David Kronke was appointed Mayor of Television after a bloodless coup in 2000. Since then, he has improved infrastructure, championed greater educational opportunities and fought for reforms that have utterly erased corruption and incompetence from the television industry. Since Mr. Kronke has ascended to power, Television is a far better place. Let’s face it, TMZ can be pretty jerky
TMZ has more video of paparazzi-abusing celebrities: This time, it’s “’Til Death’s” Brad Garrett popping one of their stalkerazzi. True, another guy was baiting Garrett over an apparently racist remark, not the cameraguy in question, but you wonder what value the footage would’ve had if Garrett had simply gotten in his car and driven away.
Per TMZ: “(T)he 6'8" behemoth reached his boiling point when the same black photog questioned him about the alleged comment. Apparently confused, Garrett approached TMZ's cameraman instead and unleashed his right hand, smashing the camera into the photog's face.” At which point the cameraman, apparently unharmed, kept shooting, beginning to bait Garrett himself.
We’ve previously discussed “CSI’s” Gary Dourdan’s going after a TMZ cameraman; additionally, Matt Dillon also gave one of their employees a little love tap, so that makes it a trend. (TMZ histrionically described this altercation – and even “altercation” seems too severe a word – by saying Dillon “smacked the s**t out of his camera.” As a commenter noted, “He barely did anything. You guys are such babies. You're annoying people so don't expect to be treated differently.”)
Commenters on the Garrett thwack also pointed out: “Once again..... it's never the fault of the TMZ photographer, much easier to blame the other guy. Keep your cameras out of people's faces and there won't be any problem;” “The paparazzi deserve every bitch slap they get. What a bunch of bottom feeders;” “Good for him. You bitches cross the line EVERY time you get close enough to get smacked. Any normal human would have done the same.”
One wonders if TMZ’s business plan expects income from lawsuits filed against celebs who snap. Because, you know, I can’t really think of many people who’d tune in to watch footage of Gary Dourdan or Matt Dillon or Brad Garrett simply strolling down a sidewalk or through a parking lot (actually, I can’t really think of many more people hungry to view these sort of brief, pointless showdowns, either). These camera guys aren’t going to get any attention with uneventful footage.
Obviously, TMZ and the paparazzi in general have every right to engage in these public roundelays, but just because they can doesn’t mean they should be proud of it. It’s not like they’re making some sort of positive contribution to our society at large, just making us look meaner and more blithering and clueless and …
Oh, hey, what’s up with Britney and K-Fed’s custody battle?
What do you think? Do paparazzi go too far? Or are they suffering for their art, and so now it’s our turn?
Comments
All of this is true, but what difference is there between the stalking, "baiting," and trespassing paparazzi and the so-called Mainstream Media anymore? The behavior of that little Mexican reporter Unger, and now even Ana Garcia -- who apparently is out to prove that Ch. 4 is not intimidated by any deals that the Mayor had with Telemundo and Universal -- is stalking him, provoking the security guard by panting "don't push me, don't push me!" when the small female guard just put up her hand to say stay back, and then Garcia turns this against the Mayor to make herself the victim of an anti-free-speech public official.
They and their colleagues were clearly emboldened by the way the LAPD was put on the defensive for handling the May 1st Melee, including reporters who weren't following orders.
Actually, this intentional provocation of the Mayor and the cops makes the MSM much WORSE because at least the paparazzi don't pretend to be anything more than businesspeople out for money by cashing in on the photos and ideally, distress, of their victims.
The MSM are doing the same thing under the pretext of free speech. They will force harsher restrictions on stalking which may, in fact, begin to impinge on genuine free speech.
Posted by: susan | August 13, 2007 3:46 PM
There is real media out there, but they are drowned out by the cheap and easy thrills of shoving a camera into someone's face and watching what they do.
Any normal person would have handed the camera operator (or whoever made the comment) their ass and it wouldn't have been an issue. But because its a celebrity (or in this case, Brad Garrett) it somehow means more. "Look! The celebrity is hitting people! How un-celebrity-like"
I have absolutely no pity for paparazzi and agree that they get everything they deserve.
Posted by: David Thorne | August 13, 2007 6:06 PM