Monday, October 19, 2009

Schmuck Alert: Heene Circus Ruckus

With the media circus camped out in front of Heene's house the roads are packed with News Cars, Live Trucks, Sat Trucks and bodies with Cameras moving to and fro gathering the footage that the housecats desire.

But that's no excuse for what happened today when a "neighbor" tried to get past the gaggle of media and jumped out bitchin' and moaning and groaning about the parked cars and pedestrians endangering HIM! Gimme a break!

With umpteen cameras rolling he decides to get out and challenge one of the news guys in front of the rest of the pack.

Another apparant news guy jumps the neighbor when the neigbor looks like he's getting ready to deck the first news guy. (It was quite the takedown - I give it a 10)

They went round and round, the 2nd news guy asked for others to help him out, but the neighbor got the upper hand, popping the news guy in the face a few times before they broke apart and got up.

One thing that bothers me about this scene is some of the audio in the video where some people are saying for people to stop filming the event. What?!

I can understand if they're just asking for people to help the guy out but it sounded like they wanted to not have footage of the news guy engaging the neigbor. Not a good idea.

Still, this neighbor acted like a jackass and is probably just doing it for the show!

Schmuck!






 

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Schmuck Alert: Who's the Loser Now?




No one likes shooting weather video. It's rather boring, often intemperate and always inconvenient. But rarely do you have to worry about jackholes crawling out of the woodwork. Until now. KATU photographer Bob Bullock appeared to be minding his own business while his camera rolled on a rainy day outside Laurelhurst School in Southeast Portland, when a man approached him and came undone. First, Peter Fournier pressed his back against Bullock's camera, blocking its view. Then he accelerated his ire: cursing the hapless photog, calling him a "loser reporter" and finally, taking a few swipes. Video aired by KATU shows the ensuing struggle, including footage of Fournier manhandling the camera as well as some unfortunate off-screen 'sounds of distress'.

Reportedly, Peter Fournier was upset that Bullock was shooting video of children. It's unclear if he was, though the KATU photog was within his legal right to do so from his public property perch. Harrassing kids seems to a special concern of Fournier, as he's previously been excluded from Laurelhurst Park for using a stun gun on a minor. For his latest vigilante efforts, Fournier was arrested for assault, malicious mischief and impersonating an officer (having waved a badge, assumedly coated in cereal dust, at the KATU photog.) As for Bullock, he suffered cuts and bruises in the melee but now has a great cocktail party story to tell about the day 'that whackjob accosted him in the park'. The lesson here kids? Always Be Rollin'. You never when some delusional superhero is gonna pop out of the bushes and declare war on your lens...

Schmuck!