Historic meeting launches enforcement, new anti-paparazzi law

In January a private meeting occurred uniting prosecutors with law enforcement, private investigators, executive protection agents and attorneys for an intimate conversation. The media was barred.

The names of the people there could have comprised a Who’s Who in Los Angeles.

The select group gathered at the Marriott in downtown Los Angeles and looked at ways to enforce the new "anti-paparazzi" law AB 2479 that makes reckless driving acts, by those with a commercial purpose, a criminal act.

Sean Burke, the organizer of the meeting and founder of the Privacy Rights Initiative, formerly known as the Paparazzi Reform Initiative, described the atmosphere in Los Angeles as the Wild West. "It is like the gold rush before law and order arrived," says Burke. The Privacy Rights Initiative is a non-profit group of advocates and legislators for stronger laws.

“The knowledge and information that was exchanged within this group will be a direct contribution to many of the arrests made by peace officers, private investigators and executive protection agents,” says Jesse Martell, a private investigator and former Los Angeles police officer who may provide evidence of the criminal behavior at a future court date. “Every person who attended this meeting already had an understanding and concern of these reckless acts that have placed the public and the lives of celebrities in jeopardy.”

Called the PRI Paparazzi Roundtable, a few of the select group of 30 professionals who met to discuss strategies from gathering evidence to implementing it, included Andrew Wallet, attorney and co-conservator of Britney Spears' estate, William Hodgman, deputy district attorney, Matthew Schonbrun, deputy city attorney, Michael Dundas, deputy city attorney, Commander Kevin McCarthy, Los Angeles Police Department assistant commanding officer, Lt. Mark Rosen, Beverly Hills police traffic bureau commander, Sgt. Joe Jakl, traffic services detail with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Sgt. Bill Moulder, legislative unit with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and officers Mel Flores, Jose Gutierrez and A. Bender from the California Highway Patrol.

“It was very productive,” says Barry Mozian, president, Talon Executive Services, a corporate security and private investigation firm.

“It’s the first time we were able to do something that hasn’t been done before with law enforcement coupled with prosecutors there to discuss these issues and really have a meeting of the minds with the ability to see each other’s faces, address what the concerns were and if they are concerns. This is not based on the whims and wants of a celebrity. It’s about privacy and public safety,” he says.

Burke, who helped draft the language of AB 2479, organized the Jan. 27, 2011 event for the exchange of information between parties who might not ordinarily get a chance to meet but who may be the most instrumental in the prosecution and conviction of paparazzi who break the new law.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Burke. “I was impressed by the turn out, interest and sincerity. They all wanted to be there. It showed law enforcement and prosecutors really care. They were the highest ranking people along with some regular officers. It really dispelled that tired old notion about a government that doesn’t care.”

Burke says no one wants to see another death like Princess Diana and everyone knows it’s coming.

“It’s going to be a pedestrian,” he says. “Probably a mother and a daughter.” He says people showed up for the meeting to avert that death and all the car accidents, craziness and dangerous behavior.

Martell, private investigator, says, “This meeting symbolized a unity between government officials, law enforcement officers, private investigators and executive protection agents in an effort to stop the dangerous and reckless acts that have been committed by paparazzi. With strategies now in place, we are prepared to move forward in the apprehension and conviction of those who violate the new law.”

Meeting prompts strategy

Cmdr. Kevin McCarthy, Los Angeles Police Department, says the stronger the legislation gets the better to where taking a chance is no comparison to the reward. He says the laws up until now have been traffic violations. If you can take a picture of Jennifer Anniston getting out of her car in a skirt and sell it for $25,000, a $300 ticket for a traffic infraction isn’t going to deter someone from trying to get that photo.

The commander describes the PRI Paparazzi Roundtable as “a good conversation.” He says talking to members of private security quashed some of the things they (the police) thought were happening and security brought interesting comments.
McCarthy says regarding the prosecutors at the meeting, “They are big on this and proud of what they have, but they need a lot of evidence. It’s more the kind of evidence that security (and private investigators) can provide.”

Enforcement has been difficult without the videotape and eye witness accounts that private investigators and security may soon provide to law enforcement toward a conviction. For example, Los Angeles is a big city: Celebrities can pull over, call 911, but by the time police arrives there’s only a story and no paparazzi, says McCarthy.

“It is a public safety issue. Speeding, running lights, double parking, it’s a quality of life. It’s important to us. We have families that drive the same streets they (celebs) do.”

Sgt. Joe Jakl, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, whose jurisdiction includes Malibu, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and other areas frequented by celebrities says, “It was a very good meeting. It was great getting all these players involved and creating communication between entities. The paparazzi will find their little loopholes in the new law and by having this dialogue we can find those loopholes.

“This is a public safety issue. It’s not only putting the celebrity in danger to get that million dollar shot. They are abandoning their cars in the street to get that shot. The paparazzi are very, very brave.”

He says also that part of the safety issue sometimes becomes the celebrities themselves: When they realize they are being pursued, they accelerate and it doubles the chances of something going terribly wrong.

AB 2479 and the meeting are a step in the right direction, he says, and a foot in the door to legislation that can still be improved.

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s department will respond to calls, dispatch a unit or have the caller come into the station if nearby.
Considered by some as the experts on paparazzi in California, Lt. Mark Rosen, traffic bureau commander, Beverly Hills Police Department, also spoke at the meeting and says it was very good, very productive and a good start.

“The paparazzi is an important and timely issue in Beverly Hills. We’re not targeting a specific (working) class. The paparazzi have the right to work, the right to earn a living and the celebrities need them for their careers. Any negativity at all revolves around public safety. We encounter paparazzi almost daily and it’s not always a negative contact.

Our job is not to get in between paparazzi and the celebrities. We look to are they conducting things in a lawful way, are they breaking any laws or threatening public safety?”

Rosen says AB 2479 is a new element and an enhancement to existing law. Unlike infractions, that require an officer witness a violation to enforce the law, AB 2479 gives celebrities and their security a chance to document a case after the incident and make a crime report.

“An infraction needs to be witnessed by an officer to make a report. A misdemeanor crime is subject to an arrest. A private person can make an arrest,” he says.

The Beverly Hill Police Department, meanwhile encourages pursued celebs to pull over and dial 911. The department will send someone or the celebrity can temporarily enter a safety zone at the department.

“We don’t want people getting into fights or high speed chases.”

Prosecutors seek slam dunk

Violations by the paparazzi may occur anywhere in Los Angeles. The roundtable discussion brought all of the folks into one room to brainstorm over the issues, says Matthew Schonbrun, deputy city attorney, Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
“It’s an issue everyone is concerned over. You think about the Princess Diana tragedy. It was horrible and tragic and could have been prevented. In a room full with a lot of big shots it all comes down to deterring behavior,” says Schonbrun.
Jeanine Percival Wright is a civil litigator in the Entertainment and Media group at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. where she represents well-known celebrities and other talent in a wide variety of entertainment-industry disputes.

“They (the prosecutors) are looking for a good slam dunk case to set a good precedent,” she says.

Wright wanted to know what her clients and their private security could gather as evidence, such as videotape, to help their cases the most and also to learn her clients’ rights. She has clients who are frustrated by the paparazzi’s reckless driving. Wright wanted to ask prosecutors if the new law will be enforced and since there are heightened penalties when children are involved, would the prosecution seek the higher penalties for an expectant mother.

The city attorney’s office responds to public safety. “I take it seriously,” says Schonbron. “It’s going to require one or two successful prosecutions before it starts to have a deterrent effect. Law is written by lawyers and legislators but proving it to a jury I have to have enough evidence to pass their scrutiny. Once a violator is charged with a crime—if the goal is to prevent this type of crime then a judge and jury will help them avoid it.”

Deputy District Attorney William Hodgman, who declined comment, assured those present that the county will get a case and evaluate it, but prosecutors want something that is going to be rock solid, says Sgt. Jakl from the meeting.
Wright says it’s frustrating. She says that she believes many of the new paparazzi are not citizens, use fake names, false identification, and are hired as independent contractors. Many are known to be territorial, with a good number coming from Brazil and spending their free time practicing mixed martial arts. They are big, scary guys she says, who follow her clients incessantly, learning every intimate detail about their schedules, families, and friends—even their children’s pre-schools and nanny’s addresses.

She says the meeting was fantastic. “It was a historic representation of all the different law enforcement agencies. The City of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, they don’t usually get to talk to each other.”

Andrew Wallet, co-conservator of Britney Spears’ estate, says he was very surprised at the gathering; Law enforcement recognizes there is a problem and it’s difficult to prosecute and convict.

Of his own experience with paparazzi he says, “We know who they are. We know who they work for. They are endangering the public and people we care about.

“They are thugs with cameras. We’ve seen them driving up on the sidewalk and almost hitting pedestrians or almost hitting other cars. We’ve seen them trespass, open doors and gates, and they hide under being the press. They are not the press.”
It is important that law enforcement is focused to do something, he says. There will be a case. There will be a prosecution and that will stop them.

“It’s unacceptable criminal behavior. No matter the celebrity, no one should be subject to that. Anyone in the public around doing these things they are doing—it’s a public concern.”

It’s not just weaving in and out of traffic, jumping onto curbs, or chasing celebrities at high rates of speed. Martell, owner of Martell Investigations, who works closely with Black Box Security, the agency that protects Spears, says Black Box captured video last year of a paparazzo using his right foot to steer his vehicle while he held a camera with both hands to photograph a celebrity.

Live Demo of Photoshop on the iPad

Adobe is working on a full version of Photoshop for the iPad for people who need more than the Photoshop Express app that’s more designed for mobile phones. At Photoshop World, which kicked off earlier this week, Adobe gave a neat demo of the app in action, and Eric Reagan over at Photography Bay recorded the video above. It’s a neat look at how they’re trying to rethink the popular program for a different kind of computer.

Sean Penn Settles Paparazzi Lawsuit

Sean Penn's paparazzi attack case is now over and out -- almost a year after Sean plead no contest to vandalism ... TMZ has learned Penn and the pap have settled the photog's civil suit.

Penn got 36 months probation and was ordered to perform 300 hours of community service stemming from an incident where he kicked a photog who was trying to film him.

The photog filed a civil suit, claiming he suffered a knee injury as a result of Penn's attack.

Both sides signed the settlement docs today. No word on how much Penn had to shell out.

Payola: Starring Lindsay Lohan and Co.

On the surface it seems the starlet making her coincidental rounds here in NYC is just that- a coincidence. But a careful examination of the rounds she has actually made and who was there to take the pictures may just show another side of this young woman’s descent in the popularity stakes. If one could apply the term smoke and mirrors- then this dears is the time to pull out a frothy glass of last weeks left over champagne and ask yourself- ‘How is it that these unemployed actresses manage to retain viability in a dog eat world?’

The answer in short: Payola. Or as they say in polite society (assuming such things still exist in your neck of the woods)- ‘orchestrated photo ops,’ staring your vixen of choice, the photographer agent (in our pressing case we present you startrakphotos), the vendor who pays off the vixen (in Lindsay’s case this weekend it was Bowlmor Lanes- you remember them, a bowling alley somewhere in your imagination) and the publications that then turn around and pay Albert Ferrara and Michael Simons (who orchestrates these deals) of Startraks his much needed pot of honey for the exclusive rights for all these ‘coincidental photo ops.’ Of course this would never have come to pass if it hadn’t been for Stephanie Simon, Michael Simon’s sister who happens to be a talent agent closely aligned to the Lohan camp.

In short it’s a wonderful illusion and one of the best kept secrets amongst media folks who like to turn a blind eye to such illegal behavior (illegal in the sense that it’s not reported as a staged coup d’etat but as news despite a 2009 Fair Trade Acts ruling governing endorsements and testimonials which has outlawed such egregious behavior) and have you the dear reader choking on your daily helping of celebrity gossip and nonsense. But then again, who doesn’t mind a bit of nonsense with your daily crumpet and this morning’s healthy serving of Champagne…?

It’s a Friday afternoon and out of the decks of lets have fun and go bowling adventures arises the visage of Lindsay Lohan and her brood circa 3 pm. The event itself was widely reported by the news outlets whose business it is to keep you attuned to the ongoings of your favorite media whore. So whilst the outlets came and rushed to take their shiny pictures (at a heavily guarded distance mind you) the real pictures were being taken inside the lanes by Startrak photos- the sole exclusive photo agency who somehow managed to be sitting miraculously on the corner scoop just in time for Lilo to walk by, give Albert Ferrara a high five and whisper deliciously in his ear- ‘do you feel like making a quick quid on the house- then follow me.’ 

The truth of the matter is: nothing about these pictures was coincidental. Nothing. Zilch. It was fabricated. Planned before Lindsay even got on the plane from Los Angeles and touched down in NYC for what her family likes to call her ‘let’s come to NYC and relax kissing out the window sessions.” To think the actress (well to be correct we ought to call her a reality actress as opposed to a film actress- from know on I will re christen Lilo- ‘Real Lilo’) just decided to rock up for a private game of bowling (the session by the way only lasted 40 minutes- funny, last time I went bowling- it took me a day and a half just to put on the bowling shoes) and lo and behold the ‘right press’ just happened to be there waiting for her at a moments notice ready to snap her cheery life away. While the ‘other press’ (the ones without the co opted money deals) were kept at a furious distance. Ho- hum…

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

How Elizabeth Taylor redefined celebrity

Elizabeth Taylor won two Oscars but many people remember her as much for her eight tumultuous marriages, ill health and addictions, all lived out in a way more public than any Hollywood star had done before.

Her life read like a script for many of today's Hollywood celebrities - she was a child star whose life was played out in the media, someone who was hounded by the paparazzi, had high profile relationships, and even battled drug addiction.

Elizabeth Taylor, who has died aged 79, in many ways defined the notion of modern day celebrity, someone whose life off-screen, as well as on, captivated millions.

"She was one of the first to really make her personal life as important as her professional life in terms of her stardom," says William Mann, a biographer of Taylor.

One of the main reasons was that her personal life had a gripping narrative of its own. Marrying eight times, twice to the same man, Elizabeth Taylor first went down the aisle at the age of 18. By the time she was 26 she was already a widow.

"People nowadays will do anything for maximum media exposure," says Mann, "but she got maximum media exposure because she lived a life that was fascinating to millions."

But what made her "fascinating" life accessible to millions of readers and viewers was in part the break-up of the old Hollywood studio system in the 1950s.

The end of a system which had allowed the big film companies to effectively control stars' pay and publicity, meant the studios could no longer hush up personal scandals for fear of damaging a star's reputation, says Mann.

"Up until then, the studios owned the artists and had unspoken agreements with celebrity magazines so they would tread lightly on people," says Karen Steinheimer, a sociologist at the University of Southern California, and author of Celebrity Culture and the American Dream.

Steinheimer believes that the decline of the studios' power, combined with Taylor's colourful personal life, created a new, more cutting, and less sycophantic style of mainstream media coverage of celebrities - moving towards today's tabloid press.

"Some of the coverage of her first marriage, her first divorce and her affairs, was strikingly more critical than the coverage of most other celebrities at the time," says Steinheimer.

"Looking back at some of the magazines from the early 1960s, you could be mistaken for thinking from the reports that she was the Britney Spears of her day in terms of the negativity and relentless hounding of her and her relationships."'Gotcha' moment

Taylor's romance with her Cleopatra co-star Richard Burton generated huge interest in the media, not only because their romance had transitioned from on-screen to off, but because they were both married to other people at the time.

"It was one of the first times you covered these kind of indiscretions on a large scale," says Dawnie Walton, deputy editor of Life magazine's website.

Taylor's face was regularly on the front of celebrity magazines. Life featured her as a cover girl no fewer than 14 times, more than any other person in the publication's history.

Walton says the turning point for the way Life magazine covered celebrity relationships began with the Burton/Taylor affair, and the candid on-set interviews with the couple were a precursor to the modern day Hello and OK!-style spreads.

Their affair, in the more conservative 1960s, was taboo to many, a landmark moment. In that sense, Steinheimer believes Taylor was the "first victim of the paparazzi".

Pictures of Taylor and Burton on a Mediterranean
yacht in 1962 became a worldwide news event

When Italian photographer Marcello Geppetti captured a picture of the pair frolicking on a yacht in the Mediterranean using a long telephoto lens, at the height of their affair, it became a worldwide news event.

Nowadays pictures of celebrities lounging around in bikinis on holiday are second nature in the tabloid press, but back in 1962, the shots were seen as shocking.

Steinheimer describes them as "one of the first 'gotcha' celebrity moments".

"The paparazzi wouldn't really exist today if it wasn't for them. The photographers got pictures of them going into clubs, they climbed up trees and looked down into her compound," says Mann.

"This might be standard behaviour for Hollywood today, but Elizabeth Taylor created that model," he adds.

Another model which many credit Taylor for is the role of the celebrity as a business entity.

She was the highest-paid actress of her time, negotiating a cool $1m for her role in Cleopatra, as well as a share of the profits for the film. This is now the model for many big stars.

But her business acumen extended beyond Hollywood.

By creating her own jewellery line and a successful perfume range, she became a pioneer in marketing a celebrity merchandise brand. Stars including Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears all now have personal branded lines.

But Taylor will also be remembered for harnessing her star power to help good causes. In the 1980s, after her friend Rock Hudson died, she became one of the first celebrities to speak out about Aids.

"Hollywood took a lesson on that too, and every star now has their own personal cause and charity," says Mann.

While many of today's celebrities are famous for simply being famous, Taylor's essence was still the success of her screen work, argues Barry Adelman, executive producer of the Golden Globes awards show.

"She had the respect of her peers along with everything she was going through," says Adelman who worked with Taylor on a number of occasions.

"She was extraordinarily beautiful, and was considered a good actress. That's not true of a lot of celebrities that today's media are obsessed with."

NYT photog sexually assaulted and told 'You'll die tonight'

Sexually assaulted and told 'You'll die tonight'... but spared as she's American: Female journalist's horror at the hands of Gaddafi's men 

A female war photographer from the New York Times revealed tonight how she was repeatedly sexually assaulted during her nightmare hostage ordeal in Libya.

Lynsey Addario was one of four Times journalists have now been released after being held captive by pro-Gaddafi forces.

During their six-day detainment, the Americans were beaten and threatened with being decapitated and shot.

One man grabbed her breasts – the start of a pattern of sexual harassment she endured over the ensuing 48 hours.

‘There was a lot of groping,’ she said. ‘Every man who came in contact with us basically felt every inch of my body short of what was under my clothes.’

As she was being driven away from Ajdabiya, she said another of her captors stroked her head and told her repeatedly that she was going to be killed.

‘He was caressing my head in this sick way, this tender way, saying, "You’re going to die tonight. You’re going to die tonight",‘ she added.

Miss Addario was with Anthony Shadid, the paper’s Beirut bureau chief, photographer Tyler Hicks and reporter and videographer Stephen Farrell when they were seized while leaving the scene of fighting between rebels and Libyan government forces because they decided it had become too dangerous.

Their driver inadvertently drove into a checkpoint manned by troops loyal to the Libyan dictator.

‘I was yelling to the driver, "Keep driving! Don’t stop! Don’t stop!",' said Mr Hicks. ‘I knew that the consequences of being stopped would be very bad.’

As they were being forced out of their gold-coloured sedan, rebels opened fire sending them sprawling for safety.

‘You could see the bullets hitting the dirt,’ said Mr Shadid.

The soldiers forced them all to lie on the ground and they feared they were going to be murdered there and then.

‘I heard in Arabic, "Shoot them",’ said Mr Shadid. ‘And we all thought it was over.’ But then they heard another soldier say: ‘No, they’re Americans. We can’t shoot them.’

The fate of the car driver, Mohamed Shaglouf, is unknown.

The prisoners were tied up using wire, an electrical cord, a scarf and even a pair of laces and bundled into a car that drove them away from the city.

Each time they stopped at a checkpoint, soldiers would punch them or hit them with rifle butts, according to the Times report.

The first night they spent in the back of the vehicle and for the second they were put in a dirty cell with a bottle to urinate in and a jug of water to drink.

On the third day, they were blindfolded and put on a plane to Tripoli, where they were held in reasonable comfort in a safe house until their eventual release this morning.

After Libyan demands for a U.S. diplomat to be sent to Tripoli to collect the journalist was rebuffed, the Turkish Embassy was allowed to act as an intermediary.

Even then there was an agonizing last minute hitch when the planned release on Sunday was postponed because of the coalition bombing.

After the four were safely out of Libya, Bill Keller, the executive editor of the Times, said he was ‘overjoyed’ at the news.

‘Because of the volatile situation in Libya, we’ve kept our enthusiasm and comments in check until they were out of the country, but now feels like a moment for celebration,’ he wrote in a note to the newsroom.

‘We’re particularly indebted to the government of Turkey, which intervened on our behalf to oversee the release of our journalists and bring them to Tunisia,’ Mr Keller added.

‘We were also assisted throughout the week by diplomats from the United States and United Kingdom.’

Thirteen journalists are still said to be either missing in Libya or in government custody.

They include four from the Al Jazeera Arab TV network, two from Agence France-Presse news agency and a photographer from Getty Images. Six Libyan journalists are also unaccounted for.

Last month, South African journalist Lara Logan, Chief Foreign Correspondent for CBS, was also sexually abused while covering scenes of celebration in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Miss Logan was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault before being saved by a group of women and Egyptian soldiers.

The mother-of-two needed hospital treatment on her return to the US.

Lindsay Lohan Tweets About Paparazzi Giving Her an Anxiety Attack

Looks like the pressure is starting to get to Lindsay Lohan. On Sunday, the actress -- who still faces the threat of jail time for her alleged shoplifting -- took a plane from L.A. to visit her family back in New York. Unsurprisingly, the paparazzi were lying in wait at JFK International Airport -- but the 24-year-old admits that she freaked when the flashbulbs went off.

"I love ny - but the paparazzi @ jfk just gave me an anxiety attack," Lohan wrote on her Twitter account. "I was half asleep! they're such animals :( well- @ least im with my family in the end.... xo"

Dear photographers, Lady Gaga wants the copyright on your work

Lady Gaga is demanding that some photographers transfer all their copyrights to images they make of her as a condition for photographing her concerts, according to TBD, a local news site serving the Washington, DC area.

The site says Jay Westcott, a TBD photographer covering a Lady Gaga concert last week, was presented with a “Photo Release Form” requiring him to transfer copyrights to his concert shots to the star. Westcott called TBD’s offices for a consultation, and TBD editors told him not to sign the agreement and not to shoot the concert.

In its report about the incident, TBD surveyed other photographers, editors, and trade groups (including ASMP) about such copyright transfer demands. The upshot of the story is that for some time now, a few rock megastars–but certainly not all–have demanded copyright transfers from concert photographers because, well, they can.

As TBD notes, the terms on Lady Gaga’s transfer form “are the sort of strict stuff you expect from stars who know darn well that media organizations need them way more than they need media organizations.”

Read the ROLLING STONE article HERE

MILEY CYRUS SEEING RED WITH THE PAPARAZZI

After Miley Cyrus spent the weekend in New York doing the US showbiz rounds with many late night shows such as Saturday Night Live, Miley Cyrus has flown back to LA this week and has already caused some controversy by dying her hair red and having an apparent altercation with the paps.

Recent photos of her released yesterday show Miley popping out for some sushi on Monday with her brother, sporting some rather long red hair. More than happy to show off her new wild hair for the camera's, Miley was not so keen to be papped yesterday as she sported a rather clingy pair of Lycra leggings and trainers as she left a cafe in Toluca Lake yesterday. The 18 year old was photographed apparently trying to grab the paparazzi's camera and giving him a good finger wagging and a telling off!

Bradley Cooper Not Bothered About Paparazzi

Bradley Cooper doesn’t let the paparazzi get to him.

The actor — who’s currently dating actress Renee Zellweger — says he’s happy to be stalked by photographers because being famous means he makes lots of money!

“Being a part of a movie that’s so financially lucrative provides opportunities,” Cooper told Parade magazine.

“And with that coes a higher profile, so you have paparazzi. That was a new thing. You just have to learn to navigate through it all. I still feel I can live a very normal life. For some reason, this past month in LA, there was no problem with paparazzi. You definitely get someone who will recognize you, but that’s nice.”

Cooper then revealed how dealt with sudden fame after The Hangover.

“By then I was 34, and I had already figured out enough to know that if I was going to invest anything in that, then I’m looking for some serious trouble,” he said.

“Now, if that happened to me when I was 23, I probably would have gotten into some trouble. There’s no power in fame at all. If anything, you give up your power. It’s a creation of something that’s completely frivolous and it goes away like that. You never own any of it. All you can do is your work. It’s always been clear to me. I just want to get better and work with great actors and directors. The rest you just have to deal with.”

Reuters to distribute ‘paparazzi-type footage’

Reuters says distributing Hollywood TV’s footage of celebrities serves “a crucial role for entertainment programming needs” and complements the celebrity and entertainment coverage currently offered by Reuters. The release is after the jump.

Reuters release

Reuters announced today that it will distribute Hollywood.TV content and footage to their 700+ service users around the world.

Reuters will distribute Hollywood TV’s paparazzi-style footage of celebrities, serving a crucial role for entertainment programming needs and complementing the celebrity and entertainment coverage currently offered by Reuters. The deal further enhances the Reuters America service offering, available via Reuters newly launched unified content platform.

Hollywood.TV is the definitive source for compelling celebrity footage in Southern California and beyond. Their access into the daily lives of stars in Hollywood makes their video indispensable for entertainment and news programming. Hollywood.TV’s team of videographers get the images that will be tomorrow’s breaking news. Hollywood.TV content will become available through Reuters from March 4th.

This announcement follows Reuters agreement earlier this year with the Chinese broadcaster CCTV to distribute their content and scripted footage globally.

Bill Would Ban Photos At Accident Scenes

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WBBM) – A state lawmaker doesn’t want drivers to stop and take pictures or videos of vehicle accidents.

As WBBM Newsradio 780’s Alex Degman reports, a measure to ban that practice has passed an Illinois House committee.

The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Tom Holbrook (D-Belleville), says amateur photographers often get in the way of emergency personnel.

“Putting your cell phone over the firemen’s shoulders as he’s using the jaws of life, maybe to get your grandmother of the front seat of her car while she’s bleeding,” Holbrook said. “You never know with these things. These are horrendous situations for individuals.”

Holbrook says accident victims would still be able to take pictures for insurance purposes.

But the bill says no person may use a wireless device within 500 feet of an accident, except for specified purposes.

Justin Bieber Flips Off Paparazzi

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez's relationship has caused one heck of a media frenzy to get photos of the lovebird snuggling. It also seems that just after two short days of being public lovers, that the couple are feeling the strain of being thrust in the spotlight.

The incident went down reportedly after Justin and Selena's birthday dinner out at Maggiano's. The newly crowned 17-year-old attempted to drive himself and his love away from the numerous photographers when one photographer got up close to the car window and Justin apparently snapped. The photo that resulted from the incident is one of Selena hiding her face through the car's window and an irritated Justin giving the one finger salute!

This photo really has made many Belibers stop to think just who their boy idol is. Has Justin changed from the calm, laid back sweet boy? Has he always been a vulgar boy but hidden it well? Was he pushed too far? Lastly, is he a good role model?

While any of the above could be true or partially true, it's known that stars do not think kindly of their space being invaded. Perhaps the paparazzi photographer was in the wrong to get so close to the car, but isn't the same true for Justin? His behavior will be seen around the world by many fans and parents. This includes many parents who fund his young fan's love of him and make him money.

It's currently unknown what effect, if any, this photo will have on his career. However, it's probably a good idea for the couple not to dine in a very public and well-known eatery in LA. Maybe next time ordering in or getting room service would be a far wiser choice.

UPDATE: Bieber has Tweeted the following apology:

“had a great bday and at the end of the night we got surrounded by paps and i reacted in a way i know better. im sorry... it’s not always easy but i know better than to react in anger.”

Catherine Zeta-Jones hurt in clash with paparazzi

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES and Michael Douglas were in a scuffle with the paparazzi just hours after the Swansea-born star collected a CBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Video footage of the incident, which emerged over the weekend, shows the aftermath of a media scrum which began when Zeta-Jones and her husband were chauffeured back to their Westminster hotel in London after a dinner with friends at Gordon Ramsay’s Claridge’s hotel restaurant.

The 41-year-old had earlier attended a ceremony at Buckingham Palace with the couple’s two children, Dylan, 10, and Carys, seven.

The pair are filmed trying to make their way through a group of photographers and Zeta-Jones can be heard shouting: “How dare you punch me.”

She is seen clutching her chin and lip and demands: “I want a police officer right now. He punched me. The guy coming in here, he punched me.”

In the footage, which is already racking up thousands of hits on video sharing websites, Michael Douglas is then seen to his help his wife before hotel security intervened in the incident.

Douglas recently declared he had won a well-publicised battle with throat cancer but still requires monthly checks.

Speaking afterwards, a representative for Douglas said: “You saw it for yourself. Otherwise, the trip and the ceremony were fabulous and such a joy for everyone.”

Thursday’s scuffle is the latest in a string of clashes between Zeta-Jones and the paparazzi.

In 2003 the couple won a landmark court ruling after claiming that a photographer who sneaked into their wedding had invaded their privacy.

During the case Catherine told the court how she was once scared by a photographer who jumped out of a doorway at night to get a shot of her.

On another occasion, she crashed her car into a lamppost trying to escape from a photographer.

Later, Zeta-Jones was driving her son in California when photographers for a British tabloid paper crashed into them.

Under Californian law, drivers have to get out of the car to exchange details.

She told London’s High Court at the time: “They immediately jumped out of their car and took photographs of me looking furious at the side of the road.

“They then published them in an article about me being consumed by road rage.

“This incident made me very angry.”

Publicist Max Clifford said each case of paparazzi intrusion should be judged separately.

“I’m sure that in some cases a line has been crossed and in others the star is being a little precious,” he said.

“In this latest case with Catherine, only she and the people involved know exactly what took place.”

He added: “The thing I tell all the stars that I have represented is that they must expect and put up with a degree of it. Of course the days when the paparazzi played the game are long gone, in fact these days anyone with a camera or even a mobile phone is a member of the paparazzi.

“It has got harder for people to live with and I sympathise with that, but of course there are certainly cases where the celebrity is being a little precious.”

A spokesman for London’s Metropolitan Police said there had been no complaint and no investigation was taking place.

Prince Harry's car hits royal photographer

PRINCE Harry's minders face a grilling after a car carrying the young royal hit a photographer in central London, leaving him hospitalised.

The snapper was struck as the Prince was whisked through a press pack in a silver Ford car in the early hours of this morning.

Party-loving Harry had been celebrating England's Six-Nations rugby success at central London's Beaufort House before calling it a night around 2am and climbing into the vehicle with his protection team.

The prince was heading to his car with his minders. With Harry safely inside, the car pulled into the street hitting Mr Margiocchi in the leg and knocking him to the the ground.

Millions of Photos from the Sygma Archive May Soon be Destroyed

In 1999 Corbis — privately owned by Bill Gates — paid $20 million to acquire Sygma, a legendary photo agency that was the largest in the world at the time. After the acquisition, the agency bled money and suffered heavy fines due to the mismanagement of photographs, paying $2 million at one point for losing 750 of one photojournalist’s photos. In 2010 the new agency, named Corbis Sygma, filed for bankruptcy after its debt had risen to €73m (~$100 million). Now the court appointed administrator of the defunct company is saying that millions of images in the collection may be destroyed after a failed attempt to sell them at auction.

Up to 12 million photographs by an unknown number of photographs are at risk, and they simply don’t have the resources to return the images to their owners. Hopefully someone comes up with a solution for saving these historical images soon…

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas Involved in Paparazzi Scuffle

 On Thursday, Catherine Zeta-Jones was named Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), the third-highest rank in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. But hours after the ceremony, the Welsh-born actress, 41, and husband Michael Douglas were confronted by paparazzi outside their London hotel, reports Entertainment Tonight, and the altercation was caught on video. 

Zeta-Jones was allegedly hit in the face by an aggressive paparazzo, and she screamed out, "I want a police officer right now. He punched me," according to ET. While she reportedly shoved the paparazzo out of the way, Douglas intervened. 

The actress's rep was not immediately available for comment. When reached, Douglas's rep, Allen Burry, told ET, "You saw it for yourself," referring to the video footage of the incident. "Otherwise, the trip and the ceremony were fabulous and such a joy for everyone." 

Bingle angers paps with photo deal

TAKING a cue from experienced paparazzi catnip Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, Lara Bingle is understood to have struck a deal with photo agency Big Pictures for a cut of the profits made from her own photos.

It is understood rival agencies are seething over the deal, which are generally commonplace in the US.

The move means Bingle can create and control the pictures released for sale to magazines and newspapers.

Bingle was snapped yesterday looking perfect after a long-haul flight from London.

The photo had a price tag of $250 and it is thought Bingle would receive about 50 per cent of profits in a deal.

News of an alliance came as a surprise to Bingle's manager, Titus Day, who denied the pin-up had struck an agreement with self-proclaimed "Mr Paparazzi" Darren Lyons.

But the millionaire Big Pictures agency owner has been seen lunching with Bingle on several occasions in recent weeks, and the former cricket WAG was seen at Sydney airport recently giving one Big Pictures photographer directions to her location.

Big was also the only agency that managed to snap her in London with new beau Jason Derulo.

A rep from Big Pictures didn't return calls yesterday.

Kate Moss' fiancé Jamie Hince attacks paparazzi

Kate Moss' London Fashion Week celebrations didn't end in style last night as fiancé Jamie Hince lashed out at photographers as they made their way home.

The Kills star Hince was pulled aside by patrolling police officers who calmed him down – as well as giving him a stern talking to – while model Kate fretted in a waiting car nearby.

The pair had been enjoying a London Fashion Week afterparty at swish Soho nightclub The Box, but all hell broke lose when one of the photographers allegedly got too close to the Croydon-born model - prompting her protective boyfriend to step in.

Dragging the shocked snapper by his coat and raising clenched fists to his face, Jamie's outburst was watched by stunned onlookers and ended with him collapsing onto the floor.

Cheryl Burke slams paparazzi for lies

Dancing With The Stars professional Cheryl Burke has hit out at the paparazzi for making her life miserable over the past few years.

The dancer, who was ridiculed in the press in 2008 after being pictured in a bikini having visibly put on weight, said that she doesn't think the paparazzi realize how their work affects people.

"I think there's some really nice [paparazzi] out there," Burke told Popeater. "But I do hate the ones that make it difficult for me, the ones that have criticised my weight, the ones who have called me a party girl and have made my parents worry about me.

"It's like I don't think they realize what they are really doing to someone's self-esteem and also to someone's family," the dancer added.

Burke admits that she felt extremely low after the bikini photos emerged and tried a number of extreme diets before settling on simply improving her general health and fitness regime.

$40,000 Awarded to Man Who Had Photos Deleted by Police

A man in Atlanta was just awarded $40,000 in damages after having his cell phone confiscated and photos deleted while filming police activity from a public location. The man was filming for Copwatch, an organization that aims to crack down on law enforcement wrongdoing by filming their activities, and was told by the police that he had no right to record them. An interesting quote from CNN is the lesson this case should send to other police departments,

The lesson is that police departments need to know that citizens can film their activity if it is taking place in a public place.

Store video, paparazzi photos to be cited in Lindsay Lohan necklace-theft case

 
Store video and paparazzi photos are among the evidence authorities have collected as prosecutors plan to charge Lindsay Lohan with stealing a $2,500 necklace from a Venice jewelry store, sources have told The Times.

The law enforcement sources said police have a video from the store showing Lohan wearing the necklace. Authorities also have collected paparazzi photos taken at a later date showing Lohan wearing the necklace in public, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.

Police supplied statements from witnesses at the jewelry store, the sources added.

Prosecutors said they plan to file felony grand-theft charge against the actress. She will be arraigned Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Airport Courthouse.

Lohan is on probation and faces a criminal investigation in Riverside County involving allegations that she shoved a worker at the Betty Ford Center. She did not immediately comment on the latest charge, but her attorney has released a statement saying the actress would fight any criminal charges.

Last week, Los Angeles Police Department detectives presented the results of their investigation into the alleged theft to prosecutors. Detectives investigated whether Lohan stole a "one-of-a-kind" necklace that went missing last month from a Venice jewelry store not far from where she lives.

The piece, described as a gold necklace with semiprecious stones, disappeared Jan. 22 from the store in the 1300 block of Abbot Kinney Boulevard, and police began investigating a few days later. According to law-enforcement sources, Lohan was seen in a store security video wearing the necklace before it was reported missing.

After detectives began looking into the case and preparing a search warrant, a Lohan associate took the necklace to the Pacific Division police station, sources said.

In the Riverside County case, Lohan is accused of assaulting an employee at the Betty Ford Center.

Lohan spent three months at the rehab center in Rancho Mirage under orders from Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox, who spared the actress jail time in October after Lohan tested positive for drugs while on probation in a DUI case.

The judge directed her to stay at the center through January and warned that he would put her in jail for six months if she violated probation again. It was her fifth time in rehab, and she has been to jail three times in connection with the case.

The employee accused Lohan of shoving her but then told investigators she did not want to press charges.

Canon 200-400mm Lens to Include a Built-in Switchable 1.4x Teleconverter

Canon is on a tear today with its announcements. In addition to new Rebel cameras and new entry level flashes, they also have some lens news. First, they’re releasing new versions of their 500mm and 600mm lenses, but even more interesting is the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens they announced the development of. This is a zoom lens that has a 1.4x teleconverter built right in. Once you switch it on, it instant turns into a 280-560mm f/5.6 lens!

Justin Bieber's Bodyguard Arrested For Attacking Photgrapher

A bodyguard working for Justin Bieber has been arrested after allegedly becoming embroiled in a scuffle with a snapper who was taking pictures of the teenage pop star.

Security guard Kenneth Hamilton was detained by police on Wednesday after photographer Jason Nicholas accused the bodyguard of pushing him up against a parked car in New York City in November.

Nicholas claims to have suffered lower back pain since the alleged incident.

Cops detained Hamilton this week (beg31Jan11) and handed him a desk-appearance ticket, which requires him to appear in court on a date yet to be set, according to New York Post gossip column Page Six.

Another California Crackdown on Aggressive Paparazzi Drivers

Reports of accidents and injuries caused by paparazzi become more common every day in Southern California and other areas of the state. In a continued effort to curb these incidents the California legislature has increased the penalties for traffic violations by members of the paparazzi.

On the first of this month changes to a new state law took effect in California aimed at protecting the public from reckless and aggressive paparazzi drivers that endanger public safety. According to a review of changes in public safety regulations by AccidentInjuryLawyersForYou.com the new law increases the penalties for anyone caught driving recklessly in order to take photographs or video footage of celebrities.

The paparazzi take these photographs and videos in order to sell them to tabloids for publication. Since the death of Princess Diana, which is believed to have been caused by a high speed chase with paparazzi, aggressive and dangerous behavior has been a subject of greater scrutiny by public officials. California passed paparazzi related legislation as early as 1998 and amended the legislation in 2005 and 2009 (Section 1708.8 of the California Civil Code).

This new amendment (Assembly Bill No. 2479) increases penalties for traffic violations or interfering with the operation of a celebrity's car. The maximum fine has been increased from $2,500 to $5,000 and the possible jail time has been raised from six months to a year.

The law is not meant to protect only celebrities from being endangered but also family members and friends along with other drivers and pedestrians who might find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Although many celebrities applaud these new penalties there are opponents to the law, including the Newspaper Publisher's Association, who feel that the law is overly inclusive and that it unfairly targets those who are in the business of gathering news according to a statement by the California Newspaper Publisher’s Association released on August 23, 2010. A legal challenge to the constitutionality of the law may be expected if anyone is arrested under the new legislation.

Although it is unclear whether increased penalties will have an affect on the paparazzi who are constantly competing to get photos that can be sold for large amounts of money, it is clear that California’s legislative branch is willing and ready to raise the stakes in this dangerous game.

AccidentInjuryLawyersForYou.com provides free information to consumers about safe driving, recent changes in traffic legislation, choosing accident injury lawyers and dealing with injury claims.

Voting on Lottery system today @ National Board of Review

01/11/11- There is an initiative to change the time of the lottery (before a major event)
to take place at 10pm instead of midnight.  


Please vote on it, majority result will determine the Red Carpet line-up process going forward.  


Tell your friends.

Douglas Calls On Paparazzi To Pay Up For Cancer Shots

MICHAEL DOUGLAS is urging the photographers who got rich from their "macabre" photographs of him during his 2010 throat cancer battle to give some of the cash they made to charity.

The movie star admits it became a chore to face the paparazzi as he tried to battle his health crisis in private, and he fears their shots may have been "toughed up" to make him look more gaunt and sick than he really was.

Douglas admits the photos that appeared in the tabloids worried friends and prompted his father Kirk Douglas to jet to New York from Los Angeles - and now he thinks it's payback time.

In a new Today and Dateline NBC TV interview, the latest celebrity cancer survivor says, "They're (paparazzi) there every day. I guess curiosity's gotten them a lot of coverage... and there's so many outlets now these days.

"There was sort of a macabre enjoyment out of sort of watching me go down there for a while, I felt, by the paparazzi... You want to share (and) give 25 per cent to the United Nations or my favourite charity, you know? Cancer research?

"Why (do they) have the right to take your own identity, 100 per cent selfishly for your own gains?"

The constant scrutiny gave Douglas a taste of what it must be like for today's hot young stars who are never out of the tabloids.

He adds, "I just feel for all these young kids. I mean, the generations now, with the amount of paparazzi that they have and these video cameras... you just can't do anything."

Kourtney Kardashian run-in with photogs results in angry airport episode

Let’s hope Scott Disick shows more restraint disciplining his kid.

Kourtney Kardashian's baby daddy was caught on video on TMZ.com unloading a few F-bombs on a photographer who got a little too close to baby Mason at Miami International Airport Wednesday.

Disick, in a fit of rage, got in the face of the photographer, spouting, "How close can you get?? ... stand back, you f---ing idiot."

Despite the pleas of Disick, Kardashian and others in the traveling party to respect their space, photographers keep snapping off pics before Disick picked out one to make an example of.

Disick charged at the photographer, demonstratively pointed his finger in his face, and yelled, "Don't get that f---ing close to me!"

Disick, Kardashian and Mason - along with the rest of the party - were unharmed in the incident and quickly left the airport after the run-in.

Kardashian took her blog Thursday, warning paparazzi not to cross certain lines.

"Paparazzi beware. Please don't get too close to Mason. We don't like it," the reality star wrote.

"Stay at a friendly distance, don't ask dumb questions and we can all get along," Kardashian added.

Kardashian arrived in Miami to prepare for her hosting duties at the Ganesvoort Hotel on South Beach Friday night where she’ll headline the Ciroc New Year's Eve party.

With News Wire Services

Obama Bans Topless Photos

President Obama is apparently getting shy (or flabby?) in his advancing years as president. 

Reporters have been given strict instructions not to snap pics of a topless president while he's vacationing in Hawaii, reports the New York Times. That means no more hunka-hunka shots and no more memorable headlines like the New York's Post's"Buff Bam is Hawaii Hunk" after Obama was snapped shirtless several times while vacationing as president-elect.

Report: Jake Gyllenaal Calls the Cops on Paparazzi

For such a good-looking couple, Jake Gyllenhaal and Taylor Swiftapparently don't like being photographed much.

X17 Online reports that Love & Other Drugs actor Gyllenhaal called the police on paparazzi who were tailing him and his Speak Now singer sweetheart as they cruised around Beverly Hills in their Audi Q7 on Thursday.

According to one of the photographers on the scene, the LAPD not only dispatched ground cover for the couple, but sent a helicopter out to monitor the situation from the air. The pap also opines that Gyllenaal's distress call to the po-po was completely unwarranted by the situation:

"I don't know why Jake was in such a bad mood. We saw him and Taylor in the car and when we tried to see where they would park to get out, Jake went crazy. It's like he didn't want anyone to get a shot of him and Taylor together. I mean if he's going to do set-up shots with the paps like he did last week, what's the difference?!"

So far, neither the LAPD, the Beverly Hills Police Department or the Beverly Hills Sheriff's Department has responded to X17's calls inquiring about the dramatic response to Gyllenhaal's call.

Should Paparazzi Have the Right to Photograph Angelina's Kids?

If you're one of the lucky few to hit the celebrity jackpot, you also become a public figure -- meaning that strangers have the legal right to follow you around and take your picture. But should the same rules apply to your children? That's an issue that celebrity moms grapple with every day, as they frantically try to keep their kids away from the paparazzi's flashbulbs. Now a few famous mamas are taking action against the photographers who make money off their children. Will their efforts succeed?

Nicole Richie made the first move this fall, making good on her threat to file restraining orders against paparazzi who were staking out her daughter Harlow's preschool. Then in a Wednesday night appearance on Larry King Live, mother of six Angelina Jolie expressed her wish that "there will at some point be laws about how close (photographers) can get to children with cameras." The next day, Radar Online posted a photo ofJulia Roberts having a face-to-face confrontation with a photographer who took pictures of her three children. (Roberts has a history of confronting paparazzi, especially when kids are involved.)

While celebs have always taken pains to shield their kids from the spotlight, it's become much more challenging in recent years. Our national obsession with famous babies -- what Suri is wearing, what Shiloh and Zahara bought on vacation -- means that candid photos of stars' kids are in high demand. And that leads to some seriously unsavory situations, like paparazzi waiting in the bushes outside children's schools. Technically, there's no law against this, since the kids are Hollywood royalty. The problem is that the kids, unlike their spotlight-seeking parents, never asked to be in this situation.

And don't think for a minute that famous children are unaffected by the media storm. Kids are remarkably resilient, but they can also be extremely sensitive to the way grown-ups act around them. Remember when Maddox Jolie-Pitt started kindergarten in New York City? Reportedly, his teacher asked the students to bring in pictures of their families -- and Maddox started crying, because he was so traumatized about having his picture taken. In November, it was reported that one of the six-year-old Gosselin children, Collin, refused to have a school picture taken "because he's tired of being on camera." We don't really know what effect this kind of 24-7 paparazzi scrutiny has on children, since this is the first generation that's dealing with the digital age. But stories like these make us wonder if these kids will grow up permanently traumatized.

So why can't photographers just lay off famous children? The answer is simple: everybody loves looking at pictures of celebrities hanging out with their children, which means the photos are worth big bucks, which means that paparazzi will go to great lengths to get the shots. The photographers are just giving us what we want, which is a candid look into the private lives of celebrity families. And who can turn away from pictures of the adorable Jolie-Pitt clan eating gelato in Italy? In this day and age, we've grown to expect constant access to our favorite celebrities' lives. But maybe we need to change our expectations, in the hopes of giving these extra-ordinary kids a chance at a semi-normal childhood.