BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ, [email protected]
A civil suit was filed Tuesday against the city of Fort Lauderdale, saying the city violated the constitutional rights of the public when it prohibited photography where the movie Rock of Ages was filming.
The suit was filed by SouthFloridaGayNews.com and the Society of Professional Journalists. It names the city of Fort Lauderdale and its police chief, Frank Adderley, as defendants.
As part of the movie filming in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the city had put up several yellow “no trespassing” signs around the club Revolution Live. The signs say photography in the area is “strictly prohibited.”
The lawsuit says the city has also stopped people standing outside the “no trespassing” area from taking photos of those involved in the filming of Rock of Ages, a rock-’n’-roll movie starring Tom Cruise, Russell Brand and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
That ban, the suit says, is illegal and works to “chill and deny First Amendment protections.”
“The film, its creation in South Florida, the presence of its celebrity cast in the area are newsworthy events which the local media is entitled to report on,” the suit said.
Funny that South Florida Gay News should be affiliated with a Society of Professional Journalists. Please define "Professional". The "Gay News" website looks like the webmaster is attempting to elevate tutti-fruity to high art. It manages to be both gay and tacky, which actually is a perfect description of Wilton Manors, their base. That they should now want people to take them seriously takes a lot of hutzpah.
Posted by: John Heartfield | June 18, 2011 at 01:52 PM