Where have all the paparazzi gone? Tom Cruise and family find privacy here as recession curtails celebrity photographers
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Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes snapped this past summer by a photographer for X17 Online. -
Jackie Onassis at Bonwitt Teller on Fifth Avenue, New York, Oct. 15, 1970. This photo, copyrighted by Ron Galella. who followed her relentlessly, is on display at The Andy Warhol Museum.
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Tom Cruise is an A-list movie star. Movie stars are honey to the paparazzi bees. And yet so far, Mr. Cruise has been relatively People photo spread-free while he's been in Pittsburgh this fall to shoot the thriller "One Shot."
Credit, or possibly blame, the economic recession.
Sure, there have been photos making the rounds of Mr. Cruise, wife Katie Holmes and their adorable little daughter, Suri, visiting Soergel Orchards and Farm Market in Franklin Park.
Better yet were a set that appeared in the British Daily Mail of the three enjoying a crisp October day in Oakland, Shadyside and Downtown -- the family riding the Schenley Plaza merry-go-round and visiting Starbucks.
And the best: The family strolling Downtown, trailed by other pedestrians, several of whom were dressed in scary makeup for that weekend's annual "Zombie Walk."
But for the most part, the in-your-face celebrity photographers known worldwide as paparazzi have kept their distance. It's certainly not for lack of interest -- of the many actors who have come to town to shoot movies, Mr. Cruise's star power is unquestioned.
"I think at this point right now, in the economy, it's just hard to find a budget to send photographers to any single city," said Brandy Navarre, editor and co-owner with her husband, Francois, of Los Angeles celeb news and photo agency X17 Online.
"While Tom Cruise is certainly at the top of the A list, it's really a budgetary issue for us: How much is it going to cost us to fly a photographer out from New York or LA to stay there working all day?"
Celeb photos are big business -- truly buzzworthy shots can still fetch in the six figures, although the market appears to have cooled a bit since the mid-2000s.
Mr. Cruise has staying power, particularly when he's with his wife and child. Although none of the crew from "One Shot" was available for comment, it's clear from past events that its star has no love for the paparazzi.
In 1998, while driving one of his children with former wife Nicole Kidman, he was followed by three vehicles. According to a police report, Mr. Cruise said the cars kept slowing down and speeding up around him, almost causing an accident.
First Published November 9, 2011 12:00 am
