The Italian Paparazzi Scandal

                                                    If you're interested in all things paparazzi, there's an interesting story in the New York Times today about a brewing blackmail scandal in Italy involving a young photographer named Fabrizio Corona, a millionaire talent agent, various politicians, celebrities, and scantily-clad TV dancers. (Go here for the article.) Hey, Italy is the home of the paparazzi. (It all started on the Via Veneto and was immortalized in La Dolce Vita. If you want to catch up on your paparazzi history, go here.)

After you read the article, you may, like me, start wondering about how many similar schemes have never been uncovered.

This isn't the first time such a photographic blackmail scheme has been tried. Recently, photographer John Rutter tried to extort money from Cameron Diaz by threatening to distribute topless photos he'd taken of her before she was famous. He was eventually convicted of forgery, attempted grand theft, and perjury. Rutter wasn't a paparrazo, just skeezy.

Corona, the Italian photographer in the middle of the current scandal, is the real thing. In the article, he compares himself to Robin Hood, getting the analogy half right: "I steal from the rich and give to myself," he says.

--David Schonauer