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Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is Brazil’s Oscar Bet

Director José Padilha’s Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (Tropa de Elite 2), Brazil’s submission for the 84th Academy Awards, opens November 11 in the U.S. This gritty crime thriller, (which passed its predecessor Elite Squad as Brazil’s most successful movie of all time), uncovers a far-ranging web of corruption amongst the special military police assigned

Relatively Speaking Now in Previews

Relatively Speaking, a comedy made up of one-act plays by Ethan Coen, Woody Allen and Elaine May, began previews September 20 and opens October 20 on Broadway. Frequent Coen Brothers collaborator John Turturro directs the cast which includes Julie Kavner. Each of the three one-acts follows a different branch of a single family tree. Timothy

Timothy J. DeBaets & Robert I. Freedman: Super Lawyers

Timothy J. DeBaets has been named a Super Lawyer, and for the sixth year in a row, Robert I. Freedman has been named a Super Lawyer. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas; the selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Super Lawyers magazine

Client FilmDistrict’s Drive Owns the Road

Just as the race for audiences’ and critics’ summer winner seemed at its end, CDAS client FilmDistrict’s Drive is pulling to the front. Hot off its Cannes’ Best Director honors for Nicholas Winding Refn, Drive wound through last week’s Toronto International Film Festival with a boost of excitement. Since opening across the country last Friday,
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Toronto Film Festival: Into the Abyss, First Position, Think of Me & Dark Horse

Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss opened at the Toronto International Film Festival. (The ten-day festival ended this last weekend). The documentary takes us inside a Texas prison to meet inmates convicted of triple homicide. And First Position premiered at Toronto. Directed and produced by Bess Kargman, this documentary follows six aspiring dancers (ages 9-19) as

Madonna’s Not the Only “Material Girl”: Judge Denies Summary Judgment

In California, a Federal Court Judge denied the defendent’s — Madonna’s — Motion for Summary Judgment that she is the “senior trademark user” of the “Material Girl” mark. This now clears the path for a lawsuit by the plaintiff, clothing company L.A. Triumph, which has sold a “Material Girl clothing line since 1997.

Good Day for Green Day: Judge Rules in Favor of Fair Use

In a lawsuit against the band Green Day, by Derek Seltzer (an L.A. Based Artist), the U.S. District Court Judge ruled in favor of Green Day in a motion for summary judgment on the basis of their fair use defense. Seltzer accused Green Day of violating his intellectual property rights through their unauthorized use of,
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Congratulations to Our Emmy-Nominated Clients

Frederick P. Bimbler’s client Sofia Vergara was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress for a Comedy Series, for her work in Modern Family. Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking (HBO) was nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special (and the show also picked up a nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Special). Mr. Bimbler represents Carrie

Update On Google Books Settlement

In a new twist in the Google Books case, it appears that the publishers and authors may be going separate ways. The parties had a conference with Judge Denny Chin this past Thursday, September 15th. Judge Chin had admonished the parties in the last conference on July 20th to hasten their settlement discussion and to