Chasing Paris: A Night In The Life Of A TMZ Video-Stalker

The web-enabled stalkerazzi at TMZ.com have posted some fascinating video to accompany their story about Paris Hilton initially fleeing, and eventually being pulled over by, a police officer curious about her possibly vodka-enhanced driving skills last night. (Hilton, you undoubtedly will be relieved to know, was let off with a warning, a wrist-slap that we're sure the cops would issue to anyone who responds to their cruiser's flashing lights by speeding away. Test this hypothesis next time you're out for a drink in Hollywood!)
The footage is interesting not because of its Cops-style presentation of the traffic stop, which consists of nothing more than a couple of fleeting glances of Hilton's elusive SUV, but as a riveting mini-documentary about a night in the life of a TMZ cameraman; one's heart nearly breaks as the poor guy, encumbered by his camera, jogs several blocks to get his story, taunted the whole way by a countdown clock that ticks off the seconds to the eventual disappointment of arriving a moment too late for a money shot. It's all just a poignant reminder that for every moment of Firecrotch triumph, there are dozens of soul-crushing nights like this one.