Malibu officials seek help from Kenneth Starr on paparazzi problem

Melbourne, Jun 9 : Malibu officials have turned to Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel who investigated President Bill Clinton's involvement with Monica Lewinsky, to help them draft restrictions on the photographers who are swarming through the celebrity-rich town.

With hordes of paparazzi swarming all over the California coastal resort of Malibu, in search of a celebrity, life is becoming very intolerable for its residents.

The paparazzi, known locally as "pap packs", invad the town by camping out at the city's schools and shopping centres and chasing celebrities along the streets, reports the Telegraph. The shopkeepers and restaurateurs are the most affected people, as the photographers block the shop doorways and stake out restaurants, driving customers away, Daily Telegraph reported.

With the ordinary residents it is a matter of avoiding the stamped created by the camera-carrying crowds, which are following the celebrities up and down the streets.

As a recent incident showed, dozens of photographers swarmed around the teenage pop star, Miley Cyrus, at a Malibu shopping centre, pushing shoppers aside as they fought to get their shots.

Mothers are becoming nervous about picking up their children from school in case a celebrity parent is there at the same time, and they become caught up in a paparazzi stampede.

ANI