To say that paparazzi are a recent development in celebrity culture would display an alarming lack of historical knowledge; the hugely popular Confidential was the flipside of Hollywood fan magazines in the 1950s, and it was hardly the first scandal sheet—merely the most notable. That being said, the Internet, with a potential for reproduction beyond anything Walter Benjamin could have ever imagined, has had a not-insignificant hand in shrinking the range of the monoculture while simultaneously increasing its scope and depth of focus. In this way the eye of the paparazzi turned towards musicians as much as towards actors and actresses. What was once a shortcoming of fame only faced by music megastars like Elvis, John Lennon, and Michael Jackson, was now a problem facing basically any ingénue in the music industry. (It’s no coincidence that the coverage skews young and female.)
In some cases, paparazzi coverage can be advantageous to one’s exposure and public image. (See Molly Lambert‘s excellent piece on Blake Lively at Grantland and Anne Helen Peterson‘s follow-up. Or think about how concerned Brooke Hogan really sounded when she sang about the paparazzi on “About Us” while she was regularly appearing on our own Hogan Knows Best.) The strongest anti-paparazzi statements in music videos tend to come from artists whose tabloid coverage has directly affected their lives and/or livelihoods. Lindsay Lohan‘s “Rumors” certainly feels much stronger in retrospect, seven (!) years of life, drama, and tabloid coverage later. Just today she wryly remarked that her house arrest gave her the opportunity to do some much-postponed decorating.
Which brings us to Britney, the most vocal opponent of paparazzi in music video since Michael Jackson. MTV News helpfully gave us a rundown of paparazzi appearances in her videos, noting six examples, one from each album, starting with Oops…I Did It Again, and without even including “I Wanna Go” (the cameras-as-alien-probes imagery in “Hold It Against Me” stands up for Femme Fatale). Her relationship with the tabloid media has never been entirely pleasant, and the relentless coverage of a series of personal and, later, legal struggles she faced in 2006 and 2007 didn’t exactly endear her to paparazzi (or vice versa).
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Good old Lindsay Lohan put her orange-tanned foot in her orange-tanned mouth when she beamed about being proud of our first “colored” president this week. Didn’t know the L.A. of 2008 was so close to the Miami of 1962. But as Paul F. Tompkins discovers, LaLohan is more entrepreneurial than political these days.
Check out this preview of tonight’s Best Week Ever episode, and tune into the whole show at 11 pm ET.
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Yep, LaLohan has signed up for a fun evening at the MTV VMAs show in L.A. on Sept 7. Can’t say if her honey-bunny constant companion Samantha Ronson will be tagged along, but ‘cmon, when aren’t these two together? If you’re a sports freak rather than a gossip hound, perhaps you’re more impressed by the fact that Michael Phelps (kingpin Olympian, beer pong genius, and Saturday Night Live host), is scheduled to present awards, too. And if you’re 14-year-old girl, you’ll be giddy to know that Ms Miley will participate.
You can read all about the latest updates to the VMAs presenters’ slate right here.
Watch videos of all the nominees, now. Watch the show on MTV, Sept 7 at 9 pm ET.
Some stars are born, some stars are made. Those in the latter category probably worked for Disney. No other entertainment conglomerate has an equal knack for nursing young talent until they ripen into mega-selling cash cows. With Miley Cyrus in mags, TV and radio these days, we thought it was time to catch up with the most prominent grads of Disney U. See who made the list, which stretches from Britney to The Jonas Brothers.
The 15 Biggest Disney Stars
According to reports over the weekend, the rumored lesbian relationship between Lindsay Lohan and her constant companion Samantha Ronson was over. PerezHilton reported the couple broke up after a fight at a restaurant, and Lindsay spent Sunday by the pool at the Roosevelt Hotel while her things were being moved out of Ronson’s place. Bummer.
But! There’s hope. Yesterday Linds received a visit from her main woman on the set of her new movie Labor Pains, and it looks like all it took was a peace offering of Lindsay’s most prized posessions — a pack of Marlboros and a Red Bull — for the two to get back together.
Linds and Sam then met a pink-haired Lily Allen for dinner, probably to discuss philosophy or the recent rumblings in the Democratic party, or maybe how each will do their part to confuse the hell out of the international gossip press by upping their antics.
What better way to celebrate a successful stint in rehab than to open yourself up to the acrimony of the public (Exhibit A: Britney) by recording an album? That’s precisely what Lindsay Lohan is planning to do — the uninsurable actress and marginally talented singer has announced plans to start work on her third album, tentatively titled Nobody’s Angel. Indeed. In more upsetting news, The New York Daily News is also reporting that La Lohan might be back on the sauce, having been spotted out in New York City drinking.
Given our familiarity with Linds’ back catalog (we own Raw and A Little More Personal), our hearts are aflutter with the possibilities of all this album will be. Here are a few tracks we’d love to see end up on there.
1. “The Black Kid Was Driving”
2. I Know Who Killed My Career…Me
3. Riley’s Song
4. Coke Ain’t All It’s Cracked Up To Be
5. Daddy’s Little Girl
6. I’m (In) OK (Magazine)…You’re (Not In) OK (Magazine)
7. Sober…Enough (duet with Britney Spears)
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Whoops! Apparently Lindsay Lohan wasn’t that rich, because girlfriend’s gone out and blown all her money and is now not allowed to spend a dime. A source says, “Dina must think Lohan is a serious addict, and she’s afraid if she gives her even $20, she’ll run out and buy drugs and booze.”
I guess Dina is smart, cuz that’s definitely where Lindsay’ll go – right to the corner. Linds is supposedly so desperate for cash that she went begging to Damon Dash and 50 Cent for some money. Lindsay and 50 Cent are pals? We had no idea. That’s weirder than him and Kanye getting along. Luckily both hip hop moguls are smart enough not to fork anything over, so some “music industry insider” passed her some cash. Lindsay’s thank you? “I’m good for it, I’ll make a huge comeback. I am, after all, the most famous person on the planet right now!” Nice. Her mom taught her class as well as money management skills. Unless Lindsay has another Mean Girls up her sleeve, that poor “insider” is totally getting screwed. It’s probably Paula Abdul - them drugged up crazy ladies gotta stick together, right? [A Socialite's Life. Image: Getty]
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Lindsay Lohan‘s former bodyguard, Tony Almeida, who worked for the starlet from 2002-2005, has come forward to rat out her parents for being totally crappy at their job. This is hardly news, as even tiny babies know that Michael’s a loon and Dina’s one of those enabling, “I wanna be BFFs with my kids,” kind of ladies. But Tony gives us even more disastrous deets about the Lohans, like the time Michael got so violent while driving on the highway he pulled their car over and slammed Lindsay against the hood, screaming at her and calling her a slut. Nice.
Dina didn’t help the situation, apparently letting her daughter booze at parties and have sleepovers with her then-boyfriend Aaron Carter at fifteen. Letting her daughter go near that scrawny thing was her first mistake right there! Tony also claims he once found Lindsay snorting “powder” in a closet, and says she cut herself repeatedly and threatened suicide, desperate for attention. Sounds like she’s gonna need a lot more help than a third stint in rehab. Just do a Drew Barrymore and get rid of ‘em all Linds! Even if your ex-security guy is lying, your fam did let you make that stripper-murder movie, and that alone is grounds for dismissal. [NY Post. Image: Getty]
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Linds is hopefully settling in to her new rehab bedroom by now, ready to slowly climb back on the wagon. Her rep reports that the star is at an undisclosed treatment facility, and also released this official statement:
“Addiction is a terrible and vicious disease. Since Lindsay transitioned to outpatient care, she has been monitored on a SCRAM bracelet and tested daily in order to support her sobriety. Throughout this period, I have received timely and accurate reports from the testing companies. Unfortunately, late yesterday I was informed that Lindsay had relapsed. The bracelet has now been removed. She is safe, out of custody and presently receiving medical care.”
Perhaps a new day will shed more on what led Lindsay to hop in a car and chase down her assistant and her assistant’s mother. And maybe we’ll also learn why the starlet was reaching out to papparazzi agencies offering to sell them photos for cash. But for now, sit back, relax, tighten that alcohol monitoring device around your ankle and enjoy the above video of a police officer and his ‘stache telling you all you need to know about Lindsay’s wild ride off the deep end.
All Lindsay Pics
Actress. Singer. Tabloid Princess. Since exploding on the scene in 2004′s Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan has proven herself to be a bombshell triple threat (quadruple if you take into account her moving vehicle violations). After relatively wholesome trips through the Disney remake machine (The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, Herbie: Fully Loaded), Linds has branched out, and this Friday appears in the striptastic thriller I Know Who Killed Me as an imperiled young woman with a split personality.
Following her pole-friendly turn in IKWKM, La Lohan doesn’t have much on the docket except for some pending legal matters you may or may not have heard about. To help stave off the inevitable (but hopefully healthful) withdrawal caused by Lindsay’s pop culture sabbatical, enjoy the following photographic greatest hits.
