Pop Culture Fun Facts
Origin
It all started with Paparazzo, a not-so-pleasant photographer in the 1960 film La Dolce Vita. The Italian word paparazzo refers to the annoying buzz of a mosquito. Its plural form is paparazzi.
With the increase of popularity of tabloids and online blogs, the demand for paparazzi increased. There are eight times as many paparazzi in Los Angeles today as there were 10 years ago.
Bizarre, Unethical Tactics of the Paparazzi
1. Car chases: Lindsay Lohan and Scarlett Johansson were both involved in car accidents while being chased by paparazzi. One paparazzo even caused a deliberate accident with Catherine Zeta-Jones to get her out of her car for a photo. Princess Dianna was killed in a car crash while her driver attempted to flee the paparazzi.
2. Setting off fire alarms to force their object to evacuate a building.
3. Tripping next to their target to attempt an up-skirt photo.
4. Peeking through open drapes of celebrity houses to take photos of a celebrity's private life. A most popular example of this tactic is the paparazzo who took a topless photo of Jennifer Aniston while furtively camping outside her house.
How Profitable Is a Coveted Photo?
Her photos are most expensive!
The most expensive paparazzi photo so far is one of bald Britney Spears. It sold for $500,000--that's 1/2 a million for one photo! (According to Portfolio, Britney Spears alone is credited for 20% of the paparazzi business in 2007-2008.)
A film that captured Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's first kiss brought $300,000.
A photo of Britney Spears in a hot tub was sold for $200,000.
A photo of Paris Hilton in handcuffs in 2006 sold for $150,000.
A photo of Lindsey Lohan drunk and passed out in her car sold for $100,000.
Emma Watson: a Young Lady Who Defied the Celebrity Norm
April 15, 2008, was a doomsday for Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger in Harry Potter. A minor is legally off limits for the paparazzi. However, April 15, 2008, Emma Watson turned 18, and the paparazzi did not give her a break. She told Daily News that she felt violated when a paparazzi attempted a photo up her skirt. Emma has made it clear several times that she will not bow down to the pressure of being immodest and to the demands of photographers and celebrity media. She is resolved to remain true to her self and her principles.
Julie Andrews
In 1974, before the popularity of adoption and interracial families, actress Julie Andrews and her second husband Blake Edwards were pioneers in adopting two Vietnamese orphan girls, Amy and Joanna.
Diane Keaton
In 1996, at age 50, Keaton adopted her first child (her daughter Dexter). Five years later, she adopted a son Duke. Keaton has never been married or had children before.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
Angelina Jolie started adopting internationally after seeing Cambodian poverty during the filming of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2000. She first adopted a son Maddox from Cambodia in 2002. In 2005, she adopted a daughter Zahara from Ethiopia. Later, in 2007, she and Brad adopted a 3-year old Vietnamese boy Pax Thien.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman adopted a daughter Isabella Jane (1993) and a son Connor Antony (1995). The couple divorced in 2001.
Madonna
Madonna adopted a son David Banda from Malawi, whose mother had just died from AIDS. David was 13 months old at the time of adoption. The boys father later contested the adoption claiming that he was not fully aware of the situation when he consented to the adoption. Even Angelina Jolie criticized Madonna for what she called the "illegal adoption." Jolie did not approve of Madonna's £1.7 million donation to the orphanage to speedup the adoption process without having to deal with all the legal issues in Malawi.
Britney Spears's Monthly Income: $737,000
How does Britney Spears spend her money? The detailed record of her income was released in 2007 during her custody battle with Kevin Federline. The following is a break down of her use of $207,525 of her $737,000 monthly income (this is her monthly, not yearly, budget):
a. $102,000 for entertainment and travel.
b. $49,267 for mortgage payments.
d. $20,000 in spousal support.
c. $16,000 for clothes.
e. $15,000 in child support.
f. $4,758 eating out.
g. $500 charity donations.
h. $0 for savings.
Stephen Colbert Failed Run
In 2007, South Carolina Democratic Party denied Stephen Colbert’s application to run for presidency representing the Democratic Party. Even though he paid the $2,500 application fee, the party’s council voted 13-3 to reject Colbert’s application. Colbert could have run as an independent (with 10,000 signatures to get his name on the ballot), but he chose not to run.
Leona Helmsley's Dog Trouble
After her death in 2008, Leona Helmsley’s will included $12 million dollars to her 9-year-old Maltese dog named Trouble. A judge in Manhattan adjusted the amount to $2 million and gave the rest to Helmsley’s children and grandchildren. The dog’s caretaker Carl Lekic agreed that the amount should be sufficient to take care of the dog for the rest of its life.
George Clinton's DNA and the Pyramids of Egypt
George Clinton, the funk music innovator and icon and the one behind the bands Parliament and Funkadelic, plans to save his DNA so that he will be cloned after his death, according to the New York Post. He believes that cloning has happened for thousands of years, referring to the pyramids of Egypt—a reference that has left many confused as to whether Clinton understand the distinction between cloning and preserving.
Clinton said, “Cloning, we got generations of that [bleep]. The pyramids? They was for cloning. That’s why embalming lasts so long. Get the DNA and pull ‘em back. So somebody been cloned already, but not me. Not yet.”
Andy Griffith Sues Andy Griffith
In 2006, Andy Griffith sued William Fenrick who changed his name to Andy Griffith. Fenwick hoped the new name would get him elected sheriff of Grant County, Wisconsin. Fenrick lost the election. He never expected to be sued by the real Andy Griffith!
Paul McCartney's Japanese Jail Experience
January 16, 1980, Paul and his group Wings were on their way to Japan for several concerts. At the airport in Tokyo, customs found half a pound of marijuana in his suitcase. Instead of performing, Paul ended up spending 10 days in jail and later dismissed from Japan. Though Paul couldn't believe he had this amount of marijuana in his suitcase, many believe that this was his way of leaving the band to launch his own music career.
Photo to the right is of Paul McCartney arriving with the Beatles in New York City in 1964. Photo is in the Library of Congress.
Sylvester Stallone and Growth Hormones
In 2007, Stallone was caught with human growth hormones that he illegally brought to Australia. His court fines were $10,651. Stallone defended his position by saying that he needed these drugs for strength to shoot his next Rambo movie.
Michael Jackson and the Ladies Room
In Dubai, in November, 2005, Michael Jackson walked into the ladies restroom in a shopping mall to fix his makeup.