Not famous? So what! Hire your own paparazzi

Kaiama Glover wanders Tribeca in this paparazzi-style photograph. Regular people are now hiring photographers to take such photos.

BY ANNE MACHALINSKI
Special to Newsday
April 23, 2008

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, photographer Izaz Rony waited across the street from an office building on Chambers Street in Manhattan. As he sat on a bench eating a late breakfast, a visibly pregnant young woman wearing a black-and-white striped dress walked out the door, exactly on schedule.

Rony jumped up and ran down the block, snapping photos of her as she walked toward him. Trying to blend into the crowd, he followed her - to the grocery store, then the dry cleaner, through an outdoor market and down to South Street Seaport - taking pictures the entire time. She appeared natural and beautiful in the photos, exactly what she wanted.

Rony was hired to take these pictures by his subject, Kaiama Glover, a 35-year-old professor at Barnard College. And he's been hired by many others like her - mostly female New Yorkers in their early 20s to late 40s - who are looking for paparazzi-inspired photographs of themselves captured as they go about their daily lives.

"It could be a horrible, invasive thing, like a stalker," says Glover, who gave birth to a baby girl, Salone, on April 11. "But instead he is really capturing you as you are."

And Rony, 23, isn't alone in providing such services.

Google "paparazzi for hire" and you'll see a host of results from companies such as Celeb-4-A-Day, which allows you to hire your own temporary entourage, including photographers, publicists and bodyguards. It's a culture that might be explained by a society smitten with celebrity magazines and blogs that are fueled by paparazzi shots of Britney, J. Lo and other Hollywood A-listers. Perhaps this type of image is what non-celebrities now equate as a symbol of beauty and status.

"We all have an image to protect nowadays," says Rony, citing social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook as driving forces in this new industry. "Someone needs to polish that image."

But polishing one's image is not cheap. Rony's services start at $600 for a full photo shoot plus consultations.

Despite the price, Wantagh native Janet Shelley, a 37-year-old project manager at a historic restoration firm, says she plans to book Rony once the weather gets warmer, having read about MethodIzaz on DailyCandy, an e-mail newsletter sent to almost 400,000 New York subscribers every day. She'll enlist him to capture her at work in Manhattan - perched on scaffolding 20 stories tall, from which he'll attempt to shoot her with a Canon SLR camera. The photos, she says, won't go online. Instead they'll be given to her grandmother in Wantagh to show her how she makes a living.

"My clients know that they want to capture something that is important to them, to leave a memory of who they are and what they stand for," says Rony.

Another soon-to-be client, Kristin Savage of Riverhead, will hire Rony this summer. She'll send him her schedule for an entire week, which includes stops in Riverhead and the North Fork for her work as an appraiser. He'll show up unannounced and start shooting, hopefully capturing more animation when she's unaware she's being photographed. The images, Savage says, are mostly for her personal use, but may go into her portfolio or on her social networking sites.

"He's put being a paparazzi in a new light," says Savage, 23. The photos "aren't necessarily candid, but they're more natural. It's everyday life."

Calling star-like attention to yourself

Long Islanders dreaming about having their own moment on the red carpet will soon be able to pay for a celebrity-like paparazzi encounter - complete with flashing cameras, publicists, bodyguards and coverage in tabloid magazines.

Celeb-4-A-Day, a company operating in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin, Texas, says it's coming to New York City in six months. For $250-$1,500, clients will be able to get the royal celeb treatment.

"Everyone likes a little bit of attention and to feel special," says founder Tania Cowher. "Everyday people should get just as much attention, if not more, than celebrities."

Among the offerings:

"The A-List" ($250) - Four paparazzi photographers trailing the subject for half an hour snapping photos and shouting questions (subjects fill out a questionnaire ahead of time about their hobbies, occupation and interests). Includes an 8-by-10 print of a faux magazine cover with realistic headlines.

"The Megastar" ($1,500) - Six paparazzi photographers, plus a publicist and a bodyguard for up to two hours. Optional limousine service, plus a faux magazine cover and CD with images.

Everything can be customized. The "paparazzi," "publicists" and "bodyguards," who are either amateur or professional photographers, never go out of character. They wear press passes and dress accordingly. Details at celeb4aday.com.

Slash: Velvet Revolver Building Web Site To Audition Singers



by Christa Titus
April 18, 2008

NEW YORK - Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash tells Billboard.com that the band is creating a web site to audition singers. The new site will help Velvet Revolver replace Scott Weiland, whose April 1 dismissal from the band continued the public feud between the ex-frontman and his former bandmates.

"The band is actually talking about building a Web site [and] doing some auditions via that, so that's been something that's developing at this point," Slash explains, noting that it should be happening "in the next month or so."

Slash adds that he doesn't yet have anyone in mind for Weiland's replacement. "We're at that point of just listening to different things... it's one of those kind of situations where you can't really explain it to anybody because you'll know it when you hear it. So I'm waiting to get that feeling of, 'Yeah that's it.' "

In the meantime, Slash says Velvet Revolver has an upcoming gig in Las Vegas, which was booked before Weiland's departure, that will feature friends of the band taking turns at the microphone.

"I'm not gonna name any names, but a bunch of well-known people will get up and sing some songs, and then also bring up a couple people that we think are pretty good and might sing a couple songs," he says. "So it'd just be for fun."

As previously reported, former Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland will be spending his summer on an extensive North American tour with the recently reunited Stone Temple Pilots.

Weiland Hits Back At Ex-Velvet Revolver Mates

Velvet Revolver Boots Scott Weiland

Travel presenter Richard Quest in a bind over drugs scandal

CNN's Richard Quest
April 22, 2008
The future of quirky CNN presenter Richard Quest hangs in the balance today after he was arrested in the early hours of Friday morning in Central Park.

CNN said it had “no comment at this stage” on whether Quest would continue to work for the channel or, if he does remain, whether his programmes – the monthly feature programmes Quest and Business Traveller – would continue to air.

The decorated journalist has won a number of awards for his broadcasts, including Business Travel media personality of the year.

A spokesperson for the New York Police department confirmed that Quest was arrested in Central Park on Friday 18 April at 3.42am. “He was arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance, believed to be methamphetamine and for being in Central Park after closing time. He was stopped initially because he was spotted in the park after the curfew,” said the spokesman.

Methamphetamine – also known as crystal meth or ice – is said to “bring on a feeling of exhilaration and produces increased arousal and activity levels”, according to the Frank drugs campaign.

However, the story has been given extra legs by rumours published in an article on Friday in the New York Post, owned by Times Online’s parent company News Corporation, about other items that were found on Quest – a rope tied around his person and a sex toy in the boot of his car.

Contributors to Quest’s Facebook webpage have been largely supportive, with some asking CNN not to sack him.

Quest’s programmes on CNN, sponsored by Egyptian international investment group Artoc, are very popular, and his sacking would constitute a blow to the cable channel.

Liverpool-born Quest, 45, holds a law degree from Leeds University and worked for the BBC’s News 24 channel before joining CNN in 2001.

CNN - KINKY NEWS NETWORK

April 19, 2008

This is CNN? Kinky!

CNN personality Richard Quest was busted in Central Park early yesterday with some drugs in his pocket, a rope around his neck that was tied to his genitals, and a sex toy in his boot, law-enforcement sources said.

Quest, 46, was arrested at around 3:40 a.m. after a cop spotted him and another man inside the park near 64th Street, a police source said.

The criminal complaint against Quest said the park was closed at the time - something Quest should have known because of all the signs saying "Park Closed 1 a.m. to 6 a.m."

Quest was initially busted for loitering, the source said. Aside from the oddly configured rope, the search also turned up a sex toy inside of his boot, and a small bag of methamphetamine in his left jacket pocket.

It wasn't immediately clear what the rope was for.

The criminal complaint says the officer at the scene was able to ID the drug because of "his prior experience as a police officer in drug arrests, observation of packaging which is characteristic of this type of drug, and defendant's statements that . . . 'I've got some meth in my pocket.' "

He was charged with loitering and criminal possession of a controlled substance. His unusual get-up didn't lead to a lewdness charge because he wasn't exposing himself, the police source said.

Quest's unidentified companion was given a summons for not carrying any identification, the source said.

Quest's lawyer, Alan Abramson, had a much more innocuous version of events.

"Mr. Quest didn't realize that the park had a curfew," Abramson said. He was simply "returning to his hotel with friends."

At a hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court, Quest agreed to undergo six months of drug counseling in return for an "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal," which means the misdemeanor charges against him will be dropped and the case sealed if he stays out of trouble and completes his drug program.

He was released with no bail after spending most of the day behind bars.

Abramson predicted after the hearing that "the case will be dismissed." He declined to answer questions.

Quest, known for his hollering antics and stunts on the cable news network and its international counterpart, declined comment, as did a CNN spokeswoman.

On his official CNN bio, the network calls him "one of the most instantly recognizable members of the CNN team."

"He has become one of the network's highest profile presenters," and his "dynamic and distinctive style has made him a unique figure in the field of business and news broadcasting," the network's Web site says.

He was reportedly once offered a position for the English-language version of the controversial Al Jazeera network, but said he turned it down because being gay and Jewish, he didn't think it would be a good fit.

FCC chairman says Comcast blocking was widespread

by Grant Gross

April 22, 2008 (IDG News Service) WASHINGTON -- Comcast Corp.'s slowing of peer-to-peer traffic appeared to be more widespread than the company has disclosed, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said today.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, testifying before a Senate committee, said Comcast's blocking of BitTorrent peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic appeared to happen when there wasn't network congestion, in contrast to the broadband provider's claims. Comcast's actions, first described by the Associated Press last October, appeared to "block uploads of a significant portion of subscribers" in that part of the network, even during times when the network wasn't congested, Martin said.

"It does not appear that this technique was used only to occasionally delay traffic at particular nodes suffering from network congestion at that time," Martin told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. "Based on testimony we've received thus far, this equipment was typically deployed over a wider geographic area or system, and is not even capable of knowing when an individual ... segment of the network is congested."

The FCC is investigating Comcast's network management practices and has held two hearings about the complaints.

In a statement, a Comcast spokeswoman repeated the company's assertion that it was slowing P2P traffic in a limited setting.

"As has always been our policy, Comcast does not, has not and will not block any Web sites or online applications, including peer-to-peer services," the statement said. "We have acknowledged that we manage peer-to-peer traffic in a limited manner to minimize network congestion."

Comcast described its network management as a "reasonable choice," but it also announced in March that it would work with BitTorrent Inc. and other companies to move to protocol-agnostic network management by the end of the year.

Martin resisted calls by Democratic members of the committee to pass a Net Neutrality law, saying the FCC has the authority to act on network blocking complaints on a case-by-case basis. The FCC in 2005 adopted a set of open Internet policy principles, and it has responded to traffic-blocking complaints, Martin said.

But Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Bryon Dorgan of North Dakota noted that Comcast, in a recent FCC filing, disputed the FCC's authority to act on content-blocking complaints.

"You're looking at a lawsuit" if you act on the complaints against Comcast, Kerry said.

A Net Neutrality law passed by Congress would clarify the FCC's authority to act on content-blocking complaints, Kerry and Dorgan said.

But several Republican members of the committee said an extensive Net Neutrality law could have unintended consequences and could hamper innovation and new business models.

"If the Internet has taught us anything, it's that it's pretty presumptuous to predict what the future will be," said Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.). "We should be very, very cautious about imposing regulations based on what we think competitors will do in the future, and how we think consumers will respond based on what we think competitors will do."

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April 22, 2008

Top Editor of Wall Street Journal Resigns

Marcus W. Brauchli

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

Marcus W. Brauchli stepped down Tuesday as the top-ranking editor of The Wall Street Journal after less than a year in the job, the newspaper announced Tuesday. His resignation comes four months after the News Corporation, led by Rupert Murdoch, took control of the paper.

The publisher appointed by Mr. Murdoch, Robert J. Thomson — who was most recently the top editor of The Times of London, another News Corporation property — is expected serve as an interim successor.

“Following the change in ownership of Dow Jones and The Journal, I have concluded the time is right to consider new career possibilities,” Mr. Brauchli said Tuesday in a statement. “I revere The Journal and hold my colleagues here, both old and new, in the highest regard. There isn’t a better team in journalism, and I will greatly miss working with them on a daily basis.”

The announcement of the resignation was made after a meeting between the members of the special committee responsible with protecting the editorial integrity of the newspaper, Mr. Brauchli and representatives from Dow Jones and the News Corporation.

A search for a successor will begin immediately.

“Now that the ownership transition has taken place,” Mr. Brauchli said, “I have come to believe the new owners should have a managing editor of their choosing.”

In his new role, Mr. Brauchli will provide guidance to senior management in a range of areas, from advising The Wall Street Journal to exploring the possibility of a business news channel for STAR-TV in Asia.

“Marcus is a brilliant journalist who has played a key role in the growth of The Wall Street Journal over the past 20 years,” the chief executive of Dow Jones & Company, Les Hinton, said. “He deftly guided The Journal’s coverage of every major news event of the past decade and is leaving the paper in a position of great strength.”

Friends and current and former colleagues, all of whom requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, differed as to whether Mr. Brauchli was being forced out, or leaving out of frustration.

Since December, when News Corporation bought Dow Jones & Company, publisher of The Journal, he has immersed himself in the newspaper’s daily operations and quickly made changes in its shape and style. Friends and colleagues say that Mr. Brauchli has been frustrated with some changes, and with the sense that he did not have the control over the newspaper that he was promised.

Mr. Murdoch has said publicly that he wants to make The Journal more of a general-interest newspaper, to compete more directly with The New York Times, though he insists he will not diminish its coverage of business.

To that end, The Journal has increased its coverage of other areas, notably politics, and the bulk of its first section is being devoted to general-interest news. The front page has fewer business articles and fewer of the long, offbeat features that were a signature of the paper.

Journal newsroom employees say that Mr. Murdoch and Mr. Thomson have made it clear that they think the paper has too many editors, and have instructed Mr. Brauchli to thin the ranks, potentially making room in the headcount for more reporters. Two people briefed on Mr. Brauchli’s thinking said that had become a major point of contention.

Under an agreement between the News Corporation and the Bancroft family, who owned a controlling interest in Dow Jones for more than a century, sole power over the newsroom was to rest with the managing editor — Mr. Brauchli — and Mr. Murdoch could not remove him without the consent of a committee of independent overseers. But even the people within Dow Jones who supported that pact said that it would be all but impossible to keep the new owner from having his way.

Reporters and other editors say that while Mr. Brauchli agreed with some of the changes made in recent months, it was clear that many of them were dictated from above, and that he questioned the shift toward general-interest news. And Mr. Thomson has come to be seen in the newsroom as a supereditor, looking over Mr. Brauchli’s shoulder.

Mr. Brauchli, a former foreign correspondent who has been with Dow Jones since 1984, was named managing editor in April 2007, and took the helm the next month. He was a popular choice in the newsroom, where he is well liked and respected.

The Journal has weekday circulation in the United States of more than two million, second only to USA Today.