Is "paparazzi" a dirty word?

The paparazzo -- sorry, celebrity photographer -- who's suing Keanu Reeves, saying the actor intentionally ran him over with his Porsche in 2007, wants to keep the words "paparazzi" and "paparazzo" out of the courtroom because they're prejudicial. Here's a wire story via the Contra Costa Times:

Alison Silva says his earning ability and job prospects have been diminished because of injuries suffered March 19, 2007, according to the lawsuit filed Nov. 5 of that year.

Video shows Reeves stopped in black 1996 Porsche 911 Cabrio and trying to pull away from a photographer on Avenida Tranquila in Rancho Palos Verdes Estates.

Silva maintains Reeves drove negligently and hit him, but the actor claims that assertion is untrue and that the photographer tripped on his own feet, then fell.

"In recent years, and especially since the death of Princess Diana, the term "paparazzo" has received a negative connotation," Silva's lawyer, Joseph S. Farzam, states in court papers filed Tuesday.

So where does the word come from, anyway? Paparazzo was the name of a news photographer in "La Dolce Vita," the famous film by Italian director Federico Fellini. That name soon turned into a noun used to describe the buzzing hordes of shutterbugs who earned a living by staking out the rich and famous.

In the 1970s, Ron Galella's aggressive pursuit of Jackie Onassis earned him a restraining order keeping him a set distance from the former first lady. This summer, of course, the Malibu Paparazzi Wars made international news.

Silva's lawyer, who suffered a legal defeat when a judge threw out much of his case last month, now says the use of the p-words in court will be fatal to his client's case.

Just wondering -- if you show a jury a photo of these paparazzi celebrity photographers angling for a shot of Britney Spears last January, will vocabulary make a difference, or will a picture be worth a thousand words?

-- Veronique de Turenne

Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

 

Comments

[James D.]

Okay, so is there an Italian word for "vulture"?

Seriously, though, the pap's claims were so ridiculous that Reeves had gossip rags (um, celebrity columnists, yes?) publicly apologizing to him last year for reporting that he had run the guy over. Anyone shameless enough to even think about pursuing such a laughable lawsuit should probably be sued for harassment and generally wasting everyone's time.

Unbelievable.

[WWP]

Oh please, you can call a Rat an Elephant, but genetically it's still a Rat.

And calling a Rat an Elephant doesn't change the facts of the case. The judge has already ruled that the evidence (let's go to the video tape and two independent eye witnesses!) showed that the paparazzi -- excuse me, "freelance celebrity photographer" -- caused his own injury. To wit:

"Plaintiff did not move out of the way and allow Defendant to depart, rather, Plaintiff continued to stand in front of Defendant's car and continued to take photographs. As Defendant inched his car forward, Plaintiff began to walk backward. While walking backward, Plaintiff tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. After Plaintiff fell, Defendant parked his car, got out, asked a bystander to call 911, and brought Plaintiff a glass of water… There was no evidence of the slightest contact or the slightest touching...It didn't happen."

So how does calling the paparazzi a "Freelance Celebrity Photographer" change these facts, corroborated by both security video tape and witnesses?

Basically, the paparazzi screwed up and instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, he wants Reeves to pay for it. (Frankly, if I had been Reeves I would have dumped the water on his head instead of giving it to him ). What's even more bizarre is that this happened while Reeves was leaving a hospital after a visit with a patient. What is god's name is newsworthy about a hospital visit? "Celeb visits sick friend – film at 11!!!" Come on, let's be reasonable and kind as humans and agree that even public figures have a basic human right to conduct some aspects of their lives in private.

My low opinion of paparazzi was solidified when I attended a kid's charity hockey event and several of the paparazzi there started screaming personal, obscene, degrading, and even racial insults at the celebrity players in order to try to get a negative reaction out of them, and therefore a better picture price. At a CHARITY event --In front of many the kids that the charity was for. But the reality is that this is all fed by the knuckle-dragging readers who create the demand that the paparazzi supplies.

[WWP]

Oh please, you can call a rat an elephant, but genetically it's still a rat.

And calling a Rat an Elephant doesn't change the facts of the case. The judge has already ruled that the paparazzi -- excuse me, "freelance celebrity photographer" -- that the evidence (let's go to the video tape and two independent eye witnesses!) showed that Reeves did nothing wrong and that, in fact, the paparazzi put himself in harm's way:

"Plaintiff did not move out of the way and allow Defendant to depart, rather, Plaintiff continued to stand in front of Defendant's car and continued to take photographs. As Defendant inched his car forward, Plaintiff began to walk backward. While walking backward, Plaintiff tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. After Plaintiff fell, Defendant parked his car, got out, asked a bystander to call 911, and brought Plaintiff a glass of water… There was no evidence of the slightest contact or the slightest touching...It didn't happen."

So how does calling the paparazzi a "Freelance Celebrity Photographer"
change these facts, corroborated by both security video tape and witnesses?

Basically, the paparazzi screwed up and instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, he wants Reeves to pay for it. (Frankly, if I had been Reeves I would have dumped the water on his head instead of giving it to him ). What's even more bizarre is that this happened while Reeves was leaving a hospital after a visit with a patient. What is god's name is newsworthy about a hospital visit? "Celeb visits sick friend – film at 11!!!" Come on, let's be reasonable and kind -- even public figures have a basic human right to conduct some aspects of their lives in private.

My low opinion of paparazzi was solidified when I attended a kid's charity hockey event and several of the paparazzi there started screaming personal, obscene, degrading, and even racial insults at the celebrity players in order to try to get a negative reaction out of them, and therefore a better picture price. At a CHARITY event --In front of many the kids that the charity was for. But the reality is that this is all fed by the knuckle-dragging readers who create the demand that the paparazzi supplies.

[Sabrina]

Paparazzi are lowlife scum...how about using THAT in a courtroom? lol