Popsquire

Popsquire hates to brag.  Well, not really, but the Golden Globes just keep proving his point — pop culture and law consistently collide.  As evidence, I present you with two big Golden Globe winners tonight:

1. Best Picture, Drama: Atonement. 
2. Best Picture, Comedy/Musical: Sweeney Todd.

Each film explores crime and passion, which clearly present collisions between pop culture and law.  For a complete list of GG winners, click here. 

And, for a daily exploration of the collision between pop culture and law, feel free to subscribe to Popsquire by email (look to the top right of this blog for more details).

Technorati Tags: atonement, best picture, evidence, golden globes, law, pop culture, popsquire, sweeney todd, winner

If this is your first day at Popsquire, then you need to catch up on Popsquire’s countdown to the non-Golden Globes.  Each day, Popsquire examines how a nominated film collides with the law.  You can read past discussions here and aqui.

Today’s pick is Juno, again.  I can’t help it.  Juno is a great movie with many legal collisions!  In the scene where Juno is exploring adoption with the potential adoptive parents, Jennifer Garner’s character asks if Juno is seeking any “other compensation.”  Juno says “No.”

Popsquire’s perspective…

Generally, it is both legal and customary to pay for certain expenses incurred by a birth mother, with various limitations and conditions. 

For example, California law provides in Penal Code § 273, that it is legal to assist with a birth mother’s reasonable and necessary pregnancy-related living expenses, for the period of time that she is disabled or unemployable due to the pregnancy.

This payment of expenses must be made unconditionally and as an act of charity — otherwise, it could be considered buying the baby.

If Popsquire were adopting, he’d definitely prefer a birth mother birth mother who lives modestly!  Just like Notorious B.I.G. said, Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems.

Technorati Tags: golden globes writers strike wga juno adoption payment

If you’re just tuning in, welcome to Popsquire’s ongoing countdown to the non-Golden Globes.  Each day, Popsquire examines at least one GG nominee’s collision with the law.

Popsquire’s pick of the day: Sweeney Todd.  If you haven’t seen this movie, shame on you, but here’s what you need to know…

This Tim Burton film is a dark musical about a man seeking to avenge his unjust imprisonment and his wife’s death.  Amid the singing, the main characters played by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter kill numerous people, chop them up, and make minced meat out of them — literally.

Popsquire assumes every sees the obvious crime of endless murder, but what other unlawful activity do you see in this movie?  Below is Popsquire’s list.  If you have any to add, let me know!

1. False Advertising
2. False Imprisonment
3. Kidnapping
4. Unlicensed Barber
5. Cannibalism
6. Numerous Healthy and Safety Code Violations

Technorati Tags: golden globes, helena bonham carter, johnny depp, sweeney todd

According to Defamer, Axium Entertainment – a widely used entertainment industry payroll agency — has shut down.  Popsquire wonders if, like the non-Golden Globes, this is a casualty of the strike. 

When a company closes, there are numerous legal issues, but today’s post will focus on employee issues, which Popsquire finds to be extremely important. 

Depending on the number of employees, a company that shuts down without warning its employees in advance may be liable to each affected employee for back pay and benefits pursuant to the Federal WARN Act.

In California and other states, employees may be entitled to payment for accrued/unpaid wages as well as vacation pay.

Popsquire will continue to follow this story.  Stay tuned!

[digg=http://www.digg.com/business_finance/Axium_Entertainment_Closes]

Technorati Tags: axium, defamer, employee benefits, employee rights, golden globes, payroll, WARN Act

As promised, Popsquire is counting down the days to the non-Golden Globes with daily examples of how the nominated films epitomize the constant collision between pop culture and law.  First up…Juno (which already won Best Comedy at the Critics’ Choice Awards).

For those of you who have not seen Juno, shame on you, but this is what you need to know…

Juno is a hilarious dark comedy about a high school student who gets pregnant and decides to give the baby up for adoption.  She finds the prospective adoptive parents, played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Batemen, through an ad in the local PennySaver.   

Popsquire’s perspective…

Approximately 34 states permit advertising for adoption, while approximately 17 states permit advertising only by licensed agencies. 

Popsquire’s potential ad…

Snarky attorney/blogger looking for healthy baby to potty train itself, cook own food, study hard, pay for own Ivy League education, and then take care of Popsquire when he’s too old to know any better.

[digg=http://www.digg.com/movies/Non_Golden_Globes_Countdown_Juno]

Technorati Tags: adoption, adoptive parents, advertising, force majeure, golden globes, juno, law, pop culture, popsquire, wga strike, writers strike

Popsquire trusts you already know that the Golden Globes have been cancelled.  Are you wondering what happens to all the contracts entered into for the show?

“Force Majeure” is a standard legal clause in nearly every contract that allows it to be canceled without penalty due to extreme circumstances that prevent the terms of the contract from being fulfilled.  These circumstances typically include “acts of God” such as natural disasters or death, or other situations that are beyond the control of either party. 

In this case, the WGA strike may trigger that clause.

Don’t fret too much, though, because Popsquire will be discussing Golden Globe nominations and their collisions with law all week long.  Stay tuned! 

[digg=http://digg.com/television/Golden_Globes_Gone_Baby_Gone]

Technorati Tags: force majeure, golden globes, law, pop culture, popsquire, wga strike, writers strike