
The late Italian film director Federico Fellini (L) and Anita Ekberg, one of the stars of the epic film "La Dolce Vita," are seen during a publicity tour in 1960. Fellini's classic film "La Dolce Vita" is approaching the half-century mark and the director's hometown is pulling out the stops to give it a Felliniesque two-year-long international birthday bash.[Agencies]
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Fellini based the role of Paparazzo on the real-life antics of Tazio Secchiaroli, a legendary photographer who died in 1998.
Various explanations for why Fellini chose the surname Paparazzo exist. One is because its last syllable -- azzo -- rhymes with "cazzo", the vulgar Italian slang word for penis.
When the film came out, the Vatican said it should be re-titled "The Disgusting Life" and an irate elderly woman even grabbed Fellini in Rome and told him to "tie a stone around your neck and drown in the deepest sea".
MORAL MESSAGE