War on Cameras, Rock Star Edition: "Steven Tyler Act" Dies in Hawaii
Aerosmith frontman and rehab enthusiast Steven Tyler has a house on Maui. Not so long ago, Tyler pushed Hawaii lawmakers to craft a celebrity privacy bill that, unsurprisingly gathered support from other publicity hounds who always want to be in the news except when they don't.
Foxnews.com has the dish:
Tyler, who owns a multimillion dollar home on Maui, earlier said he asked Sen. Kalani English, from Maui, to introduce the bill after someone photographed him with his girlfriend at his home in December.
Along with Tyler, rock legend Mick Fleetwood, who has restaurant in McKelvey's district, personally appeared to urge lawmakers to pass the bill. Their appearance generated buzz in the state Capitol, as staffers snapped cellphone pictures of the stars and compared them in the hallways after the hearing.
Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne and several other high-profile celebrities also submitted written testimony in favor of the bill.
Alas, for Tyler and his rag-tag band of citizen activists, the bill is unlikely to pass, which means that such folks—despite their god-like status on stages around the world—will be treated kinda sorta like the rest of us. If only First Amendment rights weren't so important that they apply even to paparazzi! And, of course, to citizens photographing the cops. Thank god that we live a nation of laws, not moobs.
In 2010, Reason TV, with the help of C-SPAN's Brian Lamb, asked the terrifying-yet-urgen question: "Why have cameras been in Katie Couric's colon but not the Supreme Court?" The answer may surprise you.