Before we turn to, you know, legal issues, let's dispense with today's Glenn Garvin.....

Hey now! You know what they say -- a blind pig finds a broken clock twice a day inside an acorn, or something, but Glenn actually is right -- this show is awesome (I watched it this morning on video-on-demand).

But, as usual, Glenn gets the politics of Night of the Living Dead all wrong:

But with racial violence wracking America in the wake of Martin Luther King's assassination, a black character decapitating and disemboweling white people by the score -- even white people who were already technically dead -- inevitably assumed epic political proportions.

First off, the context is incomplete -- in addition to riots in the streets and MLK and RFK, you had the Tet offensive and the escalating violence in Vietnam.

Moreover, the black character wasn't just "killing whitey" in Glenn's reductive formulation, he was a bold and courageous leader -- giving orders, saving lives, and taking command -- not something seen in American cinema very often at that time.

Most importantly, Glenn misses the entire point of the ending, filled with grainy black-and-white photo images of Southern, white law-enforcement authorities with guns, laughing and committing cheery violence -- clearly evocative of historic newspaper accounts of white-on-black lynchings, ongoing KKK violence, Medger Evers, church bombings etc.

Speaking of zombies, what sane parent would intentionally submerge their child in a vat filled with Disney total-immersion purchasing opportunities:

“The world does not need another place to sell Disney merchandise — this only works if it’s an experience,” said Jim Fielding, president of Disney Stores Worldwide. The company plans to unveil the new look in May in Southern California, Long Island and Madrid, and is close to signing a lease for that Times Square flagship.

Theaters will allow children to watch film clips of their own selection, participate in karaoke contests or chat live with Disney Channel stars via satellite. Computer chips embedded in packaging will activate hidden features. Walk by a “magic mirror” while holding a Princess tiara, for instance, and Cinderella might appear and say something to you.

It’s your birthday? With the push of a button, eight 13-foot-tall Lucite trees will crackle with video-projected fireworks and sound. There will be a scent component; if a clip from Disney’s coming “A Christmas Carol” is playing in the theater, the whole store might suddenly be made to smell like a Christmas tree.

In other words, another remake of Dawn of the Dead.

Ok, I already reported about a month ago that Pat Riley really doesn't want his depo taken.

Now, in addition to the plaintiff's motion to compel and Pat's motion to quash, Dwyane Wade has also filed a motion for protective order regarding Riley's impending deposition.

In it, Robert Turken of Bilzin argues that deposing Riley would be a "fishing expedition" and that Riley knows nothing about the underlying facts of the alleged antitrust action. He also argues that the plaintiff's effort to depose Riley is for an improper purpose -- to gain leverage in the pending state court action.

Of course, it's possible a depo can be legitimate and permissible under Rule 26, and yet also have a collateral benefit to one of the parties in ancillary litigation.

My advice -- when you're going after someone who looms as large as Pat Riley, it's like taking down a zombie -- your first shot better be the right one.

This one feels like a misfire.

Poor Jeff Soffer -- if this keeps up Daddy is going to make him go back to elementary school and graduate each grade so he shows he has what it takes to run that big fancy company.

But at least he has his lawyers, I mean had his lawyers:

Lawyers defending the Fontainebleau Miami Beach against more than $60 million in construction claims dropped out of the case Thursday as contractors accused the resort of stall tactics amid a lack of cash.

Bilzin Sumberg, a prominent Miami firm, won court permission to drop the dozens of cases against South Florida's largest resort. A judge agreed to delay depositions and mediation until December, Fontainebleau's deadline to find new lawyers.

Fontainebleau executives accuse contractors of submitting padded bills and bogus fees from a renovation funded by a $640 million mortgage on the iconic oceanfront property. Bilzin lawyers declined to say why they were withdrawing, but some contractor attorneys called the move another example of Fontainebleau not paying its bills.

``Basically, I've been getting the run-around,'' Alexander Cvercko, who represents a construction staffing firm claiming nearly $1 million in unpaid bills, said during the morning hearing in Miami-Dade Civil Court. ``The Fontainebleau ran out of money, and just doesn't want to pay people.''

David Reimer, a lawyer for Fontainebleau's contractor, said the resort has legitimate disputes with fees and warned against drawing broad conclusions about Bilzin's departure or the unpaid contractors. ``There's more to these cases than the Fontainebleau doesn't have the money to pay,'' Reimer said. ``There are questions [to be] raised about these bills.''

I presume David is referring to the subcontractor bills, not those of Bilzin.

If Bilzen does wind up going after what may or may not be unpaid legal fees, they better be careful:

Miami attorney Warren Trazenfeld, who represents Whitney in the unpaid legal bills case, contends lawyers suing clients is "one of the top 10 stupidest things a lawyer can do."

He said almost every claim for unpaid legal fees is met with a counterclaim of legal malpractice. He said one will be coming against Rothstein.

"Most clients think the best defense is a good offense, and there's no better offense than a counterclaim for legal malpractice," Trazenfeld said.

Oy, such tsurris.

I don't know about you, but it's Friday and I'm getting ready to go decorate my Sukka, which as usual will be adorned with traditional festive items such as windsurfing gear, a Keytar, Bo Derek posters, dry Gin Gibsons and -- oh yeah -- an etrog.

So I hope everyone has a great weekend, filled with these very interesting professional women, the burning of exactly 970 calories, and lots and lots of clean sheets.

See you Monday!

Forget the gloom and doom swirling around the twin Bilzin headlines breaking today, and let's talk some good news instead:

Hector A. Chichoni, attorney at Epstein Becker & Green, has been appointed national immigration counsel by ALTA, the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association. In this role, he will advise the association on U.S. immigration and nationality law issues and legal trends affecting the aviation industry.

Hector's my buddy, and this is a nice gig.

So nice, in fact, that I am compelled to sing "Hector Chichoni" to the tune of "Hey Bo Diddley":

Hector Chichoni done had a firm,
On that firm he had some cases,
Cases here, cases there,
Cases, cases, cases everywhere.

Hector Chichoni, Hector Chichoni,
Hector Chichoni, Hector Chichoni.

Well, my lyrics get a bit blue at this point, so you'll have to take it from there.....

I was reading this article about more foreclosure problems at downtown's Wind By Neo (a beautiful building, btw) when something familiar caught my eye:

On Sept. 2, Wachovia filed a foreclosure action against Neo Epoch 1 and managing members Frank Guerra, Lissette M. Calderon and Maria T. Calderon, according to Miami-Dade County Circuit Court records. It targets the 1.8-acre site, at 24 S.W. Fourth St., along the Miami River.

Neo Epoch 1 bought the site for $30 million in 2004 and obtained a $22.8 million mortgage from Wachovia. The site has been used as a parking lot. No major construction has taken place. The completed Wind by Neo is on its north side.

Frank Guerra?

Bilzen's Frank Guerra?

It seems so:

Frank Guerra serves as President of NEO, where he is directly involved in the diverse facets of NEO’s real estate development including project identification and acquisition, deal structuring, implementation of NEO’s strategies and goals, project financing, and equity placement. Mr. Guerra draws daily from his background in finance, law and the many relationships built throughout his career to establish and contribute to all aspects of NEO’s project development. Mr. Guerra obtained an M.B.A, with concentrations in Finance and International Business, from George Washington University as well as a J.D. from the University’s prestigious National Law Center. Mr. Guerra’s legal career is highlighted by the combined experience he gained while an Associate at Gunster Yoakley Valdes-Fauli & Stewart P.A, one of the largest legal firms in the state of Florida and then Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod LLP, a statewide powerhouse in real estate development. For the past decade, Mr. Guerra has been using his diverse expertise to consummate real estate development transactions.

Sheesh.

Was everybody in town (except me) developing real estate projects?