SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that Marilyn Monroe's estate is powerless to stop a California company from selling her images without its permission. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that The Milton Greene Archives can continue to sell iconic images of the actress without paying her estate for publicity rights. The ruling hinged on Monroe's legal residency. She owned a home in California and an apartment in New York when she died in Los Angeles in 1962. Her estate at the time claimed Monroe was a New York resident to avoid paying California inheritance taxes. The court ruled that her estate can't now claim Monroe was a California resident to take advantage of a state law granting posthumous rights of publicity to the famous. With the estate's active backing, the state Legislature passed the law in 2007. New York has no such law. "Monroe's representatives took one position on Monroe's domicile at death for ...

20th Century Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection Since her death in 1962, Marilyn Monroe has endured in popularity and her estate has collected a fortune. According to Forbes, Monroe is the third highest money-maker in its rankings of " The Top Earning Dead Celebrities ," with $27 million of income in 2011 (behind Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley ). Not coincidentally, Monroe's estate has also been quite litigious, protecting her personality from being exploited without license from photographers, t-shirt venders, and even hologram makers . Now quite a bit of that money is endangered thanks to a ruling on Thursday by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In the opinion, the appellate judges affirm that Monroe LLC can't claim in court that the legendary actress was living in California at the time of her death, which means that her heirs can't take advantage of the state's generous laws allowing individuals to hold rights on their name, image, and likeness. The r...

A federal appeals court accused Marilyn Monroe 's estate of flip-flopping for financial gain Thursday and said the estate has no right to prevent California photographers from displaying and selling pictures of the Hollywood sex goddess. The central issue before the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco was whether Monroe was a resident of New York, where she kept an apartment, or California, where she was found dead of a drug overdose in 1962 in the Los Angeles-area house she had bought while working on a film. For 40 years, the court said, administrators of her estate, incorporated as Marilyn Monroe LLC, had argued that she was a New York resident in legal proceedings, reducing its taxes in California and defeating an attempt to gain inheritance by a woman who claimed to be Monroe's daughter. But in this case, the estate claimed the star had resided in California. Under legislation Marilyn Monroe LLC sponsored in 2007 after losing an early ruling over the righ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court has upheld the right of a Marilyn Monroe photo library to license images of the film star taken by a celebrity photographer who was one of her business partners. Milton H. Greene Archives Inc has been in a long-running court battle with Anna Strasberg , widow of Monroe's acting coach, Lee Strasberg , and her licensing agent CMG Worldwide, which controlled use of Monroe's image for years. In a ruling on Thursday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California backed a lower court decision that allowed Greene Archives to license its images of Monroe. The star's estate, however, said it still retained exclusive rights to the film star's likeness under federal law. Greene was a fashion and celebrity photographer who became friends with Monroe during a photo shoot, and the two formed a film production company. At one point, Monroe lived with Greene and his family at their Connecticut farmhouse, where he produced several ...

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -08/29/12)- Can she do it again? September 15, 1954 is an iconic date in cinematic history. That was the date when photographers and the public swarmed to capture the now famous subway-grate scene for 'The Seven Year Itch'; the lovely Marilyn Monroe posing in the William Travilla pleated ivory cocktail dress, blowing up and around her. It's an image that is permanently etched in our minds. September in New York City is synonymous with the glitz and glamour of Fashion Week. Marilyn, MM for those who knew her, is recognized around the world for her iconic image and beauty. As inspiration to fashion around the globe she is ready to step out and show us all once again she is the epitome of style and grace. Erika Smith, famous for her world renowned impersonation of Marilyn Monroe, will be center stage in this incredible event, and will be available for photo and autograph opportunities afterwards. What a perfect time to celebrate the essence and meanin...

The beautiful actress Marilyn Monroe disagreed with friends who insisted that her eating habits were absolutely bizarre according to a 1952 magazine interview. Marilyn Monroe , who famously sang Happy Birthday to JFK at Madison Square Garden, died 50 years ago this month (August 5) at age 36, was, and in many ways still is, the preeminent sex symbol of American pop culture as The Inquisitr previously reported. So how did she stay in shape for the movies, especially in an era when diet and fitness regimens were far less advanced then they are now? It seems that Americas hottie among other things liked her protein and hot fudge sundaes. According to an interview that Marilyn Monroe gave to Pageant magazine in 1952, as reported by Glamours fitness blog , this is what the sultry actress would eat on a typical day (assuming this information was on the level rather than dreamed up by a studio publicist): For breakfast, two raw eggs whipped up in a warm cup of milk, plus a multivitamin supp...

On August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe died at the age of 36. 50 years later, Monroe remains as much of a cultural icon as ever. And the Hollywood bombshell's selling power is just as powerfulif not more. Her name and estate could generate nearly $30 million in sales this year. After Monroe's image and likeness were purchased by Authentic Brands Group and partner NECA in 2010, "the company is in the midst of upgrading Monroe offerings from trinkets to cosmetic lines, spas, salons and apparel," reports the AP . In addition, "a new digital emphasis" will now be placed on the late star's estate, which includes a wealth of photos, fashion, films and other cultural touchstones. Part of the digital emphasis includes a Twitter account @MarilynMonroe , "tweeting on behalf of the Estate of Marilyn Monroe"which, at last count, has 64,352 followers and is even verified. Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry are among the 22 people she follows. Her Facebook page , ...

Dear Mick LaSalle : I'm tired of all of the constant Marilyn Monroe shtick. The fascination seems more in the minds of media and entertainment freaks - and the cross-dressing community - than anyone else. Bob Thomas , Castro Valley Dear Bob Thomas: No, it's not shtick. People really do love Monroe. You're seeing this and not feeling it, so you're having a kind of Vulcan response. As for the cross-dressing community, I haven't taken a survey, but I suspect that most men captivated by her image don't want to wear her clothes, or think about them. As for me, I consider Marilyn about the most desirable woman who ever lived (with the exception of my wife, of course), and I've never even put on a pair of women's underwear, except once or twice in the dark by mistake. Dear Mick LaSalle: The love of my life for the past 45 years would, all things considered, prefer to know the ending of a movie before it begins. Is this a "syndrome" considered in P...

Andy Warhol's collection of screen prints of Marilyn Monroe spans a wall at Marin Lawrence Galleries at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. ( Martin Lawrence Galleries / August 1 , 2012 ) By Mary Forgione Los Angeles Times Daily Travel & Deal blogger August 2, 2012 , 6:00 a.m. Martin Lawrence Galleries in Las Vegas hosts a day dedicated to Marilyn Monroe that showcases the famed Marilyn suite , a series of 10 screen prints made in 1967 by Andy Warhol. Fans are invited to mark the half century since the legendary actress died Aug. 5 by coming to see the artwork, lifting a glass of Champagne and watching one of her films on Thursday (today). Monroe defined glamor in midcentury America, but it was a brown-haired 19-year-old named Norma Jean Dougherty who turned up in Sin City in 1946, according to the book "Las Vegas Babylon." She came to Vegas seeking not fame but a divorce from her Merchant Marine husband, with whom she had lived on Catalina Island. She stayed at 604 1...

HELEN of Troy may have been the beauty whose face famously launched a thousand ships, but when it comes to moving merchandise, inspiring artists and spilling ink, she cant hold a candle to Marilyn Monroe, whose presence can be felt in almost every corner of popular culture. What follows is a selected list of products that carry her imprint. Advertising. The actresss name and image have been used to sell a mind-boggling array of products, from khakis and Coca-Cola to cars and cosmetics, but one of the more memorable ads to leverage the legend didnt use her likeness at all. In a 1995 print ad, a vodka bottle sits atop a subway grate as the lettering from its label billows about the same way Monroes dress does in that iconic scene from The Seven Year Itch. The ad copy read: Absolut Marilyn. Art. The best-known artwork bearing her likeness are the silk-screened images created by Andy Warhol within a month of her death in 1962. Warhols Marilyns were based on a publicity photo of the actr...

NEW YORK A tiny apartment in a run-down industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn is not where you'd expect to be looking at original color negatives of Elizabeth Taylor , Natalie Wood , Audrey Hepburn , Catherine Deneuve , Julie Newmar and Sophia Loren especially using a bare light bulb and sheet of typing paper as a light box. But that is what happened on a recent night, when the iconic commercial and celebrity photographer Bert Stern perhaps known best for a photo series of Marilyn Monroe taken for Vogue six weeks before her death in 1962 went to the home of 29-year-old artist Launa Eddy to retrieve samples of work, unseen for decades, from the peak of his career. Eddy inherited the material from a man she worked for as a personal assistant. Edward Feldman was 81 or 82, Eddy wasn't sure which, when he passed away in November 2011. He had no known next of kin, according to Eddy, and he had her distribute many of his belongings to friends and left her the rest. PHOTOS: 6 ico...

Landov By Debbie Emery - Radar Reporter Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe 's shocking death at age 36, and despite five decades of debate, the passing of the iconic Hollywood bombshell is still shrouded in mystery. On August 5, 1962, the body of the legendary Some Like It Hot star was found by her housekeeper in the bedroom of her Brentwood, Calif., home lying face down on her bed, and although it was ruled a "probable suicide" by "acute barbiturate poisoning," many still believe she was murdered. PHOTOS: Michelle Williams Channels Marilyn Monroe Whether she took her own life or someone else had a hand in it has been the subject of heated debates and investigation for the past half century, with conspiracy theories covering the highest profile suspects including the president, the CIA and the Mafia. One popular opinion is that Marilyn was murdered because of her associations with John and Robert Kennedy (with whom she is believed to have ...

She dropped off the list in 2009, but as of October 2011, Marilyn Monroe had climbed up into Forbes magazine's list of the top-earning dead celebrities -- to No. 3, behind Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, earning $27 million last year. The Marilyn memorabilia industry waxes and wanes, depending on which movie is being made or which anniversary approaches, but she never goes away: Collectors snap up her autographed checks, dresses, bras and, weirdly, a chest X-ray (to the tune of $45,000 in 2010). Locally, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort displays one of her black dresses in its art collection: She wore it at the Plaza Hotel in 1956 to announce the production of "The Prince and the Showgirl." The dress strap broke while she was talking to reporters, but Marilyn kept her cool. The Andy Warhol Museum on the North Side owns some of the iconic silkscreen prints that Warhol made when she died in August 1962. The artist used a 1953 publicity shot that many art collectors believe is ...

As fans worldwide mark 50 years since her untimely death , a collection of rare Marilyn Monroe photographs immortalising the American blonde bombshell went on display in Warsaw Monday. Poland's State Treasury obtained the candid shots of Monroe by a friend. Milton Green, in a collection of nearly 4,000 photographs it received as part of a 1995 foreign debt settlement. The collection also contains images of Frank Sinatra , Liza Minnelli , Marlon Brando , Judy Garland and Marlene Dietrich and is to be auctioned off later this year. Monroe is snapped dressed in jeans fixing her lipstick and hair, eating a meal and coyly chatting on the phone in several photos, which will be on display until September 6 at the Association of Polish Artistic Photographers on Warsaw's Royal Castle square. According to the association, some of the images of Monroe have not been seen before. No date has yet been fixed for the auction, but Poland's treasury expects it to go ahead before the end...

In the decades since her death on Aug. 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe has been the subject of so many books that the actress practically deserves her own Dewey Decimal classification. And although it seems unlikely that theres any aspect of her 36 years that hasnt been adequately dissected, analyzed and scrutinized half a century on, the books keep coming, like the followingtwo weighty tomes and two glossy coffee table booksthat have been published in the last few months. Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by Lois Banner; Bloomsbury Press ($30) This is the second book on Monroe penned by the University of Southern California professor of history and gender studies, and one that she spent a decade researching. Its a dense, detail-packed book, so much so that as it recounts Monroes early years and the people in her life as she was shuttled from home to home, its easy to lose track of all the players and places. But Banners through-line isnt hard to follow: The woman who started life as Norma ...

As fans worldwide mark 50 years since her untimely death , a collection of rare Marilyn Monroe photographs immortalising the American blonde bombshell went on display in Warsaw Monday. Poland's State Treasury obtained the candid shots of Monroe by a friend. Milton Green, in a collection of nearly 4,000 photographs it received as part of a 1995 foreign debt settlement. The collection also contains images of Frank Sinatra , Liza Minnelli , Marlon Brando , Judy Garland and Marlene Dietrich and is to be auctioned off later this year. Monroe is snapped dressed in jeans fixing her lipstick and hair, eating a meal and coyly chatting on the phone in several photos, which will be on display until September 6 at the Association of Polish Artistic Photographers on Warsaw's Royal Castle square. According to the association, some of the images of Monroe have not been seen before. No date has yet been fixed for the auction, but Poland's treasury expects it to go ahead before the end...

She dropped off the list in 2009, but as of October 2011, Marilyn Monroe had climbed up into Forbes magazine's list of the top-earning dead celebrities -- to No. 3, behind Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, earning $27 million last year. The Marilyn memorabilia industry waxes and wanes, depending on which movie is being made or which anniversary approaches, but she never goes away: Collectors snap up her autographed checks, dresses, bras and, weirdly, a chest X-ray (to the tune of $45,000 in 2010). Locally, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort displays one of her black dresses in its art collection: She wore it at the Plaza Hotel in 1956 to announce the production of "The Prince and the Showgirl." The dress strap broke while she was talking to reporters, but Marilyn kept her cool. The Andy Warhol Museum on the North Side owns some of the iconic silkscreen prints that Warhol made when she died in August 1962. The artist used a 1953 publicity shot that many art collectors believe is ...

PEOPLE WILL NEVER GET enough of Marilyn Monroe. Image from Facebook WARSAW, Poland - As fans worldwide mark 50 years since her untimely death, a collection of rare Marilyn Monroe photographs immortalizing the American blonde bombshell went on display in Warsaw Monday, August 6. Poland's State Treasury obtained the candid shots of Monroe by a friend. The collection is made up of nearly 4,000 photographs that the organization received as part of a 1995 foreign debt settlement. The collection also contains images of Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Marlon Brando, Judy Garland and Marlene Dietrich. It is to be auctioned off later this year. Monroe is snapped dressed in jeans fixing her lipstick and hair, eating a meal and coyly chatting on the phone in several photos. These will be on display until September 6 at the Association of Polish Artistic Photographers on Warsaw's Royal Castle Square. According to the association, some of the images of Monroe have not been seen before. No dat...

By Bianca London PUBLISHED: 06:51 EST, 6 August 2012 | UPDATED: 09:16 EST, 6 August 2012 From the platinum blonde hair and ruby red lips to the beauty mark and those curves, as we mark the 50th anniversary of her death, the legend of Marilyn Monroe lives on, more vibrantly than ever. In May 1962, just a few months before her death, Monroe famously sang 'Happy Birthday' to President John F. Kennedy wearing a floor-length sheath of a dress adorned with rhinestones. The so-called 'JFK Dress' sold for over $1.2 million at auction, which serves to convey Marilyn's enduring appeal, and it seems nothing has changed as more memorabilia is flying off the shelves for thousands. Marilyn Monroe is still a style icon, even half a century after her untimely death This 1956 signed photograph of Marilyn Monroe by Cecil Beaton is selling online for a staggering 19,500.00 One website, Vintage Seekers, are offering an incredibly unique and rare collection of memorabilia including a...

Woody Harrelson departs the CBS 'This Morning' talk show on a bike in Manhattan. Harrelson rides his bike down the sidewalk to the West Side Highway bike path on August 6, 2012.

One of Los Angeles' most enduring and debated death mysteries began 50 years ago today. On Aug. 5, 1962, the body of Marilyn Monroe was found in the bedroom of her Brentwood home. The 36-year-old movie star was naked and face down on her bed. An autopsy conducted by Dr. Thomas Noguchi, then deputy medical examiner for Los Angeles County, concluded that death was due to acute barbiturate poisoning, and a psychiatric team tied to the investigation termed it a "probable suicide." Whether Monroe died by her own hand has been debated and dissected by books, documentaries, conspiracy theorists and Hollywood and Washington insiders alike for years. Enough credence was given to the various reports that in 1982, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office reexamined the case. The D.A.'s review concluded that "the cumulative evidence available to us fails to support any theory of criminal conduct relating to her death." The Times investigated the questions ...

by Sebastian Smith NEW YORK, Aug 1, 2012 (AFP) - She was the prototype blonde bombshell and 50 years after her sudden death, the smoke from Marilyn Monroe's one-woman sexual revolution has yet to clear. Monroe wasn't the first Hollywood pin-up. Or even a natural blonde. But between the famous tight red sweater, the Playboy pictures, and that skirt blowing episode over a New York subway grate, the young woman previously known as Norma Jeane Baker put America and the world in a fluster. It was a conquest that brought her celebrity marriages and fame far beyond her relatively modest list of film credits, creating a sex symbol revered by pop singers, actresses and fashionistas to this day. "Marilyn Monroe has achieved an aura," Goetz Grossmann, an executive producer involved in developing a film about the actress called "Blonde," told AFP. "You cannot escape Marilyn Monroe. She's reached iconic status." Quite aside from biopics like the recent ...

Enlarge Photo Marilyn Monroe is shown in The Seven Year Itch. The bombshell actress ... more> Story Topics Human Interest Story Entertainment_Culture Marilyn Monroe Lawrence Schiller Marilyn Monroe Cafes Follow Us On Facebook Question of the Day Amid a struggling economy, do you think large defense budget cuts are in order? LOS ANGELES There is a career after death, at least if while alive you wielded star power like Marilyn Monroe . The bombshell actress continues to be a successful celebrity brand even 50 years after her death on Aug. 5, 196! 2, with a new digital emphasis to complement the wealth of photos, fashion, films and other cultural touchstones she left behind. Monroe ranked third last year on Forbes annual list of top deceased celebrity earners, generating $27 million and coming in behind only Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley . It was a comeback for the actress, who had fallen off the list the previous two years. When the list is updated in the fall, it likely wi...

One of Los Angeles' most enduring and debated death mysteries began 50 years ago today. On Aug. 5, 1962, the body of Marilyn Monroe was found in the bedroom of her Brentwood home. The 36-year-old movie star was naked and face down on her bed. An autopsy conducted by Dr. Thomas Noguchi, then deputy medical examiner for Los Angeles County, concluded that death was due to acute barbiturate poisoning, and a psychiatric team tied to the investigation termed it a "probable suicide." Whether Monroe died by her own hand has been debated and dissected by books, documentaries, conspiracy theorists and Hollywood and Washington insiders alike for years. Enough credence was given to the various reports that in 1982, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office reexamined the case. The D.A.'s review concluded that "the cumulative evidence available to us fails to support any theory of criminal conduct relating to her death." The Times investigated the questions ...

Audio for this story from Weekend Edition Sunday will be available at approx. 12:00 p.m. ET August 5, 2012 Marilyn Monroe died 50 years ago Sunday at the age of 36. Host Linda Wertheimer speaks with film expert Murray Horwitz about Monroe's film legacy and her comedic skills.

Richard Avedon's portrait of Monroe in 1957. ( Associated Press file ) Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death. The blond, curvy, whispery-voiced actress and one of the 20th century's indisputable icons was 36 when she was found dead of a drug overdose in her Brentwood, Calif., bungalow on Aug. 5, 1962. If you're in Los Angeles, you can join members of the Marilyn Remembered fan club for a memorial service Sunday. The ceremony begins at noon and will be held at the Westwood Memorial Park, where the star is buried. More than 400 people are expected. "A reception following the memorial service will be held at the Westwood Presbyterian Church fellowship hall." If you're visiting Palm Springs, a A 1962 portrait by Arnold Newman, shot in Beverly Hills, Calif. pilgrimage to the 26-foot, 34,000-pound statue of Monroe at the corner of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon might be in order. Seward Johnson, the octogenarian artist and Johnson ...