ha. no... i don't know anything about celebrity chasers. though i guess they do generally work freelance. i could never make a living snapping embarassing photos of famous people.
i did read an article in the ny times about a paparazzo who refuses to take compromising shots and ALWAYS gives his subjects final approval before publishing. consequently he actually gets invited to the hollywood parties, gets behind the scenes access on movie sets and is close friends many of his subjects. forgot what his name was. but basically somewhere midway between high-end portait photographers
http://72.5.117.144/fif=fpx/c/CR2850...d=400&cvt=jpeg
and the slime in the street with the scooters who take this crap
....anyway. if i was going to do the celbrity circuit, that's how i'd swing it.
what i did was architectural photography for architects i knew. i did it for way below cost because i was trying to build a portfolio and i had a day job as a draftsman at the time.