Crushable » paparazzi

Angelina Jolie And Brad Pitt See You Watching Them At The White House

Natalie Zutter — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:02:16 +0000

So Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie recently visited the Obamas at the White House—ostensibly to discuss Angie’s directorial debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey. But considering the couple’s humanitarian work, it’s difficult to tell (as BuzzFeed pointed out) which duo was more starstruck.

There are quite a few stalkeresque photos snapped of the event. Probably not from the White House lawn, since the President has security to handle that kind of thing. But then how did you get these two great photos? On separate occasions, Brad and Angie each seemed to notice the paparazzi lurking outside and acknowledged them with a long-suffering smile from her and a steely glare from him. We sort of figured it’d be the opposite reactions. Then again, they could just be smiling/glaring pleasantly at whoever their conversation partners were and just staring past their heads because they don’t like eye contact. Who knows.

Actually, we’re surprised that the official White House Flickr account didn’t document the occasion.

Photos (L to R): Getty Images/Mandel Ngan and Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

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Video: Keanu Reeves Gives Up His Seat On The Subway

Jamie Peck — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:41:04 +0000

What makes Sad Keanu happy? Giving his seat on the subway away to ladies, apparently! How nice of him.

We know this because someone recently spied him riding the NYC subway just like a regular, non-famous person would. When they pulled out their phone to take some exciting video of him sitting, something magical happened: he gave up his seat so a woman could sit down, and he was totally cool and non-showy about it. OR WAS HE? Maybe his Matrix sense told him that an iPhone camera was on him and he was to be on his best behavior. In any case, he seems like a totally radical dude, brah.

I also find it somewhat sad that despite the fact that Keanu couldn’t have been any less douchey in this video, the person still titled it “KEANU REEVES gentleman or douche?” Was that really necessary?

(Via Buzzfeed)

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Selena Gomez Wears A Diamond Ring, But She’s Not Engaged To Justin Bieber

Natalie Zutter — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:38:37 +0000

I have two big questions about this news story, in which a vacationing Selena Gomez wore a diamond on her ring finger, prompting rumors that boyfriend Justin Bieber had proposed.

1. Why would the paparazzi jump to the conclusion that she was getting married when she’s just 19?

2. Why would she taunt the press by wearing a specific ring on that specific finger?

It’s not as if Selena needs any extra attention; she’s one of Disney‘s prized triple-threat superstars, with a rabidly loyal Twitter following and the single most desirable boyfriend for the under-21 set.

You hear about “celebrities” like Kim Kardashian arranging paparazzi moments where it looks like she might be engaged, just to get more press. If Selena were trying to work that angle, it would just look tacky. Or maybe she had the same train of thought I did and figured that the press would know that she’s far too young to settle down, so it didn’t matter which finger she wore a diamond on.

Selena’s rep assured Us Weekly and the rest of the world that the teen power couple were not getting hitched; though ironically they are in Cabo San Lucas celebrating a wedding. Selena is a bridesmaid for Shannon Larossi, the costume designer for her show Wizards of Waverly Place.

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The Justin-Selena marriage rumors have been going strong since Selena confirmed to Z100 that they were dating in March 2011. Sites will just make up rumors that Justin has a proposal planned; one said it was after the shock of Sean Kingston‘s jetski accident, another said it’d be for her birthday. If anything, it sounds like they have opposing views on it: Justin’s been quoted as saying that he wants to be married by 25, whereas Selena told Teen Vogue in May,

I’m at a point where I want to be in love, to give my all and fall head over heels. I’m eighteen. I’m not going to marry anybody I’m with, and I know that. The next heartbreak I have, I’m sure I’ll be like, How can I live without this person? But I’m still trying to dive in and enjoy it.

It’s unclear if she were talking specifically about Justin or more generally about anyone she might date at this age. But he might want to get to her before her fans do; in this cute video, a young fan asks for her hand:

We’re also curious to see if her views on premarital sex have changed. In 2008, she gladly told Extra that she had asked her father for a promise ring, so he “went to the church and got it blessed.” Yet photographes noticed it absent from her finger when she hung out with Justin in late 2010, long before she actually acknowledged they were dating.

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Video: Hugh Grant Testifies Against Phone-Hacking British Tabloids

Natalie Zutter — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:44:21 +0000

English rom-com star Hugh Grant is one of the celebrities carrying on a crusade against the tabloids — from his home country, no less — The Daily Mail and News of the World, which shamelessly tapped celebrities’ phones in order to get juicier scoops. Several months ago, he wrote a guest piece for a publication wherein he secretly recorded his conversation with a paparazzo, and a few days ago he testified in the Leveson Inquiry into the phone-hacking scandal.

In the videos below (a total of about five minutes), Hugh lays out what his life was like after getting arrested with a Hollywood prostitute in 1995. Although he understood that the press would descend upon him to prise out every grisly detail, he admits that because he had left Hollywood to return home to England, he expected slightly less intrusive treatment.

For instance, he popped out of his flat one day, and it had been broken into. Then, a detailed account of his apartment was published. The craziest part, Hugh reflects, is “I remember thinking, Who told them that? Was that the burglar, or was that the police?”

The press became even more invasive earlier this year, when the press followed his girlfriend Tinglan Hong around during her pregnancy.

Hugh isn’t the only famous face testifying; while Americans are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, Sienna Miller and J.K. Rowling will offer their own experiences and insights. Hugh’s contemporary Steve Coogan also testified, sharing his war stories of how one writer went back on his promise to omit salacious details about an affair Steve had had; and later how a former NotW staffer alerted him to a “sting” that then-editor Andy Coulson had set up.

Although most often we see the fame-whore kind of celebrities as the ones who get mixed up with the paparazzi — and we’re glad to blame them for inviting that attention in the first place — it’s fantastic to see actual celebrities like Hugh and Steve using their clout to testify in court against the depths to which these journalists have sunk.

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Topless Paparazzo Flashes Bill Cosby In More Ways Than One

Jamie Peck — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:27:35 +0000

Topless drag king photographer Harvey Van Toast (real name: Holly Van Toast) has become something of a fixture in New York nightlife as of late. In addition to baring her breasts while in court for um, baring her breasts, the self-described “topless paparazzo” has flashed celebs from Patricia Clarkson to Snooki, and this week it was Bill Cosby‘s turn. What better person to show your boobs to than someone most of us associate with childhood, Jell-O pudding pops, and funky sweaters? Exactly.

She embarked on this particular endeavor with fellow photographer Brandon Stanton, who was curious to see his new friend in action. He described the outing in detail in his blog, Humans of New York:

I expected to find her bare-chested, defiant, and forcing pamphlets into the clenched hands of tourists. But when I arrived she was fully clothed. She was rocking on her heels. She looked nervous as shit. “I’m nervous as shit,” she said. “Why? What’s going on?” “Bill Cosby’s in there. ” Holly pointed at the bookstore. “He’s signing books. When he comes out, I’m going to flash him. That’s what I do.” “That’s what you do?” “Yeah, me and my friends are artists. I’m trying to get attention so I try to flash celebrities. I take off my shirt and run up to them. You know, like a topless paparazzo. That’s what I call myself — Holly Van Voast, Topless Paparazzo.”

After much nervous waiting, Bill Cosby finally emerged from the store and she sprang into action. As predicted, Mr. Cosby was hustled quickly into his waiting car, but not before Stanton got this fine reaction shot:

Although his expression is pretty amusing, I was sort of hoping his reaction would be closer to the “Cosby face” Stefon made on SNL:

That said, I can’t really blame him for being all “WTF” about it. It can be confusing the first time you’re confronted with a mustachioed, topless paparazzo out of the blue like that. Fortunately for the celebrities of New York City, it only gets easier.

(Via Humans Of New York)

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Kim Kardashian’s Former Publicist Says She’s A Fake With ‘A Mass Craving For Attention’

Natalie Zutter — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:34:04 +0000

Kim Kardashian‘s former publicist Jonathan Jaxson just made a smart PR move for himself: He’s given RadarOnline a an exclusive interview in which he rips his former client a new one. Considering that he started working with Kim when her sex tape debacle happened in 2007, he’s got plenty of dirt on the reality star. Assuming, of course, that he isn’t lying.

Let us preface this by saying that even before Jonathan and Kim became estranged, he was not the perfect publicist. This Gawker takedown from 2008 illustrates his simultaneous inability to spin his client’s (former Cheetah Girl Adrienne Bailon) nude photo scandal into something positive, as well as his lack of ethics when he tried to get Perez Hilton to promote his personal blog. So, with that in mind…

Jonathan says that when he first met Kim, “she was the sweetest, down-to-earth person” but that she soon became obsessed with spinning out a positive image. And with her sex tape with Ray J, Jonathan had his work cut out for him. Soon it went from running damage control to fabricating the dramatic situations that got Kim tabloid and blog coverage: “I staged so many paparazzi moments for her,” he said. “I arranged for her to be coming out of a jewelry store and made it look like Reggie [Bush, her then-boyfriend] was planning to propose to her.”

But while Kim and Jonathan were gleefully spinning their straw into gold, Reggie got turned off to attention-whoring really quickly. Jonathan says that both of Kim’s famous exes were uncomfortable with Kim’s need for notoreity. Reggie “couldn’t handle the fame” and her estranged husband Kris Humphries “just wanted a wife.”

So what does he have to say about Kim’s decision to file for divorce after only 72 days of wedded bliss? “She knew marriage was a bad PR move as her value has dropped since the wedding,” he said. “She’s very selfish and she knows what she wants her image to be.”

I guess that once you’re no longer working for a celebrity, you don’t feel an obligation to be pleasant about her!

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Parting Tweet: Ellen Barkin F–kin’ Joins Twitter, Is F–kin’ Awesome

Natalie Zutter — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:30:35 +0000

Thank you to whomever showed Ellen Barkin how to use Twitter. We hadn’t thought about her much since Ocean’s Thirteen in 2007, but now we’ll be following her thanks to her endless, shockingly filthy, stream of consciousness! Seriously, she’s some weird combination of sailor, rapper, and drunken Irishman.

I just have to share more of her thoughts on paparazzi, books, and Gaddafi.

Ironically, one of the only tweets devoid of any profanity is the one where she asks if anyone can read her “twittas.” Oh, Ellen.

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Crushable Quoteable: Johnny Depp Apologizes For Comparing Paparazzi Photography To Rape

Liana Maeby — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:11:18 +0000

Johnny Depp is the latest celeb who’s been forced to backtrack from a shitty, insensitive comment he made to the press. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Johnny said the following about being photographed by the paparazzi: “Well, you just feel like you’re being raped somehow. Raped … It feels like a kind of weird — just weird, man.” Naturally, the comment was pretty alarming and now Johnny has released a statement apologizing for his insensitivity:

“I am truly sorry for offending anyone in any way. I never meant to. It was a poor choice of words on my part in an effort to explain a feeling. I understand there is no comparison and I am very regretful. In an effort to correct my lack of judgment, please accept my heartfelt apology.”

Whether or not Johnny’s sorry isn’t really the issue. What’s worrisome here is the fact that the word “rape” has become synonymous with the word “violate” — to the point that people in the public eye who should know better are regularly making comments that trivialize sexual assault. (Kristen Stewart said something similar not long ago.)

Sure, being photographed by the paparazzi must suck, but it’s not the same thing as rape, so knock it the heck off, famous people.

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Adele Is Such A Good Sport For The Paparazzi, Especially Without Make-Up

Natalie Zutter — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 20:59:49 +0000

We’re blown away by Adele‘s voice, so we hate to see her in an uncomfortable situation, like when the paparazzi caught her without make-up. But good for her for succumbing to the inevitable and letting them snap a few shots.

Sure, it’s shocking; without her usual glossy hair and make-up and not singing, she does look ordinary. But her cute frowning face is more genuine than most expressions you see on the red carpet.

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Gallery: Photos From The Set Of Britney Spears New ‘Criminal’ Video

Jamie Peck — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 20:50:31 +0000

Britney Spears is currently filming the video for her new single “Criminal” on location in London. Her new-ish boyfriend is in the video with her, because why not? It was all her idea! “I’m shooting a video [and] I’ve never shot on location out of the country of America for a video,” she told AOL. (Oh, Brit Brit.) “So, it should be very interesting. It was partly my idea … to see if it could to happen, and they were like, ‘Yeah, it’s a great idea,’ so we did it.” There are guns, convenience stores, and booty shorts. Could it be that she’s attempting to critically engage with the socioeconomic problems that recently caused the citizens of that good city to riot? Let’s take a look.

(Via Idolator and breatheheavy)

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