Happy Birthday Halsey!

 **Cross your eyes to unlock the 3-D magic!**

Photos by Diabolik

Happy Birthday Halsey!

 

Happy Birthday Mira Sorvino!

 **Cross your eyes to unlock the 3-D magic!**

Photos by Diabolik

Happy Birthday Mira Sorvino!

Actress Mira Sorvino at the LAX protest against Donald Trump's Muslim ban, January 29, 2017.

I'm so proud of these shots, because it's not every day that you bump into an Academy Award winning actress at an impromptu protest. I had just interviewed her, and asked for a photo as well, and she kindly posed for me. Mira is not a big fan of paparazzi, so I was honored that she was so agreeable. And her outfit was phenomenal! Especially seen in 3-D because it because you can see the shimmer of her velvet coat that can't quite be captured with flat photography.

 

For context, Trump had just taken office the first time around, and he immediately implemented his "Muslim Ban". Seven people had been detained at LAX. I was there for my usual celebrity hunt, as LAX was kind of my territory. (Other paps hated shooting there because the photos were never as glamorous as beach or shopping shots, but I didn't mind it because most celebrities would expect to see us there, so most of them didn't really mind it most of the time.)

 

Then, mid-day, protesters started showing up by the thousands, shutting down the entire airport! It was the most glorious sight I ever witnessed. It went on well into the night. In the crowd, I also ran into the creator of "Community" and "Rick & Morty" (and my personal hero) Dan Harmon, who also gave me a great interview. 

 

It was truly a historic day, and one of the greatest of my career, because I also got possibly my best portrait of all time that day, of actress and director Milana Vayntrub holding a sunflower and also handing out donuts to fellow protesters. 

 

I posted this video of the protest: https://youtu.be/kVYsAEtamew

 

   

 

Happy Birthday Gwyneth Paltrow!

  **Cross your eyes to unlock the 3-D magic!**

Photos by Diabolik 

Happy Birthday Gwyneth Paltrow! 

Gwyneth Paltrow arriving for a book signing at Williams_Sonoma in Beverly Hills, CA. 

April 21, 2011

Gwyneth Paltrow at LAX airport in Los Angeles, CA, on Saturday the 19th of January, 2013.

Happy Birthday Avril Lavigne!

  **Cross your eyes to unlock the 3-D magic!**

Photos by Diabolik 

Happy Birthday Avril Lavigne!

 

Avril Lavigne arrives at her surprise gig at the Viper Room in West Hollywood, CA.  25th April, 2013. 

Avril Lavigne arrives at the Rolling Stone Magazine 2010 American Music Award (AMAs) VIP After Party at the grand opening of the Rolling Stone Restaurant & Lounge (RS | LA) in Hollywood, CA. 11/21/10

Avril Lavigne at the 17th ANNUAL RACE TO ERASE MS GALA at The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, CA. 5/7/10

Avril Lavigne at Bristol Farms in Los Angeles, CA. 14th September, 2013. 

Avril Lavigne arriving at LAX for her flight to London. Los Angeles, CA, May 30, 2010.

Remembering Ray Charles on his Birthday!

**Cross your eyes to unlock the 3-D magic!**

Photos by Diabolik

Remembering Ray Charles on his Birthday

It was actually MY birthday back in 2001 when I got to work with the legend himself. I was working as an assistant at a Hollywood studio hired to shoot the video elements for a Ray Charles slot machine.  

 My job, after setting up the giant green screen and lighting, was to shoot Behind-The-Scenes video, which meant that I got to film Ray improvising on the piano in between takes, up close and personal.

It was so surreal because this was a decade before my career detour as a paparazzo, and Ray was by far the biggest celebrity I had ever interacted with. He wished me a happy birthday, and even autographed one of his braille script pages for me.

FLASHBACK: Space Shuttle Endeavour Final Flight Over Los Angeles Sept 21, 2012

  **Cross your eyes to unlock the 3-D magic!**

Photos by Diabolik

FLASHBACK: Space Shuttle Endeavour
Final Flight Over Los Angeles
Sept 21, 2012

Thirteen years ago today... Los Angeles was visited by a different type of celebrity.

The Space Shuttle Endeavour was being retired and flown into the city for its eventual new home at the California Science Center.

 

 The shuttle got a piggy back ride into town on on the back of a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, escorted by two fighter jets. First it headed north, past downtown, then circled low in the skies over Los Angeles for about 30 minutes before landing at LAX. I was on the roof of a Hollywood parking structure. 

After I got this shot of the shuttle over the Hollywood sign, I ran down to my car and headed for LAX asafp, hoping to catch a cool shot of the landing.

I drove like a madman, and was amazed to see the streets lined with people, all looking up in amazement. I had to keep checking to see where the plane was in the sky, hoping I could detect when it was headed into it's final approach at LAX.

I had hoped to get to a closer bridge overlooking Sepulveda, but knew my time had run out, so I had to make a snap decision to find the nearest, highest point, to catch the landing. I knew there was a better than 50% chance they would approach from the east and, if so, fly super low over Sepulveda Boulevard in the final seconds before touchdown. The bridge had become an impromptu parking lot. Everyone had abandoned their cars and was watching the landing. 

I'm aware that the 3-D is a bit off in these shots, because the movement of the planes between frames throws off the effect. Also, it looks as if the plane is driving across the bridge, but it is in fact still in the air at this moment. 

Not quite as great of a shot as I was hoping for, but I bet I'm the only photographer who got a shot of the Hollywood flyover and the LAX landing. 

 

  

 

Best 3-D Shots of Celebrity Guests At "Jimmy Kimmel Live"

  **Cross your eyes to unlock the 3-D magic!**

Photos by Diabolik

Best 3-D Shots of Celebrity Guests At
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" 

People may not realize just how big of an impact "Jimmy Kimmel Live" had on their daily selection of paparazzi photos. The "JKL" studio is smack dab in the highest tourist traffic area of Hollywood, and offers tourists one of the only FREE places to watch for celebrities, and maybe score an autograph or even a selfie. Yes, you can get offered free tickets out in front of the El Capitan Theatre on a slow day, but many tourists are unaware that you can hang out in the alley behind the theater and wait with the paparazzi and 'graphers for the celebrities to arrive and/or leave, before or after the taping. Sometime's all you get is a wave while their people usher them quickly inside, but other times, if the celebrity is in the right mood, they might come over to sign autographs and sometimes even take selfies with the fans. 

In all of this political tribalism, cancel culture, and First Amendment battles, won't anyone think of the poor paparazzi who will be affected by this shut down? Where else are they gonna find an easy A-List target on a lazy afternoon?

Jimmy gets MAJOR stars at his show all the time, and I've gotten some great shots on lucky days. In light of this awful news, I dug through my archive for the best of my 3-D Jimmy Kimmel Live photos! Enjoy!