ELLEN DEGENERES

When you start out, you do want to be famous. This town is based on perception. But then it gets to the point where you can’t control it. When Anne [Heche] and I travel, these guys are in the airport with video cameras. They’ll say anything to get you mad–they’d bring up stuff about my sexuality. I never thought about getting violent but we did think about putting shaving cream on their lenses. People are so fascinated by fame they’ll go on talk shows–and if they can’t be famous, they want to see someone famous fail.

DAVID DUCHOVNY

The paparazzi are like a Hydra–it’s an inexhaustible thing. When I got married, people were staking out the church. I’ve had a dangerous car chase–breaking laws, running red lights. You get this rage. You have no control. It feels like an assault. You start to shake, your heart races. And you know they want to get into a fight. They can’t lose. Even if you knock their teeth out, they win. They’re looking for you to lose your cool. They want to see you reduced to your emotions. The same way they build you up they want to tear you down.

SEAN PENN

This giver of humanity got splattered all over the inside of a car because someone wanted to make money off of her. And now because it’s a pretty young woman the world cares–for a minute. They won’t care next week. Not only did she die, but they made her miserable while she lived. I’ve been in traffic accidents myself. I’ve been baited and lured. I’ve ended up in jail and called a bully for defending myself against stalkers. They’re merciless even when your kids are around. And your spirit gets chipped away every time it happens. They say, we’re just trying to make a living–well, now, they’re making a killing. This can happen again, and it will.

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY

I’m suing the National Enquirer. They report I’m pretending to be pregnant, I have a $30,000-a-day shopaholic habit, I’ve gone berserk–vicious stuff! Then it goes to the English papers, to ““Inside Edition,’’ to the Internet, and then it’s part of your bio. I can’t get a permanent nanny. And how does this affect my ability to get work? They say that’s the price you pay for fame. But the price tag keeps changing, and it’s gotten worse.

PAUL REISER

Everybody says she used the press and she loved it. That’s how people talk about rape victims! People say, oh, the poor children, but they still want the picture of the boys crying in the car. In this culture, everyone else’s intimate life becomes entertainment. We can’t get enough, we chew up lives daily. It’s not right. It comes down to common decency–and most people know what that is. We just have to demand it of ourselves. Send a message: I choose not to buy this paper or watch this show. Sure, we’re curious–I wanna look in their closet–but too bad. You’re not invited, you’re not allowed.

FRAN DRESCHER

Last weekend this twice-convicted sex offender got my address from a tabloid. What would have happened if I were in town? They’re drawing a map for every maniac in America! They should stop buying from freelancers, because they’re putting a bounty on your head. They shouldn’t print names of family or friends–it alienates our loved ones from us as if we were lepers. The press has to play fair. When I become prey and they become predator, it’s gotta stop.

TOM SELLECK

There’s a perverse symbiosis between tabloids and the media, and between the publicity machine and celebrities. If it came to a choice between this invasion of my privacy and the media promoting my career, I’d say, don’t help me. Stay out of my life. Public figures are not public property. There will be great pressure on all the companies that sell this stuff. The mainstream media’s trying to separate themselves from the guys on motorbikes but they can’t.