Kim Fischer Facebook photos removed after her photographer threatens lawsuit
04/08/11 02:53 PM
By ED BARK
Two Facebook photos posted earlier Friday of NBC5 reporter and substitute anchor Kim Fischer have been removed from this site after her photographer, Bob Manzano, threatened a lawsuit.
One of the photos, which had popped up on my Facebook home page via her Facebook page, showed Fischer simulating a pole dance. The other one had her feigning being passed out, with her open-mouthed head positioned next to a plate with a partially eaten piece of cake.
"You posted photos of Ms. Kim Fisher (sic) on your website without my permission," Manzano wrote in his first protesting email, "and also made some very erroneous comments on my creative photography of which Ms. Fisher (sic) was so kindly modeling for me. The photo was cake overdose and not what you wrote which is very defamatory in nature and an insult to me."
Manzano then demanded removal of his photos and an apology both to Fischer and to him. Fischer, former host of Hot On Homes, joined Fort Worth-based and NBC-owned NBC5 in August 2009.
The brief, offending unclebarky.com post -- at least to Manzano -- was headlined, "From the Kim Fischer knows how to have fun files . . ." And its opening sentence read, ''Tis a new world out there in TV News Land, as Kim Fischer's Facebook photos keep reminding us." It noted that the "pole dance shot" is her latest Facebook profile picture, and concluded, "Make of this what you will." The pictures since have vanished, not only here but everywhere else on the web.
In a followup email Manzano said that "as owner of the photos, I have rights to them as to how they are used, even if shared on the Internet." (Again, it was Fischer who distributed the pole dance picture, which drew a number of approving comments from her friends and fans, including KTCK "The Ticket" personality Gordon Keith.)
Manzano added, "I would not like to go to court on this, but will if I have to."
A couple of silly pictures simply aren't worth that kind of aggravation, whether Manzano is posturing or not. On his myspace page, he says of himself and his art, "I love taking photos of women and photographing the essense of the self, not like a portrait, that is a likeness or reflection of what one normally sees but what is inside the person that I photograph."
He adds, "In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than to see a woman walking across the house wearing nothing but her birthday suit being her natural self -- walking ART. I admire women who wear sexy and sensual clothing when in public, and we men need to admire it as walking art and stop eye salivating them." Gotcha.
Meanwhile, on her Twitter page, Fischer's bio describes her as a "Lover of wit, wine and weekends. Pit Bull Mommy. Believes laughter cures most anything. Oh, and I write minute long stories that air on NBC5 in Dallas."
And so it goes -- to quote Linda Ellerbee in case she, too, claims legal ownership. Which she wouldn't do.
Two Facebook photos posted earlier Friday of NBC5 reporter and substitute anchor Kim Fischer have been removed from this site after her photographer, Bob Manzano, threatened a lawsuit.
One of the photos, which had popped up on my Facebook home page via her Facebook page, showed Fischer simulating a pole dance. The other one had her feigning being passed out, with her open-mouthed head positioned next to a plate with a partially eaten piece of cake.
"You posted photos of Ms. Kim Fisher (sic) on your website without my permission," Manzano wrote in his first protesting email, "and also made some very erroneous comments on my creative photography of which Ms. Fisher (sic) was so kindly modeling for me. The photo was cake overdose and not what you wrote which is very defamatory in nature and an insult to me."
Manzano then demanded removal of his photos and an apology both to Fischer and to him. Fischer, former host of Hot On Homes, joined Fort Worth-based and NBC-owned NBC5 in August 2009.
The brief, offending unclebarky.com post -- at least to Manzano -- was headlined, "From the Kim Fischer knows how to have fun files . . ." And its opening sentence read, ''Tis a new world out there in TV News Land, as Kim Fischer's Facebook photos keep reminding us." It noted that the "pole dance shot" is her latest Facebook profile picture, and concluded, "Make of this what you will." The pictures since have vanished, not only here but everywhere else on the web.
In a followup email Manzano said that "as owner of the photos, I have rights to them as to how they are used, even if shared on the Internet." (Again, it was Fischer who distributed the pole dance picture, which drew a number of approving comments from her friends and fans, including KTCK "The Ticket" personality Gordon Keith.)
Manzano added, "I would not like to go to court on this, but will if I have to."
A couple of silly pictures simply aren't worth that kind of aggravation, whether Manzano is posturing or not. On his myspace page, he says of himself and his art, "I love taking photos of women and photographing the essense of the self, not like a portrait, that is a likeness or reflection of what one normally sees but what is inside the person that I photograph."
He adds, "In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful than to see a woman walking across the house wearing nothing but her birthday suit being her natural self -- walking ART. I admire women who wear sexy and sensual clothing when in public, and we men need to admire it as walking art and stop eye salivating them." Gotcha.
Meanwhile, on her Twitter page, Fischer's bio describes her as a "Lover of wit, wine and weekends. Pit Bull Mommy. Believes laughter cures most anything. Oh, and I write minute long stories that air on NBC5 in Dallas."
And so it goes -- to quote Linda Ellerbee in case she, too, claims legal ownership. Which she wouldn't do.