14 DAY TRIAL // One month ago, Steven Tyler testified in front of the Congress for the need for an anti-paparazzi law in Hawaii. The Steven Tyler Act has been passed, MSN UK reports.
The act was drafted by Tyler’s attorney, at his suggestion, after various, not too pleasant encounters he had with the paparazzi in the area over the years.
Tyler is aware that being a celebrity can come with a certain amount of unwanted media attention, but the ever-present and intrusive paparazzi are disrupting the life of the community.
This was the main reason why he even considered lobbying for a bill that would make their activity illegal, he said.
“The Hawaii state senate has passed a Bill that seeks to protect celebrities from overeager paparazzi. The so-called Steven Tyler Act would create a civil violation if people take unwanted photos or videos of others in their private moments,” MSN informs.
“The rock star from Massachusetts asked Senator Kalani English to sponsor the legislation after unwanted photos were taken of him last December in Maui. Twenty-three of the state's 25 senate members voted in favor of the Bill, which now goes to the House for consideration,” the same media outlet states.
“Senator Sam Slom, the body's only Republican, opposed the Bill. He says the state already has adequate privacy laws and that the state legislature has been the butt of jokes across the country for its support of the Bill,” adds MSN.
The “problem” of the paparazzi or, better yet, of the lengths they would go to get their shot, has been prompting intense debate on the need to create new laws that would prevent them from invading people’s privacy the way they’re doing right now.
2013 kicked off on a sad note, when one paparazzo was killed on the highway, as he put all safety aside to run across to snap pictures of Justin Bieber in his car – and Bieber wasn’t even there because he had lent the vehicle to a friend.
Then, an increasing number of celebrities are lamenting that the paparazzi are ruining their kids’ lives by constantly harassing and yelling at them: just the other day, Ben Affleck lost his cool when photographers got too close to his daughter, scaring her and making her cry.