What's at Stake in the Shirelles' Lawsuit Against Warner Bros. Over Broadway's 'Baby It's You'

By Eriq Gardner
THR, Esq. | Article Link

On the day that Warner Bros. premiered its new Broadway musical, Baby It's You, surviving members of pioneering American girl group The Shirelles have filed a lawsuit against the studio for using their names and likenesses in connection with the show.

According to the musical's synopsis, Baby It's You tells the story of Florence Greenberg, the woman who changed the recording world forever when she discovered The Shirelles and created Scepter Records, becoming the music industry's first female powerhouse.

Top 10 Legal Disclaimers in Hollywood History

By Eriq Gardner
THR, Esq. | Article Link

In honor of Friday's post about The King's Speech being threatened over use of the "No Animals Harmed" disclaimer, we thought it'd be interesting to take a look at creative uses of legal warranties & disclaimers in movies. By now, most cinephiles are familiar with the standard "Any resemblance to actual persons —living or dead— is purely coincidental." Turns out that filmmakers have turned cursory legalese into an art form, offering up their own disclaimers. Here's our list of the best:

1. "Any resemblance between Hynkel the dictator and the Jewish barber is purely co-incidental" — The Great Dictator


2. "It is the stated position of the United States Air Force that their safeguards would prevent the occurrence of such events as are depicted in this film" — Dr. Strangelove