AL'S RANTS
"That Was Then, This is Now"
I came into this business in late 1989 and began covering what was the Hollywood night life. The bountiful amount of celebrities that went to then hip Hollywood hotspot Spagos Restaurant was staggering. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck had all the major parties there all the A list talent vying to get a table and the amount of autograph collectors and lensman parked on Horn Ave in West Hollywood adjacent to Tower Records was quite memorable. It was there that those startling photos of Roseanne paying street thugs to beat up a photographer made it onto the cover of The National Enquirer. Spagos was the place to be!
Not far down the block was Nicky Blair's on Sunset where Stallone used to frequent and a stones throw away was Le Dome, Elton John old haunt. Back then I started my tenure at Michelson Photo Agency with my old pal Paula Michelson in tow. We would cover the hot restaurants then finish the evening at either The Roxbury on Sunset or The China Club in Hollywood. Mondays were especially good at the China Club as they would have the impromtu celebrity jams and whatever major act was in town at the time they would wind up there. The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Guns N Roses you name they were there! A-List talent would also rub elbows there like Bruce Willis, Eddie Murphy, Clint Eastwood, etc.
Back then when there was a movie premiere everyone in town would be there, it was a big deal! Nowadays no one supports each other's films mostly you get the cast and the second bananas on television shows. I still fondly remember the best event I have ever covered at the Warner Bros. lot where every major star imaginable showed to support the rededication and anniversary of the studio, this event even blew away the Academy Awards that year! However the biggest sign of a poor turnout was always if the event was a benefit and the attendees had to pay for the tickets this was a sure way to ensure a low turnout.
Another fun thing I used to participate was the nightly Madonna chase, we would wait by her home on a side street and wait for her to drive by. When she was in town it was the same thing, sometimes in her Mercedes sometimes in her jeep and she always knew there were a couple of cars trailing her. Most of the time it was just her in the car, no body guards, no posse just Madame M and I think she had just as much fun as we did! I admit it it was juvenile but I know she knew we were there; we would play on the streets of Beverly Hills through West Hollywood to her usual eateries, she was particularly fond of Sushi. I know its' clichéd to say but "Those were the good ol' days."
A popular spot to catch celebs back in the day was covering flights arriving from New York on the luxury MGM flights it was also very easy to do as it was apart from the usually busy and congested LAX, parking was plentiful and you always knew what time to get there. On occasion we would make the journey into the main terminal like the first time I shot Howard Stern when his show debuted in Los Angeles or the adventure Steve Granitz and I had when we rushed to get Mick Jagger coming in to attend the premiere of his film Free Jack. We had heard about his flight coming in from London so we rushed in his then vintage Ford Mustang half way there it breaks down in a questionable neighborhood we push it to the side and call a cab to rush us to LAX as we arrive we have to run through the airport guards and the metal detectors just before the plane arrives. When we get to the gate we spot other paparazzis and fan out not to look conspicuous. I was the first to spot him and he sees me as he comes through the door he darts back in as his manager call security and a tram to shuttle him to the awaiting car. As the tram arrives I manage to wedge myself in front of it so that it can speed away and begin to blast Senor Mick. After about a roll or so I move out of the way just as the vehicle flys by the rest of the press. The chase ensues as cameramen lumber after the runaway rock star, I manage to fly on the back of the tram also indirectly slamming on the brakes as it brings the tram to a sudden stop and having the operator throw me off. After racing down the escalator Mick dashes inside his black towncar. Frustrated as our prey got away I left the pack and went to the opposite door and while his entourage was distracted I opened the door and stuck in my camera to get these startled photos of the aging rock icon. Needless to say his people were not pleased! I did this trick I learned from Ron Galella 2 other times once at Madonna's Truth or Dare premiere party and another time with Paul McCartney the second time was a bust as I shot the wrong person in the car but the Madonna shot were great with a towel on her head.
The politics of today's events and such has changed. I don't remember when it got so bad or when we all became so lazy and despondent but I suppose it no longer is fun for most of us any more and just a job. We used to cover everything to its' fullest arrivals the departures and then the after parties. Now we just arrive later get placed and shot arrivals and go eat! There is no longer a challenge to what we do and with the new technology it makes it even easier. We also have been flooded with an influx of foreign photographers coming to our shores to make a living, lets' face it American stars are popular the world over and they also need photos to fill their pages. I also think that the importance of media has continued to change over the years, television is the popular medium still and fortunately the tabloid television trend has seemed to go by the wayside with the cancellation of Hard Copy, Inside Edition, A Current Affair, Extra, etc. Also on the downslide are the numerous amount of dot.coms that began to populate the media pens. I also believe that the power that publicists wield has also grown considerably over the years. They decide whether or not you'll get a good usable photo or one with their arm in it pushing their client straight to the awaiting Entertainment Tonight crew.
Like everything in this wacky world, our careers have changed and sometimes not for the better but unless you want to go back to college or start a new direction in the fastfood department you gotta suck it up and adapt!
Your Man in The Trenches,
Al Ortega
