My next post will be a three part series dedicated to the celebrities who avoided jail but then got themselves into trouble with the law again. With a career that provides all that money, power and success one has to ask, why would you jeopardize that?. Well stay tuned for the next three Post where I will choose three young entertainers who I think messed up and then messed up again and give my opinion on how their legal issues are effecting their careers.
The final part of this three part series will end with Justin Bieber.
Bieber is a Canadian singing sensation who took over the scene after his debut album My World which was released in 2009.
Before he was 20 year old Justin Bieber has had a number of legal troubles in many different countries. In 2013 he was charge for vandalism in Brazil. For someone with a huge teen fan base you would expect that his management would try to preserve his image and keep it as clean as possible but not in this case. In January 2014 Bieber was charged for resisting arrest, drag racing and driving under the influence in Miami. He was released on a $2,500 bond but may face deportation in the future.
My outlook on this situation is that Bieber needs to get it together before he loses it all. There are so many up and coming singers dying to take his spot. I understand he is young, rich and having a fun but I don’t think it worth losing what he worked so hard for to acquire. I wondered what happened because he just went from clean cut pop star to bad boy of pop with no warning (at least Miley Cyrus gave us a hint). With that being said I do believe that a lot of teenage stars want to revamp there persona as an adult and this could just be his way of getting rid of the innocent Bieber image (who knows this may be the real him and the clean cut image may have just been a front). In any event his legal troubles are not really slowing his career down so no harm done (For Now). But he needs to stay out of trouble because all these little legal issues are not worth losing his endorsements or his Visa to work in America.
Part two of this series will focus on “Mean Girls” star Lindsay Lohan.
Lohan is an actress and occasional singer who took the acting world by storm after her debut in the remake of The Parent Trap in 1998.
In the summer of 2007 Lohan had been arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence. Lohan agreed to enter into a rehabilitation center to fix her problem. In less than two weeks out of rehab, Lohan was arrested again and charged for possession of cocaine, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. She was sentenced to complete an alcohol education program, community service, one day in jail with three years probation. For someone who has such an amazing career and one of Hollywood’s “It Girls” you would think she would have gotten it together. But no in 2012 Lohan violated her probation. She was this time charged for reckless driving and providing false information to a police officer as well being accused of stealing a necklace worth $2,500. She was later sentenced to community service, rehab and therapy her probation was also extended for another two years. She is currently out of rehab trying to put her life back together.
My thoughts on this is that she may just need to give up on driving because she is always getting pulled over or involved in a car accident. Drugs can take over your life and she is clearly a victim of it. The Hollywood scene is notorious for drugs so I assume its going be hard for her to fight that temptation but with a good support team I think she can kick her addiction and sort her life out. She is currently trying to make comeback acting and I think a lot people are rooting for her. She needs to take all precautions to stay out of trouble with the law, Mainly because if she gets into anymore trouble the judicial system will have no pity on her and make her serve the maximum time in jail the next time and I don’t think Lindsay is bout that jail life. I would rather see her name in headlines for her upcoming projects rather than for going to jail.
So to start this series off lets keep it current with R&B singer Chris Brown.
Brown is a Grammy award winning R&B singer who just can’t stay out of trouble lately.
In 2009 Brown was charged for assaulting his then girlfriend Pop superstar Rihanna. Brown was sentenced to 5 years probation, six moths of community service and one year of domestic violence counseling. Brown had apologized numerous times for his actions and expressed his regrets and asked the world for forgiveness. You would think after all of that he would never be in trouble with the law again but unfortunately that’s not the case. Brown made headlines again for getting into random physical altercations which caused him to violate his probation from his 2009 case (his alleged drug use did not help the situation either). Brown’s currently in jail and expected to serve 365 days in jail for violating his probation.
My opinion is that to dodge the fist incident which was so public and destructive to his career was luck because people don’t always get a second chance. Especially for someone who made a mistake which will never go away. But to keep getting in trouble with the law after just proved he may need to spend sometime in jail to really learn from his mistakes. He is young, rich and famous so that can be a little overwhelming for anyone. Even though I’m not condoning his reckless behavior, I do think he got caught up in both the hype and the negativity thrown his way after the incident which caused him to lash out in such a self destructing manner. When he gets out of jail hopefully he will stay out of trouble and focus on what we originally knew him for his talent.
The topic I chose to discuss today is a question which crosses most undergraduate legal studies students minds at some point. Should I go to Law School and become a lawyer. This question for some people is very complicated while for others its very simple.
Please be advised the opinions displayed below in this post are based off of conversations I have had with legal professionals.
The reasons to become a lawyer.
The Prestige
There is a prestigious outlook for someone who has completed Law School and has been admitted to the bar and earned the title “Lawyer”. Even though there are many careers in the world that are just as meaningful and prestige a doctor and a lawyer have always been the titles and professions that are the most impressive. You know when you’re in a social gathering and the question of employment comes up its not bad thing to have that lawyer title under your belt (Don’t let it get to your head though).
Because you love it
Do what you love if practicing law is what you love to do than being a Lawyer is a get career option. To wake up everyday and have a career that you can still love after your tired, stress out & frustrated by it is a great thing. In my opinion its a winning move to have a job that you love.
Goal
We all have goals if being a lawyer is one of them than try to make it happen. I think if your goal is to become a lawyer than you should give it a try but keep in mind that the journey wont be easy and you have to stay determined. Now even though for some achieving this goal may not be feasible at this time, if their is a will theres a way. at the end of the day no matter what adversity you face completing a setting and completing a career goal will always give you a moment of joy. What I found interesting was that many people working in corporate business who are CEO, Directors, VP etc. and are Lawyers but just choose not to practice law. But achieving their goal of being a lawyer was enough for them( keep in mind I spoke to a few who just did not like the legal field after a while.)
To help others
No matter if you are working for a plaintiffs or defendants firm you still are defending someone. Whether you like to help others plead their cases or advise someone regarding a contract, you will be helping another person. Even though lawyers at times get a bad repetition their main duty is to make sure their client is full aware of whats going on any not be taken advantage of.
The reason not to
Money
Money is a great thing to have but honestly for a lawyer the money does not always come in as expected (So I Heard). My view on this that if you are going to become a lawyer just for the money theres a risk the money you expect may never come in and you will be MAD (I know I would be). A lot of people are money driven and thats ok but that should not be the only reason why you want to pursue this career.
Uncertainty
If you are uncertain if you want be a lawyer then thats a real problem you don’t want to invest time nor money in something you know you may not complete or truly don’t have any interest in.
Therefore my opinion on what to do after you receive a legal studies degree is to evaluate what you really want to do with it. I recommend to network with people in the legal field and find out what other options are out their an how they are obtainable because not everyone with a legal studies degree wants to become a lawyer. Research in this field is essential so why not research other options. Having more than one option in your preferred career field gives you leverage and flexibility in that market.
The reason I choose to get into the legal field was honestly a accident that went right. I initial enrolled into a technical school to become a court reporter (reason they make lots of money!). I registered late and the court reporting program was closed until next semester so I decided to join the paralegal program instead. I was young and did not know to much about business and how the law worked so I was basically clueless of when it came to understanding my contract and negotiating a better deal. After completing my legal studies degree (associates) I become more marketable in the business field and I was capable of understanding my rights as a employee, civilian and a tenant. Now do I want to become a lawyer? maybe…..the reason why I say maybe is because it depends on where I’m at in my life at the time of graduation(from city tech). Life is a journey that we sometimes don’t know what to expect. Personally I feel being a successful lawyer is a commitment similar to marriage and right now where just in the stage of engagement.
Hey wassup everyone please check out Laura’s Law and History blog I have just written a guest post on there. Laura’s Law and History blog is a cool and informative new legal blog that discusses the history of law so click the link below and see what I’m talking about.
https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/groups/lauras-law-history/
Social Media Campaigns are NOT Traditional Campaigns but in today’s society can make an entertainer become a trending topic of discussion. The entertainer who I believe in 2013 that had gotten so much attention with no marketing, promotion or campaign team behind them is Amanda Bynes.
The 28 year old actress and very successful breakout star on the Nickelodeon show All That in the Late 90’s had social media going crazy in 2013. Her erratic behavior, new image and twitter comments made her an instant trending topic. Bynes had so much free publicity for someone who was not promoting any projects at the time. On May 23, 2013, Bynes was arrested at her home in Manhattan for criminal possession of marijuana, attempted tampering with evidence, and reckless endangerment. Bynes went on social media and spoke her mind about her public arrest and had gotten even more people to follow her on social media. Fellow celebrities reached out to Bynes but responded publicly by calling them ugly on twitter. On July 22, 2013, Cops detained Bynes in front of a stranger’s house in Thousand Oaks, California, where she had allegedly started a small fire in the driveway. Bynes lawyer requested that a “1368 Penal Code” hearing take place to determine Bynes’ mental competency. After receiving a mental competency evaluation it was concluded that Bynes needs specialized treatment for her mental instability. Within less than 3 months Bynes was released from the mental facility and on February 24, 2014 sentenced to three years of probation.
My opinion is that this is a great way for anyone to get attention or a buzz & a following on social media. I honestly did not pay any attention to Amanda Bynes until I saw the pictures of her new look and until she stared to insult other celebrities on twitter. Even though she was in the news for her unpredictable behavior social media boosted Bynes notability in the public. Even Though I sympathies with Bynes Mental condition, to me and many other people she was an entertaining train wreck to watch because you just never know what she would post on social media. At the end of the day social media is what made this young woman a trending topic in 2013 which proves Social Media Campaigns are NOT Traditional Campaigns but highly effective. (Can you imagine if a presidential candidate ran his or her campaign through social media?)
Thank you Chris Brogan for the idea! To check out Chris’s inspirational website click the link below.
http://www.chrisbrogan.com
The photo above is a picture I had taken outside of the Louvre museum in France. When I first saw this work of art I was captivated by how creative this man was. I was intrigued by how much detail and structurer was in his art work. I did not even realize at a first glance what the picture was (Jesus with a peace sign) I was just amazed by the colors. He seemed so happy and focused drawing that he did not pay much attention the people dropping money in his pan.
By the time I left the museum it was raining heavily, when I checked on the mans work of art it was gone, all I saw was just a bunch of colors fading on the ground. I saw the artist under his umbrella holding his art supplies and just smiling as his art just washes away. At that moment I realized that he discovered his talent and loved what he did and nothing could take away from his happiness. After spending hours drawing his picture on the floor for it to be washed away before it was completed was not a big deal to him because he looked like he enjoyed drawing.
My opinion is that the public paints a image of entertainers to judge. Whether the image is god or bad at some point it fades away just like the artist in Frances picture. Look at Michael Jackson even though the public ridiculed him at times for his alleged molestation charges, his looks, the way he lived his life etc., he never stopped doing what he loved (making music). He knew with time that the allegations and “haters” would eventually wash away. Throughout his legendary career the public painted so many different images of who they thought he was. My point is that entertainers now who are facing legal issues need to be like Michael Jackson in the sense of letting the negativity wash away and let there talent be what they are remembered for. (don’t be good be great!)
With that being said life is short we all have responsibilities and obligations to live up to but at the same time we need to take time out for ourself and do what makes us feel good even if it fades away or disappear with not trace left behind, That moment of happiness is priceless. Everything in this world must go no one is promised tomorrow so feed your soul with happiness.
Tarantino vs Gawker
The dangers of “predatory journalism”
To use the oddly violent imagery of Quentin Tarantino, Gawker is seen by his eyes as a piranha. What is Gawker? Gawker is a gossip website that has a tendency to spill the beans on whatever the hell is going on in Hollywood. Think TMZ and you won’t be far off. Now what relation does the famous film director Tarantino has to do with Gawker? Apparently, Gawker linked a screenplay of his and the Django director is looking for some payback via lawsuit.
From what I know, Tarantino is a guy who likes to make violent movies with a lot of funny dialogue. Fanboy stuff. If you have Netflix, I recommend you look up one of his movies to get a idea of what I’m talking about. Yet, he’s kind of got of a reputation of being a reckless with his themes; whether its for being too gory, too racy, and too demeaning.
Now he’s accused Gawker of doing “predatory journalism” (hence: piranha). In what may be pre-emptive action for future offenses, he is suing Gawker for linking a script without his consent. I think he’s trying to raise an issue with copyright laws and invasion of privacy. After all, Tarantino isn’ your run-of-the-mill director. He’s got a name and a reputation.
Anyways, who’s right and who’s wrong. Is Tarantino overreacting or is he protecting his rights?
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