Surfers Protect McConaughey, Attack the Paps
A brawl broke out on the beaches of Malibu Saturday afternoon when a group of surfers attacked paparazzi who were snapping pics of Matthew McConaughey.
One shutterbug told police that a mob of surfers approached the photogs near Paradise Cove where the often-shirtless actor was surfing with friends. The surfers demanded everyone stop filming and taking pictures, but when that didn’t happen, things got physical.
“[The surfers] formed a semicircle in front of his camera and they said [McConaughey] didn’t want him to film,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore told the Los Angeles Times. “They got into an argument, and [the photographer] indicated that he received injuries…[The surfers] took the video camera and threw it in the water.”
There are reports that another paparazzo suffered a broken nose.
Detectives are investigating the melee, which was caught on tape by TMZ.com and X17online.com.
McConaughey’s people have yet to comment.
Scorned Shutterbug Sues Woody Harrelson Again
This guy knows his name but doesn’t wish Woody Harrelson any good cheer.
Photographer Josh Levine sued the Oscar-nominated actor for $2.5 million Friday, claiming Harrelson injured him both physically and emotionally when he roughed him up two years ago outside a Hollywood club, per the Los Angeles Times.
According to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Levine was working for TMZ.com on June 29, 2006, when he approached Harrelson near the intersection of Las Palmas Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, only to tape the actor going medieval for the camera.
The video Levine shot at the time shows the paparazzo approaching Harrelson and calling out to get his attention.
The White Men Can’t Jump star broke Levine’s camera, choked him and shoved the camera into his ribs, the complaint alleges.
Levine is seeking $2.5 million in damages to compensate for mental, physical, nervous and emotional pain and suffering. He is also suing one of Harrelson’s bodyguards, who he claims was ordered to attack him.
Harrelson’s camp couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. The L.A. District Attorney’s Office investigated the incident at the time but no charges were ever filed.
Levine originally sued the former sitcom star for assault and battery last year but dropped his case in January. His attorney said at the time, however, that the photog was contemplating revisiting the matter in the future.
DA Rolls Over on Britney Foot-Fault Case
Britney Spears’ hands are clean as far as the paparazzi’s feet are concerned.
The Los Angeles District Attorney has declined to file charges against the tarnished popster, stemming from a photographer’s claim that she drove over his foot in November while attempting to steer through the usual shutterbug scrum outside the Four Seasons hotel, News confirms.
After reviewing footage of the crowd at the scene, shot by one of the paparazzi on hand, authorities concluded that the “only way the victim’s foot could have been where the video indicates it to be was by the victim placing it in that location,” according to the district attorney’s report. “There was a lot of noise and confusion as the photographers were jockeying for position. (View the report.)
Spears told police at the time she had no recollection of her car coming into contact with anyone as she motored away from the hotel. The district attorney agreed that there was no evidence to prove the “Gimme More” singer was aware she was voluntarily leaving the scene of an accident.
The accusatory photog filed a complaint in Maysix months after the alleged incidentasking that Spears be charged with a felony for leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury.
But Spears ended up escaping the Great Rollover Epidemic of 2007 relatively unscathed. She was also never prosecuted for grazing a sheriff’s deputy’s foot, and a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge for leaving the scene after bumping into a parked car last year was dropped after she settled up with the owner of the other vehicle.
Hayden Panettiere: Feel the Burn!
Hayden Panettiere: Feel the Burn!
How in the world does Hayden Panettiere always look so good? Well, for starters, she’s constantly hitting the gym and breaking a sweat.
The “Heroes” star was on her way to Ultra Body Fitness Gym in West Hollywood yesterday when the paparazzi caught up with her. According to one shutterbug, “Hayden had some confusion as to where to park her car before heading inside for her workout.”
Of course, when you drive a Porsche SUV, there is careful consideration taken whenever it comes time to find a parking spot.
This blonde beauty will be enjoying some time off from her hit show, as “Heroes” just concluded Volume II “Generations” last night. And if you missed it, shame on you!
Tim Kring, the creator and executive producer of “Heroes” revealed some of the method to his madness in the season-closing episode.
The fates of Nathan and Niki are, according to Kring, “up in the air and will be determined when we come back after the strike. Things are fairly dire for them both.”
As for Adam, he was teleported by Hiro into a coffin buried in a Japanese cemetery… the same Japanese cemetary in which Adam killed Kaito (Hiro’s father). Kring told press, “It’s poetic justice to have Adam end up in the same graveyard as Kaito. We’ve given the audience no reason to believe that Adam can figure a way to get out of there. The fact that he can live forever makes this the most gruesome of internments. If this happened to any of us, at least we’d know we’d soon have the mercy of death. Not here.”