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Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez Blast Paparazzi in Documentary $ellebrity

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Updated on June 21, 2012

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Kevin Mazur, a long-time rock and roll photographer, red carpet staple, and WireImage co-founder, is turning the spotlight on his own profession in his debut documentary, $ellebrity, which chronicles the emergence of the modern-day paparazzi. The subject is a wonderful fit. After all, WireImage (bought by Getty Images in 2007) is known for photographing celebrities at award events, onstage, and in public.

Jennifer Aniston despises them, as does Jennifer Lopez. Sarah Jessica Parker describes them as “scary.”

$ellebrity pemiered in March at South by Southwest.

Celebrity culture. Whether you like it or not, it is here to stay. The paparazzi have built a multi-million dollar industry out of photographing the affluent and famous in their most personal moments. These pictures are widely devoured by a populace whose lives may not be as flawless or exciting as those depicted in glossy publications. It’s voyeurism and escapism wrapped up in a disposable packaging.

Marc Anthony encouraged Mazur to launch the $elebrity initiative two years ago. “We’re friends,” Mazur tells The Hollywood Reporter, and he said, ‘Nobody Knows this business better than you.’ ” As a result, Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elton John, Kid Rock, and others were interviewed and ended up narrating the documentary, which is currently in its final editing stages.

“People have always expected me to do music videos, but I’ve always wanted to do films,” Mazur says, echoing the ambitions of other shutterbugs-turned-directors such as Spike Jonze, David Lachapelle, and Danny Clinch. “Our goal in making the film was to have an intelligent conversation between all parties — the paparazzi, celebrities, and industry people.”

Crow discusses how she managed her split with Lance Armstrong while battling breast cancer. Parker recalls paparazzi chasing her along New York streets, while Lopez and Marc Anthony recall helicopters hovering above their wedding.

Aniston’s life, which will be included in the documentary, has been scrutinized since she came to prominence on Friends. When she married, then divorced, actor Brad Pitt, the intensity of that microscope’s gaze rose tenfold.

The interviews were done by Rolling Stone writer David Wild, and they are both honest and, in some circumstances, shockingly laid back — a tribute to the performers’ trust in Mazur and their faith in the project. “It’s fun to watch the Jennifer and Marc segments because they’re so relaxed and joking with each other,” says Mazur. “It’s like just hanging out in their house.”

Alec Baldwin isn’t in the documentary, but he’d be ideal for hosting a screening, even if it meant wearing a white blanket over his head.

The film looks at both sides of the coin — from the perspective of the photographed and the photographers, the devoured and the consumers, the famous and the fame-makers.

Mazur notes that his team did not simply focus on the stars while documenting the development of tabloid journalism from Hollywood’s earliest scandals to the most recent editions of Us Weekly. “We talked to people on the street, newsstand owners and some photographers,” he says. “But most of those guys turn out to be hypocrites: they will take pictures of celebrities, but they won’t be photographed themselves.”