Britney Spears vs. The Paparazzi

After viewing the photos of Britney Spears' umbrella attack on the paparazzi, I felt as though I had gazed upon something I wasn't meant to see. It felt a little creepy viewing photos of someone who is obviously in great distress, but at the same time, photos like these sell tabloids and increase traffic to the gossip blogs. Britney's plight reminds me of the movie poster for Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". Just like Tippi Hedren, Britney runs screaming in horror as the winged beasts swoop down upon her. She may want (and certainly deserves) her privacy now that she's trying to recover, but I wonder if she'll seek out the attention of the paparazzi when she's ready to make her big comeback. Medium: gouache on paper, photoshop.

Comments

[Chloe]

you portray britney so negatively =( give her a break she's trying to make a good comeback.

gooood work though, on your other art pieces. u're quite a talent

[Dirty Denise]

The nasty sk*nk was flashing her privates like there was no tomorrow, she is just vulgar.

[Dirty Denise]

Karma is a B*TCH! She was all smiles and glee while she was screwing a man away from his pregnant girlfriend. Bragging about how much she was screwing Kevin per day, while he had a another woman pregnant with is child.

[Shannon]

This one is your best yet.

[Puhleeze]

Gimme a break. She's no victim, she's brought all of this upon herself. She was flashing her stuff in front of the cameras for all the world to see, now poor little Bri-Bri is being hounded by the mean ol' photogs.

She can't have it both ways.

[Kai]

I don't think the public is very responsible- I think we just take what we're fed. I would be happy if I never had to hear about Paris Hilton or K-Fed. About a week ago, I wasn't asking myself, "What's the status of Britney's hair?" I hear a higher amount of celebrity gossip than actual news- and it's not because I'm some kind of gossip whore, rather, the opposite (whenever I see a tabloid with the title "Is _____ pregnant?" my response is, "Who gives a flying rip?") but I can't help but hear about it. Celebrity gossip is spread more quickly and pervasively than real news. I have a few conspiracy theories I could share, but... (like you'd believe me anyway, I already told you I'm paranoid schizophrenic). I don't give a rip about brands, either. To me, brands and celebrities are part of the same mindset. It's buying into pop culture. We tend to believe that a Louis Vitton (sp?) handbag is much more special that a generic one, and that these celebrities are wonderful, radiant beings, and we're willing to spend quite a bit of money on feeding these illusions. (I am amazed what a woman is willing to spend on something because of the brand name.) So, we're partially responsible. I halfway retract my previous statement. If we stopping buying the tabloids and the Louis Vitton handbags, they'd probably stop making and marketing them. But, I think these items of pop culture are like spam (not the meat substance)- inundating the general populace for the few that do buy in. Rant off. Britney, I am feeling sorry for you, because your face says you were in a similiar state of mind as I have been in, just please hide for a while and care for yourself. And a tip- try to keep the goodwill for as long as possible, and don't go flash your crotch or something.

Shalom,
Kai
(Your token Jewish commentor who is currently sick)

[Jenn F.]

"Without a market, there's no money to be made, therefore, no reason to produce the product."

Yes of COURSE the papparazzi are in business because people want to see pictures of celebs. My point was that the public are not the ones that cross the line so brutally... it wasn't always this bad, the papparazzi are getting bolder and bolder and it's going a bit too far. A line has to be drawn somewhere as to what is acceptable and what is invasive, and I think the majority of public would agree to this. The papparazzi and magazine editors are not robots, they're people. Some of them tend to make questionable decisions, and some of them have absolutely no morals. My point was that THIS cannot be blamed on the public.

[Lia]

Brilliant.

[Blurgle]

Too bad she has her publicist call the tabloids up EVERY DAY and tell them where she's going to be. She goes to great lengths to ensure - ENSURE - that the paparazzi are following her at every conceivable moment.

This was a publicity stunt, pure and simple, and she's laughing her way to the bank with it.

[media whore]

"I don't think the public, the people viewing gossip sites or buying the tabloids can be blamed for the behaviour of pushy papparazzi. We aren't climbing up anyone's ass, we're just looking at what's shown to us."

There wouldn't be a reason for the papparazzi to behave the way they do if the public were not buying the tabloids, discussing what they see, or otherwise consuming the sensationalistic product. Without a market, there's no money to be made, therefore, no reason to produce the product. We can kid ourselves into thinking otherwise, but we have to admit we're part of the problem if we put money into the papparazzi's pockets. Just sayin'.

[Alexander Nevermind]

This made me lol. Me love you long time, 14.

[druese]

Yes, the whole Britney Spears thing was just plain gross, after she shaved her head with this crazy look it wasn't fun anymore, your poster captures the essence of this very well.... Bytheway, lately, i always had to think of another movie, which remindes me of Britney's "plight", maybe you have heard of the movie "vie privee" with brigitte bardot, the poster of this sixties movie is magnificent....
http://www.oeil-ecran.com/affiche/vie_privee

greetings!

[deanna]

The picture is superb. I can't tell if she's screaming out of anger, madness or both. JennF I must say I agree with you entirely on all of the points you made. I am not convinced Brittany is the troubled and distressed individual she is being portrayed as. I suppose from the time Kevin left his very 8 month pregnant fiance and mother of his first child for a very young self centered Brittany Spears, sympathy for the problems BS has brought upon herself escapes me. (Fortunately I cannot empathize with BS because I do not know what it is to come between a pregnant woman and her fiance with so much ease and sparkle, and break up a family unit in the process)
No one ever discussed how humiliating it certainly must have been to have the father of your child drop you quicker than piss could hit the ground, all in a very public way, and shack up with the now ailing Brittany Spears. Shar Jackson had neither the money or resources to pull herself together as BS, and managed to hold her head up and move on despite it all. I do believe people reep what they sow. Eventually the bills come due and somebody has to pay a price and there is no doubt BS is paying up with dividends. Now I am not relishing in her alleged misery, alleged breakdown or alleged meltdown I just hope for the sake of all her fans and especially the really devoted fans, she will find a way to bust a move in a different direction.... of course without the umbrella and stuff.

[gossipaddicted]

cute...I put this in my blog!
thanks
XXX
Isabella

[scungilli]

an amazing and apt portrayal! i bet even b herself would like this one.

[The Muffin]

I heard that her first ex husband said she had a drug habit way before any of this ever started...if this is the case, I don't feel sorry for her. It doesn't happen to all druggies, but for some people (and the amount of stress that she is under at times) heavy drug use is degenerative. This is her own fault.

[TeesMyBody.com T-Shirts]

I don't know, the more I look at the pics - is bald britney hotter than blonde brit?

Bob Hasko
www.TeesMyBody.com T-Shirts

[pun_inpendid]

I actually think both paps and celebs cross lines at times in different ways. Some of them - not all. Well said/articulated Jenn F. : ) Sometimes I wish I wasn't so interested in looking at what was put in front of me. Never with 14's stuff though - her work always amuses me to no end and also makes me think.

[J.]

Not that I care much either way, but if this all spurs her to some self-awareness and she changes from a marionette to an actual person...what the hell, I'll pour a little out for her.

I wonder who that would make the Blue Fairy.

I think the public ditching of her persona is not a bad start actually; it does appear to be a stressed, cornered reaction rather than a deliberate decision, though.

[Chansmom]

After seeing that video, I almost felt sorry for her. But really, if she wanted privacy, she could have gone for a vehicle with very dark windows, and a bigger driver. She does have body guards, right?

Yep, there's going to be some kind of lawsuit filed by the photographer. It's just typical.

Hope she gets her act together.

Good idea on the Birds angle, 14.

[WTF]

Exactly Jenn. And I've said it before on different sites and I'll keep on saying it, "Britney, LL & Paris would DIE if the paps left them alone".

[Wes]

Come on people - she LOVES this shit! Did you see her shit eating grin while being driven to rehab? Bet everything in my pockets that she's close to being broke.

[Jenn F.]

Heehee. The Birds. Well done, 14.

Well, here's my opinion, to which of course I'm perfectly entitled. I'm pretty split down the middle on this one.

I pity anyone who has to put up with that kind of over-the-top intrusion, particularly people who never asked for the attention (such as the late Princess Diana). I think that the media has gone way overboard. Yes the public is interested in seeing pictures, hearing stories, etc., but it's not the public that crosses the line ~ media/papparazzi choose to push and push to get as much as possible, even to the detriment of the famous person they're focusing on. I don't think the public, the people viewing gossip sites or buying the tabloids can be blamed for the behaviour of pushy papparazzi. We aren't climbing up anyone's ass, we're just looking at what's shown to us. Would I care if some pictures of Britney shaving her head were not available to view? Not at all. I'm interested if it's more or less put in front of me... I don't go hunting for it. But that's just me.

On the other hand, as much as I feel sorry for media targets such as Britney, I also think that you just can't "have your cake and eat it too". Using the media and all of the attention when it suits you, and then expecting it to all just turn off when you'd prefer? You can't expect it to work that way. There are plenty of celebs out there who keep a relatively low profile, who don't appear in the tabloids very often. They don't choose to eat lunch on the patio of the Ivy on a regular basis.

For example, look at Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner after the whole Bennifer thing with Ben and Lopez passed. The media were ALL over Garner and Affleck. Eventually they passed them up as "boring". You occasionally see them grocery shopping with their kid ~ people yawn, and move on. I expect that the papparazzi aren't chasing them the way they chase Britney or Lindsay. Why? Because Garner and Affleck are "boring". They don't work the cameras the way Britney and Lindsay have in the past. Remember when Britney and K-Fed first got together? There were pictures of them on some hotel balcony in their bathing suits, Britney grabbing Fed-Ex's crotch and sticking out her tongue for the cameras. They also rolled around making out on the beach numerous times. They also video-taped their personal lives and shared it with the world on t.v. ~ there's been so much "Look at me! Look at me!" and acting up for the cameras, of COURSE the papparazzi are chasing her around waiting for the next performance. Remember a few years back Britney made this big announcement to the world that she'd be going into hiding for a while, stepping out of the spotlight, etc.? That never happened, did it? She continued to mug for the cameras, lunching and shopping in conspicuous places, offering all kinds of photo opps.

Britney and Lohan have a love-hate relationship with the media. Can't live without it, need it, want it... but then when the camera catches something that makes them look less than perfect, they suddenly don't like that. Britney appeared to always love the camera until it started showing her looking like a slob, almost dropping her baby, etc. ~ then suddenly it's not so desirable to always be photographed. Well, what do you expect?

Want to be dogged by papparazzi non-stop? Go hang out at all of the famous hotspots. Flash your cootch repeatedly. Shave your head in public instead of in your own bathroom. Want to be left alone? Have a lower profile. Disappear a little. Stay home for a night.

[gigi]

Too good! Especially the X17 mention...what a bunch of Vultures!

[pun_inpendid]

An apropos depiction 14. Often things are taken too far or handled unprofessionally in the salacious quest for more photos, more gossip, more publicity and more money, etc. Lines are crossed. Looks to be wholly unpleasant, intrusive, and at times, terrifying. I wouldn't want to be a target of an attack of this magnitude and sympathize with those who are, though I do recognize that my continuing to view the pics. and read the gossip rags and news articles has helped feed this frenzy - to the detriment, as well as to the benefit, of the stars - and I am not proud of my part in it. An addiction in itself, I guess. I'm certain that Britney has often felt like that and I'd bet the paps she attacked with the umbrella (or attempted to) got a chance to understand what it might be like to be in her shoes. Makes relative obscurity look a lot more attractive, and safer, too.

[Tee]

Yeah and she deserves the buzzards that are swarming her now...including Fed-ex. She was only as "good" as her handlers. I know all too well...and so does everyone else.
I truly believe, in all secerity, that Mama Lynne should raise those children.
Anyway 14, great work as always!!!
LOVE YOU!!

[salmonella]

The most memorable thing in those photos were the fact that she had eyes like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining!"

[Melanie]

Wonderful. The more this Britney thing goes on, the more I feel awful for her and what she is going through. It can't be easy to have to suffer in the spotlight like that on top of everything else.

[midevil]

Good gawd, not your mother (wait, I don't know her!). Ooops. Yeah. This one can go either way, really.

*sits back and waits*

[Demon Kitty]

I am sure the comments for this one will be really interesting ... I can't wait to see them.

The paparazzi do seem aggravating as hell. They kind of remind me of my mother.