Michael Phelps could lose Olympic medals.
Record setting Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is in danger
of a hefty fine or even being stripped of his gold medals for the promotional
photos that leaked on the Internet during the Olympic games that showed him posing
for the new Louis Vuitton campaign. The ads violate the International Olympic
Committee’s Rule 40, which states that athletes cannot be seen promoting any
sponsor other than the Olympics during the games period. This year that period
ranged from July 18th through August 15th. Had the new
ads not premiered until their original, intended date of August 16th
there would be no controversy, but unfortunately that was not the case.
The penitently for this, in accordance with IOC regulations,
states that "a competitor or a
team may lose the benefit of any ranking obtained in relation to other events
at the Olympic Games at which he or it was disqualified or excluded; in such
case the medals and diplomas won by him or it shall be returned to the IOC"
(Chase, 2012.)
My thoughts: The
most reasonable answer to this dilemma would be a fine. Since neither Phelps
and his representatives, nor the Louis Vuitton office released the photos –
there was no word from famed photographer Annie Leibovitz who snapped the pictures
– a stripping of medals seems like an excessive punishment. While it is in
direct violation of the contract Phelps entered into when the Olympics began,
and a punishment does have to be handed down, since it was not something Phelps
did intentionally and maliciously against the Olympics, a fine seems like the
best sentence to be handed down to him. It’s a good reminder than no matter how
successful ones gets, if a contract or implied contract goes into effect, it
must be adhered to until the period where the contract becomes void.
Outside Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/michael-phelps-could-trouble-louis-vuitton-photos-141804124--oly.html
Modern Family child actors renegotiate their contracts.
The recent renegotiation of the adult cast members of the
popular comedy Modern Family resulted in a boycotted table read of the fourth
season scripts, suing 20th Century Fox, and threatened to push back
recording new episodes. This was not the case with its younger cast members
though their salary discussions came just a day after the decisions for their
older co-workers became final. The adult cast, with exception of veteran actor Ed
O’Neill who already got paid a higher salary and renegotiated separately, went
from making an estimated $65,000 per episode to a staggering $175,000 per
episode. This excludes any bonuses or stipends that they were originally
demanding per episode ($50,000) as well.
The children banded together much in the same way the adult
members did when they went in to renegotiate, with their eyes on a prospective
$70,000 per episode, which they were granted. Much like O’Neill though, the
oldest of the “child actors” Sarah Hyland, who is actually 21, negotiated
separately as she was already paid higher than the rest of the young cast
members. The youngest member, 5-year-old Aubrey Anderson-Emmons was denied any
renegotiation since she has only been with the show for one season.
My thoughts: The entire process of attempting to be paid
more money for the show became grossly blown out of proportion for this cast.
They already had a very sizeable payday, and because of the action of actually
suing for more money, many loyal fans of the show are now looking at the actors
in a different light. In the end the move could prove to be more detrimental to
the show than being paid more was beneficial for the actors because it could
mean less ratings from a disappointed public who feels they handled themselves
poorly. Contract renegotiations are a standard part of any television program
that runs for several seasons, especially ones as popular as Modern Family has
become. But with such a steep pay increase being demanded, the actors came out
looking greedy and demanding in the end.
Outside Sources: http://tv.yahoo.com/news/modern-family-kids-now-seeking-raises-003500158.html & http://tv.yahoo.com/news/modern-family-kids-pay-raises-season-4-003100555.html
Amanda Bynes in continuous distress.
Continuous legal troubles seem to be standard when it comes
to the young, Hollywood elite, especially when they’ve been in the industry as
long as Amanda Bynes has. However, she never seemed to be the type to stir up
trouble until this past year when, after her young retirement, she seemed to
start down a slippery slope that has included several DUI’s, hit and runs, and
other car accident allegations. She has even been arrested at least once for
her recent woes. Yet that is about the extent of the trouble. Her biggest issue
just seems to be that she keeps getting in trouble as opposed to having to pay
any substantial fines or other punishment.
My thoughts: Whenever celebrities get into consistent
trouble like this in such a short period of time (think Charlie Sheen, Lindsay
Lohan) nothing ever seems to be done about it. Maintaining public image is very
important when you’re a celebrity and showing that you have integrity and
ability to follow and uphold the law falls into that category. Few celebrities
ever seem to go to jail or really face any harsh punishment for the crimes that
they commit. While it is not jail-worthy if you rear-end someone, repeated
traffic and DUI violations should warrant more than a slap on the wrist for
someone who is looked to so often. The law should fall on everyone equally, and
when you’re in the public eye so much, you have an obligation to show that you
won’t try to slip under the radar if there is ever a situation, which you need
to pay the price for.
Outside Sources: http://tv.yahoo.com/news/amanda-bynes-in-another-car-accident.html & http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/aline/amanda-bynes-gets-strange-makeover-202418391.html
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