It seems like crazy logic, but what’s been happening with record companies and their lawyers these days does indeed sound like JK Rowling’s writings. In “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, Bill Weasley explains to Harry:

“To a goblin, the rightful and true master of any object is the maker, not the purchaser. All goblin-made objects are, in goblin eyes, rightfully theirs,…..They consider our habit of keeping goblin-made objects, passing them from wizard to wizard without further payment, little more than theft.”

In fact, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who is now in a lawsuit with Universal used that very quote, and more from Rowling’s work in their brief. The legal battle, though it involves the sale of promotional music, is actually a worthy one, one which could implicate our personal cd and LP collections – so what we pay for and buy could very well NOT be ours, and we could get sued by the record companies.

“UMG seems to think that the promotional use only label somehow gives it eternal ownership over the CD,” says the EFF.

“While this might make sense to a goblin living in Harry Potter’s world, it’s not the law under the Copyright Act.”

It should be interesting to see what the US courts decide. Hopefully it won’t mean we live in Harry Potter‘s world.

For more on this story, go here.

Survivor, Amazing Race and other reality TV shows have obviously become the new resort for most networks to be able to jack up their ratings today. No longer is it a world where the usual TV sitcoms and movie re-runs would be what viewers would look forward to. It has all boiled down to finding something more interesting and catchy for people to be able to enjoy home entertainment without having to know what the actual plot and twist would be.

The twists are different. Having their own way of making the storylines to be indifferent from the usual expected output of these reality shows has really been something that has made TV network ratings skyrocket above the charts. With this new trend, all producers and network bigwigs have tried to make do and create a new concept to help bring their ratings above their competing networks. Just like in business, the key is to be able to find new innovative strategies to make it to the top. Most TV networks have obviously been resorting to it today.

Depending on the fancy of people, a lot would depend on what they hear, read or see to stir up their interest on what to wear and what to buy. Lifestyles are varied in nature and it is only normal for people to want to imitate and own certain items or look for services that would usually be in style in any community.

Fashion statements come in the form of wardrobes, shoes, clothes, hair styles, jewelries, accessories and gadgets. While all people are encouraged to find ways in which they can properly represent themselves, fashion statements and styles would need to be analyzed as well.

For one, the possibility of fashion being short-lived is a possibility since fast times would mean fast changes in the area of style. Enhancements and improvements are normal and people would make the necessary adjustments to acquire the desired image they want to project. But for what it is worth, it would be best to stick to a style based on self-satisfaction rather than wanting to be considered going in with the times.

Controversial as her life may have been, Anna Nicole Smith’s remains need to be peacefully laid down to rest. Perhaps if only her soul could speak, this would be her immediate request.

Weeks have passed since the sudden death of one of the most heralded sex symbol in the world and such has not been a peaceful and systematic one. Allegations and disputes with regards to the left riches, wealth and corpse of the actress-model have been in the news. While such would have been expected from someone who has had a colorful and bumpy life, she was finally given her due respect.

Anna Nicole Smith’s remains were finally laid to rest beside her son in the Bahamas. Curiously, both died from seemingly the same reasons that of which were drugs. While Smith has been linked to using such drugs, a lot of different views have been looked at as well, including that of her lawyer boyfriend who was thrown in the mix for possible foul play. But getting entangled in the web of controversies and the limelight may also have its shortcomings, something that Smith’s boyfriend found out the hard way.

[tags]anna nicole smith, death, drugs, celebrity, model[/tags]

Restaurants will surely be filled, florists will have a huge profit margin and courier and delivery services are sure to have a busy day this February 14. While most people have already booked their itinerary and flower sending, the day of the hearts is something that will surely be a busy day for couples all over the world.

There are people who will be booking themselves at hotels for sure. Some would even find themselves enjoying a musical show in celebration of the occasion being serenaded by ballads coming from well-known musical celebrities with various love songs and entertainment. Clubs are expected to be filled as well, mostly lasting until the wee hours of the mornings.

The mood is definitely under a romantic one. For sure, regular traditions shall be held. But the important thing is really celebrating with the person whom people would consider as special to their lives. That is what the day of the hearts is really all about.

Lindsay Lohan would be best remembered to have started her career on the hit 1998 movie The Parent Trap where she played a dual role of twin sisters trying to get their parents back together again. A promising child star at that time, Lohan made a good account for herself which signaled her rise to stardom on the big screen. She eventually made a couple of movies as well like Freaky Friday, Mean Girls, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Herbie Fully Loaded. She is among the top pop idols that most teenagers look towards to today.

To date, Lohan has been the center of a couple of controversies and has been headlining almost all the celebrity section of leading gossip magazines and newspapers. All grown up now, she has been linked to several actors and has without a doubt made her mark as one of the more popular icons of the celebrity industry.

Among her upcoming movies include Georgia Rule and A Praire Home Companion promises to further boost her career as she truly comes of age and continued to make a mark in the world of showbiz.

A proposed law has the bloggers and iPod users agitated. Senator Carl Kruger’s bill proposes that anyone using an iPod or similar music player, Blackberry or mobile phones, portable game players or any electronic gadget of the like at crosswalks should be fined $100. The senator says that this bill was triggered by the death of three pedestrians after they stepped off the curb without checking the street since they were distracted by their portable entertainment gadget.

While everyone agrees that the senator has good intentions, many feel that his bill should not become law. Can you imagine the police trying to stop every person who uses one of the mentioned devices? It is a law that punishes the many because a few do not use common sense.

Rather than make this a law, Michael Rose of New York, who blogs at Tuaw.com, the Unofficial Apple Blog, suggests that they put together a targeted PR campaign to remind users of these gadgets to “‘Turn down & tune in’ while navigating the mean streets”. Other bloggers point out that pedestrians have right of way no matter what, whether they are using any of the types of gadgets listed above or not.

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While Walt Disney may originally have been focused on getting animation up on the big screen and later, expanding animation’s hold on the people’s hearts, he probably had an inkling of how important the music of these shows would be. From Steamboat Willie to Mary Poppins to the Little Mermaid to Tarzan and further down the line, the music of Disney has stayed with many of us, long after we finished watching the shows.

There is a very special exhibit in Seattle Washington. Titled Disney: The Music Behind the Magic, it is the first exhibit of its kind. Anyone can go and experience being a music producer for Disney for a short time.?Test your knowledge of songs from the various?shows in?a Disney music trivia game. There are?four interactive displays to help you get a feel of the work that goes into creating the sound effects for any Disney production; and there’s still more to experience.?There has never been a museum exhibit as fun as this, and it is indeed a very special part of our history.

Anyone interested to enjoy this exhibit can go to?the Experience Music Project?at the Frank Gehry building, 325 5th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109.

The year is almost over and everywhere people are getting ready to countdown to a brand new year. 2006 has been quite an eventual year indeed for many.

There are parties going on everywhere. All the major cities have plans for fantastic fireworks displays and celebrations. Whether you go to London, New York, Paris or down under to Syndey, the new year will be welcomed in with a bang. In New York’s Times Square, plans for 19 stellar performances from some of the Grammy award winners are lined up including Christina Aguilera, the Rascal Flatts and more.

For those who will be joining the London celebration, good news. You need not worry if you don’t have a car since the public transportation system will be running later than usual. In fact, NatWest is sponsoring transportation on the 31st via the London Underground, London Buses, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and via the tram. Just don’t wait til the last minute since there is bound to be quite a crowd.

You’re sure to be partying hard on this last night of the year but do keep yourself safe. This can easily be done by following a few simple safety tips:

• Stay with your friends. There is always safety in numbers.
• Keep your valuables safely at home or very carefully guarded. There are often pickpockets at crowded events such as these.
• Drink responsibly. No point in getting so drunk you miss out on all the fun. That’s no way to start a new year.
• Wear shoes that you’ll be comfortable in. You’ll have a long night ahead of you. There is no reason not to be both stylish and comfortable.
• Dress warmly. No point in catching a cold when a little common sense will keep you from this annoying bug.

It is always great to have legends among us. There is a lot of music around but they truly don’t make them like they used to and Tony Bennett is proving this saying very true.
Tony Bennett just recently celebrated his 80th birthday. Many would say 80 is too old, he should already be retired. Maybe that would be true for most, but not this man. He’s still got that beautiful voice and in fact his most recent album “TONY BENNETT: DUETS/An American Classic” has gone platinum with over 1,000,000 copies sold according to the RIAA.

Tony Bennett began performing in the 1950′s and he is still going strong. He is still very passionate about his music. That passion has now translated into 3 Grammy Award nominations for the music icon including Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for his duet with Stevie Wonder in “For Once in My Life”.

His music spans over 50 years and his voice and music still strike a chord in our hearts. Truly the oldies are still goodies.