was a loving uncle to 10 nieces and nephews: Alyssa Pietrandrea, Anthony Pietrandrea, Noah Hawthorne, Emma Hawthorne, Jacob Miller, Jordan Miller, Kyle Miller, Ann Therese Lambo, Paul Lambo and Joey Mancz.

Paul and his twin brother, Philip, were born on Aug. 11, 1967, in Rochester, Pa.

During his youth, Paul played many sports. He was a member of the Little League champion Industry Yankees and lettered in high school baseball. He was a 1985 graduate of Western Beaver High School and a 1988 graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Paul proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1989 to 1993. During his military service Paul served as a still photographer with the prestigious Combat Camera Group Atlantic, photographing NATO forces during Operation Deny Flight over Bosnia. During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Paul served as a photographers' mate, supervising a team of six photographers aboard the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy.

After the Navy, Paul continued his work as a photojournalist working as a staff photographer for the Norristown Times Herald in Norristown, Pa., photo chief for the New Castle News in New Castle, Pa., international news photo editor for the Associated Press in New York City, staff photographer for Wireimage in New York City and a staff photographer for Getty Images in New York City. Paul's recent freelance work included regular photo assignments for the New York Times, New York Post and various corporate and media clients in the greater New York area.

In addition to his passion for photography, Paul was an avid golfer, a black belt in Kyokushin karate, a lover of hiking, mountain biking and the outdoors, and terrific cook of delicious, spicy food. He was most proud of his family, particularly his two young sons.

We'll all miss you my dear friend.

Our condolences to the entire Hawthorne family.

Nobody Wants To See Ashlee's Baby

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz had a baby boy, Bronx Mowgli, last month, and the world is on pins and needles waiting for pictures of the little angel. Actually, no, not really. Page Six reports:

"ASHLEE Simpson and Pete Wentz are trying to drum up some cash by selling photos of their baby, Bronx Mowgli - but so far, no takers. A celebrity weekly insider told Page Six, "Pete and Ashlee have approached every single celebrity magazine with offers to sell their first photos, but nobody wants them. Covers of them tend not to sell well." A rep for Simpson denied it."

Rihanna and Brown face law suit by paparazzi photographer

A paparazzi photographer has filed $1 million dollar law suit against 'R&B' singers Rihanna and Chris Brown after their bodyguards allegedly assaulted him.

The photographer Luis Santana alleged that the bodyguards of the stars knocked him down and stole his camera outside a nightclub while he was trying to take the pictures of the rumoured couple, the ‘Contactmusic’ reported.

Reacting to the incident, Rihanna's publicist,

Jonathan Hay has called the lawsuit a "really unfortunate event" adding that the matter has been completely blown out of proportion.

Santana claims to have been working outside the Vintage Ultra Lounge in St. Petersburg when he clicked a picture of the pair through their limousine window. He says the stars' employees then assaulted him and took his equipment.

Santana's attorney, Paul Kimsey, claims that the stolen photographs were worth a fortune as they contained the proof of Rihana and Brown's romance.

Santana is demanding a compensation for the photographs and the stolen camera, as well as his own personal injuries and distress.

The 20-year-old singer Rihanna and the young hip-hop sensation Brown have been seen together for almost a year but neither of them have confirmed reports of being a couple.

Brad Pitt On Paparazzi: ‘I Hate These People’

Brad Pitt has some strong words for the paparazzi.

In an interview on NBC's "Today" show, Pitt said: "Let me be very blunt: I hate them. I hate these people. I don't understand ... that they do that for a living."

Pitt said there should be laws against celebrity photographers who "climb over your walls wearing camouflage and calling out your kids' names as you're trying to take them to school."

Watch the video HERE.