The other day my producer, Michael Avila, gave me a John Wayne Beef Jerky (Maybe he was sending me a subtle message.) Anyway, I mailed it to a friend who reverses John Wayne's movies. It reminded me of efforts by the descendants of dead celebrities to try and copyright their images. It's a double-edged sword, as far as I'm concerned.

Current libel/slander law does not include anyone who is dead. In other words, you can say anything you want to about a dead person basically, and get away with it. This is probably to avoid endless lawsuits. I think the same thing ought to apply to the images of dead celebrities. Otherwise, where do you draw the line? Do the descendants of famous authors have the right to get paid by Barnes and Noble, which has a display of images of long-dead authors? Will some relative of, say, Marilyn Monroe suddenly turn up and demand money? And who is to say which actors deserve such protection. All actors? Some? Oscar winners? The courts are crowded enough as is. If you think some of the brick-a-brack with stars' images on them is tacky stuff, just don't buy it. Instead, remember the stars for who they were in their glory days.