Law of Attraction : Questions, Questions, Questions..

July 13th, 2009 at 10:19pm Under Entertainment Law

What is it you want in order to have a truly magnificent life? What is it in your daily life that you could do, be, or have that would make a difference in the way you experience life? What would take your life to the next level? What do you need (or want) to experience life to the fullest?

We look at ourselves as human beings; but we are also human havings and human doings. What do you want to have in your life to truly make it spectacular: True friends, a new relationship, great health, passion? What do you want to do to make your life fun and exciting: Fly an airplane, run a marathon, volunteer once a week at an animal shelter, write a book?

What would you like to be to make a difference in the world or to yourself, or your family and friends: A great son, daughter, husband or wife? Would you like to be abundant, loving, forgiving?

Look at each aspect of your life and identify what you want or desire in the following areas.

Relationships:

What kind of relationships do you want to create with God, with your parents, children, friends, co-workers, wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, and most importantly, yourself? How do you attract the type of relationships that you want with the people in your life? How would your life change if your relationships were closer, more intimate, less judgmental, more trusting, and more loving?

Healthy Body and Lifestyle:

What do you want your body to look like? How do you want to feel? What do you want to weigh? Do you want to live a healthy lifestyle? Do you want to live a long life? Do you have exercise goals? Do you want to have healthy eating habits?

Finances and Abundance:

Do you want to save more money? Do you want to reduce debt? Do you want to increase your income? Do you want to create other sources of income? Do you want to have a new house, car, piano, boat, or other things?

Self-Improvement / Awareness:

Do you want a better awareness of who you are; why you do the things you do; think, the thoughts, you think about; react in the way you do; judge yourself and others; are highly motivated in some things, but lethargic in others? Do you want to take classes, workshops, seminars? Do you want to finally get the degree, diploma, certificate, or credentials you have been thinking about? Do you want to read more books on subjects for which you have a passion?

Hobbies / Entertainment / Fun:

What hobbies do you have now that you want to become better at? What hobbies would you like to begin; gardening, chess, painting, reading, collecting (coins, stamps, comic books, cookbooks, etc)? What would you like to do for fun and entertainment: Attend a live performance featuring your favorite bands, fish, or travel? What would you like to learn to do for fun: Ballroom dancing, golf, tennis, play an instrument? What would you like to do just once in your life: Jump out of an airplane, talk in front of a large group? Do you want to travel and experience nature, different cultures and scenery?

Passions / Purpose:

What are your passions? What is your purpose in life? An easy way to identify this is to look at what you fantasize about or do in your spare time because you want to do it or love to do it. If you have a garden in your back yard and you really enjoy the hard work of maintaining a garden, then that is a passion of yours. If you play tennis, golf or bowl on the weekends, then that is a passion of yours. If you enjoy babysitting your granddaughter, or fixing things around the house, or finding new recipes to cook fun special meals, then that is a passion of yours.

Once we get past the belief that we can have only one passion or only one purpose in life, it is easier to see that we have many passions and the only work we have to do is to make time for them, be present while we arc doing them, and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! Our purpose in life is to live to our potential, experience love and life to the fullest, become aware of whom we are and be true to our soul. Whatever form that takes in your life is right for you.

How The Law Of Attraction Gave Me A $200 Voucher For My Flight!

July 13th, 2009 at 04:19pm Under Entertainment Law

You are going to be blown away, just as much as I was, at how the law of attraction worked for me whilst I was in Singapore.
I flew to Singapore a week and a half ago with Jason, John and Lisa for an internet marketing summit and the airline we flew on didn’t have its in-flight entertainment working. Argh, I thought!
A little disgruntled, as I was keen to watch a movie, but I soon got over it when I thought I could get into some solid work and have a chance to read my book.
We stayed in Singapore for 10 days and one of the seminars we attended was the world internet summit. This is when we were invited to go to Texas in August for more workshops and a fabulous party! I thought to myself, hmmm, I’m going to have to find a way to raise some money for myself to pay for my flight. Considering I am from Australia, a flight to America is not cheap! A few people were asking me, will I be going to Texas and my reply was “Yes, I am going. I don’t know how I am going to pay for it, but I am going!”
So we stayed and worked in Singapore until the time came when we had to catch our flight back to Perth. But again, our in-flight entertainment wasn’t working. Bugger, I thought. Anyway, so I read my book again and had a nap before we landed.
Arriving at 12.30am, we went straight home for a well earned sleep. Waking up the next day, I opened my mail and guess what was in there?
Yep, a gift voucher. It was a letter from the airline and a gift voucher worth $200 as a sorry for my in-flight entertainment not working on my way to Singapore. I have traveled and flown on many airlines with hiccups, but never before have I been compensated, like this.
Woo hoo, I thought! Talk about the law of attraction. The day I arrive home, there is money for me to put towards my next flight.
Now I am trying to attract another gift voucher for my in-flight entertainment that did not work on my way home to Perth!
It was really weird how that had happened and I suppose the law of attraction works in mysterious ways. Just believe in the law of attraction, think positively and it will start to work for you.

Finding Law And Order Online- Building A Legal Information Resource

July 13th, 2009 at 10:20am Under Entertainment Law

What do you do if you find yourself, suddenly, in a legal bind? Who do you turn to if you do not have the slightest idea of your rights as a citizen and you do not have your own lawyer? Believe it or not, lots of folks have been caught in this kind of a jam. But lucky for them, more often than not, the solutions are no more than a click away.
A resourceful legal website is certainly beneficial to anyone who needs quick and accurate information about a law suit or anyone who wants to learn more about legal matters. Since people are accustomed to logging on to their computers for all sorts of reasons–to read breaking headlines, check the weather forecast, download recipes, and book airline tickets etc.—it is logical to think that they would turn to a computer when searching for answers to a range of legal concerns.
What is more, a website is an obvious way to promote your company and attract new clients. There are numerous elements that could appear on your site. A full-fledged site defines your company’s mission, explains its background, introduces its employees, and lists contact information. But you can also include several different elements. Consider the following:
- a dictionary of legal terms
- a variety of legal forms
- a directory of lawyers (organized by specialty or geography)
- FAQs and an “Ask the Expert” column
- links to articles covering timely lawful issues
- legal case histories
No matter what your company specializes in, a website can be tailored to cover your areas of expertise. It is also possible to make it as interactive as you desire. Perhaps you want to link to lively message boards and current blogs, or offer the opportunity to have live chats with lawyers. Whatever elements you include, the ultimate purpose of a functional, practical site is to provide information in a way that is as accessible and helpful as possible.
Let’s face it, the ordinary citizen is pretty clueless when it comes to determining lawful behavior, be it at home, at the office, at work, or at play. While we all have an idea of what is legitimate and permissible, most of us don’t grasp the exceptions to the rule or understand the fine print.
Of course, it is impossible to cover every aspect of the law on one website and it is impossible to list all the fields of interest here. But a carefully constructed legal website can, indeed, be a source of comfort and a fount of information for the general public. Here are a few examples of the subjects you might choose to address on your website (either in depth or in a general manner):
- Bankruptcy laws
- Accident insurance
- Copyright law
- Entertainment law
- Investment law
- Criminal law and criminal procedures
- Discrimination laws
- Employment laws
- Family law
It is about time the field of law earned a positive reputation. Your company can blaze the trails by putting up an attractive, effective site that not only showcases your services, but also bestows valuable knowledge on those in need.

Alternative Law Careers: What to Do if You Don’t Want to be a Lawyer

July 13th, 2009 at 04:19am Under Entertainment Law

Alternative Law Careers: What to do with your Law Degree if you don’t want to be a Lawyer.

For more information and other great articles visit www.LawDegree.me

You took the LSAT and after getting accepted to law school,  worked hard over three years reading, studying, writing and researching.  You spent night after night doing the tremendous preparation necessary study for and pass the bar exam.  After, Juris Doctor in hand, you tried your hand a career as a lawyer.  You worked for the city, the state or you started off at a firm.  Hours after hours of grueling research and late nights writing reports and motions.  Or perhaps you went into private practice.  You advertised, hung your sign, waded into the brutal courtroom litigation process.  You gave it your best shot, but when all is said and done, you just don’t think being a lawyer is for you.  So what do you do?  You have a JD but you don’t want to be a lawyer!  Don’t despair.  You’re not alone.  A law degree can be a valuable tool to help you enter into a number of other fields for those that working as an attorney just isn’t the right fit.

Tangential Legal Careers

There are many lawyers who while enjoying the theoretical aspects of law simply do not enjoy the mundane aspects such as the paperwork and research involved.  They require different kinds of stimulation and incentive in their career.  One popular career path is in the variety of legal sales oriented jobs.  A tremendous industry exists in support of the legal profession providing data, software and other information and related services to lawyers and law firms.  These companies have a strong need for law-savvy sales associates who can communicate with lawyer clients on their level.

Advantages to working in sales include a bonus and commission structure that can offer substantial financial rewards and all without the tremendous paperwork and research and isolation that typical legal work engenders.  Those who enjoy working with many different people and developing relationships as well as enjoy flexibility in scheduling and often travel also find this career field rewarding.  Some companies even offer the option to work part-time or full-time from home with many sales calls taking place over computer with teleconferencing.  While definitely for the more ‘self-starter’ of personalities, a legal sales career can be a very rewarding alternative legal degree track.  For even more ideas of Alternative Legal Careers make sure you visit www.LawDegree.me

Entrepreneurial and Business Pursuits

Many ex-lawyers complain about the stifling atmosphere they encountered at law firms or working in private practice.  While envisioning the fast-paced exciting legal world in such television shows as LA Law or Law and Order while in Law School, when out in the real world they find that reality is far different.  Often, associates spend entire weeks and months without leaving research libraries and the paperwork involved in even the simplest of cases…and the restrictions and legal gymnastics required to settle a case can take all the excitement and gratification that the young lawyer thought was going to be part of their career.  It is no surprise then that many lawyers decide to pursue more entrepreneurial pursuits when leaving their practices.

Luckily, many of the skills and talents you honed as a lawyer can be put to good use in the entrepreneurial world.  Many lawyers start their own businesses, often in fields far askew from the legal profession.  The time management, attention to detail and project management and completion abilities you honed in law can make for great success in the free market.  Pick any interest, hobby or passion and there is guaranteed to be a Juris Doctor holder that has made a successful business of it. 

One innovative soul opened a coffee shop where he offered legal advice free on certain days.  Others have opened restaurants, developed online businesses or created innovative ‘green’ companies taking advantage of their knowledge of environmental law.  Still others have started non-profit ventures or nature and conservancy companies that were able to use their particular specialties in their prior legal fields.   It is not uncommon for law degree holders to move into investment banking or use their real estate legal skills to work in real estate finance or development.  The added legitimacy of a Juris Doctor degree will help gain credibility in any venture you pursue and can often help convince lending institutions of your reliability when considering new business loans.  The sky really is the limit.

Creative Fields

A third popular alternative law career path popular amongst those with a creative edge are the many novel paths taking advantage of the strong writing and organization skills that were honed in a legal career.  Many television writers and journalists are known to hold JD’s.  As well, radio and television journalists with law degrees are prized for a variety of roles from legal commentary to specialty topics such as civil rights, criminal and entertainment law.  Still others use their legal background to work as legal consultants or become writers  on important legal issues.

Another potential path are those professions that harness the networking and deal making aspects of legal work.  Many Hollywood talent agents and managers have law degrees which helps them in their contract work and negotiations.  High end job recruiters and political advisors are often required to hold a legal or comparable degree as part of their credentials to reach the heights of their profession.  Finally, a small but dedicated subset of law degree holders become artists in their own right becoming filmmakers, poets and painters and often drawing from their legal experience to create works that comment or discuss important issues.  Several famous novelists got their start as lawyers, from the famous trial attorney Vincent Bugliosi to the now famous…but unknown as a lawyer, John Grisham.

Obtaining your Juris Doctor is a great accomplishment in itself.  Just because one finds working as an attorney unfulfilling does not mean the work put into obtaining your status as a lawyer is a waste.  This essay merely hints at the possibilities that are available to the law degree holder out in the work place.  I wish you well on your journey and make sure you stop by www.LawDegree.me for more great articles on the legal profession both in and out of the courtroom.

Career of Fellow Texan Lance Armstrong Highlights the Need for More Sports Law Attorneys

July 12th, 2009 at 10:19pm Under Entertainment Law

Some superstar athletes develop such a close association with the city or state in which they perform that you cannot mention one without the other quickly coming to mind.  Do you think of Peyton Manning without the city of Indianapolis being part of the picture?  Of course not.  Unless, that is, you are from Tennessee and you still associate the Hall of Fame quarterback with that “other” UT school that drapes itself in bright orange.  Michael Jordan may have studied and played ball at the University of North Carolina and had an awkward late stint with the Washington Wizards, but he always will be associated with Chicago.  Here in Texas, we have developed or displayed plenty of amazing athletic talent on the fields and in the arenas.  There is a reason that every movie and television program revolving around high school football takes place in Texas.  Just think about some of the household names that have played their sport in our state—Troy Aikman, Vince Young, David Robinson, Tony Parker, Nolan Ryan, and Fred Biggio just to name a few.  One athlete of whom we are especially proud is native (Austin) Texan Lance Armstrong.  Everyone by now, knows his amazing accomplishments and compelling personal story. 

Just after his twenty-fifth birthday in 1996, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain.  Even after drastic surgeries and treatments to remove the diseased areas of his organs, doctors gave Armstrong less than a fifty percent chance of survival.  Obviously, he did make a full recovery following this devastating diagnosis and went on to win the Tour de France for a record-breaking seven consecutive years, from 1999 to 2005.  Lance Armstrong used his celebrity status to create the Live Strong Foundation, an organization which works to inspire and empower people affected by cancer.  Who doesn’t own, or know someone who owns, one of those famous yellow bracelets that have become a marketing phenomenon for the cause?  Armstrong’s dedication to shining a light on cancer research is closely felt here in Texas, as well as in the halls of Congress and in charitable circles around the world.

With his high profile and healthy bank account, there certainly have been times at which Lance Armstrong has needed the services of an aggressive attorney to defend his name and image.  Most notably, Armstrong has faced ongoing allegations that he has used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, a claim, which he has always adamantly denied.  A book titled L.A. Confidentiel: Les secrets de Lance Armstrong was published in France in 2004 and purported to include interviews with those close to Armstrong who could account for his supposed use of steroids.  Even though its author, David Walsh admitted that it contained only circumstantial evidence, the allegations caused a great deal of unwanted publicity.  In 2005, a former employee named Mike Anderson testified in court filings that he found suspicious drugs without an attached doctor’s prescription in Armstrong’s hotel room in Spain.  The following year, Armstrong’s former teammate, Frankie Andreau, and his wife shared in court testimony that they had witnessed conversations between Lance Armstrong and his doctor back in 1996 during which he admitted to use of various drugs.  The accusations that Lance Armstrong used illegal drugs to boost his performance, particularly during his recovery from cancer, continue to follow the athlete.  He has vowed to continue to use legal and media channels aggressively to clear his name, guaranteeing that attorneys in Texas will be revisiting the relevant laws concerning steroid use, defamation, and other content that may prove helpful to Armstrong’s efforts.

Last week, Lance Armstrong encountered another challenge to his professional standing.  During the first stage of the Vuelta of Castilla and Leon race in northern Spain, Armstrong broke his collarbone and is now back home in Austin for surgery and recovery.  He had a steel plate and twelve screws inserted in an effort to stabilize the collarbone.  Despite this obvious setback, Lance Armstrong still has hopes to race in the Tour de France in July.  As his team manager Johan Bruyneel said, “A broken collar bone in the month of March does not at all compromise the start of the Tour de France or your performance in the Tour de France.”  In Armstrong’s case, it appears that the time he will spend away from his chosen profession is not going to be extensive.  For some other athletes, the time out of the limelight can prove to be more problematic.  If a long-term injury or personal circumstances keep someone away from the playing field or racing circuit for an extended period and the public starts to forget about his star power, the financial and marketing commitments that have been made to the athlete might be unceremoniously dropped.  Effective legal counsel can be crucial in an athlete’s desire to maintain standing in his profession and its related monetary perks.

There is strong evidence to support the idea that athletes, as well as celebrities who have followed other avenues of public notoriety, should always keep a sports and entertainment lawyer nearby.  From the first professional contract that is signed to the allegations against one’s character that are inevitably made in hopes of financial gain to the unfortunate instances in which an athlete makes a decision to engage in illegal activity, there will be legal issues that need to be addressed.  Lance Armstrong has discovered this truth through the unending reports of his use of performance-enhancing drugs.  Undoubtedly, Armstrong’s Live Strong Foundation also employs attorneys to ensure that contributions are being used effectively and that cancer patients seeking assistance are given proper advice.  He may find more cause for an attorney’s expertise if this current injury threatens his promised livelihood or negotiations over missed engagements are required.  With opportunities to defend such high-profile personalities and protect their futures, the area of sports and entertainment law is a specialized one of high stakes and great reward. http://www.belolaw.com

San Diego California Sports & Business Law Attorney Sebastian Gibson – the Business of Sports

July 12th, 2009 at 04:19pm Under Entertainment Law

Even if you don’t live in a town with a professional sports team like San Diego, California or Los Angeles, CA, it is likely you still have at least amateur sports teams in almost every city of Orange County, and even if your city just has high school teams in La Jolla, Del Mar, Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside, San Marcos, Vista and Escondido or the cities of Huntington Beach, Westminster, Buena Park, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Irvine, Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, and Laguna Hills, Santa Barbara, Buena Park, Temecula, Indian Wells, La Quinta, or Palm Springs, you and the players on those teams are probably sports fanatics as we are, and may also have a legal issue in many of the sub-areas of sports law without even knowing it. 

Few firms in the U.S. today practice in the field of Sports Business Law. It requires a knowledge of entertainment law, intellectual property, sports brand development, professional regulations, broadcast and media law, sports sponsorship, corporate finance, labor law contract law, merchandising, anti-trust law and litigation.In addition to having knowledge in those fields, it helps to have a strong background in international law, if not English law as well.

Clients at a sports law, law firm are sports team owners, cities, athletes, stadium management companies, and sponsors. You will be dealing with product manufacturers, the media, banks, the USPTO, sports organizations, arbitrators and the courts.

If you are a true sports aficionado, you will wish the business of sport had less to do with the law, but with each passing year it seems to have more rather than less.The rules referees must now live by often makes it useful if they are lawyers in their spare time.

As society becomes more and more concerned with fairness, we see greater use of replays, and less discretion given to the officials to call the game or to correct a mistaken call on their own.Sports teams and their lawyers must constantly be vigilant to protect their trademarks and branding and spend as much time promoting their team and their sport as running the day to day operation.Fortunately, in the end, the time and cost of sports business law attorneys are worth it, with the value of most sport teams rising year after year.

The opportunities to get into sports business law are limited. Many more law students take courses in sports law than will ever have the chance to practice the little they learn in law school.

If you are an athlete, or a business in the sports world and need the assistance of a sports lawyer, call us or visit our website at http://www.californiaattorneyslawyers.com to learn more about how we can assist you. Or call us to speak directly to Sebastian Gibson about your sports law, entertainment law, intellectual property, trademarks, sports brand development, professional regulations, broadcast and media law, sports sponsorships, corporate finance, labor law contract law, merchandising, anti-trust law and litigation.

The 2008 Presidential Election, the Highest Rated Show in Entertainment Today – a Newport Beach, and San Diego Entertainment Attorney’s View

July 12th, 2009 at 10:19am Under Entertainment Law

For a Palm Springs, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Newport Beach and Orange County entertainment lawyer, there has been nothing to compare to the drama of the 2008 election. If nothing else, the entertainment value of this election has been able to keep people’s minds off the economy. Everyone has something to watch for.

Will one candidate improve business conditions in San Diego or Orange County more than the other? Will the Vice Presidential pick be able to swing voters in one industry or another over the other candidate’s vice presidential pick? What new slimy negative attack ad is one candidate using to unfairly tear down the other and divide the county?

If it weren’t for politics right now, there would be nothing to be excited about in the entertainment field. Saturday Night Live ratings have gone through the roof because of one thing, politics. Their spoofs on the election have so much interest that they now have shows on Thursdays and Saturdays.

All the usual suspect celebrities who are usually in the news getting into scraps at night clubs, being arrested, having children, selling baby photos, gaining weight, losing weight, all seem to be behaving themselves.

So as an entertainment attorney, I have to say, thank goodness for politicians. Politics which used to be the stuff of boring discussions and something you would never discuss on a first date, is suddenly the topic of the day. And talk about drama….

The first thing we hear as we get home from work and turn on the TV is that the economy is about to sink into a deep hole and if we don’t give $700 billion on top of the almost $400 billion we’ve already spent on financial institutions, life as we know it will disappear. I would have only imagined such dire consequences before this announcement if aliens were about to invade and we needed $700 billion to build the largest ray gun. But this announcement wasn’t on a remake of War of the Worlds, it was on the news, on CNN, and everywhere.

And then there was the drama of working out the bailout plan. It’s on, it’s off. There’s been a breakthrough. Oops, spoke too soon. The McCain campaign is being suspended. Nope, wrong again. Then the bailout is passed and Europe goes into a tailspin almost as fast as Sarah Palin’s star is fading and John McCain’s campaign is headed for the dumpster. Then the negative campaigning starts in earnest.

Suddenly nobody cares what the greatest box office movies were for the week. Are they even showing movies anymore? This political drama is too good to miss. Besides, who can afford the popcorn and drinks at the movies anymore?

Now people are rushing home to see the latest poll numbers and to see the latest skits on Saturday Night Live. What zingers will the candidates have for each other? Will Sarah Palin be able to answer a question better than her rambling ludicrous answers she gave to Katie Couric? Is Letterman going to keep skewering McCain.

And you have the polls that are like following a horse race. First one candidate is ahead by a nose, and then the other is by a whisker. Then one candidate turns on a burst of speed as the other rushes for the wire.

This beats a close football game by a mile.This election has everything and they say they always save their best ads for the last. Don’t you dare touch that dial. This is entertainment for the ages. 

If you have an entertainment law, copyright or trademark issue in San Diego, Newport Beach, Irvine, Orange County, La Jolla, in the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Palm Springs or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Newport Beach Entertainment Lawyer and your San Diego Entertainment Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with entertainment law experience who can serve areas such as Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Anaheim, Irvine, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Newport Beach, Carlsbad, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Fullerton, Del Mar, San Diego, Orange County, San Luis Obispo, Buena Park, La Jolla, Oxnard, Ventura, La Quinta, and Santa Barbara so you are properly represented.

If you have an entertainment law, or copyright dispute of any kind, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.sebastiangibsonlaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.

What New Artists and Musicians Can Do to Keep From Being Taken Advantage of – See a California Music & Entertainment Lawyer

July 12th, 2009 at 04:19am Under Entertainment Law

There is probably no other profession than the music business where so many people will try to take advantage of you when you are starting out as an artist or musician if you don’t have a lawyer. Whether you or your band hails from Carlsbad, Encinitas, Del Mar, Solana Beach in San Diego, Anaheim or Santa Ana in Orange County, or Palm Springs, whether you developed your talent in La Jolla, or at Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach or Santa Barbara, and whether you live, studied or performed in Hollywood, Westwood, Santa Monica, Venice, Malibu, Palm Desert or La Quinta, when you are just starting out, the entertainment industry sees you as someone whom they can take advantage of.

Music contracts are notoriously long, complicated and almost undecipherable to all but a music lawyer. Thirty page contracts are nothing unusual in this business. And there are so many contracts you will be faced with as a musician. Sign the wrong contract and you can be married to a bad agent, promoter, manager, distribution deal, publishing deal or record company and have your career over before it ever began.

Besides the issues you will face with copyrighting your music and trademarking your band name and logo, if you have one, there are management contracts, recording contracts, publishing contracts, agent contracts, distribution deals, licensing contracts, promotion deals, festival and concert contracts, producer agreements and that doesn’t even get into the complex issues contained in many of these agreements.

A music lawyer must have knowledge of synchronization rights, digital rights, peer to peer file swapping, sampling, mechanical licenses, copyright infringement, publishing, advertising law, immigration, employment law, negotiation, ring tones, and have a good understanding of how music is made from mixing to mastering, from the roles of the producer to the needs of the musicians.

And yet, for the music lawyer, there is little that is as rewarding as being part of the recording process or helping a band make it to the big time.

My advice to musicians just starting out and being presented with any type of contract is that having their contract reviewed by a music lawyer is essential. You are likely being presented with the most one-sided type of contract in any business or profession. They are written by the attorneys for the company or manager who is handing it to you with absolutely no attempt to be even handed.

Worst of all, at this stage in your career, you have little leverage. No matter how good you think your music is, the music world is littered with great musicians who signed horrible contracts that stifled if not ended their careers. If you have to do an extra gig and save the money to have a contract reviewed, that’s what you need to do. Get yourselves a good music lawyer. Not a divorce lawyer. Not a trial lawyer. An entertainment lawyer who knows the music business and one, preferably, who is interested in music and who is willing to listen to your music.  

If you have an entertainment law, copyright or trademark issue in San Diego, Newport Beach, Irvine, Orange County, La Jolla, in the Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Palm Springs or anywhere in Southern California, we have the knowledge and resources to be your Huntington Beach Entertainment Lawyer and your Anaheim Entertainment Attorney. Be sure to hire a California law firm with entertainment law experience who can serve areas such as Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Anaheim, Irvine, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Newport Beach, Carlsbad, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Fullerton, Del Mar, San Diego, Orange County, San Luis Obispo, Buena Park, La Jolla, Oxnard, Ventura, La Quinta, and Santa Barbara so you are properly represented and get the compensation you deserve.

If you have an entertainment law, or copyright dispute of any kind, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.sebastiangibsonlaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.

Why Sarah Palin is the Best Darn Comedy on TV Today – a Newport Beach Entertainment Attorney’s View

July 11th, 2009 at 04:19pm Under Entertainment Law

It really doesn’t matter if you are Republican, Democrat or Independent, whether you live or work in Hollywood, Los Angeles, or live in Malibu, or live and work outside the entertainment industry anywhere from Orange County to San Diego, from Carlsbad, or Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe and San Marcos to Newport Beach, Laguna Beach or Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Anaheim, Irvine or Yorba Linda. Even if you live in Montecito or Santa Barbara, Temecula, Palm Desert, La Quinta or Palm Springs, you have got to love Sarah Palin for the comedy she has brought back to television and to this election. 

 

Before I even start this article, there will be some out there who will say Sarah Palin is being picked on. Whether or not you believe that to be true or false, this candidate is giving us some of the best comedy a politician has ever given us, and at a time when we have never needed it more. Saturday Night Live could never have hoped for a better candidate to skewer.

 

Who knew that the straight man or in this case straight woman would turn out to be Katie Couric?

 

First there was Sarah Palin’s attempt to explain her position that by the fact that Alaska is geographically close to Russia, that she has foreign policy experience. Couric asked why Palin’s experience in Alaska enhances her foreign policy credentials.

 

Palin: Well, it certainly does because our next door neighbors are foreign countries, there in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia –

 

Couric: Have you ever been involved in any negotiations for example, with the Russians?

 

Palin: We have trade missions back and forth. We do – it’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia – as Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the United States of America, where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there, they are right next to our State.

 

Has anyone yet figured out what any of her answer to Katie Couric’s question means? One has to believe she was testing her skill as a deadpan comedian because she followed up this answer with an even better answer.

 

Couric: Why isn’t it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families who are struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries; allow them to spend more and put more money into the economy instead of helping those big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

 

Palin: That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, we’re ill about this position that we have been put in where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy, helping the – it’s got to be all about job creation, too, shoring up our economy and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes, and reigning in spending has got to accompany tax reductions and tax relief for Americans. And trade, we’ve got to see trade, as opportunity not as competitive, scary thing. But one in five jobs being created in the trade sector today, we’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All those things under the umbrella of job creation. The bailout is a part of that.

 

Political science majors in college and election campaign advisors will be studying both of these answer for years. But just grasp if you will how, in her second answer,she is able to connect the dots. The bailout, Palin says, makes her and other Americans ill. So the bailout needs to bail out health care, presumably, so we can get over our illness with the bailout. This is masterful.

 

But the bailout is also about job creation (whose?), reducing taxes (really?), reigning in spending (all $700 billion worth?), and trade (this is part of her comedy routine apparently). And then in the spirit of Halloween which is just around the corner, she says trade should be seen as an opportunity, not just as a scary thing. Brilliant. But she forgot to mention Christmas and being a maverick cleaning up Washington. Rats.

 

As an entertainment attorney who also handles election law, campaign finance law and political law, Sarah Palin has it all. She is rejuvenating comedy to it’s highest art form and making political junkies of us all.

 

This isn’t just comedy or entertainment. This is politics at it’s most lucid. Or is that ludicrous?  

 

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If you have an entertainment law, or copyright dispute of any kind, call the Law Offices of R. Sebastian Gibson, or visit our website at http://www.sebastiangibsonlaw.com  and learn how we can assist you.