“I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to take pictures."

CLASSMATE BRIAN ROMANELLI was enjoying the day when a guy started flashing his goodies at students.

Naturally, Brian started taking pictures.

When campus security came along and escorted the flasher off the fence along Broad Street, near J&H, Brian continued shooting. Until an officer told Brian that he had to stop.

Brian said, "I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to take pictures.”

The officer allegedly responded, "Not when the police tell you you can’t."

Then they cited him. The University Disciplinary Council found Brian guilty of failing to properly identify himself or to comply with the instructions or directions of a person acting in duly authorized university capacity. He was sentenced to a semester of disciplinary probation and 20 hours of community service.

By the way, the pictures? He was shooting for a class, Photography for Filmmakers.

Who is at fault here? Was he allowed to take pictures? Or should he have left the scene after police told him to go away?

UPDATE: read Brian's op/ed piece in this week's Temple News here.

Desperate Times in La La Land: What Won't They Do For Money?

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES ran a four-page spread on Sunday pimping The Soloist, a movie based upon the life of an LA Times columnist and his homeless muse.

But in reality, the four-page spread was a paid advertisement made to look like a newspage. This comes only a few days after the LA Times ran an advertisement masked as an article on the front page - an ad for a new NBC television show.

Last week, the Daily Bruin at the University of California at Los Angeles ran an entire advertisement on their front page - and the ad was designed to look like the real newspaper (right).

Is there anything wrong with newspapers selling ads in this fashion? The ads are labeled as "Paid Advertisements" so what's the problem?

Or are we endangering the integrity of the news by selling ads that look like news?

The World For $1 Per Month? What a Bargain.

YOU CAN HAVE THE world delivered to your home every month and it will only cost you $12 per year.

That is how much a subscription to Conde Nast Traveler costs - about $1 per issue.

If you subscribe to Newsweek, you get issues for about 47 cents each. The New Yorker is about 87 cents and Allure is about 89 cents per issue. They are all chock full of information and beautiful images. And they are dirt cheap.

Mag owners are considering raising prices slightly now that advertising revenue is slipping. Would you pay more?

Journalism outlets are trying everything they can to raise the money they need to produce their products. And while there has been great outcry about the potential loss of newspapers, few people are harping on the difficulties of magazines.

But reality is upon us. So, would you pay $3 per issue for a subscription to People magazine? When you look at what you get, isn't that really a bargain? And isn't a subscription still crazy cheaper than buying issues at newsstands?

Why do we expect information to be free or cheap?

Gensler: "You Suck. I Read You Every Day."

WHAT DID YOU THINK of celebrity gossip writer Howard Gensler?

Here are a few things that stood out for me:

- Tommy Lee Jones dresses well but is kind of a jerk.
- Eva Mendes? Also kind of a jerk.
- Celebrities are public figures and publicity whores.
- It's not easy being a beat writer, even on pop culture stuff. It takes knowledge of trends and history to be good at the job.
- News is disposable.
- Gossip news is an enjoyable break between the news and sports. You don't have to take it that seriously.
- Publicity agents try to manipulate the media to make their clients look good.
- If you spite Howard, he may write awful things about you.
- Junkets tarnish the image of the media outlet.
- Howard loves Bennifer.
- And he thinks marijuana should be legalized.

What stood out for you?

Celebrity News? I Want To Know!

THE WORLD IS A CRAZY PLACE. President Obama shuttles off to meet with world leaders in London and the media spends crazy amounts of time talking about how Michelle Obama had a wardrobe change ... during the flight!

It's not like the London G-20 Summit was about anything of real significance (they were just trying to resolve the global financial meltdown).

But wait a second. Is it really wrong to blame the media for providing stories about Michelle Obama and her clothes? Aren't the media really just feeding the demand from the public? Don't people want their rumors and gossip about the rich and powerful, the famous and infamous?

On Thursday, we'll delve into the seedy world of celebrity news with Howard Gensler (below), the celebrity gossip columnist for the Daily News. He'll talk about why the media spends so much time and energy on covering the stars.

In the meantime, let me know what you think about the clip above, and celebrity news in general. Is it necessary or does it just make the public more and more stupid?

Fornicating Pirates ... But With a Plot!

STUDENTS AT THE University of Maryland wanted to show "Pirates II: Stagnetti's Revenge" at their student union on Saturday. Then a bunch of politicians jumped in and forced the school to shut down the show.

Turns out the politicians think the film is pure pornography.

Sen. Andrew P. Harris was so upset that, according to the Washington Post, he offered a budget amendment: Any public university that allowed the screening of a triple-X film would forfeit state funding -- about $424 million next year in U-Md.'s case.

Should the film be allowed on campus? Is this a free speech issue? Or is the film pure obscenity, and therefore not subject to first amendment rights?

Would you be OK with students showing a nudey film on campus?

(And, is it wrong for me to post a link to the nudey movie's website on a student-read blog?)

Whoa! I See Man Ass!

THE COVER OF THIS week's Philadelphia Weekly features writer Steven Wells in a backless hospital gown. And his bare ass is exposed to anyone who walks by a PW newspaper box on the street.

The story, by the way, is about Wells' struggles with cancer.

Is it wrong for his bare ass to be offered to the public in such a manner?