Earlier this month, I predicted that celebrities would start pushing back against paparazzis themselves. I used the recent activities of Britney Spears as an example (driving over paparazzi if they refuse to get out of her way, etc.) as well as Nicole Kidman's recent trial testimony on how terrifying the paparazzi can be.
Today, I read that Julia Roberts is pushing back at the paparazzi -- and it's caught on video (see it here).
Seems paparazzi were filming Julia at a school in Los Angeles (presumably, her kids' school, but I don't have confirmation of that). Seeing this, Julia follows them in her Mercedes SUV, honking the horn and waving until they pull over. Then she gets out, and confronts the paparazzi (quoting Breitbart.Com) as they are videotaping her:
"Turn it [the video camera] off," Roberts tells the photographers. "I want to talk to you about the fact that you're at a school where children go. Turn it off."
My prediction: it's one thing when Britney Spears starts to push back, it's another when it's Julia Roberts. Having Julia Roberts do this will, I predict, empower other celebrities to confront the paparazzi, as well.
I also predict that these confrontations are going to get nasty, and physical, as tensions mount. I believe someone is going to get hurt, maybe seriously hurt, in LA before anything is done to deal with these guys.
And, I predict that this victim is going to be a celebrity and it will only be after this tragic circumstance that something will be done about the paparazzi. Princess Di wasn't enough -- she was an icon, and she was across the waters. It's going to be someone close to home, doing something like Julia - protecting kids - who gets really hurt.
And, we'll know about it because the paparazzi will sell that story and those photos, too.