Remember last week when Friday Night Lights executive producer Peter Berg specifically and rather forcefully asked Mitt Romney to stop using the show’s famous phrase “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” as part of his campaign? Here is the relevant blockquote to refresh your memory.
In a letter to the Romney campaign sent Friday and obtained exclusively by The Hollywood Reporter, Berg calls the use of “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose” an act of stealing. “Your politics and campaign are clearly not aligned with the themes we portrayed in our series,” Berg writes in the letter. “The only relevant comparison that I see between your campaign and [FNL] is in the character of Buddy Garrity — who turned his back on American car manufacturers selling imported cars from Japan.” [Via]
In response, Romney and his campaign apologized profusely and agreed to stop using the catchphrase, since it wasn’t theirs in the first place, and one of the people responsible for it so obviously wanted them to stop. Wait. What’s that? That isn’t what happened? They’ve actually doubled down and have started selling bracelets with the saying on their website for $10 each? Really?
I’ll let my man Anderson Cooper take this one.
via Vulture
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/photo/51/thumb)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/leno-romney-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/04/ELLEN-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2012/12/A9pnabuCAAEBBLU-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2012/12/coach-taylor-thumb-420x236-55499-150x150.jpg)
Romney’s kinda hard up for cash. I mean, he probably blew $40M in a failed attempt to be CEO of America.
Are you a lawyer, DG? Can Peter Berg (or NBC, who probably owns the trademark and needs the money a lot more than Berg does) sue? And before you insist that this isn’t your specialty and hastily recuse yourself, consider this image of Minka Kelly and her dog. Do you really think it’s right that Romney’s campaign is taking kibble out of this poor pooch’s bowl?
Is the phrase even trademarked?
Probably not. But I’d murder a campaign staffer if I thought it would even remotely improve my chances of talking to Mika Kelly about her puppies.
I talked to Minka Kelly one time. True story. I was standing next to her at an Explosions in the Sky concert (she was with a bunch of the Friday Night Lights people). I asked if the band knew that those guys were there and she said “yes.” That counts as “talking to,” right?
What a shit weasel.
The Romney campaign probably thought that a show about a small Texas town that practically worships High School football would, well, you know, lean the same way politically as a small Texas town that worships High School football.
Romney loves football matches out on the yards.
Peter Berg wasn’t the showrunner, that was Jason Katims. Also, someone should tell Berg that Buddy Garrity owned a Chevrolet Dealership. Basically, what I’m saying is I’ll be annoyed with Romney if Katims or Kyle Chandler complain.
Fixed. I make too many mistakes when I write while hungry.
God, so now Republicans are even out of touch with the average Republican?
No Republican would wear a bracelet. They would consider them “Butt-loving faggotry”.
What about the women Republicans?
Their husbands won’t let them spend ten dollars on something that doesn’t cook food.
Just for the record, I was referring to cookware and/or slaves.
On the other hand, Buzz Bissinger (the guy who wrote the Friday Night Lights book) is voting for Romney, so does that cancel this out? Or do we all have to still pretend to be outraged?
On the other other hand, Buzz Bissinger is a crazy lunatic asshole so….
Does Peter Berg have any ownership of the phrase? I would assume it would be owned either by Bissinger or the production studio, not by yet another hack failed actor who carved out a career pointing the camera at other, better actors.
I don’t really know who has ownership, and your Peter Berg hate aside, in his letter he says that he’s the one who came up with that line so at the very least that wouldn’t be something Buzz can claim ownership over.
LAW SUIT! LAW SUIT! LAW SUIT! LAW SUIT!
HUMAN SUIT! HUMAN SUIT! HUMAN SUIT! HUMAN SUIT!
The phrase definitely doesn’t appear in the book, so Buzz isn’t involved. IMO, if the person who wrote something doesn’t want you to use it, use something else. It’s not worth the negative publicity that a fight will inevitably bring.
Well I heard Obama say “When in doubt I whip it out. I got me a rock and roll band. It’s a free for all”
The Nuge is gonna be pissed
Bill Clinton infamously tasted the wrath of the Nuge back in the ’90s when he shamelessly ripped off “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang”.
Sounds like Mitt just committed a huge Oh No-No
I thought about comparing Romney to the Dillon Panthers after Coach Taylor left for East Dillon, but then I realized that would make Obama East Dillon, and then it would sound like I’m only making the comparison because the quarterback was black, which would then make Romney Jason Street.
Basically, fuck Mitt Romney, and not in any way that could be perceived as sympathetic.
Coach Taylor 2016. This needs to happen.